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Onward…
📈 BY THE NUMBERS: Important numbers impacting freight and logistics
⛽ Diesel: $4.549 / gal
Data via the U.S. Energy Information Administration – Week of Jan. 9, 2023.
✈️ Air Cargo Index: 192.4 🔽 (November 2022, FRED)
December 2022 index data isn’t released yet – check back soon. FRED takes a bit. 😑
🚢 Global Container Index: $2,168 (Jan. 6, 2023)
The container index continues to drop.
🌍🌎🌏TOP NEWS HEADLINES from this week
👽Biden just released a decarbonization plan for transportation
The Biden administration released its blueprint to decarbonize the US transportation sector in the United States by 2050. The plan foresees a move away from long-haul trucking, favoring high-tech rail and maritime transportation.
Read more at Freight Waves and the Department of Transportation.
🙃Labor disruptions quadrupled in 2022
From rail strikes to trucking union disputes, unrest caused by labor protests in 2022 significantly impacted ports worldwide, and the continued economic instability could lead to even more disruption to supply chains in 2023.
Transport Topics has the story.
🪑GOP Rep. Graves named as House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee chair
After a tumultuous start to the GOP-controlled House session, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the majority leadership named Missouri Rep. Sam Graves as the new chairperson of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure.
Read Graves’ victory lap on the committee’s majority website.
🤕 Injuries among UK rail workers climbed in 2022
A recent increase in UK rail workers being harmed on the railways was noted, despite reforms supposedly tackling the risk of accidents. This is troubling, considering that the UK is suffering from an ongoing rail strike that is impacting both passenger and freight hauling. If injuries are ongoing, the new year could be equally as dangerous. This is fuel for the rail worker unions.
An interesting read at New Civil Engineer.
🚛 Canada remains the top trading partner with the US
Canada once again bested Mexico as the top trading partner of the United States. At least, that is according to data that the federal Census Bureau and Commerce Department recently published. This is indicative that cross-border land trade (trucking and rail) is a major flow of revenue into the coffers of shippers, carriers, and freight forwarders.
⚠️Other stories we are reading…
- Ports: MSC Elaine Refloated, Gioia Tauro terminal reopened – The Maritime Executive
- G7 Designing Price Caps on Russian Refined Oil Products – Bloomberg via GCaptain
- Inflation: Global food prices in 2022 hit record high amid drought, war – Boston Herald
- Diesel: Kuwait to export five times as much diesel to Europe in 2023 – Hellenic Shipping
- Imports Drop Below 2 mil TEUs – National Retail Federation (US)
- More UK: Rail unions say solution is ‘further away’ than ever – BBC
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The current edition of our newsletter was written by Michael M., Freight Forwarding Weekly’s chief news analyst. Do you have a tip or do you want us to cover something? Tell us by replying.