Washington state suffered an economic impact of $769.5 million due to labor disruptions at West Coast ports this past year, according to one of the most detailed analyses of the impact of a labor disruption on U.S. business and industry.
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Category Archives: CHEMICAL
Intermodal continues to carry the day for the North American freight railroad industry, registering a gain of nearly 20% for the week ending Feb. 20, 2016, the third consecutive week of double-digit growth, compared to the prior-year period, and offsetting weak carload traffic—which includes a sharp drop in crude oil.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) yesterday unveiled a new installment of its “Freight Rail Works” campaign, which highlights the role freight railroads play in the national economy. The 2016 campaign explains the amount of freight — from cars to consumer goods to large-scale industrial materials — moved every year for each American, according to an AAR press release.
A glimmer of hope that U.S. manufacturing was starting to rebound at the start of the year may have been quickly been dashed, leading to increasing concerns about the state of the overall economy, while separate reports show consumers don’t feel as good as they did last year, but they are still in the mood for home buying.
The second annual Secure Rail conference drew more than 100 people to Orlando, Fla., last week. Held Feb. 9-10 and organized by Progressive Railroading, the event addressed physical and cyber security in the North American rail industry.
For a look inside the event, follow this link to view a slideshow of conference highlights.
United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were again mixed for the week ending February 13, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Spot market freight volume and demand patterns remained on a typical seasonal trajectory in January, according to data recently issued by Portland, Oregon-based freight marketplace platform and information provider DAT.
Mentions of a recession-like environment from top transportation executives and lackluster growth in domestic and international freight volumes are sparking fears that a U.S. freight recession is upon us that could be a harbinger of something even worse: an outright economic recession.
(This article requires registration at the Journal of Commerce. To access, please click on the above link.)
The industrial coatings business units that AkzoNobel is in talks to acquire from BASF would fit into the Netherlands-based company’s portfolio more comfortably than it does for its current owner, an analyst said on Thursday. AkzoNobel is in talks to acquire BASF’s international coil coatings operations, alongside foil and paint, wind and general industry coatings, while BASF would retain the automotive and transport parts of its coatings division.
U.S. businesses boosted their stockpiles slightly in December, as sales dropped sharply. This combination has stoked anxieties about weakening economic growth, as sales over the entire year dropped for the first time since the Great Recession.