Commerce Express Weekly Road Map: October 26th, 2021

Keeping you informed on the latest news/insights in our industry.

Commerce Express Blog

Halloween is less than a week away and pumpkin growers across the U.S. have dealt with many supply chain issues throughout this year. From invasive fungus, finding trucking capacity, to extreme weather it definitely has been a challenge for pumpkin growers this year.

John Hamby, who is a co-owner of Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers Inc., says, they have faced unique challenges this year, “We ship from a kind of a remote area where there’s not a lot of freight nearby. We’re in a situation where trucks often have to deadhead from Phoenix or Albuquerque, New Mexico, to pick up the loads at the Pumpkin Patch.” According to Freightwaves, Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers Inc. is based in Greensboro, North Carolina and operates a pumpkin farm in Farmington, New Mexico. They also ship millions of pumpkins every year to organizations in over 40 states, including churches and other nonprofits.

Read More Here:

Trucking Update

    • Part of state Route 70 shut down in Plumas County due to a powerful storm on Sunday, which caused floods, mudslides, and heavy winds, that drenched Northern California. Tobin to Paxton, which is the area where the Dixie fire burned this summer, is still closed according to Nick Austin, Freightwaves Meteorologist.
    • Flash flooding and more landslides are anticipated to continue this week for several parts of the Northwestern U.S. as more rain is expected. Heavy snow is expected to hit Sierra Nevada, Wasatch Range, producing around 2 to 3 feet of snow. Along with wind gusts up to 50 MPH in some areas.
      • Some lanes of concern
      • California state Route 70 from Tobin to Paxton.
        • Interstate 5 from Sacramento, California, to Seattle.
        • Interstate 70 from Denver to the Interstate 15 junction in Utah.
        • Interstate 80 from Reno, Nevada, to Salt Lake City.
        • Interstate 84 from Portland, Oregon, to Boise, Idaho.
        • Interstate 90 from Butte, Montana, to Seattle.
        • Trans-Canada Highway from Vancouver to Skihist Provincial Park.


Industry FAQ's

What are some of the new documents for shipments that Mexico is requiring traveling through the country?

On December 1st, the new regulations from the Mexican Tax Authority (SAT) will begin trial enforcement without liability, and officially be in full enforcement on January 1st, 2022. Some of the new BOL requirements include type of transportation, travel distance, quantity and description of goods, custom tariff code, packing type, commodity and hazmat codes, and more.

What is a Bill of Lading (BOL)?

A Bill of Lading (BOL) is a contractual agreement between you and the carrier that indicates a transfer of ownership. It provides detailed information of what is being shipped, who is all involved, and where it’s coming from and going to. If you would like to learn more or need help filling a BOL properly, chat with a pro today!
Rail Update
  1. In the past two months, domestic intermodal container volumes have increased nearly 7%, according to Freightwaves. Even though it’s not a sign that rail ramp congestion is getting better, it is optimistic that some supply chain issues, like container shortages may not get terribly worse. Especially with the congestion in Chicago, it provides railroads with no room to place containers. Union Pacific has reported volumes down to 6.3% but higher revenue, 15%, per container in their third-quarter earnings from a yearly perspective.
  2. As the congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will most likely not see improvement until 2022, Canadian Pacific is trying to find ways to divert traffic to western Canada and Atlantic Canada ports, says Canadian Pacific executives and reported by Freightwaves. Many were optimistic that the congestion at the LA/LB ports would be short-term, but as it continues on, more people are open to discussions on making changes in regards to their flows. Currently Canadian Pacific is working with steamship lines to reform some of the boats in terms of where or how they load.
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