CLIFF NOTES 
Top Logistics Headlines This Week

Domestic Freight Management

Truck Tonnage Index Increases 7.6% YOY in November

According to the ATA (American Trucking Association), the advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index jumped 7.6 percent during November, compared year-over-year. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello attributed the continued growth to a very strong freight market, increased holiday spending and a well-performing economy. Click here to read more. 

ELD Enforcement Begins

The much anticipated ELD (Electronic Logging Device) mandate officially took effect earlier this week on Monday, December 18. While enforcement will be phased in over the next four months, enforcement personnel in at least 11 states are reportedly issuing citations to drivers found to be noncompliant. Many other states are leaving the decision up to the officer. Click here to read more. 

Reminder: Chinese New Year

Please note that the Chinese New Year (CNY), which will occur from February 16-21, 2018, is quickly approaching. Importers should begin communicating with suppliers to ensure orders are approved and bookings are made well in advance. The CNY holiday will cause origin operations to cease during the official holiday dates with the potential to impact production and shipping for up to one month. 

Alliances Make Plans for Post-CNY

Ocean carrier alliances are planning to add additional capacity and make service string adjustments after the Chinese New Year (CNY). Some of the changes include deployment of ultra-large vessels on key trade lanes and migration towards more direct services while limiting transship services. This is expected to have an impact on transit times and on-time reliability. For specific sailing schedule information, please contact your local Ascent Global Logistics representative. 

Delays Continue at Rotterdam & Antwerp

Intermodal containers continue to be delayed at the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp due to congestion. Reports state that the delays at Europe's largest two seaports are ranging between 48 and 96 hours. Increased volumes due to larger vessels and labor shortages are two of the main causes for the delays. 

Retail Consolidation

Target Buys Grocery Delivery Startup

Target recently announced that it has acquired Shipt, a startup company providing grocery delivery services. In its press release, Target stated this acquisition will allow it to offer same-day delivery from about half of all Target stores in 2018. Click here to read more. 

Retail Predictions for 2018

2018 is almost here and some predictions from Forbes includes housing above malls to help drive store traffic, small format brick-and-mortar stores, new product innovations to solve consumer pain-points, increased information on product labels and more. Click here to read the full list.