Containerized International Freight

Containerized International Freight IntelliConference

Globalization of supply chains has exacerbated congestion and chaos in how containerized freight is moved through North America. Stakeholder groups involved in containerized international freight face significant inefficiencies in the current use of ISO containers, chassis, trucks, railroads, ships, and related infrastructure.

Core Question:

What improvements can stakeholders identify for moving containerized international freight through supply chains to improve efficiency, capacity, and commercial benefit with the least impact on the environment and community?

1. What performance measures should guide planning of an optimal container logistics system for each of these stakeholder groups?
   1. Equipment providers
   2. Ocean carriers
   3. Port Authorities
   4. Land freight transportation providers
   5. Non-asset-based industry service provider
   6. Regulatory agencies
      1. Customs Border Protection/Department of Homeland Security
      2. U.S. Department of Agriculture
      3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
      4. U.S. Department of Transportation
      5. Federal Motor Carriers Safety Association
      6. Federal Maritime Commission
   7. Beneficial cargo owners/shippers
   8. Communities
   9. Environmentalists
   10. Terminal Operators
   11. Land Developers
   12. Private Equity
   13. Debt Providers
   14. Municipal Bond Providers
2. What performance measures should guide the planning of an optimal containerized freight system for each of these stakeholder groups?
3. What equipment-related inefficiencies need to be addressed?
   1. Chassis positioning
   2. Chassis pairing
   3. Chassis availability and accessibility
   4. Chassis maintenance
   5. Container positioning
   6. Container storage
   7. Container availability and accessibility
   8. Demurrage and detention charges
4. Relative to the ocean carrier segment, what dynamics in each area below impact the flow of containerized cargo?
   1. Ships slow steaming between ports
   2. IMO 2020 (International Maritime Organization’s sulfur in fuel reduction plan)
   3. Ocean carrier’s multi-company alliances resulting in vessel sharing
   4. Trend toward larger vessels (20,000+ TEUs)
   5. Empty container logistics
   6. Timeliness and accuracy of communications between parties
   7. Inhibited ability to match return loads for export
5. Relative to the port segment, what dynamics in each area below impact the flow of containerized cargo?
   1. Land space limitations at ports
   2. Timeliness and accuracy of communications between parties
   3. Hours of operations
   4. Level of automation
   5. Labor productivity
6. Relative to the rail segment, what dynamics in each area below impact the flow of containerized cargo?
   1. Turn times of trains at port terminals and container yards
   2. Transit times to and from ports
   3. Railyard capacity
   4. Railcar availability
   5. Timeliness and accuracy of communications between parties
   6. Level of automation
   7. Rail equipment requirements
   8. Cargo loading and weight requirements
   9. Switching requirements for placing containers on trains by destination
   10. Destination capacity
7. Relative to the trucking segment, what dynamics in each area below impact the flow of containerized cargo?
   1. Highway and on-dock congestion
   2. Appointment systems
   3. Inefficient drayage of containers including empty returns to dock
   4. Turn times at port terminals and container yards
   5. Timeliness and accuracy of communications between parties
   6. Level of automation
   7. Trucking equipment requirements
   8. Cargo loading and weight restrictions
8. Relative to non-asset-based industry service provider segment (ocean freight forwarders, freight brokers, customs brokers, etc.), what dynamics in each area below impact the flow of containerized cargo?
   1. Timeliness and accuracy of communications between parties
   2. Level of automation
   3. Commercial priorities
9. How do the operations and regulations of various regulatory agencies impact the flow of containerized cargo?
   1. Customs & Border Protection/Department of Homeland Security
   2. Food & Drug Administration
   3. United States Department of Agriculture
   4. California Air Resources Board
   5. United States Census Bureau
   6. Federal Maritime Commission
   7. United States Department of Transportation
   8. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
10. Relative to the beneficial cargo owners, what dynamics in each area below impact the flow of containerized cargo?
    1. Container availability
    2. Truck availability
    3. Railcar availability
    4. Transload and intermodal site availability
    5. Door-to-door supply chain timeline
    6. Costs to move cargo
    7. Timeliness and accuracy of communications between parties
    8. Cargo or container damage and resolution
    9. Capacity issues along any part of the transport move
11. Relative to the location and configuration of cargo transfer facilities between domestic and international containers, what dynamics in each area below impact the flow of containerized cargo?