|
|
The day’s most important moves across every mode — air, rail, road, ocean and the trade that ties them together.
| ● On the Wire |
Monday, October 19 |
5 stories |
|
|
|
|
|
The Northwest Seaport Alliance connects Pacific Northwest shippers to Asia with some of the shortest transit times on the West Coast, backed by deep-water berths and on-dock rail at both Seattle and Tacoma.
|
|
|
|
|
Ports
BY STUART CHIRLS · AMERICAN SHIPPER · OCTOBER 16, 2026
The Port of Long Beach handled 997,177 TEUs in September, its busiest month in 115 years, with loaded imports up 31.3% and the port preparing for a long bridge closure that starts Nov. 7.
| THE TAKE — Long Beach’s record follows Los Angeles posting its own all-time high the same month, which points to shippers concentrating cargo on San Pedro Bay as diesel costs, Panama Canal limits and trade-deal expectations shape routing. The port’s point that the surge came with no congestion matters as much as the volume itself. The next test is operational: the 16-month Vincent Thomas Bridge deck project begins Nov. 7, and the extra evening and Saturday gates are meant to keep trucking flowing through it. |
|
Air Cargo & Logistics
DHL Group plans to invest more than $447 million in Central and Eastern Europe by 2030, adding Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania to its growth plan, including a new air freight terminal in Katowice.
| THE TAKE — Poland’s goods trade growing more than twice as fast as global trade over the past decade is the data point driving this bet, and DHL’s own tracker projects the region will keep outpacing the EU. The money builds on large existing commitments such as the Poznan logistics centre and a recent Romania entry through a Pepco partnership. It also fits a pattern of regional capital allocation, following DHL’s earlier Middle East investment announcement. |
|
Ocean
At least 10 vessels have been attacked in or near the Strait of Hormuz since Sunday, including the feeder ship GFS Pride, which sank off Oman, as maritime authorities log the highest one-day total since the war began.
| THE TAKE — The attribution dispute over the GFS Pride matters beyond this one ship: Iran says it hit a mine on an unauthorized route, while Singaporean authorities and analysts say it was struck by a projectile, and the difference affects how insurers treat the risk. Analysts also flag that other carriers may have bought slots on the affected feeders and that war-risk cover can be cancelled on short notice for cargo carried on a vessel the bill-of-lading carrier doesn’t own. With strait crossings falling week over week, shippers should expect more routing and cargo-insurance questions from their carriers. |
|
Rail
U.S. railroads moved 534,256 carloads and intermodal units in the week ended Oct. 10, up 7.2%, with intermodal up 10.4% and metallic ores and steelmaking metals leading carload gains.
| THE TAKE — Intermodal growing more than three times faster than carloads again points to freight moving off the road, which the report links to high diesel prices and tighter trucking conditions from regulatory enforcement. The week’s carload gains were led by metallic ores and steelmaking metals, while coal and non-grain farm products slipped. North American intermodal up 9.1% shows the pattern isn’t limited to U.S. carriers. |
|
Air Cargo
UPS opened an expanded air hub at Clark International Airport that is fifteen times larger than its predecessor, an $80 million project that handles up to 46,000 parcels a day and speeds Asia deliveries by as much as two days.
| THE TAKE — Disclosing the $80 million price tag for the first time frames Clark as part of a deliberate Asia buildup that also includes new hubs in Hong Kong and Incheon and a regional center in Taiwan. The healthcare handling areas, with temperature-controlled units and RFID visibility, show UPS targeting high-value time-sensitive freight rather than general e-commerce volume. Moving flying rights to Clark from other airports shows the hub is meant to become a real connection point, not a satellite. |
|
|
This week on American Shipper TV: what record West Coast port volumes and escalating Strait of Hormuz attacks mean for carriers and shippers heading into the holidays. Watch the full segment →
|
|
OCT 27–28, 2026 · THE SIGNAL, CHATTANOOGA, TN
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends rapid-fire tech demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Join 1,000+ freight and logistics experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for a definitive look at the year ahead. Come for the insights, stay for the celebration and leave with the connections that will define your 2027.
|
|
American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
|
|
|
