Realizing the demand from both its merchant clients and their end customers to address the heavy carbon emissions associated with ecommerce deliveries, especially around peak holiday season, platform provider ShippingEasy is offering a carbon offset program through Jan. 12, 2023.
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 is intended to promote U.S. exports and make ocean transport more competitive, efficient and economical. But a requirement that invoices list the date of container accessibility is proving to be a fly in the ointment. Bryn Heimbeck of Trade Tech Inc. explains efforts to address the inequity.
UPS posted strong Q3 financial results, falling a bit short on revenue vs. the analyst consensus but beating on earnings, as the company was lauded for successfully making network adjustments to falling volumes, unlike rival FedEx’s report about a month ago. The brown carrier also expects peak season volume to be lighter than 2021.
Days before its third quarter earnings report, UPS matched rival FedEx by announcing a general rate increase of 6.9% for 2023, an unprecedented figure for both major carriers set as a benchmark for pricing shipper contract rates. FedEx took heat last month in announcing its rate increase last month, as it reported a painful quarter.
Global parcel volume increased 21% in 2021 to 159 billion pieces, according to an annual Pitney Bowes shipping index that tracks activity in 13 markets, but revenue increased at a slightly lower rate of 17% as declines in per-piece yield in China acted as a check on that growth.
UPS exceeded its Q2 revenue and earnings projections, but lower volume due to consolidation steps, including reducing Amazon packages by contractual agreement, plus the challenged macro picture didn’t resonate well on Wall Street. UPS is also piloting a delivery density program for major retailers through an OMS partnership.
Truck drivers blocked the Port of Oakland Monday, protesting California’s AB5 law that requires contractors to be reclassified as employees. The law affects an estimated 70,000 independent truckers, many of whom fear losing their livelihood, according to various media reports. There were similar protests last week in LA/Long Beach.
FedEx executives this week announced plans to integrate its operating companies – ground, express and freight – to drive operational efficiencies and eliminate redundancies, with the hopes of more than recouping the one-time expense of $2 billion over five years to make it happen. Network 2.0 was unveiled during an investor’s day event.
The U.S. Postal Service is shortening the promised service levels for two of its ground delivery products, syncing them with its First-Class Package Service (FCPS), a move the USPS says will drive efficiency by consolidating processing and transportation of volume from all three products.
It’s no surprise that transmission of ecommerce logistics documents is turning digital, and in particular, via blockchain. It is a platform that seeks to connect the full ecommerce supply chain ecosystem from start to finish: Ports, ocean/air/rail/truck carriers, customs, freight forwarders, package shippers and more. The reward is massive.