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The day’s most important moves across every mode — air, rail, road, ocean and the trade that ties them together.
| ● On the Wire |
Thursday, November 12 |
5 stories |
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Ocean
BY STUART CHIRLS · AMERICAN SHIPPER · NOVEMBER 11, 2026
The U.S. extended its suspension of port fees on China-linked shipping through January 9, 2027, and China extended its matching suspension on U.S.-linked vessels.
| THE TAKE — The fees could reach millions of dollars per visit, with a 50,000-net-ton ship owing $2.5 million, so the two-month extension removes a Nov. 10 cost cliff for carriers and shippers. It follows a one-year suspension and keeps the pause on duties for Chinese cranes and cargo-handling equipment. The Section 301 case behind it is still live, though, and public comments split between avoiding higher shipping costs and protecting U.S. shipbuilding, so January is a real decision point. |
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Air Cargo
Latam Airlines will build and finance a new cargo terminal at Bogotá’s El Dorado airport that triples work space and expands cold storage by about 20%.
| THE TAKE — Latam says it already holds 35% of Colombian flower exports, so the investment is about defending share ahead of peak flower demand rather than entering a new market. The company also plans to expand domestic cargo space and add a dedicated area for imported cargo, which supports its 19-freighter 767-300 fleet’s growth in Colombia. |
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Rail
October intermodal volume rose 9.6% to a record weekly average of more than 298,000 containers and trailers, according to the AAR.
| THE TAKE — Carloads rose 3.4%, their best gain in eight months, with motor vehicles up nearly 10% and 15 of 20 categories higher. Intermodal is on course for an annual record, up 4.7% through October. Grain carloads fell for the first time in 12 months and coal remains down 1.6% year to date, so the strength is concentrated in containers and autos. |
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Parcel
USPS cut its fiscal 2026 loss to $6.5 billion, down $2.5 billion from last year, as operating revenue rose 3% to $83 billion.
| THE TAKE — Shippers should look at what’s coming: a permanent package fuel surcharge in January, tied to diesel for Ground Advantage and Parcel Select and jet fuel for Priority Mail, while a temporary 8% transportation fee ends Jan. 17. Package revenue rose 5.1% on a 5.3% volume decline, and USPS itself says it could be insolvent by 2031 when the retiree health benefit fund runs out. |
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Warehousing
ASICS recovers misplaced products nearly 60% faster at its Mississippi distribution center since adopting nightly inventory drone flights.
| THE TAKE — Counting six times more often than the previous twice-yearly schedule saved about 200 hours of monthly labor and let ASICS publish its full inventory feed to marketplaces instead of holding back 12 to 15 units out of every 100. The payoff is measured in sales that used to be invisible, not just fewer lost cases. |
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American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
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