July 3: China Urges ‘Unimpeded Passage’ of Hormuz as Fee Chatter Mounts – gCaptain
China called for the unhindered flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, comments that come as leading European powers are apparently accepting that vessels will have to pay fees to Iran and Oman.
“Resuming safe and unimpeded passage in the strait at an early date serves the interests of all parties,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on July 3.
Bloomberg News reported earlier that people familiar with the thinking in Europe described the prospect of some sort of service fee in the aftermath of the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran as a given. Privately, some Gulf Arab officials hold the same view, though this is not necessarily the formal position of their governments, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
It is unclear what type or amount of fees any nation would be willing to accept. The U.S. and Gulf Arab countries continue to insist Iran and Oman cannot impose charges of any kind for Hormuz. Their concerns include the risk it creates a precedent for other countries to impose fees on different waterways.
July 6: Israeli Defence Ministry Comes Out Against Sale of Zim to Hapag-Lloyd – The Maritime Executive
Opposition continues to mount in Israel to the agreed sale of Zim to Hapag-Lloyd and the formation of a smaller domestic shipping company by an investment fund. Israel’s Defence Ministry issued a statement late on July 5 saying the deal does not adequately safeguard the security interests of Israel, while media reports said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the sale is not currently on the government’s agenda.
Israel’s Defence Ministry Director of Security Almog Cohen conducted an extensive review of the transaction and issued the opinion, which was adopted by the Defence Ministry. According to the report by the Israeli media outlet Calcalist, the Defence Ministry’s concerns centre on the new Zim, which it sees as a limited shipping company. It believes the new company’s routes would be confined to the Mediterranean, significantly reducing access to the United States and the Far East.
Israel received military equipment and support from the United States and has developed supply relationships in the Far East. The review raised concerns about maintaining these supply chains and the “implications for Israel’s maritime independence.” It notes that, during the war in Gaza, Israel faced shipping boycotts, sanctions and trade restrictions, and without Zim, maintaining supply chains could be a problem.
July 9: Report: One-Third of World’s Busiest Ports Face High Disruption Risk – Supply Chain 24/7
About one-third of the world’s busiest ports and airports are exposed to significant disruption risks, highlighting how quickly supply chains can be thrown off course by conflict, severe weather and domestic unrest, according to a new report from Verisk Maplecroft.
The report found that 176 of the world’s 500 busiest ports score as high or very high risk in at least one of three categories: geopolitical conflict, environmental threats or domestic security. It also found that geopolitical conflict poses a high or very high risk at 23.6% of those ports.
The findings come as supply chains continue to navigate disruption across several major trade routes. Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have raised concerns about shipping through the Middle East, while companies are also monitoring other critical chokepoints, including the Panama Canal, the Taiwan Strait, the Strait of Malacca, and the Red Sea.
Rather than focusing only on well-known shipping bottlenecks, Verisk Maplecroft argues companies should pay closer attention to the ports and airports that connect global supply chains every day.
July 10: Merchant Fleet Trapped West of Hormuz Drops Below 700 Vessels – American Journal of Transportation
AXSMarine AIS-derived data currently detects 689 merchant vessels west of the Strait of Hormuz, inside the Persian / Arabian Gulf, down from 1,061 vessels in early March. This is the first time since the start of the conflict that the tracked fleet inside the Gulf has fallen below 700 vessels, representing a decline of 372 vessels, or around 35%, from the early March count.
Tankers remain the largest exposed segment, with 332 vessels currently detected in the region. Dry bulk and MPP vessels form the second-largest group, with 201 vessels in total.
AXSMarine also detects 49 gas carriers, 70 container ships and 37 other vessel types, such as ro-ro and passenger ships, round out the picture.
July 13: Key European Shipping Corridor Hit by River and Rail Freight ‘Double Whammy’ – American Journal of Transportation
Sharply falling water levels on the Rhine in Germany have raised fears of a significant shortage in barge capacity on one of Europe’s key shipping corridors, which could trigger serious disruption to supply chains.
It carries some 300 million tons of bulk and containerized goods on a yearly basis, connecting the major ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, in the Netherlands and Belgium respectively, with Germany’s industrial heartlands.
Western Europe recorded its hottest-ever temperatures in June and is currently experiencing its third heatwave in the space of six weeks. Prolonged periods of extreme heat – around 104F – and near-zero rainfall, have resulted in drought conditions in many areas. And the Rhine, Europe’s single-most important inland waterway artery, particularly the middle section flowing through Germany, has not been spared.
When water levels recede, barges are forced to reduce the amount of cargo they can transport, driving up freight rates and limiting volumes of a broad range of commodities ranging from coal, steel, food and automotive parts. In the summer of 2022, a drought almost brought commercial traffic on the Rhine to a halt.
July 13: Port of Vancouver Picks Contractor to Build $3.5-Billion Roberts Bank Terminal 2 – The Province
The Port of Vancouver has picked its preferred contractor to build the central part of the massive, $3-billion Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project that will expand the West Coast’s container capacity by 30 percent.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said it has selected a consortium under the name TerraMarine as “the preferred proponent” to build the new 1.3-square-kilometre artificial island and wharf components of the Terminal 2 project.
The selection of TerraMarine from a short list of three qualified bidders touches off a timeline for its consortium to start negotiations with the port authority, and work with First Nations and regulators on a construction plan aimed at establishing costs, a schedule and subcontracting opportunities.
July 16: Canada’s Minister of Transport Refers Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy to Major Projects Office – Government of Canada press release
Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon announced the referral of the Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy to the Major Projects Office (MPO). This strategy and associated pillars are the type of nation-building infrastructure projects the Building Canada Act aims to urgently advance to diversify and grow trade capacity.
The Gateway Strategy will focus on four key pillars to support capacity growth at the port:
July 20: Port of Vancouver Set to Expand Through Major Terminal Development Opportunity – Maritime Magazine
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced it is looking for an operator for its Fraser Wharves terminal site in Richmond, as part of work to expand trade capacity at the Port of Vancouver in support of federal government efforts to double exports to non-U.S. markets over the next decade.
The 40-acre port terminal site is the first major terminal opportunity at Canada’s largest port in a decade, offering potential operators a brownfield site with existing marine, rail and road connections.
The port authority is engaged with the federal Major Projects Office on this site as part of the Government of Canada’s Port of Vancouver Gateway Strategy. The Major Projects Office may support the port authority with this process to ensure the project is efficiently advanced, while respecting Indigenous rights and safeguarding the environment.
July 20: Houthis Threaten Saudi Shipping with New Naval Blockade – gCaptain
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on July 20 they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, a move that threatens to escalate the conflict in the region and disrupt global energy supply and trade beyond the Gulf.
The Houthis’ armed forces in a statement said they were declaring “a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of ‘an eye for an eye’, effective immediately.” They said the decision was in response to what they called “an unjust and oppressive siege” imposed on Yemen by the Saudis.
The full closure of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, would halt Saudi oil exports to Asia and could reduce global oil supply by 7%.
July 20: Danube Water Levels Reach Lowest in 30 Years, Hampering Farming and Shipping – Reuters
Water levels of the Danube river in Romania fell to their lowest since 1996 over the weekend, prompting irrigation restrictions for farmers and partially disrupting shipping and tourism along its banks.
Waterways across Europe have been affected by prolonged heatwaves and drought this year and the average peak temperature across Western Europe on July 20 was forecast to be 26.2 degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees above the normal high for that date, the Reuters Climate Monitor shows.
Romania’s state water-management agency said the level at the Romanian entry point of Europe’s second-longest river was 1,700 cubic metres of water per second on July 19, against a July average range of 4,700 cubic metres per second.
Reuters footage showed long stretches of exposed sand on the banks near the border with neighbouring Bulgaria, with several ferry services suspended and grain barges standing idle.
July 21: Houthis Warn All Ships Against Calling at Saudi Arabia’s Ports – gCaptain
A message from Yemen’s Houthi rebels to shipowners warned all vessels against calling at Saudi Arabian ports, shedding light on the scope of a threat that puts millions of barrels of exports from the kingdom at risk.
In an email to shipowners, the Iran-backed group makes clear that its blockade doesn’t just apply to Saudi vessels, but to all ships coming to and from Saudi ports, according to the message seen by Bloomberg. It has been months since the Houthis attacked vessels, but they reprised the threat to do so on July 20 as the conflict in the Middle East escalated.
The rebel group said it would place the embargo on Saudi ports as a result of what it says is Saudi Arabia’s siege on the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.
July 23: Marine Insurers May Ban Payments to Iran for Hormuz Transits – The Maritime Executive
Getting insured for a Strait of Hormuz transit is getting more expensive, and there are more strings attached to staying insured as well. Underwriters at Lloyd’s Market Association have come up with an additional, optional clause that can be inserted into policies for passages through the waterway; it allows the insurer to cancel the policy if it turns out that the shipowner has paid a toll to Iran. Meant to protect the insurer from compliance risks, in future it could prevent neutral shipowners from using the route through Iranian waters, where Iran does not attack shipping.
For the insurer, the hazard is clear. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy oversees Iran’s section of the strait, and the IRGC is a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. The administrative transactions for passage are handled through Iran’s so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), not itself part of the IRGC but still a division of Iran’s government.
Payments to the PGSA might end in the hands of the IRGC. Any payment would be a U.S. sanctions violation, and might have other compliance ramifications as well.
For an insurer, this would be a legal risk.
July 3: Airforwarders Association the Latest to Warn over IATA DAWB Changes – Air Cargo News
The Airforwarders Association (AfA) is the latest group to issue a warning over the impact of IATA’s changes to the direct air waybill (DAWB) framework.
The U.S. association has advised freight forwarders to confirm contractual arrangements with every airline and review insurance cover as the revised DAWB framework comes into effect.
The AfA said that the revised framework, which came into effect on July 1, could alter the contractual relationship between airlines, shippers and freight forwarders, “potentially leaving forwarders responsible for obligations traditionally borne by the shipper, including cargo misdeclarations, concealed dangerous goods and packaging failures.”
“Freight forwarders should not be expected to assume liability for cargo they neither own, pack nor control,” said Brandon Fried, executive director of the AfA.
July 6: Insurance Provider Encourages Freight Forwarders to Review Coverage in Light of Changes to DAWB Framework – American Journal of Transportation
Freight forwarders should take the opportunity to review their contractual arrangements and insurance protection following the introduction of the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) revised direct air waybill (DAWB) framework, according to digital cargo insurance provider Breeze.
The company believes the revised framework has the potential to alter the allocation of legal responsibilities between airlines, shippers and freight forwarders, creating uncertainty over where liability sits and whether existing insurance arrangements remain appropriate.
“Without a doubt, this represents a significant reallocation of risk,” said Matthew Phillips, Chief Commercial Officer, Breeze.
“Liability is generally expected to follow control, and the revised framework raises legitimate questions where a freight forwarder could potentially become responsible for matters traditionally associated with the shipper or carrier. The uncertainty is increased if implementation differs between airlines, meaning forwarders may need to understand the contractual position on a carrier-by-carrier basis.”
Phillips said existing freight forwarder liability policies have traditionally been designed around risks that forwarders control, including their own errors, omissions and negligence when arranging transport, rather than obligations that sit with shippers.
If the revised contractual framework results in forwarders assuming responsibilities previously associated with shippers, insurers may review how those risks are assessed.
July 25: Advocates Hail Feds’ Rejection of Billy Bishop Airport Plan, While Trade Groups Pan It – CTV News
The federal government’s decision to halt Ontario’s plan for a major expansion of Billy Bishop airport will guard Toronto’s waterfront against serious setbacks to its revitalization, advocates say, while proponents of the project dub the move “disappointing.”
The project would involve increased pollution and “massive destruction” of the Toronto Islands after billions of dollars invested in lakefront rehabilitation over the past couple of decades, said Tim Gray, executive director of Environmental Defence.
He pointed to the nearly a kilometre of lakefill needed to build a runway and taxiways as well as the “gridlock” and aircraft emissions the additional plane traffic would cause on shore.
On July 24, federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said the government is “exclusively” focused on approved safety upgrades already underway at Billy Bishop, rather than on building it out to allow jets to land. He said the conclusion was based on public consultations that garnered more than 87,000 responses.
But MacKinnon also left the door open a crack to a potential change of course in future years, framing the decision as “at this stage,” instead of as a final one.
Giles Gherson, CEO of Toronto Region Board of Trade, called the decision “disappointing.”
July 30: WestJet Flight Attendants Give 72-Hour Strike Notice, Airline Issues Lockout Notice – Global News
The union representing close to 4,400 flight attendants at WestJet says it has issued a 72-hour strike notice to the airline, to which WestJet responded with a lockout notice.
Both WestJet and CUPE Local 8125, the union representing its flight attendants, issued statements on July 30 confirming the developments as a potential strike looms this long weekend.
If a negotiated agreement on a new contract can’t be reached by August 2 at 12 am mountain time, the unionized flight attendants could walk off the job.
WestJet said it doesn’t anticipate any immediate impact to air travel, but that could change if an agreement isn’t reached by the deadline.
“These notices do not immediately impact operations or mean that a labour disruption will occur. WestJet and CUPE are still actively negotiating to reach an agreement, avoiding impact to our guests,” said WestJet.
July 2: Ontario Warns Non-Compliant Truck Driving Schools Face Enforcement Action July 31 – TruckNews.com
Ontario truck driver training schools that failed to submit updated Class A curriculum and ministry-compliant lesson plans by July 1 are now considered non-compliant, with those remaining out of compliance by July 31 facing escalating enforcement measures, according to a Ministry of Transportation (MTO) bulletin issued June 30.
The bulletin serves as a final reminder to Driver Certification Program organizations, registered career colleges and curriculum developers to comply with the ministry’s lesson plan development requirements under the Commercial Truck Driver Training Standard (Class A).
According to the ministry, organizations that remain non-compliant as of July 31 may face immediate and escalating enforcement actions, including suspension of Driver Certification Program registered authority privileges, restrictions on enrolling new students into the entry-level training database, and restrictions preventing students from becoming eligible to complete their Class A road tests.
July 3: CTA Warns that Annual Revisions to CUSMA Threaten Investments in Trucking – Transport Routier (translated from French)
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says the U.S. administration’s decision not to immediately approve a multi-year extension of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is creating uncertainty for cross-border trucking and supply chains.
In a statement released on July 2, the CTA indicated that replacing a long-term commercial framework with annual reviews creates instability for carriers who invest in equipment, fleet renewal and contracts with customers.
The CTA argues that freight carriers depend on a stable long-term policy framework to justify their capital investments, and that an annual review process could delay rolling stock purchases, complicate planning and increase costs across the supply chain.
July 9: Quebec to Require Road Tests for Some Ontario-Trained Class 1 Drivers – TruckNews.com
The Quebec government has introduced new measures aimed at improving heavy truck safety, including mandatory road tests for some Ontario commercial drivers seeking to exchange their Class 1 licences for Quebec equivalents.
Transport Minister Benoit Charette announced that, effective immediately, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) will require Ontario drivers with less than 24 months of Class 1 experience to pass a practical road test before receiving a Quebec Class 1 licence.
Drivers who fail the test twice will be required to complete Quebec’s mandatory Class 1 training program.
The temporary measure follows a May 12 report from Ontario’s auditor general that identified weaknesses in the province’s commercial driver training and licensing system and called for stronger oversight to ensure drivers are properly qualified.
Quebec also announced the creation of a working group that will develop recommendations to strengthen road safety requirements for temporary foreign workers who operate heavy vehicles.
July 10: CRA Confirms Focused Trucking PSB Crackdown amid Concerns over Owner-Operator Reviews – TruckNews.com
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has confirmed it has launched a focused compliance program targeting personal service businesses (PSBs) in the trucking industry, as owner-operators and tax professionals warn legitimate independent contractors may be getting caught up in the crackdown.
CRA said Budget 2025 provided funding to lift a moratorium on assessing penalties for failure to report fees-for-service transactions in trucking and to implement a focused program addressing non-compliance related to PSBs and reporting fees for service.
The agency said an incorporated truck driver may be considered to be operating a PSB when the services provided would otherwise normally be performed by an employee of the carrier.
Under the Income Tax Act, five conditions must be met for a corporation to be considered a PSB. The key test in many trucking cases is whether the worker would reasonably be considered an employee of the carrier if the corporation did not exist. CRA said it does not rely on a single factor when making that determination.
“Ownership or full control of a truck under a lease arrangement is one of many factors that is considered in making this determination,” said CRA spokesman Benoit Sabourin.
That explanation conflicts with what several tax professionals say they are seeing in practice.
July 10: CTA Advises of CRA “Requirement to Pay” Notices Being Circulated – CTA press release
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has recently been made aware of a series of notices being issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to carriers.
Over the past several weeks, carriers have reported receiving correspondence indicating that another business – often another carrier they have previously dealt with – has an outstanding tax debt owed to the CRA. In some cases, the amounts identified in these notices are substantial, reaching into the multi-million-dollar range.
The notices, known as “Requirement to Pay” orders, instruct recipients that any funds currently owed, or that may become owed in the future, to the identified company must instead be remitted directly to the CRA. The correspondence typically includes instructions for payment, as well as CRA contact details and reference information.
According to the Agency, these requirements are issued in situations where the CRA has been unable to reach a satisfactory payment arrangement with a taxpayer who has an outstanding debt. The notices function as a form of garnishment, redirecting payments owed to the debtor directly to the CRA.
July 11: Skyrocketing Insurance Costs in the U.S. Put the Brakes on Big Trucking Profits – Commercial Carrier Journal
Rising insurance costs are eating away at the bottom lines of America’s largest trucking companies, driving a collapse in profits over the last five years.
Columbus, Ohio-based financial analysis firm Demotech scrutinized financial filings from the 10 largest publicly traded U.S. transportation firms and found that combined net profits plummeted nearly 47% between 2021 and 2025. The steep decline comes as skyrocketing insurance and claim payouts outpaced overall revenue growth by more than five-to-one.
Demotech noted the profit squeeze was not caused by a drop-off in freight demand. Aggregate revenues actually increased by 9.95% over the five-year stretch, peaking alongside expenses in 2022 before leveling off. Instead, carriers are struggling to convert revenue into earnings due to cost pressures.
While most day-to-day operating expenses closely tracked revenue fluctuations, insurance costs completely decoupled from normal spending trends.
The 54.4% surge in insurance outlays vastly overshadowed the 15.16% increase in overall corporate expenses.
July 21: No Cross-Border Ceremony for Gordie Howe Bridge in Light of U.S. Trade Threats: Minister – CBC News
Canada will celebrate the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge this week, the federal minister of infrastructure’s office said on July 21, but there will not be a celebration with the United States.
“In light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries,” said Jenna Ghassabeh, director of communications with Minister Gregor Robertson’s office.
July 23: Canadian Companies with Trucks Running on U.S. Roads May Be Liable for This U.S. Excise Tax – Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
In recent years, many small and mid-size Canadian trucking companies received an unwelcome surprise from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS): a letter announcing an IRS audit to determine whether the company owes U.S. Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax. Even for companies that have been in business for years, that letter may have been the first time they have heard about this U.S. excise tax.
A company may be liable for U.S. Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax if one or more motor vehicles designed to carry a load over public highways are registered – or required to be registered – in the company’s name and are used on any public highway in the United States.
July 24: C.H. Robinson Hit with $604-Million Advisory Verdict in Negligent Carrier Selection Case – Logistics Management
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, C.H. Robinson said that a Dallas County, Texas jury issued an advisory verdict against the company and two other defendants in “a lawsuit related to a trucking accident involving an independent motor carrier,” with compensatory damages of $604 million that could be assessed against C.H. Robinson.
C.H. Robinson said in the filing that the advisory verdict remains subject to post-trial proceedings before the court enters a final verdict and expects to appeal if the jury’s verdict is entered as final.
July 30: Multiple Wars Cause Global Diesel Shortage – Marketplace
Diesel fuel is in especially short supply right now, driving prices to US$5.34 a gallon, which is just about 50 cents shy of AAA’s all-time record.
There are a lot of layers to peel back when it comes to why exactly diesel fuel is in such a crunch right now. Of course, there’s the underlying Iran conflict that is limiting diesel exports out of the Middle East.
“Diesel was disproportionately affected, because diesel is one of the major refined products that is most exported out of the Middle East Gulf,” said Will O’Neil, principal analyst at S&P Global Energy.
That tightened diesel markets.
More recently, Ukraine struck Russian refiners, and Russia is restricting exports. “We have lost – with Russia alone – 10% of globally traded diesel supply,” O’Neil said.
And there’s more:
“Saudi Aramco had to shut a pretty large refinery because of some damage caused by Houthi strikes,” said Abhi Rajendran, director of oil intelligence research with Energy Intelligence.
It’s a big confluence of things.
July 23: UP, CN Sign Pacts on UP-NS Merger, Canada-Mexico Trade Corridors – Progressive Railroading
CN and Union Pacific Railroad have signed two memorandums of understanding (MOU) that grant new access for the Class Is.
The first MOU is dependent on the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) approval of the proposed UP-Norfolk Southern Railway merger and calls for CN to drop its opposition to the merger. The agreement establishes a framework for CN to gain access to shipper facilities where the merger would reduce Class I options from three to two or from two to one.
CN would also gain overhead rights between Tuscola and East St. Louis in Illinois and between St. Louis and Kansas City in Missouri, as well as usage of UP’s Neff Yard in Kansas City. Additionally, CN would acquire NS’ ownership interests in the Kansas City Terminal Railway Co. and the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, CN officials said in a press release.
The second MOU provides UP with expanded operating rights over CN’s Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway (EJ&E) corridor around Chicago, while granting CN new rights over UP’s network between Memphis, Tennessee, and Eagle Pass, Texas.
July 9: CIFFA Submission to Digital Trade Strategy Consultation
CIFFA has submitted its insights to Transport Canada and Global Affairs Canada as they develop a strategy to advance the digitalization of trade processes, identifying impediments and inefficiencies to digital trade and its associated processes from the association’s trusted perspective as a leader in the supply chain and logistics sector.
CIFFA has long advocated for a simplified “Tell Us Once” approach to data submission by businesses and carriers, along with the implementation of digital, paperless trade systems in Canada. Fully implementing this approach would eliminate duplicate paperwork, reduce administrative errors and ease processing bottlenecks. Our membership strongly supports efforts to accomplish these worthwhile goals.
June 1: Shipping Industry Says Hormuz Peace Deal Alone Won’t Bring Ships Back – gCaptain
Shipping executives gathered at the Posidonia maritime exhibition in Greece on June 1 delivered a clear message: Even if Washington and Tehran finalize a ceasefire agreement, commercial shipping is unlikely to return to normal operations in the Strait of Hormuz without clear rules, security guarantees and confidence that vessels can transit safely.
The comments came as U.S. and Iranian negotiators continue discussions over a proposed 60-day extension of the current ceasefire framework, a deal that could eventually pave the way for reopening one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
Yet speakers at the Capital Link conference suggested that, from shipping’s perspective, a peace agreement is only the first step.
June 1: Nearly One-Third of Global Container Shipments Now Travel Empty – Supply Chain 24/7
A growing amount of the world’s shipping containers are moving without any cargo inside.
According to new analysis from Danish maritime consultancy Sea-Intelligence, nearly one-third of all container shipping activity now involves empty containers being repositioned around the world. Measured in TEU-miles, which accounts for both container volume and distance traveled, 30% of all container shipping work now consists of moving empty boxes.
Before the pandemic, that figure stood at 24%.
As global trade becomes more unbalanced, more containers are ending up in places where they aren’t immediately needed. That forces carriers to move empty boxes back to key manufacturing and export regions.
Sea-Intelligence found that the volume of empty containers shipped has grown 65% since the first quarter of 2019. During the same period, shipments of loaded containers increased just 17%.
June 2: Box Rates Soar $1,000 in One Week on Peak Rush – American Shipper
Ocean container rates on major east-west trade lanes that held steady a week ago spiked by at least $1,000 per forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU) on rate hikes and surcharges that took effect June 1.
The ongoing closure to most global shipping of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has kept container rates elevated but below spiking level, through fuel cost increases, said analyst Freightos.
“But the addition of early peak season demand is now pushing rates up sharply from that elevated baseline as space gets tight,” the company said in a weekly update.
June 5: Panama Canal to Reduce Neopanamax Draft Limit as El Niño Concerns Mount – gCaptain
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will reduce the maximum authorized draft for vessels transiting its Neopanamax locks beginning July 3, citing concerns over the potential development of El Niño conditions later this year.
Under the new measure, the maximum authorized draft for Neopanamax vessels will be reduced from 50 feet to 49.5 feet tropical fresh water (TFW), according to an advisory issued on June 4. The adjustment is part of the canal’s water management strategy aimed at preserving water resources amid uncertainty over future rainfall patterns.
The move marks the first operational restriction announced by the canal this year, though it remains far less severe than the transit and draft restrictions imposed during the historic drought of 2023-2024 that disrupted global shipping and reduced vessel traffic through the waterway.
The announcement comes just weeks after canal officials said they did not anticipate transit restrictions through the end of 2026. In a May 18 statement, the ACP noted that Gatun Lake levels had been maintained at historically high levels and that the canal was continuing to accommodate 38 daily transits while implementing a range of water conservation measures.
June 6: Asia-to-U.S. Container Rates Spike 109% Since Iran War Started – gCaptain
Container shipping rates jumped over the past week amid higher fuel costs, congestion at some Asian ports and a pickup in demand heading into a peak season for booking ocean freight.
The spot rate for a 40-foot container to northern Europe from Asia rose to $3,649 as of June 6, a 27% increase from a week earlier, according to Xeneta, an Oslo-based freight platform. The cost to the U.S. West Coast from Asia was up 20%, to $3,933.
The numbers align with Drewry’s latest composite reading for several long-haul routes, which also showed short-term rates posting a steep jump over the past week to the highest level in about a year.
Xeneta’s figures showed rates to the U.S. from Asia are up 109% since the U.S. war with Iran started on February 28, while charges for Europe-bound containers are up more than 50%. Carriers are adding fuel surcharges and forcing importers to shoulder costs tied to the energy crisis.
On top of those added fees is tighter capacity heading into busy months, July and August, for inventory restocking. Shipments rerouted because of the blocked Strait of Hormuz are causing backups at Southeast Asian hubs including Singapore and Malaysia’s Port Klang, spreading the capacity pressures to trade lanes far from the Persian Gulf.
June 9: Where Will Tomorrow’s Seafarers Come From? – Splash
A major new survey by the World Maritime University (WMU), published in January and commissioned by the Officers’ Union of International Seamen, drew on responses from 4,372 seafarers of 99 nationalities to paint an alarming picture of a workforce under severe strain – and increasingly minded to walk away.
The report, In Search of a Sea-Life Balance in an Adverse Environment, finds seafarers working an average of 71 hours per week globally, rising to 79 hours for U.S. seafarers. Around one-third of all respondents show stress levels classed as “severe and potentially dangerous.” Work and rest records are being routinely adjusted to mask regulatory breaches. Shore leave is severely limited.
Most troubling for owners and managers is the finding on retention: Nearly half of all respondents indicate an intention to quit seafaring within the next five years.
WMU president Maximo Mejia commented: “Prioritizing seafarers’ mental wellbeing and healthy working conditions is a necessity, as well as the way to ensure the long-term sustainability of the maritime workforce.”
The WMU called for urgent, evidence-based action to cut administrative burdens, enforce realistic manning and rest standards, and embed human-factors science in regulation – arguing that without this, shipping faces a compounding recruitment and safety crisis.
June 15: Scouring the Strait of Hormuz for Mines Could Take Weeks – gCaptain
Ensuring the Strait of Hormuz is safe from mines could delay a return to normal shipping traffic by weeks following a deal to reopen the waterway, shipping and maritime security sources say.
The operation by conventional minesweepers and state-of-the-art underwater drones could continue for 40 to 50 days before many insurance, shipping or oil companies are confident enough to sail through, according to assessments from five Western maritime security sources.
June 24: Containership Fire Breaks Out Every 17 Days as Misdeclared Cargo Remains Major Threat – gCaptain
A container ship fire now occurs somewhere in the world roughly every 17 days, highlighting the persistent danger posed by misdeclared and undeclared dangerous cargoes, according to new data cited by the World Shipping Council (WSC).
The figures, released as part of Allianz Commercial’s Safety and Shipping Review 2026, show that fires continue to rank among the shipping industry’s most serious safety threats. Allianz recorded more than 200 fire incidents involving vessels in 2025, making it the second-highest annual total of the past decade despite a slight decline from the previous year.
The report identifies misdeclared cargo, particularly lithium-ion batteries and chemicals, as a major contributor to container ship fires.
“Misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods are a known and preventable threat to seafarers, ships, cargo and the marine environment. This is not a paperwork issue. It is a life-and-death safety issue,” said Joe Kramek, President and CEO of the WSC.
June 25: IMO Pauses Evacuation in Strait of Hormuz Following Attack – Maritime Magazine
Following an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman, IMO has decided to temporarily pause its evacuation operation pending further clarity.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated: “Following the launch of the IMO’s evacuation plan, through which several vessels have already been successfully evacuated, I have decided to temporarily pause its implementation in order to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region.
“I have been informed of an attack today in the Gulf of Oman on a vessel which passed through the Strait of Hormuz. This vessel did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework. I have always reiterated that the safety of the seafarers remains paramount. Therefore, to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained.”
June 26: Container Rates Near a Two-Year High Amidst Renewed Tariff Concerns – The Maritime Executive
Containerized freight rates are approaching two-year highs, driven upwards by tariff expectations, limited capacity and the impact of the U.S.-Iranian war.
Last week, the Drewry World Container Index neared the $4,200 per FEU level, driven upward 40 percent year-over-year thanks to strong demand from American importers and strong ex-China bookings. The SCFI has more than doubled compared with rates seen last year.
Part of the cause is the expectation of soon-to-come tariff hikes. After the Supreme Court struck down the White House’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff rates earlier this year, the administration used a separate set of legal authorities to impose blanket import tariffs of 15 percent on all nations. The Section 122 tariffs expire at the end of July, and President Donald Trump is widely expected to announce additional new tariffs to replace them.
That prediction is proving accurate: On June 26, he threatened import duties of 100 percent on any nation that collects taxes on the overseas revenues of U.S. tech companies, taking aim at European plans for a digital services tax.
June 1: Air Freight Capacity Tight Across Asia amid Fuel Strain: Dimerco – The Stat Trade Times
Jet fuel shortages, tight cargo capacity, airport congestion and strong semiconductor and AI demand are continuing to reshape air freight markets across Asia Pacific, keeping rates elevated and operational pressure high on key trade lanes, according to Dimerco’s June 2026 Asia Pacific Freight Report.
The report said airlines across the region are continuing to adjust operations because of Middle East tensions, fuel volatility and capacity constraints, resulting in longer transit times, reduced cargo space and higher freight rates, particularly on routes to Europe and the U.S.
Jet fuel shortages remain one of the biggest operational concerns for airlines. To manage fuel consumption and improve efficiency, some carriers are reducing cargo payloads or replacing larger Boeing 747 freighters with smaller Boeing 777 freighters. Although overall demand remains relatively stable compared with last year, these operational adjustments have tightened effective market capacity and supported higher freight rates.
June 3: Many Airlines Hit Hard by Jet Fuel Price Swings, Not All Can Hedge, IATA Says – American Journal of Transportation
Many airlines have been hit hard by price swings in the jet fuel market, and some are not in a position to hedge their exposure, the International Air Transport Association’s head of fuel said on June 3.
Some airlines with more elaborate hedging strategies get a bit of a cushion, Daniel Chereau told the S&P Global Energy Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference.
The Middle East supplies much of the world’s jet fuel, but its ability to produce and export the fuel has been severely curtailed by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on energy installations.
Demand destruction is appearing in the aviation sector although not necessarily due to the price of jet fuel itself, Chereau added. Demand destruction has been caused by airlines cancelling flights, he said, while in some parts of the world airports are running dry of fuel for short periods of time.
He warned that such instances could become more frequent, and that the longer the conflict lasts, the more demand destruction could come from the passenger side.
June 6: SAF Production Volumes Still Disappointing – IATA press release
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released estimates showing that global sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production is expected to reach around 2.4 million tonnes in 2026, representing just 0.8% of aviation fuel use, at a cost to airlines of $4.3 billion.
“It looks to be another disappointing year for SAF production. Five years after committing to achieve net zero by 2050, SAF production will only account for 0.8% of airline fuel use this year. The path to meeting 65% of our needs in 2050 is growing more difficult with each year of ineffectively sequenced government policies and oil companies’ manifest lack of interest. The current energy shock should add even more urgency to the development of renewables, including SAF. But we have yet to see either the energy shock, the need to develop energy independence and jobs, or the urgency to mitigate climate change materialize in the incentives needed to create a viable SAF market,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
June 24: Middle East Aviation Recovery Grows But Constraints Remain, Reports IBA – American Journal of Trade
New analysis from the International Bureau of Aviation (IBA) shows that aviation activity across the Middle East is seeing a strong recovery following the disruption caused by the conflict between Israel, Iran and the U.S. However, operational performance remains below pre-conflict norms as airlines continue to contend with longer routings and evolving fleet utilization patterns.
Jordan Amos, Aircraft Asset Manager at IBA, says: “Major Gulf hubs have moved from acute disruption towards sustained recovery over the past three months, with flight activity increasing significantly as airspace restrictions ease and confidence returns across the region.”
The data shows a strong rebound in activity across the region’s key hubs. Abu Dhabi increased from 174 daily flights in March to 462 in June, while Doha rose from just 42 daily flights to 570 over the same period. Dubai recovered from 499 daily flights in March to 844 in June. While activity has not yet returned to pre-conflict levels, the trend demonstrates a clear restoration of capacity across the region.
June 30: FIATA Calls for Delay to IATA Changes to Direct Air Waybill Framework – Air Cargo News
Freight forwarder association FIATA has called for a delay to amendments to the IATA direct air waybill (DAWB) framework to allow for a proper review to be carried out.
FIATA exercised its formal right under the Cargo Agency Conference (CAC) Resolution 801c to request a review of the proposed changes to the DAWB but said that it has not been possible to complete the process in time for the July 1 implementation date.
The association has therefore requested that the effective date be postponed until October 1 to allow the review process to be completed.
“Despite FIATA’s repeated requests that the IATA-FIATA Consultative Council (IFCC) be convened as a matter of urgency, the IFCC has not been convened in sufficient time to formulate its recommendation to the CAC before the amendments are due to take effect,” the association said in a press release.
FIATA added that it has also written to airlines worldwide seeking “urgent clarification” as to whether they intend to implement the changes in practice as of July 1 and how the changes will be implemented, including the processes that freight forwarders will be expected to follow before tendering cargo for carriage.
June 1: AI Demand – and Tactics – Drive Surge in Cargo Theft – Yahoo News
The AI infrastructure boom is driving a dramatic surge in cargo theft, leaving companies and ultimately consumers to pick up the tab. What’s more, crooks are increasingly deploying AI to find and steal those goods in a digitally savvy twist that brings the breach full circle.
Last year, losses from supply chain crime in Canada and the U.S. rose 60 percent to more than C$1 billion, as big-rig bandits zeroed in on valuable shipments, according to a report from CargoNet. Many more thefts likely went unreported because companies fear reputational damage or higher insurance premiums, experts say.
The average theft value rose by 36 percent, “driven by more selective, high-value targeting by organized groups,” the report states. Theft of metals climbed 77 percent, fuelled largely by demand for copper products.
That increase is in lockstep with a seemingly unquenchable thirst for AI infrastructure, with copper key to everything from cables and wiring to cooling systems.
June 4: A Driver’s Paper Logs Said He Was in One Place. A Roadside Camera Network Said Otherwise. Welcome to the New Era of Trucking Enforcement. – FreightWaves
Recently, a driver that was pulled into an Arizona scale house learned that an officer could reconstruct his entire multi-state trip from licence plate readers and roadside cameras, matching the real timeline against paper logs that told a different story, and the account is a clear window into how independent tracking is quietly ending the era of the falsified logbook. Here is the excerpt of the driver explaining what happened:
The driver was running west, through Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and into Arizona, when he got pulled in at a scale. The officer ran his plate, went back into the computer, and then laid out the driver’s entire trip back to him with timestamps. As the driver described it afterward, the officer told him he had been in Louisiana at one time, Texas at another, across New Mexico, and into Arizona at specific points along the way. The timeline the officer recited was accurate. The problem was that it did not match the driver’s logs. His logs were wrong. The officer’s reconstruction, built from cameras and plate readers the driver never thought about, was right.
When the driver asked how the match was even possible, the explanation was simple and a little unsettling. It was not a tracking device planted on his truck, and it was not something fed to enforcement by the shipper. It was the infrastructure already sitting along the highway. As he put it, whenever he crossed scales or certain parts of the highway, there were cameras. Licence plate readers at scale houses, at border and state-line entrances, and at what he described as random points along the road had captured his truck, and an officer at the end of the run was able to pull all of those sightings together into a single, timestamped picture of where he had actually been.
His reaction said as much as the incident itself. He had talked to a lot of drivers, he said, including “guys who had been doing this 15 and 20 years, and none of them had ever had this happen.”
His experience is not a fluke. It is an early, concrete look at a structural shift that is arriving fast across the entire industry.
June 4: FMCSA Responds to Ongoing Problems with Motus Rollout – FreightWaves
There is a growing clamour over the rollout of the Motus registration system by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Motus is a new single entry point for a wide variety of interactions with registration systems and other FMCSA tools needed by the trucking community. It launched May 14.
Complaints and comments in social media have quickly made it clear the rollout has not been going well.
“FMCSA is aware of issues affecting registrants and industry stakeholders following the launch of the Motus registration system,” the FMCSA said in a memo. “We recognize that these issues have created challenges for members of the commercial motor vehicle industry who rely on our registration systems.”
It went on to say that “resolving these issues is an absolute priority for the agency.”
FMCSA also said it is setting priorities. The most immediate goals, according to the memo, have “focused resources on addressing issues affecting insurance filings and operating authority status.”
“Customers should begin to see improvements in these areas soon as system updates and corrective actions are implemented,” the memo said. “Changes have already been made to correct the identity verification and first-time login processes.”
June 5: Phone Number Spoofing Emerges as a New Cargo Theft Tactic – TruckNews.com
Supply chain risk management company Overhaul is warning shippers and carriers about a rise in phone number spoofing schemes targeting cargo operations in the United States.
Number spoofing involves manipulating the caller ID information of outbound calls, often through Voice Over IP (VoIP) technologies, so that the call appears to originate from a trusted or familiar phone number. This tactic is commonly used to impersonate carriers, brokers or consignees, making fraudulent communications seem credible.
Fraudsters often contact drivers or dispatch staff with urgent requests to reroute loads or change delivery details, relying on the apparent legitimacy and familiarity of the incoming number to gain trust.
June 8: Feds Will Support National Trucking Database: MacKinnon – The Brandon Sun
The federal government is ready to support the creation of a national trucking database, Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said last week, but officials in Manitoba are calling for concrete action.
“I want to applaud the minister of transportation in Manitoba, who has called for a national collaboration and a database with respect to certification of trucking companies,” MacKinnon said in reference to Manitoba’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor’s efforts.
The database, requested by Naylor and the Manitoba Trucking Association, would share information between jurisdictions on operators with poor safety records.
“I’m asking the federal government to take some lead here, and so I’ve again written to the federal minister to underscore the need for a federal response,” Naylor said.
The current challenge, she said, is that if the province takes away a company’s safety fitness certificate, the company is able to re-establish elsewhere even while based in Manitoba. She said her department has been reaching out to other provinces when it suspects that is happening.
“There’s no federal oversight for the safe operation of these vehicles, and so that’s why we’re calling on the federal government,” she said.
June 11: TIA Asking FMCSA for Guidance on Approved Carriers Post-Montgomery – FreightWaves
The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) is asking the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for a federal rulemaking that would set standards on what constitutes a carrier that can safely be booked.
The TIA, in a formal petition for rulemaking to the agency, leaves little doubt as to the need for such a process: the fallout from the court decision on Montgomery vs. Caribe Transport II and the door it opened to brokers being found liable for crashes and other incidents involving a carrier hired by the 3PL.
“In light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Montgomery v. Caribe, it is now clear that brokers and shippers continue to face an untenable burden in attempting to evaluate, develop and apply disparate methodologies and standards (using potentially suspect data) in an effort to discern whether a federally licensed motor carrier will nevertheless be deemed unsafe according to judges and juries in every state and federal jurisdiction across the country,” the TIA said in its petition.
“In far too many cases, a carrier’s safety deficiencies are only revealed after a catastrophic incident has already occurred,” TIA President Chris Burroughs wrote on LinkedIn.
Even where a carrier has an FMCSA safety rating, the TIA says that “FMCSA has acknowledged that the data generated by the Safety Measurement System (SMS) is used to prioritize potential interventions but is not intended to imply a federal safety rating and should not be used to draw conclusions about a motor carrier’s overall safety condition.”
June 12: U.S. DOT Launches Tech Project to Rate ‘Every Motor Carrier’ – Overdrive
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to use predictive tech to help crack down on fraud and cabotage, and it could lead to preliminary safety ratings to the masses.
The contract, awarded in April, specifically mentions needing safety ratings for the “thousands of new and unrated entrants that dominate the spot market.” That’s likely music to the ears of just about everyone in trucking.
Carrier and broker associations, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision shifting broker liability, have been crying out for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to issue safety ratings to the more than 90% that remain unrated.
Owner-ops have reported being locked out of freight from C.H. Robinson for lacking safety ratings, and brokers have complained of an “impossible” task of assessing carrier safety for movement of millions of loads each year.
The contract seeks to close the gap.
June 16: OTA Wants to Reform Ontario’s Facility Association Insurance System – TruckNews.com
The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has proposed reforms to Ontario’s Facility Association (FA) insurance framework, arguing the system should function as a temporary safety net for high-risk fleets rather than a long-term insurance solution.
The association said it recently submitted a policy brief to Ontario’s Ministry of Finance outlining recommended changes that it believes would help improve safety, accountability and fairness within the trucking insurance market.
These include implementing a “sunset clause” that would establish a 24-month limit for commercial fleets in Facility, requiring stronger underwriting tied to driver history and fleet-level safety practices; incorporating the Ministry of Transportation and FMCSA’s safety performance into risk assessments; and requiring more robust pre-quote risk inspections.
The association also wants to eliminate the ability for commercial trucking companies to opt out of direct compensation for property damage coverage.
June 17: Insurance Bureau of Canada Backs Manitoba’s Calls for National Trucking Database – TruckNews.com
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) said it supports calls from the Manitoba government and the Manitoba Trucking Association to create a national commercial trucking database to improve safety oversight and help prevent unsafe operators from moving between jurisdictions.
In response to a recent fatal collision in Brandon, Man., that involved a previously de-certified transport company, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor called on the federal government to establish a national database tracking safety certifications and violations involving trucking companies, vehicles and drivers.
Earlier this week, federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon indicated Ottawa is prepared to support the creation of a national certification database for trucking companies.
IBC said in a news release that a national carrier registry with stronger interprovincial data sharing would help regulators identify unsafe operators and stop them from resurfacing elsewhere. Insurers could also use this data to verify claims and infraction histories when assessing commercial insurance risk.
June 17: Statistics Canada Launches Trucking Statistics Program – Ontario Trucking Association announcement
Statistics Canada is launching the Trucking Statistics Program, a new initiative designed to address critical data gaps in Canada’s trucking industry and support evidence-based transportation policy development.
The program will provide valuable industry insights to government organizations, including the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety, as they work to improve freight transportation systems and reduce interprovincial/territorial trade barriers across Canada.
As part of the survey, participating carriers may be asked to provide bills of lading to collect data on:
All information collected will remain strictly confidential and will be used solely for statistical and research purposes.
June 18: Retirements, Lack of Mentorship Threaten Trucking Talent Pipeline – TruckNews.com
Trucking fleets face a growing risk of losing critical operational knowledge as experienced workers retire, while younger professionals continue to leave the industry because of limited mentorship and career development opportunities, a transportation executive told attendees at the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada’s annual conference.
Mo Baki, director of transportation at Polaris Transportation Group, said the industry is focused on labour shortages but is paying insufficient attention to the loss of expertise that accompanies an aging workforce. He said the challenge extends beyond replacing workers and includes preserving decades of operational knowledge accumulated by experienced employees.
“The knowledge walking out the door when your most experienced people retire is the greatest risk that we are not talking about,” Baki said. “The talent that we’re failing to keep, the graduates, the early career professionals, the people who come in hungry and leave frustrated, that’s the second biggest risk.”
June 19: Cargo Theft, Cyber Risks Driving Insurance Scrutiny in Trucking – TruckNews.com
Rising cargo theft across Canada is prompting insurers to take a harder look at trucking operations, with fleets facing increased scrutiny over security protocols, tracking technology and risk-management practices as claims continue to climb.
Speaking at the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada’s annual conference, Maria-Christina Sorbo-Mayrand, an associate with Miller Thomson, said cargo theft, cyber threats and the growing use of telematics are reshaping how insurers assess risk throughout the supply chain. At the same event, a security technology provider warned fleets that preventing theft increasingly requires a shift from reactive measures to predictive and prescriptive security strategies.
“Insurance and risk management are strategic operational issues, not just legal or administrative tasks,” Sorbo-Mayrand said. “If you spend a little bit more time with your insurance broker or your insurance companies before having issues, once the issues do arise, and issues will always arise, it’s much easier to handle.”
Sorbo-Mayrand said that companies that proactively manage risk are generally better positioned when claims occur and may be better equipped to secure and maintain coverage.
She outlined several types of insurance commonly used in transportation, including commercial auto liability, cargo insurance, commercial general liability, professional liability, environmental liability and cyber liability coverage. Each policy serves a different purpose and contains exclusions that businesses should understand before a loss occurs.
June 19: Provincial Rule Patchwork Increasing Trucking Costs by 8%, Trade Expert Says – TruckNews.com
Canada’s patchwork of provincial regulations is costing the economy an estimated $1.6 billion annually and increasing trucking service costs by more than 8%, according to interprovincial trade expert Ryan Manucha, who said harmonization efforts now underway could deliver significant benefits to carriers and the broader economy.
The C.D. Howe Institute senior fellow identified trucking as one of the clearest examples of how internal trade barriers continue to create costs and inefficiencies despite the existence of a national transportation framework.
“You have a national framework, but it gets implemented differently at the provincial level,” Manucha said during the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada’s annual conference. “As soon as you get provincial fragmentation, in my mind, that’s an internal trade barrier.”
He pointed to differences in how provinces administer safety compliance programs, citing Ontario’s Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration system and Alberta’s Carrier Profile and Safety Fitness Rating framework as examples of varying approaches that carriers must navigate. Those differences create additional compliance burdens, separate audit regimes, and administrative costs that eventually flow through the supply chain, he said.
According to research Manucha conducted with University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe, trucking regulations remain one of the most significant examples of internal trade barriers in Canada.
June 24: Ontario to Require Six Months of Full G Licence Experience Before Class A Road Test – TruckNews.com
Ontario is introducing a new experience requirement for Class A truck licence applicants, requiring drivers to hold a full Ontario Class G licence or equivalent for at least six months before taking a Class A road test beginning January 1, 2027.
The Ministry of Transportation said the change is intended to improve safety outcomes and ensure new Class A drivers have sufficient on-road experience before advancing to commercial vehicle operation.
Equivalent driving experience from other Canadian provinces and territories may be recognized and counted toward the requirement under existing licence exchange policies.
June 25: Latest Move by FMCSA Suggests Motus Rollout Woes Are Continuing – FreightWaves
A recent easing of some requirements by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration appears to be a sign that the rollout of Motus, the agency’s new registration portal, continues to have problems.
The specific change disclosed this week by FMCSA is that the biennial update requirement that “all entities under its jurisdiction” update their information on file with the agency every two years has been “temporarily suspended.” The suspension is for “entities that have not completed the required biennial update since June 1.”
Companies that have passed their due date for the biennial update since June 1 without being able to register “should not worry about inactivation resulting from Motus-related access or system issues,” FMCSA said.” Further guidance, the agency added, will be released “as recovery and stabilization efforts continue.”
June 25: NACFE Report Warns Technician Shortage Threatens Adoption of New Truck Powertrains – TruckNews.com
A new report from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) says the trucking industry’s technician shortage is becoming an even greater challenge as fleets adopt a wider mix of diesel, natural gas, battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trucks.
The report, Messy Middle Powertrain Service & Maintenance, examines how fleets, OEMs, dealerships and repair shops will need to adapt to support multiple powertrain technologies simultaneously.
The report says maintenance costs now extend well beyond vehicle repairs, encompassing technician training, specialized shop equipment, software licensing, facility upgrades and ongoing certification requirements.
It also concludes that technicians will require new skill sets in areas such as electrical systems, power electronics and software diagnostics, with computers increasingly becoming the primary service tool.
May 1: Decision on IMO Net Zero Framework Deferred to November – Seatrade Maritime News
Further discussions to strengthen the Net Zero Framework (NZF) have been agreed on at the IMO’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), meaning that adoption of the regulations will take place in November at the earliest.
The effective outcome of this MEPC84 is that the NZF, apparently on the rocks following the MEPC/ES2 in October, is now seemingly back on track.
May 6: Ottawa Designates Port of Quebec an International Container Port – Inside Logistics
The Port of Quebec has been officially designated an international container port by the Government of Canada, a move aimed at strengthening supply chains and expanding the country’s port capacity.
The designation provides the port with the authority and framework to handle international container traffic as a first point of entry, following certification from the Canada Border Services Agency to offer full customs services.
With the decision, the Port of Quebec joins a select group of Canadian ports able to process international containerized goods, a step the federal government says will improve trade flow and add capacity along the St. Lawrence–Great Lakes corridor.
May 9: Seafarers Stuck in Hormuz Suffer from Anxiety and Depression, Mental Health Issues on the Rise – Marine Insight
The biggest fear among the 20,000 seafarers stuck on 1,500 ships in the Strait of Hormuz is not food or water, but death by a missile strike or resultant fire.
Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, said that seafarers suffer from poor mental health due to the constant fear of being killed on their ship. Most of them have seen missiles blowing up ships near them, and this has ruined their mental health.
Most are unable to regularly communicate with their families and feel lonely and trapped.
The uncertainty of when the U.S.-Iran war will end and they will go home has added to their emotional burden.
Cotton added that it is unlikely that the vessels will be allowed to pass through the strait any time soon.
May 11: Shipping Companies Leverage Arabian Peninsula Truck Routes to Bypass Hormuz – The Maritime Executive
With the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed, logistics operators are working out how to get consignments to and from Gulf destinations previously served by ports that are now in effect blocked to external traffic. Without extensive state direction, entrepreneurs are opening up new routes and increasing capacity on existing routes.
One immediate beneficiary has been traffic flow on Route 95, which starts from the Saudi town of Alkwifiriah close to the Saudi-Qatari border crossing at Salwa. The route then crosses through the Shaybah oilfield and enters Oman at the Ramlet Khelah border crossing point, which was opened in January 2023. The route had been long in the planning; its opening was delayed by the engineering difficulties of pushing a highway through the shifting sands of the “Empty Quarter.”
The route has cut the travelling time between the start and end points by 16 hours, cutting out the old road across the sand or the necessity of diverting through the UAE with the inevitable delays at customs points.
According to the Oman Public Authority for Special Economic and Free Zones, the value of goods crossing the border almost tripled to $830 million in March, from $300 million in February.
May 12: What Freight Forwarders Should Watch Under China’s Revised Maritime Code – TT Talk
China’s revised Maritime Code is not a minor amendment. It is the first comprehensive overhaul since the Code entered into force in the early 1990s, and it reshapes several rules that freight forwarders deal with every day, often without conscious reference to the law behind them.
For freight forwarders, the most important message is simple: Your legal role can change from shipment to shipment. In one transaction, you may act purely as an agent passing instructions. In another, you may issue documents or contract in your own name and find yourself treated as a contracting carrier, NVOCC or multimodal transport operator.
The revised Code does not single out freight forwarders, but it does shift risk towards the party closest to the transport contract and the transport record. In practice, that can be the forwarder.
This article reviews the key changes freight forwarders should have on their radar and, critically, what they should be doing as the new rules take effect.
May 12: UK Expands Military Commitment in 40-Nation Defensive Mission to Secure Strait of Hormuz – gCaptain
The United Kingdom is significantly expanding its military commitment to securing the Strait of Hormuz, announcing on May 12 that it will deploy autonomous mine-hunting systems, counter-drone technology, Typhoon fighter jets, and the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon as part of a future multinational maritime security mission.
The announcement came during a virtual summit of defence ministers representing more than 40 nations involved in what British officials described as a “strictly defensive” multinational mission aimed at restoring confidence in commercial shipping through one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
The mission, led jointly by the UK and France, will become operational “when conditions allow,” according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
May 14: Canadian Ports Gain as U.S. West Coast Imports Fall – Port Technology International
North America West Coast laden import volumes fell by 3.9 percent year-on-year in Q1 2026, with the decline concentrated across U.S.-based ports, according to Sea-Intelligence.
The latest issue of the Sea-Intelligence Sunday Spotlight found that Canadian ports recorded growth during the quarter, led by Vancouver and Prince Rupert.
Vancouver handled more than 491,000 TEUs in laden imports in Q1 2026, representing a 9.0 percent year-on-year increase. Sea-Intelligence said this reversed a slight year-on-year decline recorded in the previous year and marked a new high for absolute laden import volumes at the port.
Prince Rupert also posted growth, with laden import volumes rising 7.8 percent year-on-year. The increase took volumes above the port’s Q1 2024 level, although they remained below the Q1 highs recorded between 2019 and 2022.
By contrast, all major U.S. West Coast ports recorded negative year-on-year growth.
Sea-Intelligence said the figures point to a northward shift in cargo flows towards Canadian gateways.
May 14: China Imposes Penalties on Nine International Container Lines – Seatrade Maritime News
China’s Ministry of Transport issued an announcement on penalties imposed on nine international container liner shipping companies and seven non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs).
In August, September and November 2025, the Ministry of Transport conducted inspections on the implementation of freight rate filing by international container liner shipping companies and NVOCCs at the ports of Guangzhou, Qingdao and Ningbo. It was found that nine international container liner shipping companies and seven NVOCCs committed violations such as failure to go through freight rate filing procedures or charging freight rates inconsistent with the filed rates.
The nine shipping companies are CMA CGM Group, TS Lines (Singapore), Wan Hai Lines (Singapore), SM Lines, Emirates Shipping Line, Evergreen Marine (Asia), Hapag-Lloyd AG, MSC and Ocean Network Express (ONE) Pte Ltd.
The Ministry imposed administrative penalties on the companies and held talks with those with serious violations, stated the Ministry.
May 15: Paul Bird Returns as New President and CEO of Montreal Port Authority – Maritime Magazine
The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has announced the appointment effective June 7 of Paul Bird as new President and CEO, reflecting a move towards renewed leadership stability following a period of turbulence this spring punctuated by the reported dismissal on April 3 of Julie Gascon.
Bird left his post in March as the MPA’s Chief Commercial Officer quarterbacking the port’s Contrecœur container terminal project to join the executive team of ALTO seeking to develop a high-speed rail service on the Toronto-Quebec City corridor.
May 18: Iran Launches Official ‘Persian Gulf Strait Authority’ Account, Declares Unauthorized Hormuz Transit ‘Illegal’ – gCaptain
The Iranian-backed Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has officially launched a public presence on X, marking the clearest effort yet by Tehran to formalize and publicize its emerging control regime over commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The newly launched account, operating under the handle “PGSA_Iran,” introduced itself as the “official X account of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority” and said it would provide “real-time updates” on operations and developments in the strategically critical waterway.
In a second post, the organization declared itself the “legal entity and representative authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran for managing the passage and transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The statement went further, warning that navigation through waters designated by Iranian authorities and the Iranian Armed Forces now requires “full coordination” with Tehran. “Passage without permission will be considered illegal,” the account stated.
The launch of the account appears to formalize what shipping executives and maritime security firms have been warning about for days: Iran is attempting to establish a de facto permission-based transit regime through one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
May 20: Canada’s Trade Diversification Agenda: The Problem with Ports – Fraser Institute
The Carney government has pledged to double Canada’s exports to markets other than the United States by 2035. That’s a tall order, especially in a world of rising protectionism and mounting geopolitical tension. The goal also faces obstacles posed by many years of weak business investment across a wide swathe of Canadian industries, including those that drive most of the country’s exports.
The efficiency, reliability and overall performance of major ports is a significant factor affecting the global competitiveness of most trading countries. Well-functioning ports bolster the cost competitiveness of host countries’ exports in international markets. They also reduce the cost of imported goods sought by domestic consumers and businesses.
Unfortunately, as confirmed in the World Bank’s latest assessment of port performance, Canada is a laggard. The World Bank uses an index to assess port performance, largely based on estimates of “vessel time in port.” The latter term captures both the time ships are at berth and how long they must wait prior to loading/unloading. The World Bank reports data for 403 container-handling ports spanning all parts of the globe.
North American ports generally receive poor scores. Within North America, west coast ports are near the bottom, with Vancouver faring especially badly (389th globally). Canada’s other west coast container port, Prince Rupert, comes in at 362nd. Montreal is ranked 344th. Canada’s east coast maritime gateway, Halifax, scores much better (55th) than other Canadian ports.
The Carney government has identified several trade-related infrastructure projects as candidates for regulatory fast-tracking as part of the prime minister’s “build-build-build” agenda. Expanding cargo-handling capacity and strengthening the performance of Canada’s major ports should be a central part of the government’s broader trade diversification agenda. As trade with non-U.S. markets grows, ports, pipelines, railways and shipping networks will become increasingly critical to Canada’s prosperity.
May 20: Shipping Industry Issues Stark New Hormuz Transit Guidance as Risks Mount – gCaptain
The global shipping industry has released sweeping new guidance for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, warning that even if the waterway remains technically open, conditions inside the chokepoint may still be too dangerous for safe navigation.
The 22-page advisory, issued jointly by major industry groups including BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping, INTERTANKO, OCIMF, INTERCARGO and IMCA, paints one of the clearest pictures yet of the deteriorating operational environment facing merchant ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The document warns that vessels may face a “high workload and high-stress operating environment” where kinetic threats, electronic warfare, heavy congestion, mines, drones, AIS spoofing and navigation hazards could all occur simultaneously.
“Transit planning must consider both security risk and navigational risk,” the guidance states.
May 25: Study: Canadian Ports Are Getting Fewer Direct Connections – The Maritime Executive
Ongoing shifts in global shipping networks could be reducing Canadian ports’ connectivity, according to a recent analysis by the Bank of Canada. Based on datasets for ship movements between 2016 and 2023, it is apparent that Canadian ports have become less directly connected to global shipping networks, compared with ports in other countries. This has increased the chances that foreign supply disruptions, especially at distant hubs, impact Canada’s domestic markets and prices.
To map the decline, the central bank analysis calculated the degree centrality, which is an indicator of the number of unique destinations directly connected to a port. Low degree centrality means a port has few dedicated routes. The study found that the degree centrality of Canada’s top five ports declined considerably between 2016 and 2023.
For instance, the weighted centrality for Port of Vancouver back in 2016 was 0.75 percent, but this fell to 0.16 percent in 2023. A similar trend is visible for Halifax, Montreal, New Westminster [Fraser Surrey terminal] and St. John’s. For context, the degree centrality for Zhoushan in China, the world’s most connected port, was calculated at 2.9 percent in 2023.
May 13: Construction Begins on International Cargo Hub at Edmonton International Airport – CTV News
Ground was broken on May 13 on an international cargo hub at Edmonton International Airport, which officials say will turn the airport into a larger player in global trade.
The 2,000-acre project near the 65 Avenue interchange will consist of multiple logistics and storage warehouses, a runway with “guaranteed landing” lighting that will help cargo planes land in inclement weather, and a quick-fueling hydrant system, similar to one in Anchorage, Alaska, where cargo planes often go to refuel.
Airport president and CEO Myron Keehn said the airport is a strategic location for a cargo hub because of its energy and logistics parks, and position as a gateway to the north as well as an inland port to Prince Rupert and Vancouver.
The project is expected to cost $300 million altogether.
The first phase of construction will cost $160 million and is scheduled to be complete by early 2028. Half of the funding was provided by Ottawa through the National Trade Corridors Fund while the airport is funding the other half.
May 17: Cargo Backlogs Feared as 3 Out of 4 Explosive Detection Scanners Down at Dhaka Airport – The Business Standard
Three of the four explosive detection system (EDS) scanners used to screen export cargo at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport are out of service, raising concerns among exporters and freight operators over cargo backlogs, mounting costs and the risk of air export disruptions.
According to industry insiders, the situation remains manageable for now because export pressure is relatively low, but warned that a sharp increase in cargo volumes during the next peak season could trigger a major operational crisis.
Kabir Ahmed, president of the International Air Express Association of Bangladesh, said at least two to three EDS scanners normally need to remain operational to ensure smooth export handling.
May 19: NAV Canada ‘Scraping the Barrel’ to Prevent Flight Disruptions, Says Expert – Global News
NAV Canada says it’s taking several steps to increase the amount of available staff this summer to meet peak demand periods, in moves air industry experts say are akin to “scraping the barrel” in a sector facing staffing challenges.
This comes less than two months after the not-for-profit corporation, which owns and operates Canada’s civic air navigation system, acknowledged it was short about 200 staff, including air traffic controllers (ATC).
The shortage of ATC and other staff last summer led to delays and service disruptions at some of Canada’s busiest airports and are part of a worldwide pattern of shortages stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. NAV Canada maintains that its approximately 200 staffing gap is proportionately smaller than jurisdictions like the U.S. and still continues to this day, according to a press release.
Aviation experts say, regardless of new temporary measures, there will still likely be flight disruptions this summer.
“They know they’re going to be in short supply for the summer, and they’re trying whatever methodology they’re using to kind of fill that gap,” says John Gradek, faculty lecturer in supply networks and aviation management at McGill University. “But the gap still will be there and we’ll still have disruptions in a number of control centres throughout Canada this coming summer.”
May 21: Investigative Series Exposes Corruption at Canadian Airports – CTV News
An Air Canada employee accused in Canada’s largest gold heist had been on police radar for years before millions in gold vanished from Toronto Pearson International Airport.
A W5 investigation has uncovered intelligence reports, court records and data that raise troubling questions about how airport employees with alleged links to organized crime, drug trafficking and violence were able to retain access to restricted areas at Canada’s busiest airport.
Parmpal Sidhu is one of two Air Canada employees accused in the gold heist that saw more than $22 million in gold and foreign currency stolen from a cargo facility at Pearson airport in 2023.
Police sources tell W5 that Sidhu’s name surfaced in three separate airport drug investigations dating back to 2008.
W5 also obtained a sensitive 2012 intelligence document alleging that Sidhu was the leader of an international drug trafficking ring moving large quantities of narcotics through Pearson and infiltrating “legitimate government organizations for the purpose of carrying out their criminal activities.”
W5 could not determine whether the intelligence document was ever shared with Air Canada. But Sidhu kept both his job and his airport security clearance until after the gold heist.
His case is one of several uncovered by W5 involving airport employees who retained access to restricted areas despite serious allegations, criminal investigations or repeated security concerns.
May 8: Fleets Are Putting Their Growth and Expansion Plans on Hold Due to Cost and Tariff Pressures – Transport Routier (translated from French)
Fleet leaders across North America are putting their expansion plans on hold in 2026, with half of them planning to maintain fleet size due to economic pressures pushing them to take a stability-first approach.
This change comes as cost control becomes a priority across the industry, with 78% of fleet leaders identifying savings as their top priority this year, according to Element Fleet Management’s latest Market Pulse report.
The report, now in its fifth edition, is based on a survey of fleet industry decision-makers in the United States (55%), Canada (24%) and Mexico (21%).
Tariffs and broader economic uncertainty are forcing carriers to take a more disciplined approach to their operations, delaying rolling stock replacement and extending asset life to preserve capital and improve utilization rates.
May 8: Nuclear Verdicts and Surging Premiums: Insurers Increasingly Demand Use by Truckers of Safety Technology – Commercial Carrier Journal
The trucking industry is facing the dual challenge of skyrocketing nuclear verdicts and surging insurance premiums, prompting industry experts at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas last week to sound the alarm on the need for increased technology adoption and consistent risk management.
Massive payouts have changed the game for fleets and insurers alike. Logan Payne, senior vice president and Director of Global Technology Practice for Lockton Companies, said, “Five years ago, questions about cameras or telematics were just hurdles to clear. Today, it’s a dynamic, real-time conversation. They don’t just want to know if you have the data; they want to know what you are doing with it to coach drivers and improve safety outcomes.”
The issue isn’t usually technology adoption; it’s driver utilization and coaching, said Tim Bauer, vice president of sales and business development for the Global Aftermarket Group at Eaton Mobility.
Bauer noted that drivers often don’t trust solutions if they trigger frequent false alerts. “We need to pull drivers into the solution and listen to their feedback to ensure they actually use the systems,” he said.
“Regarding dash cams: If you don’t have them, plaintiff attorneys will use that against you, claiming you fall below the reasonable standard of care,” said Samsara’s Insurance Partnerships Account Manager Weston Dickson. “If you have them but don’t manage the data, you’re also vulnerable because you knew the risk and didn’t act. The best option is to actively manage the data to change the courtroom narrative from corporate negligence to a fact-specific incident.”
May 12: Some Ontario Private Career Colleges Accrediting Truck Drivers Without Minimum Training, A-G Finds – The Globe and Mail
Some private career colleges in Ontario are accrediting aspiring commercial truck drivers who have not completed the minimum training requirements – in some cases, altering student records to falsify their qualifications, according to a new report from the Auditor-General’s office.
The provincial auditor analyzed the province’s enforcement records and found that some ministry-approved private career colleges could not produce records demonstrating their students had completed the required training components to become a truck driver. It also found some private colleges employed unqualified instructors and instructed students to sign off on training hours that were never delivered.
Auditor-General Shelley Spence’s report, released on May 12, also found significant flaws with Ontario’s testing regime. In some cases, unregistered private career colleges not subject to provincial oversight successfully booked students to complete road tests.
Some training colleges also booked students’ road tests at specific centres where exams involved easier turns and reversal testing, as well as lower-speed-limit highways, pointing to inconsistent testing practices that undermine road safety, the report noted.
May 13: Ontario Transportation Minister Says Province Cracking Down on Truck Training ‘Bad Actors’ – TruckNews.com
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the province has “zero tolerance” for bad actors in the commercial truck driver training sector following a scathing auditor general’s report that identified widespread oversight failures in Ontario’s licensing and training system.
Many of the issues identified in the report have already been addressed, including actions against several career colleges, Sarkaria told The Canadian Press. “I know many of those operators have been shut down,” Sarkaria said. “We have zero tolerance for any of those bad actors.”
Sarkaria acknowledged some of the findings in Auditor General Shelley Spence’s special report on large commercial truck driver licensing were troubling and said the Ministry of Transportation and Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) have been conducting targeted enforcement against schools. He also said Ontario Provincial Police have laid charges in several cases, although no details were provided about the schools involved or the allegations.
The minister pointed to legislative changes introduced last year requiring new drivers to wait six months after obtaining a G licence before applying for a commercial licence. Ontario has also tightened documentation requirements by requiring drivers to present valid work permits at DriveTest centres as part of the licensing process.
May 14: U.S. Supreme Court Rules 9-0 Against Brokers in Montgomery Case – FreightWaves
The so-called safety exception of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (F4A) includes the freight brokerage industry in its umbrella, the Supreme Court ruled in the closely watched case of Montgomery vs. Caribe Transport II.
The decision of the court was unanimous.
Its immediate impact is that the Supreme Court decision clears up conflicting circuit court cases about whether a 3PL can be sued in state court for damages resulting from a crash involving a carrier the broker hired. With this decision, the circuit conflicts are essentially settled and the question has been answered: Yes, they can.
May 14: Half of Cargo Theft Cases Now Linked to Trusted Carriers – Supply Chain 24/7
Freight fraud is becoming harder for brokers and carriers to spot, and a new report suggests that many of the biggest risks now come from companies that appear legitimate on paper.
According to Highway’s Q1 2026 Freight Fraud Index, roughly half of all cargo theft incidents during the quarter involved carriers with legitimate motor carrier numbers and previously clean operating histories. The report points to a growing shift in how freight fraud is carried out, with criminals increasingly using trusted identities, compromised accounts and social engineering tactics instead of obvious fake operations.
“Fraud has moved from rules to process,” said Michael Grace, Vice President of Customer Risk Management at Highway. “Just because you’ve run a thousand loads with a carrier doesn’t mean the next one is safe. There’s a level of risk that’s happening anytime you hire someone.”
May 15: Driver Inc.: Federal Government Begins Recovering Millions of Dollars in Evaded Taxes – Transport Routier (translated from French)
The deliberate misclassification of employed drivers as independent contractors, better known as the Driver Inc. scheme, costs various levels of government billions of dollars in evaded taxes and social security contributions. However, the situation is changing, said Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment and Families at the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA).
The success of this fight depends on better communication between the various government agencies, and this is starting to pay off. Employment and Social Development Canada, for example, has strengthened its ties with the Canada Revenue Agency, which has issued $7.7 million in tax recoveries since February for cases of misclassification of workers.
“Those who break the rules face real consequences,” said Hajdu, also advocating for a market where healthy competition can take place between carriers.
May 18: Broker Liability Ruling May Be Less Harsh Than Feared – Transport Topics
The Supreme Court opened the door to brokers being liable for negligence in state lawsuits, but it may not be as harsh as some have feared, according to experts.
Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II challenged whether federal law that restricts states from regulating brokerage services protects freight brokers from state lawsuits over negligent hirings. C.H. Robinson was accused of negligently hiring a motor carrier involved in an accident. The case made it to the highest court, with the new ruling May 14 overturning those protections.
“[The] unanimous Montgomery ruling creates adverse ramifications for the brokerage model,” Harrison Bauer, an analyst at Susquehanna International Group, wrote in a report. “However, the concurrence language isn’t as harsh to brokers as the title ruling might suggest.”
“The court did not explicitly state that brokers are automatically liable, which means that plaintiffs will still have to prove ordinary negligence elements under state law, including foreseeability,” wrote Daniel Moore, senior research analyst at Baird. “It must be proven that the broker knew, or should have known, that the carrier ultimately hired posed a safety risk.”
May 21: Canadian Truck Dealers Warn of Looming Supply Crisis over 2027 Emissions Rules – TruckNews.com
Canada’s truck dealers are warning that a regulatory gap tied to upcoming U.S. EPA27 emissions standards could disrupt the supply of new heavy-duty trucks in Canada as early as this summer, with potentially broad consequences for the economy and supply chain.
The Canadian Truck Dealers Association (CTD) said Canada urgently needs regulatory adjustments to ensure U.S.-certified heavy trucks can continue flowing into the Canadian market.
Without a fix, they warned, fleets may be unable to secure new model-year 2027 trucks beginning January 1, 2027, with impacts being felt months sooner because truck manufacturers and fleets are already entering pre-order discussions.
May 27: B.C. Law Coming to Mandate Dashboard Cameras for Commercial Vehicles – TruckNews.com
A private-members bill to mandate dash cameras on all commercial vehicles traveling B.C. highways has passed unanimously through the legislature.
The B.C. Trucking Association (BCTA) endorsed the bill, noting that about 75% of collisions involving a commercial vehicle aren’t the fault of that driver.
The bill will come into force six months after receiving royal assent.
The BCTA took to LinkedIn to share concerns it has on the law.
“BCTA supports road safety, and our Board has previously indicated that members are not opposed to the use of mandatory outward-facing dash cams. However, our position remains clear: this must be done on a national level,” it wrote. “A province-by-province approach risks creating another patchwork of regulations for carriers operating across Canada, adding complexity, inconsistency, and unnecessary interprovincial trade barriers.”
May 30: CTA Calls for Action on ‘Chameleon Carriers’ After Fatal Manitoba Crash – TruckNews.com
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is calling for immediate action to close regulatory loopholes that allow so-called “chameleon carriers” to continue operating after losing their safety credentials. The call follows a fatal collision in Brandon, Man., in which a semi-truck driver has been charged with dangerous driving causing death after allegedly running a stop sign at highway speed, killing a 49-year-old woman.
CTA says the carrier involved had its Manitoba safety fitness certificate revoked in 2021, but was later able to obtain operating authority in Alberta and return to the road.
“This chameleon carrier phenomenon allows bad actors to blend back into the industry with zero accountability, functioning as a continuous threat to public safety,” said Stephen Laskowski, president and CEO of the CTA.
CTA says the incident exposes gaps in Canada’s carrier oversight system, where operators can lose credentials in one province and reappear under a new name or jurisdiction elsewhere.
May 27: CPKC Receives 72-Hour Strike Notice from IBEW – CPKC press release
Canadian Pacific Kansas City said on May 27 that it had received a 72-hour strike notice from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Canadian Signals and Communications System Council No. 11, which represents approximately 300 Signals & Communications employees across Canada.
In case a work stoppage occurs, the company has prepared contingency plans that will allow CPKC to continue safe and efficient railway operations.
The IBEW has said it intends to strike at 08:00 MDT on Sunday, May 31.
CPKC said it is committed to bargaining in good faith with IBEW in order to reach a negotiated outcome. Negotiations will continue into the weekend.
May 27: New U.S. Rail Data Requirement a ‘Win’ for Shippers, Expert Says – Supply Chain Dive
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board issued a final rule requiring Class I railroads to report two new metrics weekly, effective July 8. The rule follows years of shippers calling for improved reporting from railroads.
The two metrics are the original estimated time of arrival, or OETA, and industry spot and pull, or ISP. OETA measures the percentage of shipments in a week delivered within 24 hours of their estimated arrival time. ISP is a carrier’s success rate in loading and unloading goods at a facility when the railroad said it would.
May 28: UP, NS Revised Merger Application Moves Ahead – Supply Chain Dive
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board accepted Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s revised merger application that was submitted on April 30, according to the agency. The application for the proposed merger is now up for consideration by the board.
The STB had previously rejected the network merger proposal, filed on December 19, 2025, citing it as incomplete because it missed certain required information under board regulations.
Still, the agency accepted the revised application even though it “does not contain the level of detail on certain issues that the Board would have preferred, particularly given the benefit of Board decisions and stakeholder comments after the original Application,” per a docket file on the recent decision.
Both railroads are directed to submit supplemental details by July 27. Information being asked for by the STB consists of further details on how the proposed merger will result in enhanced competition and additional measures if public benefits claimed in the application don’t come to fruition in a timely matter.
May 7 and 8: CIFFA Executive Team Holds Town Hall Events in Calgary and Edmonton
On May 7, YYC Calgary Airport and CIFFA held an industry-update luncheon at the Hyatt Place Calgary Airport.
This included a behind-the-scenes look at the airport’s cargo operations, with tours of the Air Canada cargo warehouse pre- and post-luncheon, followed by updates from the airport on its cargo business, and updates from CIFFA on membership, education and advocacy.
On May 8, in Edmonton, a “Night at the Races” event, hosted by YEG Cargo and CIFFA, was held at the Century Mile Racetrack and Casino, featuring presentations, networking and a horse racing experience.
May 12: CIFFA Feedback on Draft 2026–2029 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy
CIFFA has provided feedback on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s draft Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.
CIFFA supports the direction of the draft strategy and the importance of federal leadership on sustainable development. We encourage the Government of Canada to strengthen the final strategy by more clearly addressing the role of customs and logistics providers, including SMEs, supporting practical transition pathways, improving trade corridor resilience, and ensuring that implementation is coordinated and commercially realistic.
May 12: CIFFA Submits Feedback to Government of Canada Proposed Changes to Labour Program
CIFFA submitted a policy document responding to the federal call for feedback to proposed changes to the Labour Program. The government is assessing if updates to Canada’s federal labour policy are needed to support a modern and fair labour relations framework. As part of this process, the Labour Program is engaging stakeholders to gather feedback and perspectives to help inform policy directions.
The feedback will inform the government’s policy approach to strengthening the federal labour relations framework, including enhancing collective bargaining processes and bolstering supports for workers.
May 25 and 26: CIFFA’s Advocacy Days in Ottawa
On May 25 and 26, CIFFA’s Executive Director Bruce Rodgers, Director, Policy and Regulatory Affairs Julia Kuzeljevich, and Government Relations Lead Advisor Ben Martin were in Ottawa for advocacy meetings with various government officials.
On May 25, CIFFA met with CBSA officials, including Cathy Toxopeus, Director General, Commercial Programs Directorate, and Mike Leahy, Director General to discuss updates on border clearance and system outages.
Following that meeting, CIFFA met with the Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, Parliamentary Secretary to the minister Jacques Ramsay, Senior Policy Advisor to the minister Nina Sartor and CBSA Vice-President, Commercial and Trade Branch Jennifer Lutfallah. Discussion points: CIFFA has been engaged in high-level advocacy on the issue of CBSA system outages and delays. The meeting served to provide an update on the situation around the delays and outages, and to understand how CIFFA can work with both the CBSA and the minister, as well as other trade chain partners, towards fully addressing these issues, and what the “next steps” are to deal with the ongoing, systemic issue of outages and delays.
Next, CIFFA met with the Shadow Minister of International Trade Adam Chambers to introduce the association and discuss trade-related issues.
On May 26, CIFFA had a meeting with Senator Jim Quinn, who is a member of the Transport & Communications committee, to discuss an upcoming report around the Senate labour study (Maintenance of transport services in the case of labour disruptions) and other supply chain initiatives under the current government.
Later in the morning, CIFFA attended a Global Affairs Canada trade briefing with Ricardo del Castillo, Deputy Director, Tariffs and Goods Market Access Division. Del Castillo provided a thorough update into current trade agreements and those in progress.
Midday, CIFFA met with the Minister of Transport Steve MacKinnon and his Senior Policy Advisor Jed Graham.
CIFFA members have continued to highlight concerns to our executive team about the lack of a public-facing national supply chain strategy. We raised this issue while recognizing efforts already underway by the minister of transport, other members of cabinet and the prime minister towards strengthening trade corridors and the supply chain, which we applaud.
Discussion also took place around the recently announced “Strengthening One Canadian Economy through trade and transportation” consultation that CIFFA is pleased to participate in. We look forward to seeing the outcome of this initiative and feel it bodes well for the creation of a public-facing national supply chain strategy. Other points of discussion included the development of a National Trade Single Window initiative, and lack of efficiency at Canadian ports.
In the afternoon, CIFFA presented its feedback on the draft 2026–2029 federal sustainable development strategy to officials from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
CIFFA supports the direction of the draft strategy and the importance of federal leadership on sustainable development, and encourages the Government of Canada to strengthen the final strategy by more clearly addressing the role of customs and logistics providers – including SMEs – supporting practical transition pathways, improving trade corridor resilience and ensuring that implementation is coordinated and commercially realistic.
Lastly, CIFFA met with the ESDC Ministerial Policy Advisory Team, including Sebastian Clarke, Director of Policy – Minister of Jobs and Families (Patty Hajdu).
CIFFA has made several official submissions to various parliamentary and senate committees around topics including labour, working conditions and wage misclassification (Driver Inc.), and the use of Section 107 (which states that the labour minister, where expedient or necessary to secure industrial peace, may refer questions to the CIRB or direct the Board to do things the Minister deems necessary). We have included measures related to skills training in various submissions, as well.
Most recently, CIFFA submitted a consultative paper to ESDC on labour (Building Canada Strong for All – A Framework for Labour Relations), something that builds on the release of CIFFA’s January 2026 whitepaper on labour, “Leveraging Canada’s Labour Advantage – A Team Canada Approach to Labour Relations.”
Submissions to government are available in the Advocacy section of CIFFA’s website.
April 1: Emergency Surcharges Soar as Container Flows Collapse – Transport Intelligence
There is a particular kind of dread familiar to freight forwarders and supply chain managers alike, the kind that arrives not as a phone call but as a terse advisory email bearing a carrier letterhead and a dollar sign.
March 2nd delivered that feeling at scale, crystallizing a geopolitical shock. Within the span of a single business day, two of the world’s largest container lines had introduced emergency conflict surcharges on Middle East trades. By the end of the week, most of the shipping companies had repositioned their pricing. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant slice of global containerized trade ordinarily flows, had effectively closed. What followed was not chaos exactly. It was something more unsettling: a rapid, coordinated repricing of risk.
The surcharges are flat-fee risk transfers announced within hours of the initial strikes, passing the soaring cost of war-risk insurance and operational exposure directly onto the shipper. Hapag-Lloyd moved first on March 2, at $1,500 per TEU. CMA CGM matched the announcement within hours, at a slightly higher $2,000 per 20ft. The numbers between carriers are not wildly different, but the scope of coverage and the pace at which each carrier has since begun relaxing booking restrictions tells you a fair amount about each one’s appetite for the region.
Then came the second wave, and this one caught a good many shippers off guard, precisely because it arrived a fortnight later and felt on the surface like a separate conversation. From mid-March onwards, carriers began stacking emergency fuel surcharges on top of the conflict premiums already in place, citing a sharp spike in global bunker costs driven by the same crisis that had closed the Strait.
April 1: Trump Resumes Strait of Hormuz Threats – The Maritime Executive
As the reality of the Strait of Hormuz energy restriction begins to set in for overseas markets, President Donald Trump has reinstated his pledge to reopen the waterway, having previously signaled that the task would be up to other nations.
On March 30, Trump said that the strait was enough of a priority that the U.S. would destroy Iran’s potable water supplies if Iran didn’t give it up.
On March 31, the president told reporters that he did not see a need to take action to open the strait. “When we leave, the strait will automatically open,” President Trump claimed. “I don’t think about it, to be honest.”
On April 1, he resumed the March 30 pledge to use U.S. military force to make Iran give up control of the waterway. “We will consider [a ceasefire] when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!” Trump pledged, leaving the timetable open for an extended U.S. intervention. Separately, he told reporters that the U.S. would be leaving the conflict “within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer,” and “it doesn’t matter if they come to the table or not” to achieve a negotiated deal.
April 1: PRPA Announces New President and Chief Executive Officer – PRPA press release
The Prince Rupert Port Authority Board of Directors has appointed Kurt Slocombe as the organization’s next President and Chief Executive Officer. The selection is the result of an international search that began in October 2025.
“Kurt’s understanding of our operations and long-standing commitment to the Prince Rupert community qualify him to lead the team,” said Peter Lantin, Board Chair, Prince Rupert Port Authority.
Slocombe joined PRPA in 2019 as Vice President, Operations, Planning and Infrastructure. He has an extensive background in gateway operations.
April 4: Montreal Port Authority Announces Abrupt Departure of CEO Julie Gascon – CTV News
The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has announced the sudden departure of its president and CEO, Julie Gascon.
In a brief statement issued on April 3 on its website, the port authority said Gascon “has ceased her position” effective immediately and that the board of directors will oversee the leadership of the organization on an interim basis.
A search for her replacement is underway.
The MPA did not provide a reason for her departure in the statement. A spokesperson said in an email on April 4 that the contractual relationship between Gascon and the MPA “is a private matter” and more details could not be provided.
April 6: Iran Pushes Back Against Trump’s Deadline to Open the Strait of Hormuz – NPR
Iran’s top officials pushed back on April 6 against President Trump’s deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz, striking a defiant tone as the warring sides traded missile attacks. The U.S. and Israel targeted oil facilities inside Iran, while Iran hit several towns in Israel and oil refineries across the Gulf countries.
Trump’s social media post on April 5 said, “Tuesday [April 7] will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.”
In response, an Iranian spokesman said, “The Strait of Hormuz will open when all the damage caused by the imposed war is compensated through a new legal regime, using a portion of the revenue from transit fees.”
Iran’s mission to the UN said on April 5: “Trump seeks to drag the region into an endless war. This is direct and public incitement to terrorize civilians and clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes. The international community and all States have legal obligations to prevent such atrocious acts of war crimes.”
April 6: Mexico’s Alternative to the Panama Canal Set to Open Fully This Year – Supply Chain Brain
The Mexican government has said the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) is due to be fully completed in the first half of 2026, with final construction works set to finish in June this year, reports Automotive Logistics.
The CIIT project, which aims to provide a multimodal logistics service integrating Mexico’s national port system and local administrations, interconnected through rail transport via the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Railway, was officially approved in June 2019, as an alternative to the Panama Canal.
In a pilot program in the spring of 2025, Hyundai and its logistics arm Hyundai Glovis moved 900 vehicles from Asia to the U.S. East Coast, using the 303-kilometre rail route connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz to the Gulf port of Coatzacoalcos, according to DailyGalaxy.com. The pilot completed each rail crossing in roughly nine hours, with the full ocean-to-ocean transfer benchmarked at about 72 hours.
A climate study published the same year found that the Panama Canal could face significantly more frequent extreme droughts by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions remain high.
April 8: U.S. and Iran Agree to Provisional Ceasefire as Tehran Says It Will Reopen Strait of Hormuz – The Guardian
The U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on the evening of April 7 after a last-minute diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan, canceling an ultimatum from Donald Trump for Iran to surrender or face widespread destruction.
Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire agreement came less than two hours before the U.S. president’s self-imposed 8pm Eastern time deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges in a move that legal scholars, as well as officials from numerous countries and the Pope, had warned could constitute war crimes.
Trump wrote in a post that “subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”
In the two weeks, Trump said, he believed the U.S. and Iran could negotiate over a 10-point proposal made by Tehran that would allow an armistice to be “finalized and consummated.”
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, issued a statement shortly after Trump’s announcement saying Iran had agreed to the ceasefire. “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordinating with Iran’s Armed Forces,” he wrote.
Israel will also agree to the two-week ceasefire, Axios reported, citing an Israeli official, adding that the ceasefire would enter effect as soon as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz ceased.
April 8: Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again in Response to Israeli Attacks in Lebanon, Threatening Ceasefire – CTV News
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again on April 8 in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, casting doubt over whether an already precarious ceasefire to end more than a month of war will hold.
The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. At the same time, Israel intensified its attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, hitting several commercial and residential areas in Beirut without warning. At least 182 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in one of the deadliest days in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.
The fresh violence threatened to scuttle what U.S. Vice-President JD Vance called a “fragile” deal.
The White House demanded that Iran reopen the strait immediately and said Vance would lead the American negotiating team in talks in Pakistan aimed at finding a permanent end to the war.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said planned talks with the U.S. to seek a permanent halt to hostilities were “unreasonable” because Washington broke three of Tehran’s 10 conditions for an end to the fighting. In a social media post, Ghalibaf objected to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire went into effect and the U.S. assertion that it will not accept any Iranian enrichment capabilities in a final agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire agreement with the U.S.
April 8: The Port of Montreal Is Ready to Take On Unprecedented Levels of Debt – La Presse (translated from French)
Still waiting for money from the private sector, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has just received the green light from the Carney government to borrow up to $1.16 billion from the Canada Infrastructure Bank to finance its future container terminal, La Presse has learned.
Taking into account other loans already offered by the provincial and federal governments, the country’s second largest port could borrow more than $1.4 billion from governments and a federal corporation to finance its project currently estimated at $2.3 billion.
“We’re changing scale here. These are large sums of money. What projected revenues are they planning to use to repay all these amounts? We don’t have the information,” says Jacques Roy, professor emeritus at HEC Montréal specializing in transportation and logistics.
Mr. Roy is not the only one asking questions.
Standard & Poor’s, one of the world’s leading rating agencies, had already issued a warning to the MPA in January 2025 when it downgraded its credit rating outlook (AA) from “stable” to “negative.” The reason: a financial situation that could be severely strained due to anticipated investments in Contrecœur.
Among the experts consulted by La Presse, no one, including S&P, questions the Port of Montreal’s current business model. Year in, year out, the MPA generates surpluses and cash flow, which allows it to reinvest in its current infrastructure and maintain its long-term debt at a reasonable level.
“The current balance sheet seems quite satisfactory to me for the current activities of the port,” says Mr. Roy.
What worries observers consulted by La Presse is the cost of expansion when we have just turned the page on one of the worst years of the last decade in terms of volumes.
For a decade, the MPA has been navigating in a context of stagnation.
April 9: ‘Mental Breakdown’: Oil Tanker Workers Stuck in Gulf for Six Weeks Are Reaching Their Limit – The Guardian
‘You can try to minimize the impact that this situation has on your mental health but it’s becoming impossible.” After six weeks stranded in the Gulf, one of the 20,000 seafarers trapped by Iran’s chokehold on the strait of Hormuz is reaching their limit.
Yet with the fragile Middle East ceasefire already fraying, the oil tanker worker said any hope they may soon be free to leave had already evaporated, if it ever felt real at all.
“We’re at anchor, near dozens of loaded tankers. No one has moved an inch,” said the crew member, one of hundreds anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates with a clear view of the loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker set ablaze by an Iranian missile less than a fortnight ago.
Within hours of the ceasefire being agreed, the tell-tale plumes of intercepted missiles streaked the sky above their vessels. After a month and a half of drone attacks and reports of underwater mines, many seafarers feel unwilling and unable to traverse the strait – even if the ceasefire allowed them to do so.
“I gave my notice exactly one month ago,” the seafarer said. “I’ve informed the master, I’m not willing to sail through the strait. It’s about safety, it’s all about safety.”
Aboard the same tanker, most of the crew feel the same, they added, saying about 90% of those on board want to exercise their right to refuse to sail. One crew member has suffered a “mental breakdown”, and is being checked on regularly by colleagues.
“I’ve no doubt that this particular issue, this mental breakdown, is happening [on tankers] all around us from the stress of this situation. Seafarer support [phone] lines are trying to help, but from the beginning we have all known that it would not be enough,” the seafarer said.
April 9: El Niño Watch Puts Panama Canal Back in Focus After Dramatic Drought Recovery – gCaptain
A newly issued El Niño watch from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center is putting the Panama Canal back in focus, with early signals pointing to conditions that could once again squeeze one of the world’s most critical shipping arteries.
El Niño events are typically associated with reduced rainfall across Central America, a dynamic that directly impacts water levels in Gatun Lake, the freshwater reservoir that powers the canal’s lock system.
After severe El Niño-driven drought conditions in 2023–2024 forced the canal to slash daily transits to as few as 24 vessels per day and impose draft restrictions below 44 feet, maritime shipping remains highly sensitive to any renewed signs of water stress, particularly as other chokepoints remain constrained. The prolonged disruption rippled across global supply chains, driving congestion, higher transit costs and widespread rerouting.
The turnaround since then has been dramatic. A shift to La Niña and sustained rainfall restored water levels through 2025, allowing the canal to return to near-normal operations with roughly 36 daily transits and full 50-foot draft for Neopanamax vessels. By early 2026, Gatun Lake had surged to near maximum capacity, even forcing authorities to open spillways, marking an abrupt reversal from the historic lows seen just two years earlier.
NOAA now expects El Niño to emerge by mid-2026 and persist through year-end, raising the risk that rainfall deficits could reappear during the canal’s critical wet season.
April 13: Trump Announces Naval Blockade of Strait of Hormuz After Iran Talks Collapse over Nuclear Demands – Yahoo
President Trump announced on April 12 that the United States will blockade the Strait of Hormuz after nearly 20 hours of peace talks in Islamabad collapsed over Iran’s refusal to give up its nuclear ambitions.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote in a pair of posts on Truth Social.
Trump said the talks reached agreement on most points, but broke down on the single issue he said mattered most: Iran’s nuclear program. A source told Axios that another point of contention was control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, offered his own account of the collapse on X, saying the Iranian delegation entered talks in “good faith” but that the U.S. “failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations.” He stopped short of closing the door entirely. “America has understood our logic and principles,” Qalibaf wrote, “and now it’s time for it to decide whether it can earn our trust or not.”
Tehran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, not weapons development. Iran was a signatory to the 2015 nuclear deal, which placed limits on its enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief, before the U.S. withdrew from the agreement under President Trump’s first term.
April 13: NATO Allies Refuse to Join U.S. Hormuz Blockade, Deepening Rift with Trump – gCaptain
NATO allies said on April 13 they would not get involved in U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, proposing instead to intervene only once fighting ends, in a move likely to anger Trump and increase strains in the alliance.
Trump had said the U.S. military would work with other countries to block all maritime traffic in the waterway after weekend talks failed to reach an agreement to end the six-week conflict with Iran. The U.S. military later specified that the blockade would apply only to ships going to or from Iranian ports.
“The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on April 12.
But NATO allies said they would not be drawn into the conflict by taking part in the blockade, saying instead they were working on an initiative to open the waterway.
Their refusal to participate is yet another point of friction with Trump, who has threatened to withdraw from the military alliance and is weighing pulling some U.S. troops from Europe after several countries denied U.S. military planes use of their airspace for attacks on Iran.
April 15: U.S. and Iran Eye Ceasefire Extension amid Hormuz Standoff – Transport Topics
The U.S. and Iran are considering a two-week ceasefire extension to allow more time to negotiate a peace deal, according to a person familiar with the matter, reducing the prospect of a return to fighting despite an intensifying standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
Mediators between the warring sides are seeking technical talks to overcome the most contentious issues preventing an agreement that would extend beyond next week, when an initial truce will expire, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters. Those include the reopening of Hormuz and the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
The U.S. hasn’t “formally requested an extension of the ceasefire,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters April 15 but acknowledged “we remain very much engaged in these negotiations.”
Pakistan’s military said a delegation from the country arrived in Iran on April 15, with Islamabad continuing to mediate the exchange of messages between the two sides.
April 15: China Told Maersk and MSC to Drop Panama Port Operations, FT Reports – Reuters
In a meeting last month, China told Danish shipping group Maersk and Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to cease operating ports on the Panama Canal, the Financial Times reported on April 15.
In the meeting with China’s state planner, Maersk and MSC were told to withdraw from the Balboa and Cristóbal ports immediately, the report said, citing two people familiar with the talks. Maersk and MSC were told not to “engage in illegal activities that harm the interests of Chinese companies, and to uphold commercial ethics and international rules,” the report said.
Panama has granted temporary 18-month concessions to keep the terminals operating, with APM Terminals, a unit of Maersk, managing Balboa and TIL Panama, a unit of MSC, handling Cristobal.
April 20: Green Light for Strait of Hormuz Shipping Could Take Six Months or More After War’s End – American Shipper
It could take six months or longer for ships to be cleared for transit through the Strait of Hormuz, even after the Iran war is over. That’s because Iran has mined the narrow waterway that guards the entrance to the Persian Gulf.
In 1991, it took the United States six months to recover 1,300 mines after the Iraq war, a task that led to the destruction of two American warships, said a source with knowledge of military operations at that time.
“And we had a map of where [the mines] were,” said the source, who requested anonymity to protect relationships. “Not even the Iranians know how many; nobody has a map nor knows how many and where they were dumped. They move around and there most likely will be incidents in the future.”
As a result, the source said, six months from the end of hostilities to clear ship operations would be normal for vessel insurers and underwriters who have declared force majeure in the region.
April 21: Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and GCT Enter into MOU to Explore Partnership to Advance Roberts Bank Terminal 2 – VFPA–GCT press release
With the support of the Major Projects Office, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) and GCT Global Container Terminals (GCT) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore partnership to advance Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) at the Port of Vancouver. The parties will work collaboratively to share information and negotiate in good faith with the goal of achieving a joint development agreement.
Under the MOU, VFPA and GCT will work together through a defined process to assess the benefits, synergies and operational expertise that GCT can contribute as the potential terminal builder and operator. During this one-year period, VFPA will work exclusively with GCT to explore a development and operating arrangement for RBT2.
VFPA will continue to lead the development of the RBT2 landmass and remain responsible for permitting and engagement with Indigenous communities.
As part of this coordinated approach, GCT will withdraw its application to the Major Project Office for its separate Deltaport Berth 4 (DP4) expansion project and instead focus its efforts on advancing RBT2.
April 21: Trump Extends Ceasefire with Iran Indefinitely – The Maritime Executive
On April 21, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will extend its ceasefire with Iran without an end date, suspending his pledges to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure unless Tehran reached terms to end the seven-week conflict. As recently as the morning of April 21, the president warned that he was unwilling to extend the ceasefire and had said that he would “expect to be bombing” if the deadline passed without an agreement.
Citing apparent leadership divisions within Iran, Trump said that he would abide by a request from the Pakistani intermediaries who are brokering the talks, and would “extend the ceasefire until such time as [Iran’s] proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded.” The sudden reversal comes after weeks of dire threats from the White House, including controversial pledges to attack civilian bridges and powerplants within Iran.
April 21: Shipping Industry Closes Ranks Behind IMO Ahead of High-Stakes Climate Talks – gCaptain
The International Maritime Organization faces a defining moment next week as global shipping groups line up in rare unity behind the regulator ahead of renewed climate negotiations at Marine Environment Protection Committee 84 in London.
Just six months after governments failed to adopt a landmark carbon pricing framework, the industry is sending a clear message: Deliver a global deal or risk fragmenting the rules that govern international shipping.
In a coordinated statement ahead of the meeting, major trade bodies, including BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping and the World Shipping Council, threw their support behind the IMO as the only viable global regulator for shipping emissions.
“The industry remains unified in its commitment to the value and effectiveness of the IMO as the global regulator for international shipping and remains committed to pursuing the ambition established within the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships,” the joint statement reads.
The timing is no coincidence. At the October 2025 session, a widely backed Net-Zero Framework collapsed after a bloc of oil-producing states, led by the United States and Saudi Arabia, pushed through a one-year delay, derailing what would have been the first global carbon pricing system for shipping.
That failure left the industry facing growing uncertainty just as shipowners are committing billions to alternative fuels and new technologies.
The industry’s concern is now shifting from whether a deal is possible to what happens if one isn’t.
April 23: Trump Orders U.S. Military to ‘Shoot and Kill’ Iranian Small Boats Choking Strait of Hormuz – CBC News
U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 23 he has ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines to choke traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as Israel says it’s ready to resume attacks on Iran.
Trump’s post on social media came shortly after the U.S. seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, ratcheting up a standoff with Tehran over the strait.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be … that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump posted.
“There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!”
Meanwhile, Israel’s defence minister said on the same day that Israel is prepared to resume war with Iran and is awaiting a “green light” from the United States, according to a statement following a security assessment.
April 7: Airlines Slash Schedules as Fuel Costs Rise – Air Cargo Week
A surge in jet fuel prices driven by disruption linked to the Iran conflict and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed costs from US$742 to over US$1,710 per metric tonne, triggering widespread airline disruption and raising the risk of supply shortages.
Global flight cancellations have climbed to nearly 7 percent, with over 7,000 services grounded in a single day, while carriers including United Airlines, Air New Zealand and SAS are cutting capacity in response to mounting cost pressures.
The impact is compounded by operational disruptions and route suspensions across the Middle East, leaving airlines facing sustained cost inflation and forcing increasingly reactive network and pricing strategies.
April 8: IATA Warns Jet Fuel Recovery Could Take Months Despite Hormuz Reopening – Air Cargo Week
Jet fuel supply constraints are expected to persist for months even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, according to IATA Director General Willie Walsh, highlighting a key difference between the current disruption and previous crises.
Speaking in Singapore, Walsh said the bottleneck is no longer crude availability alone but damage to refining capacity across the Middle East, a critical hub for global fuel production.
“If it were to reopen and remain open, I think it will still take a period of months to get back to where supply needs to be,” he said.
April 11: EU Airline Industry Warns of Fuel Shortages if Strait of Hormuz Stays Closed – BBC News
Europe could see jet fuel shortages if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen in the next three weeks, the trade body for European airports has warned.
Airports Council International (ACI) Europe said its members had “increasing concerns” about the availability of jet fuel, particularly with the approach of the summer tourism season. It warned smaller airports are particularly vulnerable.
ACI Europe’s director-general Olivier Jankovec wrote in a letter to the European commissioners for energy and tourism about the concerns.
“A supply crunch would severely disrupt airport operations and air connectivity – with the risk of harsh economic impacts for the communities affected, and for Europe,” Jankovec said.
“At this stage, we understand that, if the passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not resume in any significant and stable way within the next three weeks, systemic jet fuel shortage is set to become a reality for the EU.”
April 1: Updated CVSA Out-of-Service Criteria Now in Effect – TruckNews.com
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2026 out-of-service criteria are now officially in effect, featuring 17 changes that were ratified last year. All changes have been incorporated into inspection bulletins, inspection procedures, operational policies and training materials.
This article lists the 17 changes.
April 12: U.S. Bill Aims to Lift Minimum Insurance Requirement for Carriers to $5 Million – TruckNews.com
Legislation introduced in the U.S. House by a group of Democratic lawmakers would lift the minimum insurance requirement for motor carriers to $5 million from the current $750,000. The Fair Compensation for Truck Crash Victims Act would also index the new minimum insurance requirement to inflation.
The $750,000 minimum insurance requirement for interstate motor carriers was first set in 1980. Similar legislation has been introduced several other times in recent years, but has failed to advance.
In a report sent to Congress earlier this year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said that “the landscape of crash costs” exceeds existing minimum financial responsibility requirements, and there is “a disparity between current minimums and the actual costs incurred in some fatal and severe/critical injury incidents.”
April 21: Strategic Cargo Theft Keeps Evolving to Evade Vetting – Transport Topics
Strategic cargo theft is growing not only in scope but also in complexity as criminals continuously adjust their tactics and devise schemes that are harder for motor carriers, freight brokers and shippers to detect and prevent.
Logistics industry leaders discussed how strategic theft methods are evolving and offered advice on safeguarding freight during an April 17 panel discussion at the Transportation Intermediaries Association’s 2026 Capital Ideas Conference.
One emerging method involves an organized crew getting one of its members hired as a driver at a legitimate carrier to circumvent industry vetting processes, which typically focus on the qualifications and reputation of the motor carrier rather than the individual driver.
From there, the thief drives for that carrier until assigned a valuable load that the crew wants to steal. When that opportunity arises, the thief parks somewhere and goes to the truck stop or visits friends or family while other crew members physically steal the cargo.
“They make people believe that there was no deception involved here, that the driver just left the load unattended and then they physically stole it,” said Scott Cornell, chief risk officer for insurance provider SPG Cargo & Logistics. “Everybody leaves it thinking that it’s a straight theft, when in essence it’s actually a strategic theft.”
Most likely, the trucking company will then play into the hands of the criminals’ plan by firing the driver for leaving the load unattended or taking an unscheduled break, he said. “That allows that bad guy to then move on to the next company.”
This form of strategic theft isn’t commonplace but has begun to appear more frequently in recent months, Cornell said.
April 27: Alberta-Led Platform Targets Inconsistent Trucking Regulations – TruckNews.com
Interprovincial trade barriers continue to create inefficiencies for Canada’s trucking industry, with inconsistent regulations on weights, dimensions and permitting limiting how freight moves across the country.
A newly launched Canadian trucking regulations hub, led by Alberta, is being positioned as a key step toward addressing those challenges.
The online platform centralizes regulatory information from multiple jurisdictions, giving carriers and drivers a single access point to rules that have traditionally been fragmented across provinces.
April 14: Merged UP-NS Would Control Half of All U.S. Rail Freight: BNSF CEO – FreightWaves
The proposed coast-to-coast merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern is bad for the industry, a rival CEO warned, and would give the transcontinental behemoth a dominant 50% share of all U.S. rail freight.
“We’ve had lots of opportunities to be very clear that we’re opposed to this merger, and we don’t think it’s good for the industry,” said Katie Farmer, chief executive of BNSF Railway. “Make no mistake, this is a consolidation of almost 50% of all the rail volume…to one road. When you consolidate 50% of all rail volume that moves under one carrier, you eliminate, or significantly reduce, flexibility for customers, optionality, and ultimately there’s going to be fewer interchange points. You have one railroad that is looking to optimize their network, and based on what’s happened in the past, that is not always good for customers.”
March 1: Shipping Lines Cut Mideast Routes, Posing Risk to Trade Flows – Supply Chain Brain
The world’s largest container carriers are rerouting ships to avoid the Persian Gulf, as a widening military conflict pitting the U.S.-Israeli alliance against Iran threatens to disrupt global merchandise trade.
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. halted cargo bookings for the Middle East, while Moller-Maersk A/S and Hapag-Lloyd AG suspended all crossings in the Strait of Hormuz.
DP World earlier suspended operations at the Jebel Ali port in Dubai, according to a notice sent to customers and seen by Bloomberg on March 1. The company later said all four of its terminals were operational.
The logistics disruptions come as a major blow to the region, where business hubs such as Dubai rely on trade, tourism, transport and finance along with a reputation as a haven in a troubled neighbourhood. Protracted snarls could reverberate across global supply chains, analysts warn.
March 2: Iran Threatens to Burn Ships Transiting the Strait of Hormuz – Seatrade Maritime News
In Iran’s starkest threat yet to commercial shipping a senior advisor to the Commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened set fire to vessels trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Strait of Hormuz has been closed. We will attack and set ablaze any ship attempting to cross,” Ebrahim Jabbari, a senior adviser to the Commander-in-Chief of IRGC was reported as saying on Iranian state-run TV channel IRIB.
He warned that the Strait was closed to shipping and any vessels would face “a serious response.”
Jabarri also said that oil pipelines in the region would be targeted as Iran seeks to stop all oil flowing from the region. “We will not let oil be exported from the region,” he said.
March 2: Gulf War Risk Insurance Pulled as Reinsurers Exit – gCaptain
The global marine insurance market is rapidly retrenching from the Persian Gulf as escalating military conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran pushes the region’s maritime risk profile to unprecedented levels.
Over the weekend, multiple members of the International Group of P&I Clubs, which collectively insure approximately 90% of the world’s ocean-going tonnage, issued formal 72-hour notices of cancellation for certain war risk covers tied to Iran and adjacent Gulf waters. In a statement, the Group said it is “monitoring closely the developments over the weekend and the military operations currently taking place in the Persian Gulf,” adding that stakeholders would be notified immediately of any changes to mutual cover.
The cancellations are being driven by reinsurers withdrawing capacity for war risk exposures in the region, a critical development given the IG’s pooled structure and collective reinsurance program. Under the Group’s unique claims-sharing arrangement, its 12 independent, not-for-profit clubs pool large losses and collectively reinsure catastrophic exposures in the commercial market. Once reinsurers issue notice, clubs must follow to remain back-to-back with their reinsurance protections.
Cancellation notices issued March 1 will take effect at 00:00 GMT on March 5, after the required 72-hour notice period.
March 3: Iran Conflict Snarls 10% of World’s Container Fleet – Supply Chain Dive
Cargo backlogs will build up at major hubs and key locations in Asia and Europe as ocean carriers halt bookings to the Middle East, one of the many broad ripple effects of the military conflict between Iran, the U.S. and Israel according to Ocean Network Express CEO Jeremy Nixon.
Currently, about 750 ships are backed up due to the Strait of Hormuz closure, 100 of which are container vessels, the CEO said. This means that about 10% of the global container fleet is being impacted by the closure.
In turn, vessels with cargo that planned to traverse the Strait of Hormuz will have to turn around and move to locations such as Colombo, Sri Lanka, among others, Nixon said. Freight rates will also be on the rise, he added.
Exports from Asia will face the brunt of the impact, and major port hubs in the region will start to lose their fluidity, including the Port of Singapore, he said. This will lead to an immediate cessation of bookings and a halt to cargo movements already in terminals.
“So, that’s going to give a few headaches to the port operators in terms of their stack utilizations, the fluidity of their terminal, and then carriers are going to have to try to prioritize empties and move other cargo around,” ONE’s CEO said. “It’ll inevitably have an impact on freight rates.”
Fuel prices are also rapidly escalating because of the conflict, Nixon noted.
March 4: Arctic Gateway Group and Port of Antwerp-Bruges Sign Agreement Focussing on Opportunities to Expand Trade Through Port of Churchill – Maritime Magazine
Arctic Gateway Group (AGG) and Port of Antwerp-Bruges International (POABI) have signed a new agreement to foster opportunities for trade, collaboration, investment and long-term partnership between Manitoba’s Port of Churchill and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, a leading European maritime gateway.
The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation in port development, intermodal transportation, and the identification of new and expanded cargo streams between Western Canada and Europe. Priority areas include critical minerals, energy products, fertilizer feedstock, containers and agricultural commodities.
“The world is taking notice of what we are building in northern Manitoba and sees real value in shipping through Churchill,” said Chris Avery, President and CEO, Arctic Gateway Group. “This new agreement with a major European port will look to move critical minerals, energy, fertilizer and other agricultural products more directly to Europe, while European investment, equipment and manufactured goods can flow back into Churchill. By working with Port of Antwerp-Bruges International, we are building a reliable, diversified trade corridor that strengthens supply chains, attracts long-term investment, and delivers measurable economic benefits to Indigenous and northern communities, Manitoba and industry across Western Canada.”
March 10: Iran Begins Laying Mines in Strait of Hormuz, Sources Say – CNN
Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to two people familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting on the issue.
The mining is not extensive yet, with a few dozen having been laid in recent days, the sources said. But Iran still retains upward of 80% to 90% of its small boats and mine layers, one of the sources said, so its forces could feasibly lay hundreds of mines in the waterway.
President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on March 10 that, “if Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” He added that, if mines were placed and they are not removed, Iran will face consequences “at a level never before seen.” He said, however, that if Tehran removes “what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”
Following Trump’s post, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X that, at Trump’s direction, U.S. Central Command “has been eliminating inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz – wiping them out with ruthless precision. We will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.”
March 10: China Summons Maersk, MSC on ‘Shipping Operations’ amid Panama Saga, Iran War Shock – South China Morning Post
China’s Ministry of Transport has summoned Maersk and MSC for talks on “international shipping operations” amid legal disputes over the Panama Canal.
No further details were provided in the one-sentence statement, which was posted on the ministry’s website on March 10. But in China, government summons often serve as a warning and, if ignored, could lead to further action.
In late February, Panamanian authorities handed temporary control of two ports – previously run by CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports Company (PPC) – to Maersk’s APM Terminals and MSC’s Terminal Investment. The decision followed a court ruling that voided CK Hutchison’s long-term port concession, granted in the 1990s, as “unconstitutional.”
CK Hutchison, the Hong Kong-based conglomerate, has launched legal proceedings against the Panamanian government over the seizure of the two ports – Balboa and Cristobal – calling the takeovers “illegal,” according to a statement issued on March 6.
March 11: 10,000 Crew Members Trapped by Strait of Hormuz Blockade – American Shipper
More than 10,000 maritime workers and hundreds of vessels are trapped in the Persian Gulf, said shipping executives meeting in Stamford, Conn., with most operators unwilling to risk the safety of crews in a potentially deadly crossing of the strait.
The executives said reports of ships turning off their automatic identification system (AIS) tracking and forming convoys to exit the region were false. “There have been no convoys,” said Tim Wilkins, managing director of Oslo-based tanker trade group Intertanko. “There have been some individual vessels that have turned off AIS and transited at night, but no convoys.”
The executives said the trapped ships include hundreds of dry bulk vessels, as well as crude oil and natural gas tankers, and container vessels.
March 11: Maersk Says Hormuz Crisis is Squeezing Global Marine Fuel Supply – gCaptain
Global shipping giant A.P. Moller – Maersk says the escalating conflict in the Middle East is beginning to disrupt global marine fuel supply chains, prompting the carrier to introduce a temporary emergency bunker surcharge as it scrambles to secure bunker supplies for its global fleet.
In an operational update issued March 10, the company said the evolving security situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz is significantly impacting fuel availability and forcing the company to take “additional proactive operational measures” to stabilize its network.
To help cover the rising costs and logistical challenges associated with securing fuel, Maersk said it will implement the temporary surcharge starting March 25, subject to regulatory approvals.
Maersk said the surcharge will be reviewed every 14 days and could be adjusted upward or downward depending on fuel availability and market conditions.
March 11: ONE Vessel in U.S. Service Attacked in Persian Gulf – American Shipper
Ocean Network Express (ONE) confirmed that one of its container ships was attacked inside the Persian Gulf. The 6,700-TEU ONE Majesty was hit while at anchor in the port of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was one of three cargo ships hit on the morning of March 11.
The Japan-owned and -flagged ONE Majesty operates on the WIN service between West India and the U.S. East Coast. It is owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).
The incident was the first on a cargo ship in the Persian Gulf since the start of the Iran war, and raises concerns over attacks on shipping ranging beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
March 12: Standing Committee on Transport Passes Motion Calling for the Port of Montreal to Unveil Its Plan for the Rehabilitation of Contaminated Land at Contrecœur – LeContrecourant.com (translated from French)
Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Member of Parliament for Pierre-Boucher–Les Patriotes–Verchères and Bloc Québécois critic for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, had a motion adopted by the Standing Committee on Transport requesting that the Montreal Port Authority make public and transmit to the Committee, within 30 days, its plan for the rehabilitation of contaminated land related to the expansion of the Port of Montreal in Contrecœur.
“I am pleased with the unanimous adoption of my motion by the Standing Committee on Transport. This step aims to guarantee transparency in the process and ensure compliance with the highest environmental standards in the implementation of the port project. I think this sends a clear signal for the future; namely, that citizens have the right to know how what affects their quality of life and their environment will be managed,” said the MP.
The motion also calls on the port authority to comply with all municipal regulations and Quebec environmental laws. Although it has committed to adequately treating the contaminants, the Port has, to date, neither submitted a permit application to the City nor a remediation plan to the Quebec government.
March 16: U.S. Allies Rebuff Trump’s Request for Support in Strait of Hormuz – American Journal of Transportation
U.S. allies said they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a request by President Donald Trump for military support to keep the vital waterway open. Trump called on nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the strategic channel off its shores for tankers transporting a fifth of global oil supply.
Most NATO countries, several of whom have been at the sharp end of criticism from Trump in recent months, are usually wary of angering the White House but are now signalling reluctance to become embroiled in the conflict with Tehran.
“What does (…) Donald Trump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful U.S. navy cannot do?” said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, as he downplayed threats by Trump that failing to come to Washington’s aid could have consequences for the NATO alliance. “This is not our war, we have not started it,” he added.
The conflict has nothing to do with NATO and Germany has no plans to be drawn into it, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said.
“Neither the United States nor Israel consulted us before the war, and … Washington explicitly stated at the outset of the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired,” the spokesperson said.
March 18: Panama-Flagged Vessels Face Surge in Chinese Port Inspections – Port Technology International
Panama-flagged vessels faced an unusual spike in detentions at Chinese ports in early March, in what industry sources describe as a coordinated response to Panama’s decision to revoke CK Hutchison’s terminal concessions.
Between March 8 and 12, Chinese authorities detained 28 Panama-flagged ships, representing 75.7 percent of all vessel detentions in the country over that period, according to data from the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control.
The five-day total of 28 detentions exceeded monthly totals for Panama-flagged vessels in 2025, when the share typically ranged between 28 percent and 48 percent.
The surge appears to be linked to Panama’s forced removal of Hutchison’s operating rights at the Balboa and Cristobal terminals.
Industry analysts warn that a sustained campaign against Panama-flagged vessels could disrupt supply chains and raise costs for shipowners.
March 20: U.S. Calls for Abandonment of IMO’s Net Zero Framework – Seatrade Maritime News
The U.S. delegation at the IMO has set out its decarbonization plans for shipping by calling for the UN body to abandon its Net Zero Framework (NZF) and not resume the Marine Environment Protection Committee’s (MEPC) Extraordinary Session 2, which was adjourned last year for 12 months.
According to the U.S. submission to the 84th session of MEPC (MEPC84), there is no consensus around the current IMO NZF, which it says has “serious shortcomings.”
A submission to MEPC84 by Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and United Arab Emirates asserts that the NZF as presented in October 2025 cannot carry the consensus needed to ensure implementation.
The U.S., writing in support of the Algerian-led view, states the NZF “would stifle ongoing debate and detract from constructive Member State-led discussions.” As a consequence, the U.S. delegation added: “The United States submits that the most appropriate path forward is to end consideration of the IMO Net-Zero Framework entirely and not resume MEPC/ES.2, currently adjourned until November 2026.”
March 22: Iran Says Hormuz Open to All But ‘Enemy-Linked’ Ships – gCaptain
The Strait of Hormuz remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “Iran’s enemies,” Iranian media reports published on March 22 quoted Iran’s representative to the U.N. maritime agency as saying.
Ali Mousavi’s comments came from an interview published on March 20 by Chinese news agency Xinhua, before U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to target Iranian power plants if the strait was not “fully open” within 48 hours.
Mousavi was also quoted as saying that Tehran would continue to cooperate with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to improve maritime safety and protect seafarers in the Gulf, adding that ships not belonging to “Iran’s enemies” could pass the strait by coordinating security and safety arrangements with Tehran.
March 24: China Is Building a Massive 83-Mile Canal to Transport Goods Directly from the Interior to the Sea – ECONews
China is deep into building the Pinglu Canal, an 83-mile shipping route meant to connect inland rivers in the southwest to international sea lanes. The goal is simple to say and hard to build: Let big cargo vessels move from the interior to the coast without taking a long detour.
Officials say the new waterway could cut hundreds of miles off today’s shipping routes and lower transport costs, a change that can ripple from factories to ports and, eventually, to prices consumers see on store shelves. With the project slated to be finished in late 2026, the canal is also becoming a test case for how China mixes mega-infrastructure with environmental controls.
The Pinglu Canal runs from the Nanning area in Guangxi, following the Qinjiang River south toward the Beibu Gulf, also known internationally as the Gulf of Tonkin. When it opens, it is designed to link inland river traffic directly to coastal ports and ocean shipping.
Local authorities frame the canal as a core piece of the “New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor,” a network meant to move goods between western China and overseas markets more efficiently.
March 27: Iran Signals New ‘Permission-to-Transit’ Regime in Hormuz After Blocking COSCO Vessels – gCaptain
Iran says it has begun enforcing new controls over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it blocked multiple container ships, including two operated by China’s COSCO, under a “permission-to-transit” system that could reshape access to one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.
Just hours after COSCO announced a Gulf network redesign and a return to the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian authorities said they had intervened to stop vessels that failed to comply with newly established transit protocols.
In an official statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had “blocked three container ships of different nationalities” after the vessels did not adhere to the new requirements.
Iran had previously announced a “safe” shipping corridor on March 18, describing it as a framework for approved – and potentially paid – transits through the waterway. The incident with COSCO suggests that access may now be conditional on compliance with Iranian-defined procedures.
March 30: Report: White House Considers Ending War Without Opening Strait of Hormuz – The Maritime Executive
The White House is considering an option to end the Iran military campaign without reopening the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the task to allies in the Gulf and in Europe, according to the Wall Street Journal. The proposal would get U.S. forces out of the conflict quickly, satisfying the president’s goal of a rapid in-and-out action; it would also leave Iran in control of the sole route to market for 13 percent of the world’s oil and 20 percent of its LNG. If sustained over the long term, this would be a significant strategic gain for Iran.
In public, the president has demanded that the strait be reopened, and has threatened to blow up Iran’s electrical stations, desalination plants and oil wells if Iranian forces continue to throttle traffic in the waterway. In private, senior administration officials have quietly hinted that the president has other priorities and, as one official told MS NOW, “wants to move on.”
March 5: Middle East Conflict Puts 21 Percent of Global Air Cargo Flows at Risk – Air Cargo Week
The war in Iran and the resulting airspace restrictions across parts of the Middle East are directly affecting a significant share of global air cargo flows, highlighting the region’s central role in international supply chains.
According to new analysis by WorldACD Market Data, approximately 21 percent of worldwide air cargo flows are directly linked to the Middle East when measured by weight between November 2025 and January 2026.
The figures reflect cargo that either originates in the region, is destined for it, or passes through major Middle Eastern hubs acting as transit gateways between continents.
March 11: Drone Strikes Near Dubai Airport Deepen Gulf Aviation Chaos – Air Freight News
Two drones fell near Dubai’s main airport and Bahrain evacuated some planes on March 11, as attacks on infrastructure across the Gulf continued to disrupt air traffic, hampering efforts to restore flights as the war on Iran entered a 12th day.
The U.S.-Israel war against Iran has led to tens of thousands of flight cancellations, reroutings and schedule changes worldwide, shutting much of the Middle East’s airspace – including Qatar’s – due to missile and drone threats.
That has plunged aviation into its worst crisis since the pandemic, as Dubai International Airport (DXB), the busiest hub for global passengers, and other regional airports are critical transit points for long-haul travel.
March 12: IATA Launches DG Digital to Fully Digitalize Dangerous Goods Declarations – IATA press release
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched DG Digital, a digital dangerous goods declaration solution, as a feature of DG AutoCheck. The new tool fully digitalizes the creation and approval of shippers’ declarations for more than 3,800 dangerous items, from lithium batteries to explosives and chemicals. This results in faster document sharing, improved safety and a significant reduction in rejected shipments.
Today, 95% of dangerous goods declarations are still received in paper format. These declarations must be scanned, converted into a PDF document, then uploaded into DG AutoCheck to be validated. With DG Digital, declarations are generated and transmitted digitally from creation by the shipper to validation. This creates a more efficient and streamlined workflow compared with traditional paper-based processes.
March 17: Rising Fuel Costs, TSA Shortages Are Piling Up for Airlines – Marketplace
March 17 marked day 18 of the war in Iran. Oil prices are fluctuating, but high, around $95 a barrel. Commercial air space in much of the Middle East remains closed. And at airports in the U.S., lines keep getting longer as the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security stretches into a second month and more TSA agents call off. All of this is adding up for airlines.
Just a few weeks ago, airlines were paying about $2.50 a gallon for jet fuel. On March 17, it was closer to $4 a gallon.
“That is putting extreme financial pressure on airlines,” said Charles Duncan, a partner at AltitudeX Aviation Group.
Duncan said no one has any idea how long those high fuel prices will last. “Which makes it nearly impossible to plan for,” he said. “So I think everyone is taking it day to day, week to week.”
The same is true with the closure of commercial airspace and severe disruptions at key airport hubs in the Middle East, including in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.
March 19: U.S. Official Warns Small Airports Could Soon Shut Down Over TSA Absences – American Journal of Transportation
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on March 19 that, if a partial government shutdown continues, small airports could soon shut down, as 50,000 airport security officers go without pay.
Since March 15, around 10% of Transportation Security Administration airport personnel have failed to show for work daily, about five times the normal rate. That’s led to long security lines at a number of major airports.
Duffy noted that TSA officers are set to miss another full paycheck on March 27 and said things are likely to get worse as that approaches. “You’re going to see small airports, I believe, shut down,” he said.
On March 17, around 30% of TSA officers did not show up at New York JFK, Pittsburgh and Houston Bush and 40% at Houston Hobby, the Homeland Security Department said.
DHS said 366 TSA officers have left during the shutdown.
March 23: LaGuardia Airport Reopened After Air Canada Plane Collision with a Vehicle – Business Insider
An Air Canada aircraft collided with a ground vehicle at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late on March 22, killing two pilots and forcing the airport to shut down as investigators examined the crash.
The airport reopened with operations limited to a single runway, as of 2 pm Eastern on March 23. As of early evening, LaGuardia’s other main runway was still closed, with the wreckage of the Air Canada plane still in place.
The Air Canada Express flight, a CRJ-900 operated by Jazz Aviation, a Canadian regional carrier that runs short-haul flights on behalf of Air Canada, struck a Port Authority rescue and firefighting vehicle on the airfield shortly after landing, authorities said.
The remaining runway closure is expected to slow traffic and reduce capacity. About 600 flights had been canceled on March 23 as of the afternoon, per the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
March 30: Middle East Conflict Triggers Global Wave of Flight Cancellations – The Traveler
Escalating military action in the Middle East is triggering a global wave of airline cancellations and diversions, disrupting key Europe–Asia and transcontinental routes and stranding passengers from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.
A combination of diversions and outright cancellations is reshaping the global flight map, with schedules between North America, Europe and South Asia particularly affected. Routes that were already lengthened by earlier restrictions over Russia now face additional detours, compounding block times and narrowing operational margins.
Industry analysts cited in recent briefings estimate that direct losses for the aviation sector could reach tens of billions of dollars in the first weeks of the latest escalation, once grounded aircraft, mass cancellations and additional fuel costs are factored in. The full financial impact will depend on how long airspace closures persist and how quickly airlines can rebuild reliable schedules.
March 31: Fuel Surcharges and Capacity Fall Trigger Airfreight Price Jumps of Up to 95% – Drewry press release
International general airfreight rates surged by up to 95% between February and March, as reduced airfreight capacity and higher fuel prices caused by the Iran War threatened to bring prices back to COVID record levels.
According to Drewry Airfreight Insight, airfreight rates from Shanghai to Dubai have soared 95% since the start of the war, to $8.60. Rates could exceed the 2020 pandemic record of $9.40 if fuel surcharges continue to rise.
Cost pressures are being amplified by sharp increases in pricing components across specific routes: Fuel surcharges jumped by as much as 290% MoM in March from Singapore to London, while security surcharges rose 44% MoM on shipments from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam.
In addition, airlines that transit the Middle East have seen curbed operations. All told, airfreight routes connected to the Middle East constitute 15.6% and 18.2% of airfreight traffic and capacity, respectively, while the ongoing conflict impacts air trade lanes beyond those originating from the Middle East.
March 3: Transportation Agents at MGT Ratify Collective Agreement, Regular Gate Hours to Be Reinstated Gradually
MGT announced in an email message that its transportation agents, represented by CUPE Local 4317, have ratified a new eight-year collective agreement.
Affected employees will return to work on March 9 at 9:00 am. MGT anticipates a smooth transition to regular operations, including the gradual reinstatement of its standard 17-hour truck gate service.
March 11: It’s Going to Cost $12 Per Axle for Commercial Trucks to Cross the Gordie Howe Bridge When It Opens – CBC News
We now know how much it’s going to cost to cross the Gordie Howe International Bridge when it opens.
Bridge officials say the standard passenger vehicle toll will be $8 to cross and $12 per axle for commercial trucks, oversized vehicles and larger passenger vehicles.
“Breakaway,” the bridge’s vehicle tag program, will offer drivers discounted rates, and will allow motorists to drive to any open toll lane. Breakaway members receive a 25 percent discount, the authority says. That means it will cost $6 for passenger vehicles and $9.60 per axle.
The span will be “opening this spring,” the bridge company said in a statement. It will provide a highway-to-highway connection between Ontario’s Highway 401 and Michigan’s Interstate-75, with six traffic lanes, 16 toll lanes and 60 Canada and U.S. inspection lanes.
The Ambassador Bridge costs $20 per axle (or $15 for pass holders) for commercial trucks to cross.
March 11: Rising Claims Costs Reshaping Trucking Insurance Landscape – TruckNews.com
Truck crashes are not only becoming more frequent, but their costs are also climbing sharply. Add widespread fraud, double brokering, higher truck prices and labour costs, along with a growing number of so-called nuclear verdicts, and the result is rising insurance costs across the industry.
Insurers say the financial consequences of truck crashes – known in the insurance industry as “claims severity” – have climbed sharply over the past decade.
During recent hearings before the House of Commons transport committee studying the changing landscape of the trucking industry, representatives from the Insurance Bureau of Canada told MPs that commercial auto insurers have paid out more in claims and expenses than they have collected in premiums for several consecutive years.
March 16: Quebec Removes Truck Drivers from Simplified Immigration Processing, ACQ Reacts Strongly – Transport Routier (translated from French)
The CEO of the Quebec Trucking Association (ACQ), Marc Cadieux, strongly denounces the government’s decision to remove the position of heavy vehicle driver from the list of professions eligible for simplified processing by the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration.
He describes this decision as “unacceptable,” and it comes on top of a series of recent changes to immigration programs that are worrying the trucking industry.
The removal of the heavy vehicle driver profession from the list of professions eligible for simplified processing comes shortly after the announcement in January of the abolition of the Quebec Experience Program in favour of the Skilled Worker Selection Program.
For the ACQ, these successive changes create a climate of uncertainty for a sector already facing a major challenge in renewing its workforce. “This is yet another warning shot that widens the gap between the government’s ambitions and the realities of trucking,” says Cadieux.
The association believes that this policy direction contradicts the government’s own forecasts. In 2021, the Minister of Labour, Jean Boulet, even mentioned the prospect of a “historic labour shortage” by 2030.
March 25: Alberta Safety Blitz Sidelines Majority of Trucks Near Hanna – TruckNews.com
A two-day commercial vehicle enforcement blitz northeast of Hanna, Alta., sidelined the vast majority of trucks inspected, with only three of 37 units passing inspection.
The Alberta Sheriff Highway Patrol conducted the inspections March 19 and 20 near Drumheller, applying the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) North American inspection standard.
A total of 26 vehicles, about 70% of those inspected, were placed out of service due to critical defects.
March 31: U.S. Trucking Groups Aim to Slam Brakes on Easy Entry for Motor Carriers – Land Line
Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation have taken steps to ensure that only skilled and well-trained truck drivers receive a CDL. Now, two trucking groups are asking lawmakers to prevent unsafe motor carriers from entering the industry.
“Removing unsafe drivers from the road is only part of the solution. To complement this effort, Congress and regulators must do more to prevent unsafe motor carriers from joining the trucking industry in the first place,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer and ATA President Chris Spear wrote in a letter to the leaders of the House Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. “This will require addressing the resource gap that has left FMCSA’s New Entrant Safety Assurance Program unable to keep pace with the volume of new carriers entering the freight market.”
“Many carriers wait well beyond a year for an audit, and some never receive one at all,” the trucking groups wrote. “FMCSA data shows that the total number of new entrant safety audits conducted routinely covered less than a quarter of all motor carriers enrolled in the new entrant program. Even worse, of the audits that were actually conducted, only 58.5% were completed on time. It should be noted that well over 95% of annual new entrant audits are performed by state enforcement agencies, which struggle to recruit and retain commercial vehicle enforcement officers and similarly lack robust resources to focus on these audits. These conditions and the resulting backlog create a dangerous gap that allows chameleon carriers and other bad actors to operate for extended periods – often until a crash or enforcement action reveals underlying fraud or safety violations.”
March 3: CIFFA Submits Input to Federal Red Tape Review Focused on Trade and Efficiency at the Border
CIFFA last week made a submission to the Treasury Board in response to a call for input in its horizontal red tape review focused on supporting international trade and greater efficiency at the border.
Given the current disturbances to global trade and Canada’s efforts to diversify its trade relationships, CIFFA recommended that strong and meaningful actions be taken by the government to reduce red tape and other barriers to efficiency at the border.
Key issues that CIFFA identified for action are:
March 5: CIFFA Guidance Related to MSC End of Voyage Announcement
MSC Canada issued on March 3 an “end of voyage” announcement for all shipments currently under its custody and care destined for ports in the Arabian Gulf. This includes both loaded and empty containers intended for export to those destinations. The announcement states that all shipments en route will be diverted to the next safe port of discharge, where cargo will be placed at customers’ disposal. A mandatory surcharge of US$800 per container, along with all discharge-related expenses, will be applied.
CIFFA strongly disagrees with this position and urges members to advise MSC accordingly. Members should make clear that they will not agree to any additional charges related to this position. Furthermore, arrangements must be made for the return of cargo to the point of origin or another agreed-upon designated location.
CIFFA recently wrote to Michael Vandergrift to offer congratulations on his recent appointment as Deputy Minister for Transport Canada. In the communication, CIFFA recognized Mr. Vandergrift’s track record of strong leadership and how that is anticipated to impact the strategic operations of the department.
March 30: CIFFA Introduces New CAPC Program to Strengthen Customs Expertise Across Canada
CIFFA is pleased to announce the new CIFFA Accredited Practitioner in Customs (CAPC) program coming this May. This new online credential is designed to strengthen customs expertise in Canada.
Developed by customs brokers and vetted by trade lawyers, CAPC combines real-world case studies with practical application of tariff classification, valuation, origin and compliance. Designed for working professionals, the fully online program supports both those entering the field as customs professionals and our freight forwarding members looking to expand their breadth of knowledge in logistics.
February 3: Maersk-Hapag Alliance to Send Ships Through Red Sea with Naval Assistance – The Maritime Executive
The alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will start for the first time to send vessels through the Red Sea as part of its gradual return to the shipping routes. The carriers, however, emphasized their focus on safety, noting that “All transits will be secured by naval assistance.”
The Gemini Cooperation, launched by the two carriers a year ago, has yet to send vessels through the Suez Canal–Red Sea corridor, although Maersk had begun trips through the region on some of its independently operated routes. Starting in mid-February, they report that the alliance’s route that connects India to the Middle East and the Mediterranean will switch to the Suez Canal.
The Gemini Cooperation said it is planning to send two other services, routes between Asia, the Adriatic ports and Turkey, through the Red Sea and Suez Canal at “a later stage.” It said no further changes, however, are “foreseen at this stage.”
The naval assistance will come as the EU NAVFOR Operation Aspides marks its second anniversary. The European Union launched it as a defensive effort to protect vessels in the Red Sea against the Houthis’ attacks.
February 8: U.S. Will Stick with the IMO, But Aims to Defeat the Net Zero Framework – The Maritime Executive
The United States appears committed to staying with the International Maritime Organization and attempting to win arguments on the inside, in contrast to its decision to withdraw entirely from some other international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, that it considers lost causes.
This was apparent from the attendance last week of Marco Sylvester, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs, at the 16th Annual Capital Link Greek Shipping Forum held in Athens, and his participation in a Ministerial Roundtable on February 5. But he also warned that the future of the IMO was threatened if IMO Council decisions were adopted without “explicit acceptance,” the IMO’s procedure for only adopting proposals with a clear majority.
The focus of attention at the meeting in Athens was on how to proceed after the IMO’s draft Net Zero Framework (NZF) failed to secure the necessary support for adoption, with members voting instead for an adjournment to rework the framework and present it afresh. The IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee will consider how to proceed once again at its MEPC 84 session scheduled for April 2026.
February 9: U.S. Urges U.S.-Flagged Ships to Stay ‘as Far as Possible’ from Iran’s Waters in Strait of Hormuz – CNBC
U.S.-flagged ships have been advised to stay “as far as possible” from Iranian waters when navigating the Strait of Hormuz as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain elevated.
In a notice issued on February 9, the U.S. Maritime Administration said ship captains should decline permission for Iranian forces to board U.S. vessels.
Boarding attempts, including moves to force commercial vessels into Iranian waters through small boats and helicopters, have occurred as recently as February 3, the agency under the Department of Transportation said.
The advisory recommended that ships transiting eastbound in the Strait of Hormuz stay close to the Omani side of the waterway.
February 9: Copper Redhorse Habitat: Environmental Groups Sue to Stop Montreal Port Expansion – CityNews Montreal
Legal proceedings were officially launched on February 6 against the federal government for issuing a permit allowing the Port of Montreal to proceed with expansion work in the habitat of the copper redhorse, an endangered species.
The Society for Nature and Parks (SNAP Québec) and the Quebec Environmental Law Centre (CQDE) have officially filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson.
The lawsuit alleges that this authorization is unreasonable and contrary to the provisions of the Species at Risk Act.
February 16: Hapag-Lloyd Buying Zim for $4.2 Billion – American Shipper
In a merger of two of the world’s largest container shipping lines, Hapag-Lloyd of Germany will acquire Israel’s Zim Integrated Shipping Services for $4.2 billion. Zim confirmed the news in an announcement on February 16.
Zim said the sale is structured so that a new Israel-based company, New ZIM, will acquire a portion of its business. Zim did not provide further details. But the new company, financed by an Israeli private equity investor, ensures state control of the carrier’s owned vessels, for security purposes.
Hapag-Lloyd is one-third owned by state funds of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The deal, which requires approval by Zim shareholders and regulators, is expected to close in late 2026.
February 16: Israeli Opposition Emerges as Hapag-Lloyd Signs Deal to Acquire Zim – The Maritime Executive
Hapag-Lloyd officially signed the agreement to acquire Zim and sell its domestic operations to FIMI, an Israeli private equity company, while extolling the benefits of consolidation for customers and shareholders. However, with Zim viewed as a national asset, opposing voices quickly emerged to the deal, including from the workers committee representing the approximately 1,000 Zim employees in Israel.
“Zim is an excellent partner for Hapag-Lloyd,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. “Customers will benefit from a significantly strengthened network on the Transpacific, Intra Asia, Atlantic, Latin America, and East Mediterranean.”
The head of the workers’ committee, Oren Caspi, emerged from a meeting with the company on February 15, immediately announcing a warning strike. The committee had been a vocal opponent of the sale, and Caspi told the media outlet Globes the board was “ignoring and evading us for two weeks.” He said talks had broken down with the company, and the headquarters employees would strike.
The Histadrut (General Federation of Labour in Israel) also told Globes it was backing the workers’ committee. “Zim is not just another company in Israel. It is a strategic asset of the State of Israel, representing a critical link in national security, in the stability of supply, and in the ability to maintain trade by sea even in emergencies. Any harm to the stability of the company or to its employees means harm to the national interest of the State of Israel.”
February 24: Gemini Shines as Container Line Punctuality Plummets in 2026 – Seatrade Maritime News
Just as this year’s Pacific contract season is set to begin in earnest, shippers who have historically accused container lines of over promising, over charging and under delivering, have acquired better tools to measure carrier performance.
Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk created the Gemini Cooperation in February last year with the aim of changing that view by raising on-time deliveries substantially, which they have achieved, but Gemini has largely failed to manage the 90% on-time deliveries it promised last year.
Improving on their competitors’ performances has not been a major challenge. Xeneta’s latest data reveals that global carrier punctuality has declined markedly, to 30% in January, down from 36% in Q2 and 37% in Q3 of last year.
Destine Ozuygur, senior market analyst at Xeneta, gave some perspective: “Gemini at their ‘worst’ in Q1 [2026] is still 39 points above the next best alliance group in terms of on-time performance; non-alliance services are coming in at 27% on time. At no point in the past 12 months has this gap been narrower than 36 percentage points at a minimum.”
February 24: Zim Employees Return to Work as Union Reports Tentative Agreements – The Maritime Executive
The union representing Zim’s Israeli workers has reportedly reached terms on a tentative agreement regarding employment, severance payments and compensation in the company’s merger with Hapag-Lloyd, after staging a strike that stopped port activity and work at the company’s headquarters. The union said a tentative agreement would be finalized between Zim CEO Eli Glickman and Hapag-Lloyd, and according to the news outlet Calcalist, the union has total trust in Eli Glickman to honour the agreement.
Employees began returning to work on February 24 in Israel, and the report says Glickman was to finalize the agreements with Hapag-Lloyd on February 25.
This removes one key sticking point in the lead-up to the completion of the merger agreement. However, as reported in the Israeli media, concerns are being raised about maintaining Zim as a national symbol and its ability to meet the terms of the Golden Share provided to the government. Zim has been viewed as a national asset critical to maintaining supplies during a time of war and for Israel’s survival.
February 25: ONE Announces CEO Succession Plan – American Journal of Transportation
Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE) has announced planned leadership transitions, which will be effective in the coming weeks.
Till Ole Barrelet will join ONE on May 1 as Chief Executive Officer-Designate. He will succeed Jeremy Nixon as CEO on July 1, at which point Jeremy will transition to the role of Senior Advisor.
Till brings over 20 years of maritime and logistics experience to the role, most recently serving as CEO of Emirates Shipping Line (ESL). He has deep expertise in ship owning, financing, container shipping, trade development across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
To better position ONE for its next phase of growth, ONE will transition to a new Executive Management Team structure comprising the CEO and seven representatives from across all divisions. The new Executive Management Team, together with a further six regional leaders, will report into the CEO. This expanded leadership structure will facilitate closer collaboration across a global matrix structure at ONE.
February 28: Iran Radio Broadcast Bans Hormuz Strait Transits After U.S.-Israel Strikes – gCaptain
Oil and gas tankers are increasingly avoiding the Hormuz shipping strait that links the oil-rich Persian Gulf to the open seas after the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran, with a large number of vessels holding outside of the waterway while some already transiting have turned back.
Ships reported hearing a radio broadcast purporting to come from the Iranian navy announcing that transit through the Strait of Hormuz was banned, and while there hasn’t been any official communication from Iran on the status of the waterway, most shipowners are taking a cautious approach. The U.S. earlier issued a warning to shipping in the Middle East that vessels in the region should stay 30 nautical miles away from its military assets.
February 28: Houthis Signal Renewed Red Sea Shipping Attacks After U.S.–Israeli Strikes on Iran – gCaptain
The maritime security environment in the Middle East deteriorated sharply on February 28 following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, with Yemen’s Houthi movement signalling that it intends to resume attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Red Sea after a pause of several months.
Two senior Houthi officials, speaking anonymously to international media because there was no formal public communique at the time of reporting, said the group had decided to restart missile and drone operations against maritime traffic in response to the U.S.–Israeli military action against Iran. The officials indicated that renewed attacks could begin imminently and would target shipping routes previously struck during the group’s 2024–2025 campaign in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
February 5: Airfreight Options Narrow in 2026 as Supply Chain Volatility Reshapes Global Lanes – Air Cargo News
Shippers have less airfreight shipping choices in 2026 following a year of global supply chain disruption, according to Rhenus Logistics.
The company said that, after a volatile 2025 marked by geopolitical tension, policy shifts and uneven demand, service options are becoming more standardized, reducing flexibility for shippers, despite capacity increases.
Rhenus said that “capacity remains available but (is) increasingly lane-specific, particularly across trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic routes affected by tariff uncertainty and regulation change.”
The company said that, in contrast to trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic activity, there are now more options for goods being moved within Asia Pacific.
February 9: Cuba Warns Airlines It Will Run Out of Jet Fuel – American Journal of Transportation
Cuba warned international airlines that jet fuel will no longer be available on the island beginning on February 9 in the latest sign of fast-worsening conditions as the United States moves to cut off the communist-run nation’s oil supply.
The shortfall is set to last from February 10 through March 11, according to a Notice to Aviation (NOTAM) published late on February 8, and comes just two days after top officials said air travel would not be impacted by a fuel rationing plan announced on February 6.
Cuba has historically relied on Venezuela to provide much of its jet fuel, but the Caribbean island nation has not received any crude or refined products from its top ally since mid-December, when the U.S. moved to block the South American nation’s exports.
U.S. president Donald Trump has since vowed Cuba would receive no more oil from Venezuela and has threatened to slap tariffs on any nation sending fuel to Cuba, effectively cutting off the island’s supply of aviation gas.
Such shortfalls are not new to Cuba and many airlines already have plans in place to deal with them. A similar crisis last year, as well as others recently, have prompted many carriers to refuel in nearby third countries, including Panama, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
February 28: Airspace Closed, Airlines Halt Flights as U.S., Israel Attack, Iran Responds – Al Jazeera
A wave of American and Israeli strikes on Iran, and retaliation by Tehran on targets across the region have forced much of the Middle East’s airspace to shut down, with reverberations across the globe.
At least eight states declared their airspace closed as the conflict erupted on February 28, including Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Syria also announced it had closed part of its airspace in the south along its border with Israel for 12 hours.
The closures came after the U.S. and Israel carried out attacks across Iran that U.S. President Donald Trump pledged would raze Iran’s missile industry and destroy its navy. Iran, which had been engaged in negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear program right up until the attack, pledged a harsh response and soon began waging retaliatory strikes in Israel, as well as several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. military assets, including Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain.
“All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target,” a senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera. “There are no red lines after this aggression, and everything is possible.”
The Middle East has become an important route for flights between Europe and Asia, as Russian and Ukrainian airspace is closed to most airlines due to the war there.
February 4: FMCSA Designates English Proficiency ‘Safe Zones’ – FreightWaves
The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released new guidance defining the boundaries of where truck drivers are effectively immune from being placed out of service (OOS) for failing to speak English.
Last year, the Trump administration initiated strict, national enforcement of English language proficiency (ELP) by requiring that such violations result in truckers being designated OOS and being taken off the road.
But FMCSA has now clarified that there are geographic exceptions to enforcement: Drivers stopped within specific commercial border zones – ranging from three to 20 miles from the border, depending on the size of the population within the municipality – will not be grounded if they fail a language evaluation. Instead, inspectors are directed to cite the violation but let the driver proceed.
This exception applies “irrespective of the driver or motor carrier’s country of domicile or whether the driver holds a U.S. CDL, Mexican Licencia Federal de Conductor, or Canadian CDL,” the FAQ states.
February 5: Government of Canada Launches ‘Payments for Trucking Services’ Webpage
New CRA administrative policy: For 2025 and later calendar years, businesses operating in the trucking industry will be assessed penalties for failing to report fees for services exceeding $500 in a calendar year that they pay to a Canadian-controlled private corporation in the trucking industry using box 048 of the T4A slip.
The new ‘Payments for trucking services’ webpage provides information to enable calculation of payroll deductions and contributions. It outlines steps in the process and offers a list of resources.
February 10: Ottawa to Install More Than 8,000 New EV Chargers, Help Fleets Purchase Low-Carbon Vehicles – BNN Bloomberg
In an effort to convince more drivers to switch from gasoline to electric vehicles, the federal government announced on February 10 it has committed to install thousands of new chargers from coast to coast to coast.
The environment minister, energy minister and transport minister announced what they called an advancement to last week’s auto strategy. Ottawa intends to spend $84 million to install more than 8,000 electric chargers across Canada though the Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program. So far, Ottawa has not provided any timeline on how long it will take to get the new chargers up and running.
In addition, $5.7 million was committed to three projects through the Green Freight Program to help Canadian fleets reduce their fuel costs and purchase low-carbon vehicles. Another $7.2 million will be directed towards educational and awareness projects that aim to increase public and industry knowledge and confidence related to EVs.
February 11: Trump Wants 100% American-Made EV Chargers. Some See Sabotage. – E&E News
The Trump administration is proposing to require that federally funded electric vehicle chargers be fully U.S. made, an all-but-impossible target that could kill a multibillion-dollar effort to build a nationwide charging network.
“This proposal is designed to provide a strong incentive for manufacturers to rapidly shift their processes toward domestic manufacturing,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, adding it would “protect Americans from foreign-made EV charger components that use technology with cybersecurity vulnerabilities.”
But a chorus of EV supporters and industry experts said on February 10 that the new rule would be next to impossible for federally funded charging stations to meet. It is not yet clear how rigorous the 100-percent rule will be; it’s in proposal stage and open for public comment.
“It’s hard to imagine 100 percent of any product being domestically sourced,” said Jay Turner, a professor at Wellesley College who maintains a database of clean-energy factories.
February 12: U.S. Inspections Blitz: 71% of Drivers Removed for Insufficient English Proficiency – Transport Routier (translated from French)
As part of Operation SafeDRIVE, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and law enforcement members from 26 states and the District of Columbia conducted targeted actions along major transportation corridors.
Between January 13 and 15, 8,215 inspections were carried out, resulting in 704 drivers being taken off the road, nearly 500 of whom (71%) were dismissed for insufficient English proficiency. In addition, 1,231 vehicles were taken out of service and 56 arrests were made.
February 13: Alberta Officers Put 65% of Trucks OOS During Airdrie Enforcement Blitz – TruckNews.com
Alberta enforcement officials put 65% of inspected commercial vehicles out of service during a recent blitz in Airdrie.
Out of 23 inspections, 15 commercial vehicles were placed out of service for safety violations, Alberta Sheriffs said in a social media post. Five vehicles required on-the-spot maintenance to bring them into compliance.
February 19: U.S. FMCSA Issues Mandatory Non-Domiciled CDL Directives – FreightWaves
New guidelines released by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reveal just how aggressive the agency plans to be in enforcing its final rule cracking down on non-domiciled CDLs.
The new FAQ provides details on a federal purge of unvetted foreign drivers, introducing mandatory operational changes not detailed in the final rule issued recently.
The most significant escalation in the new directives targets the nomenclature found on the licence.
Under the final rule, all eligible licences must unmistakably display the term “non-domiciled.” However, the new FAQ goes further, revealing that licences marked with terms like “temporary” are no longer just out of date but are non-compliant. FMCSA is now “strongly encouraging” states to immediately revoke and reissue these specific credentials rather than waiting for them to expire.
In addition, simply adding a “non-domiciled” restriction code to a standard design is explicitly forbidden, according to the new directives. Instead, the word must be “conspicuously and unmistakably” located on the face of the card.
February 20: CTA Defends Immigration as Conservatives Want TFWP Scrapped – TruckNews.com
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says immigration remains essential to the industry after Michelle Rempel Garner, Conservative shadow minister for immigration, called for abolishing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
Rempel Garner said that overreliance on indentured, temporary foreign labour is a risk to supply chain integrity. With unemployment rates rising, the talking point that “Canadians don’t want to do these jobs” does not hold, she said.
“This is the only way to incentivize policy development that will result in more unemployed and underemployed Canadians being hired across the country,” Rempel Garner said. “Without this step, industries that have become reliant on a virtually endless supply of indentured, temporary foreign labour will never move to do more to match Canadians with available jobs.”
Geoff Wood, CTA senior vice president of policy, said the TFWP will continue to have an important role and must remain a viable option to support the trucking industry.
“This key immigration program needs to remain open to legitimate operations,” he said. Wood added the program needs updating and a strict known-employer program should be implemented to ensure workers are treated fairly, paid properly and given opportunities to transition to permanent residency.
February 21: Ministers with Transportation Portfolios Agree to Deal with Driver Inc. Across Canada – Canadian Trucking Alliance press release
The Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety (COMT) agreed at a meeting last week to act collaboratively to combat non-compliance with labour, tax and safety rules in the commercial trucking industry associated with the Driver Inc. model. Additionally, they agreed to sign-off on 14 key solutions to inter-provincial trade barriers in the coming weeks.
February 23: Canada’s Trailer Theft Nearly Doubles as Cargo Losses Go Underreported in 2025 – TruckNews.com
Cargo theft across North America is becoming more organized, strategic and more expensive, and in Canada, the official numbers may tell only part of the story. Equité Association says Canada’s cargo theft problem may be larger than official figures suggest.
Trailer theft surged in 2025, climbing to approximately 970 incidents nationwide, up from about 570 in 2024. Yet reported cargo losses did not rise at the same pace, suggesting the industry may be absorbing more theft than it publicly records.
Sid Kingma, director of investigative services, Western and Pacific Canada, at Equité Association, said final 2025 national numbers are still being validated, but one trend is clear: Theft in the trucking and supply chain industries is clearly on the rise.
“If we look at tractors, trailers and cargo, the biggest increase we’ve actually seen is in the trailers… it’s almost doubled from what we saw in 2024,” Kingma said.
February 24: Legislation to Kill Double Brokering Hits U.S. Senate Floor – FreightWaves
A legislative effort to purge fraudulent brokers from the supply chain is now eligible for consideration by the full U.S. Senate after being placed on the Senate calendar on February 23.
The Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act takes direct aim at fraud in the household goods sector, but its enforcement provisions and registration requirements would apply to all freight carriers and brokers that register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
If passed, the bill would restore and codify FMCSA’s explicit authority to assess civil penalties for unauthorized brokerage activities – after a 2019 legal ruling had stripped that power away. FMCSA would be able to bypass the Department of Justice for many types of fines, enabling faster action against double-brokering – which scams carriers out of their freight payment – and other unauthorized brokerage schemes.
Carriers and brokers would be required to provide to FMCSA a valid physical business address, not a P.O. box, before receiving operating authority.
February 26: From Sharpies to Vinyl: The Professionalization of Truck Identity in Cargo Theft – FreightWaves
For years, the industry has joked about fraudulent trucks showing up with handwritten signs taped to the doors. A company name written in marker on a piece of paper became the stereotype of cargo theft. If you were paying attention, you could usually spot it. That environment is changing. Criminal groups operating in freight are getting more organized, and the physical appearance of legitimacy is becoming easier to create and harder to challenge in the moment when decisions are made.
We are now seeing patterns that suggest actors are using rapidly produced vinyl decals to create temporary truck identities within hours. The goal is not branding. The goal is access. A truck only needs to look legitimate long enough to remove freight from a facility. Once the freight moves, the identity can disappear just as quickly.
Most fraud prevention conversations still centre around documentation. Carrier packets, certificates of insurance, operating authority status and email verification are all important, but they address only part of the exposure. Modern cargo theft increasingly combines digital deception with physical impersonation. A fraudulent carrier identity may exist online long enough to pass onboarding checks. By the time a truck arrives for pickup, the paperwork often appears reasonable on the surface. The final step is making the equipment visually match the identity that was booked.
February 26: Canada’s Largest Electric Truck Trial Delivers Clarity for Fleets – TruckNews.com
FPInnovations’ PIT Group has concluded Canada’s most comprehensive real-world test of heavy-duty battery-electric trucks, following two fleets (Martin Brower and Loblaw) as they collected more than 200,000 km of data over a year on Montreal-area roads.
Transport Canada’s Zero-Emission Trucking Program has delivered one of the clearest datasets yet on how electric Class 8 trucks perform outside controlled demonstrations and pilot programs.
“This project has been unique in that it was conducted over … 12 months, across different seasons and with two separate fleets,” said Maxime Tanguay-Laflèche, senior researcher in telematics and advanced data with PIT Group.
A key finding is that deployment of BEVs (battery-electric vehicles) is not as simple as swapping out diesel units for electric trucks.
The electric trucks performed best when fleets adapted operations around the strengths and limitations of the technology.
The report repeatedly shows that success depended less on vehicle capability than on operational alignment. Routes with predictable distances, centralized terminals and controlled return schedules allowed electric trucks to operate efficiently and reliably, while variability and scheduling pressure quickly exposed operational flaws.
February 26: Alberta to Offer Trade Designation for Class 1 Drivers in June 2027 – TruckNews.com
Alberta will launch a trade designation for Class 1 commercial drivers in June 2027, offering journeyperson certification for truck driving.
Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said commercial driving should be recognized as a skilled trade.
Addressing the Professional Truck Training Alliance of Canada’s Red Seal Ontario meeting, Dreeshen said that, just as electricians, carpenters and mechanics benefit from recognized standards of excellence, so too should those who play an integral role in supply chains and the economy.
He said the Red Seal designation will improve safety by standardizing high-quality training and ensuring consistent standards nationwide. That will reduce variability, he added, and allow commercial drivers to begin training in a manner similar to apprentices in other skilled trades, with flexible, learner-focused education. The approach will help carriers hire drivers and reduce onboarding time, he said.
February 27: FMCSA Spotlights U.S. Trucking’s Multimillion-Dollar Insurance Gap – FreightWaves
The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has warned Congress that a massive “insurance gap” is leaving the American trucking industry more vulnerable than ever.
In its 2026 quadrennial report to lawmakers, the agency laid out a precarious new reality for the industry: The 12 billion tons of freight for-hire interstate property carriers move are now subject to a median “nuclear” verdict that has skyrocketed to $51 million.
At the same time, with current federal minimum financial responsibility levels remaining unchanged since 1985 – at $750,000 for the transportation of property – a carrier’s mandated insurance now covers less than 1.5% of a median major award.
February 18: UP, NS to Resubmit Merger Application to STB on April 30 – Progressive Railroading
Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway have informed the Surface Transportation Board that they anticipate filing a revised application on April 30 for their proposed merger.
The Class Is had to let the STB know by February 17 whether they would revise their proposal calling for UP to acquire NS. The railroads filed their initial application with the STB on December 19, 2025; they announced their plan to merge in late July 2025.
On January 16, the STB unanimously ruled that the application was incomplete because it did not include certain information required under STB regulations.
February 6: CIFFA Selects 2026 Canadian Young Logistics Professionals Award Winner: Ercenk Atasoy
Each year, CIFFA presents an award to an outstanding young logistics professional who exemplifies the knowledge and skills necessary to excel as a true international logistics leader in the future. After a review process of industry experience and a written dissertation demonstrating technical knowledge, CIFFA is pleased to announce that Ercenk Atasoy of DSV Air & Sea Inc. has been selected as the 2026 winner of the Canadian Young Logistics Professionals Award.
As this year’s Canadian winner, Ercenk will receive a cash prize of $1,500 and will represent Canada at the FIATA Americas regional competition, which requires the submission of two dissertations. If he is selected as the Americas regional winner, Ercenk will have the opportunity to compete at the 2026 FIATA World Congress in Milan, Italy, in the fall.
February 9: CIFFA Receives Ministerial Correspondence on Building Canada Act
CIFFA received correspondence from Dominic Leblanc, Minister Responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy, dated February 9.
The letter thanked CIFFA for its correspondence regarding the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act, appreciating CIFFA’s enthusiastic support for both initiatives and for the positive impact they will bring to the freight forwarding, warehousing, trucking, and freight and customs brokerage sectors.
The letter also provided an update on the Government of Canada’s progress on this important priority.
February 20: From Geopolitics to Global Logistics: New Honours Degree Honing International Business Skills – The Globe and Mail
From shifting trade agreements to ongoing supply chain disruptions, international business has become a high-stakes, fast-moving field that increasingly demands graduates who can think globally and adapt quickly. Centennial College is responding with the launch of a new Honours Bachelor of Business Administration – International Business program in fall 2026 at the college’s Progress Campus.
The four-year degree, says Amanda Stone, associate dean in the School of Business within Centennial’s Faculty of Global Business and Creative Industries, was developed in response to clear labour-market signals. “There’s been a continual upward trend in employment opportunities in the international business space,” she explains. “We’re seeing strong demand for graduates who understand geopolitics, import and export, supply chain and logistics.”
Students will have the opportunity to earn a professional credential from CIFFA, Canada’s logistics association for freight forwarders, customs brokers, freight brokers, drayage and warehousing companies. Not only will students gain an understanding of global logistics and freight forwarding and other practical skills, they will earn a certification that would otherwise be a cost to employers, explains Ms. Stone. “It’s an added value from an employment standpoint.”
February 26: CIFFA Meets with MPs, Policy Advisors in Ottawa
CIFFA’s advocacy team, Julia Kuzeljevich (Director, Policy and Regulatory Affairs) and Ben Martin (Government Relations Lead Advisor), attended a public affairs conference on February 23 in Ottawa, followed by a full complement of advocacy meetings on February 23 and 24.
The conference included several key presentations, including “Making Sense of Federal Budget Changes,” presented by Sahir Khan, Co-founder and Executive VP of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at uOttawa. He shared insights on how public affairs and government relations professionals and advocates can engage effectively in fiscal decision-making, helping shape policies that matter. Khan highlighted that the government’s Budget 2025 represents a clear pivot away from a decade of social program and wealth transfer to a defence and economic growth agenda.
He also noted that the budget targets the business investment gap that has opened up since 2014 with the U.S.
After the conference, CIFFA had meetings with:
Topics discussed during these advocacy meetings included:
December 1: Overcapacity Paradox Leading to Two-Tier Container Market – Seatrade Maritime News
Global trade has expanded faster than was anticipated two years ago according to some observers, leading to an easing of the imbalance between supply and demand in the container industry.
That view is, however, tested by a more detailed look at the capacity statistics, which show a much more nuanced situation that could lead to a two-tier container shipping market as manufacturing companies diversify their production sites and the east-west trades become less important in the future.
In addition, Antonella Teodoro, an analyst at MDS Transmodal, has identified a Red Sea fleet paradox that is developing, with an overcapacity in the larger vessels and shortages in the smaller sizes.
December 1: Port of Montreal Expansion Project in Contrecœur: Next Steps Announced – TVRS (translated from French)
Next steps in the Port of Montreal expansion project in Contrecœur were announced on December 1 at a press conference organized by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce in the City of Contrecœur with key stakeholders in the project.
Preparatory water projects began on October 8 and are expected to continue until next summer.
Following that, in-water works will begin and continue until 2029. These will include, among other things, construction of the wharf wall, all access road work, and dredging. Several dredging seasons will be scheduled starting in 2027. Between dredging seasons, piling work will be the primary focus. This will be followed by land-based and related work.
December 1: DCSA Releases Universal API for Arrival Notices – Port Technology International
The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) has published its Arrival Notice 1.0.0 Standard, introducing a universal API to replace today’s manual processes for distributing arrival notices.
As a trigger for release and delivery processes, an arrival notice plays a central role in import operations, and yet, today, these notices are typically distributed as PDFs by email, leading to errors, delays and costly disputes across the supply chain.
The new DCSA standard defines arrival notices as structured data that can be exchanged machine-to-machine via API. It is designed for global use, supporting multiple languages and country-specific content requirements while maintaining a consistent data model.
By replacing PDFs with structured data, the standard enables automatic confirmation of receipt, reduces manual rework and monitoring, and removes inconsistencies across carriers and geographies.
It reportedly simplifies system integration, improves timeliness and accuracy, and helps reduce financial disputes on storage, detention and demurrage charges caused by late or missing arrival notices.
December 2: South Africa Plans to Prosecute Container Carriers for Price Fixing – The Maritime Executive
South Africa’s Competition Commission has referred a case of alleged collusion and price fixing against eight of the world’s largest container carriers to its Tribunal for prosecution. The case alleges that, for over a decade, the carriers conducted a price-fixing scheme.
The referral names eight shipping companies: MSC Mediterranean Shipping, Maersk, CMA CGM, Pacific International Lines, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Evergreen, COSCO and K Line.
The Commission says the price fixing took place between 2008 and 2018 and was implemented through the fixing of rates called general rate increase. During its investigation, it says the eight companies were found to have charged the same general rate increase for the routes from Shanghai, Ningbo and Shekou to Durban, as well as from Durban to Hong Kong, and between Durban and Qingdao. Durban is the country’s primary container port, handling the vast majority of imports and exports.
December 3: Port of Vancouver Launches New Dashboard to Boost Supply Chain Visibility – Inside Logistics
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has launched an open-access, web-based dashboard designed to provide real-time insights into intermodal cargo movements, a move the port authority says will help strengthen supply chain resilience and day-to-day coordination at Canada’s largest port.
The port authority says the tool offers a dozen metrics related to train, vessel and container truck performance, updated daily with up to two years of historical data. The dashboard is intended to help users identify trends, allocate resources more efficiently and better anticipate delays or disruptions.
December 5: Global Liners Look at Acquiring ZIM – Splash
Hapag-Lloyd is seeking to acquire ZIM, Israel’s largest container carrier, according to multiple media outlets, but the move is already running into resistance from ZIM’s workers’ committee, which has warned that the presence of Qatari and Saudi sovereign funds among the German carrier’s shareholders could pose a national security risk.
Hapag-Lloyd’s main shareholders are German billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne and Chilean shipping group CSAV, each holding around 30%. They are followed by the City of Hamburg with roughly 14%, Qatar’s state investment authority with about 12.5%, and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund with close to 10%.
Other global liners, including Mediterranean Shipping Co and Maersk, have also been linked to potential interest in ZIM.
Late last month, the ZIM board rejected an offer by ZIM CEO Eli Glickman and Ray Car Carriers head Rami Ungar to acquire the company at a $2.4-billion valuation. ZIM said at the time that it had formed a team to examine strategic alternatives regarding the company’s future.
December 6: CMA CGM Set to Become First Major Shipping Line to Resume Full Service Route Via Suez Canal – Marine Insight
French shipping giant CMA CGM is preparing to resume a full service loop through the Suez Canal and Red Sea, becoming the first major carrier to formally restore one of its east–west routes since Houthi attacks forced global container lines to divert around the Cape of Good Hope last year.
The company confirmed that its INDAMEX service, which connects India, Pakistan and the U.S. East Coast, will again transit the Suez Canal on both fronthaul and backhaul legs. The first vessel to make the complete loop will be CMA CGM VERDI, sailing from Karachi to New York on January 15.
Xeneta’s Chief Analyst Peter Sand said that this decision is a positive development but does not mean the industry is ready for an immediate large-scale return to the Red Sea. He explained that carriers, especially CMA CGM, had been trying out limited Suez transits in recent months, mainly on backhaul voyages to Asia when ships had less cargo onboard.
December 15: Carriers Weigh Insurance as They Cautiously Reroute Back Through the Red Sea – Transport & Logistics Middle East
Major container lines are beginning to edge back toward the Suez Canal and Red Sea routes, but a sharp focus on insurance costs is shaping how – and how fast – that return will happen.
After more than two years of near-continuous disruptions tied to attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea, several carriers have announced partial resumptions of Suez transits.
France’s CMA CGM has publicly stated it will restore full-loop transits on some services, trimming voyages by up to two weeks compared with the long detour around the Cape of Good Hope.
But carriers including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are adopting a measured approach, saying route decisions will be driven by evolving risk assessments and insurance cover rather than timetable pressure alone.
At the heart of the calculations are war-risk premiums and broader hull and freight insurance costs.
December 16: Container Shipping Faces Oversupply Threat as Record Newbuild Orders Reshape Industry – gCaptain
The global containership industry is bracing for potential market upheaval as the orderbook has swelled to 11.61 million TEU, representing 34.8% of the current fleet, a level that extends well beyond routine fleet replacement needs, according to maritime intelligence firm Linerlytica.
The surge comes on the back of an unprecedented ordering spree in 2025, with carriers placing orders for 633 ships totaling 5.08 million TEU, surpassing previous records set in 2021 and 2024.
Linerlytica says this aggressive expansion “raises the spectre of over-supply in the next 4 years.” The concern centres on whether cargo demand will keep pace with the massive influx of new capacity scheduled for delivery through 2029.
December 17: Carney Wants to Double Non-U.S. Exports, But Canadian Ports Will Struggle to Keep Pace – Unpublished
If the road to Canadian prosperity is to now be built on growing exports to markets other than the United States, as Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed, a major new pothole may need attention.
There was already the existing challenge that diversifying exports is inherently difficult to do. Buyers in any region of the world already have existing suppliers for most of the goods they need, and those vendors have been chosen for good reasons: price, quality, transportation networks, trust, language and, as in the case of Canada and the U.S., geographical proximity.
But a recent announcement from one of Canada’s most successful natural resources exporters, saying that future exports will soon be shipped to overseas markets from a port in the state of Washington instead of Canada’s west coast, has raised fresh questions about whether some key Canadian ports even have the capacity to handle any more of those diversified goods. Any bottlenecks or other inefficiencies would only be magnified if exporters are able to hit Carney’s recent target that Canada will double non-U.S. exports over the next decade.
December 18: Premier Alliance Quietly Shifting to Hub and Spoke Network – Seatrade Maritime News
Premier Alliance, comprising Ocean Network Express, Yang Ming and HMM, is looking to shift to a service offering that improves reliability with a concentration of calls in key hubs.
Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, said that the carriers are “streamlining” service offerings in an attempt to improve their very poor reliability.
“New service updates will see the alliance call at more ports directly, so it looks more like a hub and spoke network without actually being it,” said Sand, “They are looking to bridge the gap to service level improvements because schedule reliability can’t get any worse than now.”
December 22: Labour and Skills Shortage: The Silent Airfreight Constraint Heading into 2026 – Air Cargo Week
Airfreight across the Americas is facing a growing labour and skills shortage heading into 2026, with staffing gaps in ground handling, pilots and air-traffic control increasingly constraining operations despite rising demand.
Workforce shortfalls are causing slower cargo processing, longer aircraft turnarounds, air-traffic control disruptions and clearance delays, highlighted by tower closures in Canada and widespread delays during the 2025 U.S. government shutdown.
Industry responses focus on rebuilding the workforce pipeline through training, recruitment and credential portability, but human expertise remains the critical limiting factor, as automation cannot fully replace skilled air-cargo labour.
December 1: Government of Canada Undertakes Inspection Blitz to Crack Down on Driver Misclassification in Trucking – Employment and Social Development Canada press release
The Government of Canada is protecting Canadian workers by cracking down on misclassification in the federally regulated road transportation sector with an inspection blitz in Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area, in the coming weeks.
Worker misclassification happens when a worker is categorized as an independent contractor when they should be an employee. This is an illegal practice under the Canada Labour Code that strips workers of their rights to minimum wage, paid leaves, and occupational health and safety protections. It also prevents workers from accessing Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan. Misclassification also undermines responsible employers who follow the rules, creating unfair competition in the trucking sector.
The blitz will focus on identifying non-compliance with federal labour standards and workplace health and safety requirements. When misclassification is suspected, the Labour Program will follow up with a full investigation and swiftly issue penalties when violations are found.
Information collected during the blitz will be shared with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to support more coordinated enforcement efforts.
December 3: ATRI: Pre-Crash Negligence Triples Trucking Company Liability in U.S. – FreightWaves
Higher jury awards against trucking companies involved in U.S. road accidents are no longer driven primarily by crash severity but by pre-crash negligence, according to the latest research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).
ATRI’s Trucking Litigation: A Forensic Analysis, released on December 3, found that allegations related to a carrier’s organizational failures now carry financial multipliers that exceed most on-road infractions, marking a shift in plaintiff strategy since ATRI’s 2020 report on nuclear verdicts in trucking.
December 4: U.S. FMCSA’s New Motus Registration System Rolling Out in 2026 – FreightWaves
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is rolling out Motus, a new registration system designed to replace the agency’s decades-old platform, offering what it calls “a more intuitive, user-friendly experience.” Supporting companies will get limited access in December 2025, with full rollout to all users planned for 2026.
Motus represents FMCSA’s attempt to drag motor carrier registration into the 21st century. The current system forces users to navigate multiple disconnected platforms, fill out redundant forms and wait weeks for paper processing.
The new system consolidates FMCSA forms into a single online platform. Carriers will manage everything from one company account page. Mobile devices can view and update registration information on the go. Real-time data validation, auto-population tools and smart logic aim to prevent errors before submission rather than rejecting forms weeks later.
December 4: CRA Strengthens Compliance in Trucking Sector by Lifting the Moratorium on T4A Penalties – CRA press release
Tax non-compliance in the trucking sector has allowed some companies to avoid tax obligations, undercutting compliant competitors and denying workers the benefits and pensions they have earned.
To restore fairness, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is making changes to improve compliance in the trucking industry.
As of December 4, the CRA has lifted the moratorium on penalties for failing to report fees for services for the 2025 tax year and subsequent tax years. Businesses in this sector will now be assessed penalties if they fail to report payments for services exceeding $500 in a calendar year that are made to a Canadian-controlled private corporation in the trucking industry. These payments must be reported to the CRA in box 048 – fees for services – of the T4A slip by February 28, 2026.
December 8: Canadian Truck Drivers Are Also Worrying Americans – La Presse (translated from French)
The Trump administration believes Canada must do more to combat unlicensed truck drivers at a time when it is cracking down on them within its own borders. It is concerned about the risk posed by these incompetent and poorly supervised truck drivers, both to the safety of Americans and to the future of their own trucking industry.
“We continue to monitor this situation closely and hope to see further progress,” a diplomat from the U.S. Embassy in Canada said.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) last week closed the tax loophole that was at the root of the scourge of discount drivers, as Finance and National Revenue Minister François-Philippe Champagne had indicated in October.
According to the U.S. embassy, this announcement “is a step in the right direction,” but it is not “a magic bullet” to solve the problem of low-wage drivers. Further, “solving the tax issue does not resolve the problems related to driver training,” argues the American diplomat.
December 11: Flooding Shuts Major Highways Between B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Interior – TruckNews.com
Flooding and rockslides have cut off British Columbia’s Lower Mainland from the Interior as a series of atmospheric river weather systems drench the province.
B.C. Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene told a news conference late on December 10 that people should avoid all unnecessary travel to the Fraser Valley, where regional officials earlier declared a state of local emergency.
“We need people to stay off the roads for safety and to ensure roads are clear for people who need to evacuate,” Green said.
December 11: 30 State Attorneys General Say Brokers Not Protected Under ‘Safety Exception’ – FreightWaves
It isn’t often you find Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and New York Attorney General Letitia James on the same side of an issue. But that pairing and numerous others that cross the political divide among the attorneys general of red and blue states and the District of Columbia can be found over the issue of broker liability.
There are 29 Attorneys General who signed their names on to an amici curiae brief filed this week in the case of Montgomery vs. Caribe. That is the case before the Supreme Court expected to yield a legal precedent over whether the safety exception found in the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act, known as F4A, can bring in a broker as a defendant in legal actions like a tort.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is the lead AG in the filing, which makes a total of 30 AGs on the brief.
And what do the Attorneys General want? Based on the brief, they want a finding by the Supreme Court that brokers do not have protection from state tort action under the safety exception of F4A.
December 23: 30 Days to Comply: FMCSA Details Truck Broker Trustee Purge – FreightWaves
The U.S. trucking industry has known since late 2023 that a major shakeup was coming for truck broker financial responsibility, but the exact mechanics of how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would handle non-compliant trust providers remained a mystery.
New guidance has provided answers, including establishing a strict 30-day “compliance clock” for brokers caught using ineligible trustees.
Starting January 16, FMCSA will begin verifying that all BMC-85 trust providers meet updated federal requirements. If the agency determines a provider is no longer eligible to hold these funds – if they lack Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. insurance or proper state charters, for example – every broker relying on that provider will be notified.
Once that notification is sent, the stakes are high:
December 22: U.S. to Enforce English Language Proficiency Among Rail Crews – American Journal of Transportation
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is cracking down on cross-border train operators who lack basic English language proficiency to make rail operations safer in the U.S.
In conducting routine regulatory oversight of cross-border operations this past fall on Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) and Union Pacific Railroad (UP), FRA inspectors discovered instances in which inbound crew members appeared to have difficulty interpreting General Track Bulletins and communicating safety requirements in English with inspectors.
December 30: Competing Railroads Claim UP-NS Merger Application Omits Key Information – FreightWaves
Other Class I railroads have found no shortage of deficiencies in the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application and are urging the Surface Transportation Board to reject the document for its failure to address key aspects of the transcontinental combination.
Comments from interested parties on the completeness of the application were due on December 29. They do not address the merger itself, but whether the board should send the 6,692-page application back to UP and NS for more information. UP and NS filed the application on December 19.
The other railroads were particularly critical that the application does not include the full UP-NS merger agreement. They also criticize its analysis of potential mergers that could follow the UP-NS transaction, and what they say is incomplete analysis of the merger’s effects on competition.
December 3 – CIFFA Participates in Hill Days in Ottawa
CIFFA’s Director, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Julia Kuzeljevich, and Government Relations Lead Advisor, Ben Martin, attended the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Hill Days in Ottawa on December 1 and 2. Hill Day is the Canadian Chamber’s annual gathering, bringing together Chamber network, business and trade association leaders to meet with federal decision-makers on key issues affecting Canadian businesses and the economy.
Participants heard from senior officials, including a fireside chat with Dominic LeBlanc, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Internal Trade, and Minister responsible for Canada–U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy.
A pundits panel featured:
CIFFA representatives also participated in roundtables for government-relations professionals in supply chain-related industries. Topics included red tape reduction, infrastructure needs, digitalization, standards, major projects and the need for concrete data vs anecdotes. Those sessions were led by:
The program included a fireside chat with Kirsten Hillman, Ambassador of Canada to the United States, and a luncheon keynote address by Jason Kenney, Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones and former Premier of Alberta.
November 1: Port of Montreal Accused of Violating Its Obligation to Consult the Public – La Presse (translated from French)
Did the Montreal Port Authority circumvent its legal obligation to consult the public in its efforts to obtain Ottawa’s approval to build a port terminal in Contrecœur? An environmental group is calling for an investigation and the suspension of a compensatory measures project for an endangered species.
On October 9, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) published a “notice of decision” on its website indicating that the proposed compensatory measures for the copper redhorse in the Verchères Islands were “not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.” These compensation measures are part of the steps taken by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) to obtain authorization from the federal government under the Species at Risk Act to build a port terminal in Contrecœur.
This would lead to the destruction of part of the essential habitat of the copper redhorse, a unique fish species in the world threatened with extinction.
The decision notice states that it took into account, among other things, “comments received from the public.” The Impact Assessment Act does indeed stipulate the obligation to consult the public in such circumstances.
In an email sent to La Presse this week, the MPA’s Director of Communications, Renée Larouche, indicated that a consultation period began on April 29, the date on which a notice of intent for the compensation project was published on the Impact Assessment Agency’s website. The MPA also stated that it had received no comments from the public since the publication of its notice.
La Presse then pointed out to the Port Authority that its document posted online on April 29 contained no reference to a public consultation and gave no instructions on how to submit comments on the project.
November 11: Houthis Declare Suspension of Red Sea Attacks, But Maritime Security Experts Urge Caution – gCaptain
The Houthi militant group in Yemen has announced a suspension of maritime operations against Israel and formally ended its naval blockade of Israeli ports, marking a significant shift in Red Sea shipping security.
The announcement came through a formal letter sent to Hamas’s military wing, Kata’ib al Qassam, by newly appointed Houthi Chief of Staff Yousef Hassan Al Madani, who assumed the role following the death of his predecessor, Mohammed Al Ghamari, in Israeli airstrikes. The move indicates that attacks against vessels previously targeted for calling at Israeli ports have now ceased.
Maritime security experts are urging caution despite the declared pause. Martin Kelly, Head of Advisory at EOS Risk Group, emphasized that the risk reduction should not be mistaken for complete elimination.
“As of 11 November, the risk of Houthi attacks against shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and broader region is significantly lower,” Kelly noted. “However, despite the declared pause, the Houthis retain the capability to conduct missile, drone, and USV attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea.”
In his letter, Al Madani reaffirmed Houthi support for Hamas and the Palestinian cause while making explicit the conditions under which attacks could resume.
November 12: Middle East Tensions Preclude Carriers’ Suez Return – Seatrade Maritime News
Ongoing events in Gaza and the West Bank appear to be enough to persuade most shipping lines that a return to the Suez Canal route will need to be postponed until there is certainty about the route’s safety.
Israeli attacks on Gaza targets since the ceasefire began last month have been almost daily, according to the Palestinian Authority, while the November 11 settler violence on the West Bank may yet persuade the Houthi movement to rescind its ceasefire.
A letter from major general Yusuf Hassan al-Madani, the Houthi military’s chief of staff, warned that hostilities could return if the conflict escalates again.
November 13: Maersk’s “Reliability Premium” Sparks Backlash from Smaller Shippers as Gemini Network Eyes Paid Priority – Breakbulk News
Maersk is weighing the introduction of a “reliability premium” for cargo shipped via its high-performing Gemini Cooperation vessels, a move that has ignited a wave of concern among smaller logistics operators and freight forwarders. The idea, first hinted at by Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc, would effectively charge extra for guaranteed schedule dependability, a commodity becoming increasingly rare in global shipping.
For now, the company insists no surcharge has been finalized. Yet the mere suggestion of monetizing reliability – something many shippers already consider part of the service – has touched a nerve across the logistics community.
November 14: After Months of Turmoil, China–U.S. Blank Sailings Settle Down – Supply Chain 24/7
Blank sailings on major China–U.S. trade routes have finally started to calm down after a rough stretch earlier this year, according to new data from project44. After months of spikes tied to tariff changes, carriers appear to be settling into new trade patterns as demand levels out.
Blank sailings between China and the U.S. are down sharply from their peak in the spring. Project44 reports an 82% drop from April’s high point, a sign that carriers adjusted too far earlier in the year as importers rushed to move goods before new tariffs took effect. Cancellations on U.S.-to-China routes also fell, dropping 83% from their May high.
Throughout 2024, blank sailings ranged from 10 to 32 per month in each direction. That all changed in 2025, when carriers began cancelling sailings at a much faster pace. Cancellations jumped in April, May and June as importers pulled orders forward and carriers tried to match lower demand. Another smaller spike followed in September as new tariff actions loomed.
November 16: Suez Canal Upbeat About Traffic Rebound as CMA CGM Boxships Make Transit – The Maritime Executive
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is optimistic that transits are gradually returning to normal after the canal witnessed the passage of three mega ships operated by CMA CGM in a span of one week.
Just a day after the UN Security Council overwhelmingly voted to renew sanctions against the Yemeni Houthis’ who have been waging attacks on commercial vessels, forcing them to avoid the Red Sea, SCA now believes the situation is easing and mega ships are making transits through the canal.
November 19: More Cargo, Less Cash: Why Shipping’s Recovery Is a Mirage – Trans.info
Global container carriers moved more cargo in the third quarter of 2025, signalling a clear recovery in trade flows after the turbulence earlier this year. Yet the improved demand has not translated into stronger profitability. Instead, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM all reported a similar pattern: higher volumes, lower average freight rates and elevated operating costs, resulting in weaker year-on-year earnings.
The three companies succeeded in lifting volumes – supported by network redesigns, stronger regional trade and operational improvements – but the amount earned per container continued to fall. At the same time, cost pressures stemming from Red Sea rerouting, bunker prices and trade volatility weighed on transport margins across their fleets.
November 25: National Strike Again Closes Belgium’s Ports and Halts Inland Cargo Ships – The Maritime Executive
Belgium’s three main labour unions banded together in what is likely the largest of the strikes over the past 10 months, protesting the country’s austerity budget. Ocean-going shipping and inland cargo operations ground to a halt along with trains, airports and many services, with union officials saying the strike was expected to culminate on November 26, in a nationwide effort that could paralyze Belgium.
The strike spread to shipping on November 25 as the operator of the pilot boats at Vlissingen, which is responsible for transferring Flemish pilots to seagoing vessels to guide them to and from the ports, joined the strike. It meant that pilots were unavailable to move ships along the Scheldt, effectively suspending all arrivals and departures from Antwerp and Ghent. As of that evening, the operators of the Zeebrugge Traffic Centre also joined the action. The port of Zeebrugge was effectively blocked.
Port officials warned that a backlog was quickly developing. They said it could take several days to resume full operations.
November 3: Hackers, Crime Rings Team Up on Cargo Theft, Report Finds – Transport Topics
Hackers are infiltrating trucking and freight companies in a scheme to steal and sell cargo shipments, a growing campaign that could end up costing companies and consumers billions of dollars, according to new cybersecurity research.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Proofpoint Inc. said it has “high confidence” that the hackers are working with organized crime groups to pull off the cargo thefts. The attackers are particularly targeting trucking carriers and freight brokers, seeking to infect their computer networks with tools that provide remote access, with the ultimate goal of hijacking cargo.
The stolen cargo is likely sold online or shipped overseas, according to the report.
“It has this sort of ripple effect across the entire ecosystem, from the ships that deliver them to the ports, that get picked up by the truckers, that get sent to businesses, and then ultimately onto consumers,” Proofpoint senior threat intelligence analyst Selena Larson said, highlighting that these types of cyberattacks have impacts far beyond just the companies that are compromised. “It is a full-scale supply chain threat.”
November 3: Familiar Challenges Top Trucking Survey, Even as New Issues Emerge – TruckNews.com
An annual survey of trucking’s most critical issues found familiar topics at the top, with the economy finishing first overall, and compensation again being the most significant concern among drivers. There were also four new entries among the top 10, illustrating the complexity of the always-evolving freight transportation industry.
The 2025 survey included 4,200 stakeholders across North America. Respondents represented motor carrier executives and personnel (46.7%), professional drivers (29.8%) and other industry stakeholders (23.4%), including suppliers, driver trainers and law enforcement.
ATRI’s full report includes suggested strategies to tackle each challenge, and separate lists for drivers and carriers.
November 11: DC Court Blocks FMCSA’s Non-Domiciled CDL Rule – FreightWaves
The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s interim final rule (IFR) heavily restricting non-domiciled commercial driver’s licences has been put on temporary hold.
In response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of truck driver Jorge Rivera Lujan, a long-time CDL holder, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered that FMCSA’s rule be stayed pending a further order by the court.
“The purpose of this administrative stay is to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motions for stay pending review and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the
With a stay in place, state driver’s licensing agencies presumably can resume issuing and renewing non-domiciled CDLS until the court decides whether to reject the lawsuit or issue a permanent stay, which could take weeks.
November 14: Quebec Imposes a Mandatory $10,000 Training Program to Become a Truck Driver, the Industry Fears an Orchestrated Shortage – Le Journal de Montréal (translated from French)
Small transportation companies fear a driver shortage and soaring costs in the industry as prospective truckers will have to pay up to $12,000 for mandatory training starting December 15.
Each year, approximately 5,800 new Class 1 driver’s licences are issued by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). Anyone who has held their driver’s licence for 36 months is eligible to obtain this heavy vehicle licence.
From now on, the class 1 licence will be reserved for those who successfully complete the Road Safety Education Program (PSEP) or who obtain the Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) in truck transport.
“How is a company with 25 trucks going to pay for that?” asks Benoît Therrien of Truck Stop Québec. “They’ll never be able to afford a trainer who will provide 125 hours of training.”
Steve Bourgeois, owner of SMSN Formation in the Montérégie region, fears that the next generation of drivers will disappear. “The sons of truckers, those who have been driving since they were young, they are already very good and they won’t pay $10,000 to take a course,” he says. “We’ll be shooting ourselves in the foot.”
November 17: AI Reshaping Trucking Operations as Carriers Face Challenges – TruckNews.com
Artificial intelligence is moving rapidly into mainstream trucking operations, and it is already reshaping how maintenance, planning and safety decisions are made.
Bison Transport associate vice president of network analytics and development Dave Fulawka and Thomas Solutions president Nicholas D’Amico told attendees at the Ontario Trucking Association’s recent annual conference in Toronto that fleets adopting the technology early will be far better positioned as economic pressures intensify.
Fulawka explained that much of his work now involves using an agent interface tied to a large language model. Bison uses Microsoft Copilot, which gives it a private environment where interactions remain secure.
He demonstrated how he feeds natural-language queries into the system and lets it process tasks that previously required hours from analysts. While the model can return “hallucinations” or incorrect answers, he said rerunning or refining the query typically fixes it, and recent work showed AI recommendations that closely matched manually calculated results.
D’Amico said Thomas Solutions began its digital shift five or six years ago when the fleet had no AI, no e-logging and no dash cameras. After implementing forward-facing and driver-facing cameras, the company began pairing video with telematics and analytics.
He said preventing incidents before they happen became a major focus, and the fleet reduced fuel costs by 15% to 30% depending on vehicle, laneway and run.
November 25: Ontario Proposes Tougher Fines, Suspensions for Commercial Vehicle Drivers – TruckNews.com
Ontario is preparing to sharply increase penalties for commercial vehicle offences, including distracted driving and speed limiter violations.
This is part of a broader legislative package aimed at cracking down on dangerous drivers across the province, according to a news release. The measures form part of a sweeping road safety initiative that also includes new roadside suspensions and lifetime bans for the most serious offences.
November 26: Ontario Expands Roadside Emissions Enforcement – TruckNews.com
Ontario is expanding its emissions enforcement by equipping roadside officers with the same testing technology used in DriveON inspection centres, allowing them to conduct full diesel emissions checks on commercial vehicles on highways across the province.
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) said in a letter to stakeholders that the move strengthens its transition of emissions legislation from the Environmental Protection Act to the Highway Traffic Act and builds on on-road inspections that began in 2021.
Ministry officers have already been conducting visual checks for visible smoke, tampering and damaged emissions components. With the enhanced technology, roadside capabilities now include opacity testing to measure exhaust pollutant density and on-board diagnostic testing to confirm diesel emissions control systems are working properly.
November 5: CIFFA Comments on November 4 Federal Budget 2025
CIFFA has weighed in on the federal government’s Budget 2025, announced on November 4.
November 17: CIFFA Heads Canadian Mission to Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference in Hong Kong
On behalf of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, CIFFA led a Canadian mission to attend the 15th Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference (ALMAC) in Hong Kong, organized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). The conference ran for two days, November 17 and 18, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, under the theme “Collaboration and Growth in the New Trade Landscape.” Side visits to various logistics facilities were also organized for the Canadian contingency.
This year’s ALMAC focused on three key trends: supply chain diversification, sustainability and green energy, and innovation and technology. The two-day conference – with the theme “Collaboration and Growth in the New Trade Landscape” – gathered over 80 distinguished speakers, including government officials and industry leaders, to discuss trends and opportunities and promote high-quality development in logistics and supply chain management. Also see HKTDC press release.
November 27: CIFFA Asks Minister Responsible for CBSA to Address Deteriorating Situation at Our Borders
CIFFA sent a letter on November 27 to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, asking him to address the deteriorating situation at our borders, which is severely impacting trade. Foremost among the issues are the severity and regularity of system outages linked to CBSA. CIFFA asked for timely and focused attention to this matter.
CIFFA recognizes that the trade challenges facing Canada are significant and seeks to collaborate with the minister on solutions.
October 1: Port of Montreal Updates Schedule for Expansion Project at Contrecœur – Maritime Magazine
The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) on October 1 unveiled an updated construction schedule as well as key environmental compensation measures for the Port of Montreal’s Contrecœur expansion project.
In keeping with the conditions attached to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s (IAAC) Decision Statement issued in March 2021, the MPA announced that work, which could have begun as early as September 29, is now expected to start in the coming weeks. This will be possible once the final details of the contractual agreement with the consortium responsible for water works, including preparatory activities, are completed.
“To finalize negotiations with the consortium carrying out the works, the closing date has been extended. This adjustment does not affect the project delivery date and will allow us to begin site preparation gradually this fall. Water works will follow once the required permits are in place,” said Paul Bird, Chief Commercial Officer at the MPA.
October 1: St. Lawrence and Great Lakes Industry Leaders Call for Rapid Action to Enhance the Waterway’s Contributions – press release published in Maritime Magazine
The St. Lawrence–Great Lakes Waterway connects hundreds of millions of consumers, dynamic manufacturing hubs and international markets. It is a vital trade artery between Canada and the United States.
Nearly a hundred leaders from the St. Lawrence–Great Lakes Waterway, including CEOs of ports, shipping operators, railway companies and the St. Lawrence Seaway gathered on September 29 at the Port of Montreal. Their objective: to chart the way forward to strengthen this vital waterway.
The group agreed that it is imperative to:
The leaders decided to unite their voices to make a clear call to governments to:
To formalize these demands, a joint declaration will be presented at the Leadership Summit of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, taking place in Quebec City from October 4 to 6.
October 1: Shipping Lines Face Potential $3.2-Billion USTR Bill in 2026 – Seatrade Maritime News
An aggregation of the top 10 carriers’ fleets, as they are currently deployed, would see $3.2 billion added in charges to tariffs, with Chinese carrier Cosco Shipping expected to be the hardest hit, attracting half the total charges.
Section 301 charges imposed by the U.S. Trade Representative from October 14 will see charges of $80 per net tonnage (NT) for each voyage performed for Chinese lines. Non-Chinese carriers that operate Chinese-built ships will pay the higher amount of either $23 per NT or $154 per TEU capacity. These charges will be paid only on the first five calls in any given year.
Alphaliner reports that, “Based on the current deployment, Cosco Group remains clearly the most threatened by the fee as its fleet would be subject to $1.53 billion of the aggregated $3.2 billion due from the top 10 carriers should their fleet deployment remain unchanged next year.”
October 2: Container Shipping Rates Hit 20-Month Low as 16-Week Decline Continues – gCaptain
The Drewry World Container Index has fallen 5%, to $1,669 per 40-ft container, marking the 16th consecutive weekly decline and reaching its lowest level since January 2024.
A detailed assessment from Drewry shows significant rate reductions across major trade lanes. Spot rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles decreased 5%, to $2,196 per 40-ft container, while Shanghai to New York rates fell 2%, to $3,200.
Carriers responded to weakening market conditions by implementing blank sailings and reducing capacity ahead of China’s Golden Week holiday. With Chinese factories shutting down for eight days from October 1, East-West spot rates are expected to continue their downward trajectory in the coming weeks.
October 7: Shipping Backup as Belgian Pilots Stage Work Slowdown Over Pension Reform – The Maritime Executive
The ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Ghent are all reporting building delays and a backlog of ships after the Belgian sea pilots’ association began a work slowdown to protest the government’s proposed pension reforms. It marks the latest in a series of strikes across Belgium during 2025 over the government’s plans for financial reforms.
The Professional Association of Pilots issued its notice of a job action due to start on October 5, saying government talks were not proceeding. The strike notice called for a work-to-rule action whereby the pilots limited their working hours to between 0800 and 1700 daily and maximized rest periods and office work. According to the Port of Antwerp Bruges, the reality is that pilots are only available starting at 1000 at the earliest and work stops by 1700.
“This action will cause serious disruption to the resumption of shipping to and from Antwerp and Zeebrugge, with severe disruptions to arrivals and departures in the coming days,” the port warned.
Pilot services were suspended on October 5 due to weather conditions, but the impact of the work slowdown began to emerge on October 6.
October 9: Expansion Project in Contrecœur: The Montreal Port Authority Partners with Pomerleau-Aecon and Confirms the Start of Preparatory Work – Port of Montreal press release
The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) on October 9 announced the start of preparatory work for its expansion project in Contrecœur and has awarded the contract for water works of the future container terminal to the CTCGP consortium (Contrecœur Terminal Constructors Grand Project), composed of Pomerleau and Aecon.
The initial interventions are primarily aimed at preparing the site for major phases planned over the coming year. This work will begin gradually between now and October 27.
These include:
“Today, we move from planning to action,” said Julie Gascon, President and CEO of the MPA.
October 9: Chinese Carriers Absorb New U.S. Port Fees, Forgo Surcharges – Global Trade
China’s flag carrier, Cosco, and its subsidiary Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) of Hong Kong, stated they will not impose surcharges to offset new U.S. port fees on Chinese-built and operated ships, set to be implemented on October 14. This decision contrasts with other liner operators who are adjusting their services in response to the fees.
Cosco informed its U.S. customers that it plans no changes to its services ahead of the punitive fees, which were formulated under the authority of the United States Trade Representative. “It seems unlikely shippers will experience much of an impact once the new law takes effect,” said Judah Levine of analyst Freightos, in a note to clients.
The fees, which aim to blunt China’s maritime dominance and boost American shipping and shipbuilding, could cost Cosco and OOCL as much as $2.1 billion in 2026, according to analysts, but could be absorbed by subsidies from Beijing.
October 10: China Hits U.S. Ships with Retaliatory Port Fees – Transport Topics
China has hit U.S.-owned vessels docking in the country with tit-for-tat port fees, in response to the American government’s planned port fees on Chinese ships.
Vessels owned or operated by American companies or individuals, and ships built in the U.S. or flying the American flag, will be subject to a 400 yuan ($56) per net ton fee per voyage if they dock in China, China’s Ministry of Transport said on October 10.
The fees will be applied on the same ship for a maximum of five voyages each year, and will rise every year until 2028, when they will reach 1,120 yuan ($157) per net ton, the ministry said. They will take effect on October 14, the same day that the United States is due to start imposing port fees on Chinese vessels.
China’s Ministry of Transport said that its special fees on American vessels are “countermeasures” in response to “wrongful” U.S. practices, referring to the planned U.S. port fees on Chinese vessels.
October 13: St. Lawrence Water Level Continues to Drop, Reducing Container Capacity; Carriers Add Low-Water Fees – La Presse (translated from French)
Container ships and other large vessels continue to sail lighter than usual on the St. Lawrence River, where water levels are at their lowest since 2012. There’s no sign of a recovery in the near future due to the dry weather. Shipping companies are therefore turning to an old tool: overcharging.
“It’s been a special year,” observes Cédric Baumelle, director of maritime operations at the Shipping Federation of Canada. “As early as June, we began to notice that water levels weren’t very high, and it only got worse.”
Autumn generally coincides with the low-water period, the time of year when the water level in the river approaches its lowest point. In addition to being more pronounced this year, the phenomenon has been prolonged, which has had consequences for commercial navigation.
At the Port of Montreal, the minimum guaranteed water level for commercial navigation is 11.3 metres. On October 8, the 30-day average was 15 centimetres below this level. This may seem insignificant, but not for a container ship.
“Every centimetre of immersion for a ship represents approximately 50 tons of goods that can be transported or must be removed,” says Baumelle.
October 17: Landmark Deal to Cut Global Shipping Emissions in Tatters After U.S. Pressure – BBC News
A landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions has been abandoned after Saudi Arabia and the U.S. succeeded in ending the talks.
More than 100 countries had gathered in London to approve a deal that would have seen shipping become the world’s first industry to adopt internationally mandated targets to reduce emissions. But U.S. President Donald Trump had called the plan a “green scam” and representatives of his administration had threatened countries with tariffs if they voted in favour of it.
In a dramatic conclusion on October 17, when countries should have been voting to approve the deal, Saudi Arabia tabled a motion to adjourn the talks for a year. The motion passed by just a handful of votes.
Speaking after the talks ended, Thomas Kazakos, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, said: “We are disappointed that member states have not been able to agree a way forward at this meeting. Industry needs clarity to be able to make the investments.”
October 20: IMO Net-Zero Framework Negotiations Continue Despite Adoption Delay as Biofuel Debate Takes Centre Stage – gCaptain
The International Maritime Organization is meeting this week to continue negotiations on key policy details in the Net-Zero Framework, despite the decision last week to delay the adoption vote until 2026.
While the Framework’s adoption has been postponed, countries are expected to make important clarifications on the Framework’s architecture and implementation, including which clean energy options will be incentivized and how the NZF revenues, worth up to $15 billion per year from 2030, will be spent.
A major focus this week centres on the role of biofuels in shipping’s clean transition. Experts have repeatedly warned about the environmental and climate risks of shipping’s expansion into high-risk biofuels, calling for real clean-energy incentives in the Framework, like renewably produced e-fuels and wind propulsion.
Delegates will also negotiate on the future of carbon pricing revenues, with Pacific Island states and NGO observers calling for guarantees for revenue distribution toward just and equitable transition.
October 20: Longshore Unions to Meet for Global Anti-Automation Summit – American Shipper
Maritime labour led by U.S. and European longshore unions will meet in November to protest port automation they say is threatening their jobs.
The “People Over Profit: Anti-Automation Conference,” scheduled for November 5 and 6 in Lisbon, Portugal, is being jointly organized by the U.S.-based International Longshoremen’s Association and the International Dockworkers Council of Barcelona.
ILA President Harold J. Daggett in a release urged union workers to “collectively address that threat and put the brakes on ocean carriers destroying dockworker and maritime jobs worldwide.”
October 22: Port of Vancouver Rolls Out ‘Just-in-Time’ Ship Arrivals – Inside Logistics
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has introduced a formal process to enable cargo ships to arrive at the Port of Vancouver “just-in-time,” marking a milestone in its strategy to improve efficiency and predictability of vessel movements.
The near-time arrival framework allows ships to tender their notice of readiness as they approach the Strait of Juan de Fuca, rather than waiting until they reach the port, helping operators align arrivals with berthing windows. Participating vessels are also prioritized for anchorage assignments when short stops are needed for inspections or services.
The port authority says near-time arrivals can reduce fuel use, lower emissions, shorten turnaround times and optimize berth utilization, benefiting shippers, terminal operators and surrounding communities.
October 29: Ocean Rates Higher by Double Digits as U.S. Makes Asia Trade Progress – American Shipper
Container rates on trans-Pacific routes from Asia to the United States and Northern Europe improved by double digits as negotiators made progress on regional trade deals.
Rates have “for the most part” maintained general rate increases from mid-October, analyst Freightos said in a weekly update, as carriers increased blanked sailings in an effort to balance capacity with lower demand during the seasonal lull.
“Trans-Pacific and Asia-North Europe rates increased 15% to 20% last week to about $2,000 per forty foot equivalent unit (FEU) to the West Coast, $3,500 per FEU to the East Coast and $2,270 per FEU to Europe,” said Freightos research chief Judah Levine. “Rates have stayed about level so far this week on these lanes, with Asia-Mediterranean prices easing about $100 per FEU.”
Asia-U.S. West Coast prices increased 20% to $2,027 FEU, according to the Freightos Baltic Index, while Asia-North Europe prices increased 15% to $2,267 per FEU and Asia-Mediterranean rates gained 6% to $2,278 per FEU.
Rates are now “well above” levels from before the Red Sea crisis that began in October 2023, Levine said. November could bring more general rate increases from carriers, although their staying power would likely depend on continued capacity management.
October 30: Trump, Xi Agree to Pause Dueling Port Fees That Disrupted Trade – Reuters
The U.S. and China agreed on October 30 to pause tit-for-tat fees on each other’s ships that became a major irritant in the broader trade war between the world’s two largest economies and pushed up ocean freight costs.
The move provides a 12-month reprieve on an estimated $3.2 billion annually in fees for large Chinese-built vessels sailing to U.S. ports and was among the trade deals reached in South Korea by U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
October 3: ICAO’s 42nd Assembly Delivers Clear Mandate for Transformation of Aviation – ICAO press release
The ICAO Assembly has given the organization a clear mandate to pursue its long-term strategy for transforming air transport, with member states adopting resolutions in support of eliminating fatalities, reducing carbon emissions to net-zero, and ensuring no country is left behind as air services grow in emerging economies.
ICAO’s 42nd Assembly closed on October 3 with a message to the global community. “Let this Assembly be remembered as one that set us firmly on track to transform global aviation for generations to come. Let it be remembered as one where global ambition becomes global action,” said ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano.
His remarks were delivered to representatives of a record-breaking 192 member states, with nearly 3,000 delegates having attended the two weeks of deliberations and decision-making.
October 6: Union Urges U.S. Air Traffic Controllers to Remain on Job Despite Government Shutdown – American Journal of Transportation
The union representing more than 13,000 air traffic controllers on October 6 urged workers to remain on the job during the ongoing partial government shutdown that requires them to work without pay.
The union told workers that “participating in a job action could result in removal from federal service” and is illegal.
“It is more important than ever that we rise to the occasion and continue delivering the consistent, high level of public service we provide every day,” the union told members. “We cannot stress enough that it is essential to avoid any actions that could reflect poorly on you, our union, or our professions.”
About 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees who staff airport security checkpoints are also required to keep working, but are not getting paid.
October 7: Staffing Issues Cause Delays at U.S. Airports as Government Shutdown Persists – American Journal of Transportation
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said staffing issues were causing delays at several airports on October 6, just hours after the top U.S. transportation official said air traffic controllers calling in sick had risen slightly since the government shutdown began.
Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must still turn up for work during the shutdown. They are not being paid and controllers are set to miss their first paycheck on October 14.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that, at times, air traffic staffing has been cut by 50% in some areas since the shutdown started last week.
FlightAware said more than 4,000 flights in the U.S. on October 6 were delayed, including 29% arriving flights at Denver, 19% of Newark flights and 15% of Las Vegas flights. Weather issues are also impacting flights.
October 26: U.S. Airports Report Over 20 Air Traffic Controller Shortage Incidents in One Day – The Guardian
U.S. airports have reported more than 20 incidents of air traffic controller shortages on October 25, said Sean Duffy, transportation secretary, in the latest sign of the government shutdown’s impact.
A ground stop was issued by the agency at Los Angeles international airport due to the air traffic controller staffing shortages at around 11:30 am ET. The restriction covered most of the southern California region and delays are likely when flights resume.
By noon ET on October 26, the agency had recorded shortfalls in air traffic controllers at six U.S. airports.
The Trump administration warned flight disruptions are expected to increase as the shutdown drags on.
Duffy told the Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures program that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 25 had 22 “triggers” that indicated shortages of air traffic controllers. He said that figure was “one of the highest that we’ve seen in the system” since October 1. “That’s a sign that the controllers are wearing thin,” Duffy said.
According to FlightAware, a flight tracking website, there were more than 5,300 U.S. flight delays on October 25 and more than 2,500 by 12 pm ET on October 26. Since the shutdown began, delays have often been above average.
October 27: U.S. Airfreight Forwarders Warn of Cargo Backlogs as Government Shutdown Continues – Air Cargo News
The U.S. Airforwarders Association (AfA) has expressed its disappointment at the continuing federal government shutdown, warning it could create backlogs and disrupt supply chains.
There are concerns that absence rates could rise if essential workers across the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) do not start getting paid soon.
“Air cargo depends on a functioning federal government,” said Brandon Fried, executive director, Airforwarders Association.
“TSA, FAA and CBP employees are showing extraordinary dedication in difficult circumstances, but they cannot be expected to continue indefinitely without pay.”
The AfA said that TSA officers are responsible for screening cargo and CBP officers “play a critical role” in processing import and export clearances. “Reduced staffing will slow these operations, creating backlogs that damage supply chains and the wider U.S. economy,” the AfA said.
October 3: U.S. Supreme Court Grants Review on Broker Liability Case; Fate of Second Unclear – FreightWaves
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue of broker liability.
In an announcement on October 3, the court said it had granted certiorari in the case of Montgomery vs. Caribe II. However, in the list of the five cases it accepted, with no rejections reported, it did not mention a parallel case involving broker liability, Cox vs. Total Quality Logistics, where the giant 3PL had requested certiorari.
Both Montgomery and Cox involve the same fundamental question: Under the safety exception of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (F4A), can a broker be considered akin to a motor vehicle?
“This is extraordinarily good news for the freight brokerage industry which, more than anything else, needs certainty in order to serve the public,” said Marc Blubaugh, head of the transportation practice at the Benesch law firm.
October 6: Ontario DriveTest Examiners Pressured to Meet Pass Quotas; MTO Issues Denial – Today’s Trucking
Ontario’s DriveTest examiners are pressured to meet quotas to pass road test applicants, trucknews.com has learnt.
Documents show that a scorecard system is in use, setting expectations like 87% pass rate and an “error rate” under 1.24%, for Serco Canada employees.
Serco Canada, operating as DriveTest, is a private-sector organization licensed by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to operate 92 DriveTest Centres across the province. Sources said that examiners are rated levels 1 to 4 based on performance metrics. A No. 3 level or above could lead to retraining, demotion or firing.
The MTO denied the allegations. “DriveTest centres operate under high standards set by the Ministry of Transportation. DriveTest does not operate using a quota system,” said Tanya Blazina, senior media relations advisor at MTO.
“Examiners are required to provide a full and impartial assessment of each driver’s skills while ensuring that the road test reflects the applicant’s overall competency and ability to follow and obey the rules of the road. All drivers in Ontario must meet the same high test standards demonstrating driver competency before they can be fully licensed,” she added.
Serco did not respond to a request for comment.
But sources interviewed by trucknews.com said that those standards are being undermined by internal performance scorecards and pressure to pass applicants to meet company targets.
October 6: U.S. Lawmaker Pushes to End Mexico/Canada Trucking Reciprocity – FreightWaves
Legislation introduced last week could take the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s recent restrictions on foreign truck drivers to a whole new level.
The Protecting America’s Roads Act, introduced by Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, is largely aimed at codifying into law FMCSA’s recent Interim Final Rule (IFR) cracking down on non-domiciled commercial driver’s licences, and by extension foreign truck drivers.
But Van Duyne’s bill would push those restrictions further by attempting to end CDL reciprocity agreements with foreign countries – which currently exist only with Mexico and Canada.
FMCSA has previously determined that CDLs issued by Mexican states and by Canadian provinces, and which conform with those countries’ safety codes, are in compliance with FMCSA’s CDL regulations. “Under these reciprocity determinations, drivers that live in Canada and Mexico … operate in the United States with the license issued by their country of domicile,” according to FMCSA, thereby prohibiting them from obtaining a non-domiciled CDL from a U.S. state under the “single license” provision.
However, Van Duyne’s legislation states that the FMCSA “shall take such actions as are necessary to terminate any existing reciprocity agreements that recognize foreign commercial driver’s licenses in the United States or permit holders of foreign commercial driver’s licenses to operate a commercial motor vehicle in the United States, unless expressly authorized by statute.”
Terminating those agreements would mean that CDLs issued from Canada or Mexico would no longer be considered valid in the U.S., potentially forcing drivers holding those licences who want to operate across the border to get a new U.S.-recognized credential – most likely a non-domiciled CDL under the new restrictions being enforced by FMCSA.
October 6: Court Overturns U.S. FMC’s Rule on Trucking Demurrage Charges – FreightWaves
Truckers in the U.S. may be subject to demurrage charges once again following a court reversal of a Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) rule that blocked such an assessment.
In a case brought against the FMC by the World Shipping Council, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled late last month that the FMC rule blocking demurrage assessments against motor carriers was “arbitrary and capricious.”
“While the Commission’s basic, stated rationale was to confine the parties against whom demurrage and detention charges may be levied to entities who are in a contractual relationship with the billing party, the Commission, without adequate explanation, left out entities who are in such a contractual relationship while seemingly including others who are not,” the court wrote.
The court’s action set aside the part of the 2024 FMC rule that blocked demurrage charges against trucks. No other parts of the rule were impacted by the court’s decision.
October 8: MPs Launch Probe of Trucking Sector, Bloc Calls Out Labour Standards – Today’s Trucking
Labour standards in Canada’s trucking sector are under scrutiny as a House of Commons committee launched a study of the issue this week and the Bloc Québécois called on the government to end what it calls exploitative practices.
The transport committee is studying an industry business model known as “Driver Inc.,” in which transport companies classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.
These drivers are “virtually indistinguishable” from traditional employees, said Canadian Trucking Alliance president and CEO Stephen Laskowski, because they don’t own or lease their vehicles and have little to no financial stake in the business. However, transport companies can use their status as contractors to deny them benefits. “For the company, they use this justification to strip workers of all their labour right entitlements.”
The committee study will include at least six meetings and the committee is expected to ask the minister of transport and the secretaries of state for labour and revenue to testify.
The Driver Inc. model is undermining the long-term sustainability and stability of the workforce, said Angela Splinter, CEO of Trucking Human Resources Canada. She said it’s also creating a “rigged market” where compliant carriers struggle to compete against those exploiting the model for savings and profit.
October 15: Wabash Turns $462-Million Adverse Verdict into $30-Million Payout – Trucking Dive
Wabash agreed to settle a legal case involving a fatal crash with a $30-million payout after initially facing $450 million in punitive damages and $12 million in compensatory damages, according to a securities filing last week. Insurance will cover costs beyond the $30 million, but the exact amount wasn’t specified by the securities filing.
The case involved a 2019 fatal crash in which a passenger vehicle collided with a nearly stopped tractor-trailer, the company previously said. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued a rear-impact guard on the Wabash trailer completely failed.
Wabash said the passenger car driver’s blood alcohol was over the legal limit, and neither the driver nor passenger was wearing a seat belt, but legal teams debated over what was admissible, and those details were kept from the jury.
The securities filing said the settlement does not constitute any liability or wrongdoing, and plaintiffs and beneficiaries agreed in the settlement to drop further legal challenges.
October 22: AI Deepfakes Fueling Digitally Enabled Crime Wave in the Freight Industry – FreightWaves
Cargo theft across North America is rapidly evolving from traditional trailer break-ins to sophisticated digital fraud schemes that use artificial intelligence, social engineering and marketplace reselling to move stolen goods faster than ever before, say experts.
“Criminals have realized they can commit theft without ever touching the freight,” said Danny Ramon, director of intelligence and response at supply chain risk firm Overhaul. “They’re lowering their physical risk and scaling operations digitally, sometimes pulling off multiple thefts a day.”
Ramon said organized cargo networks are increasingly adopting AI-generated voices and synthetic identities to bypass verification calls or create fake carrier profiles.
“AI, just like it is in the business world, is a force multiplier in the criminal world as well,” Ramon said. “Unfortunately, it’s adding efficiency, it’s sometimes the appearance of legitimacy, especially to social engineering and phishing attacks. AI now is making these things messages … not only grammatically perfect, if need be, but maybe just imperfect enough to sound like a person.”
October 23: Ontario to Seek Residency Proof, Add Waiting Period in Bid to Target Driver’s Licence Fraud – Today’s Trucking
The Ontario government is planning to target driving licence fraud by tightening eligibility requirements.
Bill 60 introduced in Queen’s Park on October 23 is proposing changes that verify residency and work eligibility in Canada for commercial driver’s licence applicants. It also seeks to add a mandatory minimum waiting period between obtaining a Class G and Class A driver’s licence.
The act says: “This initiative aligns with key priorities, enhancing public safety, preventing fraud, ensuring regulatory compliance, and addressing long-standing stakeholder concerns about the integrity of the driver’s licensing system.”
October 26: U.S. Nuclear Verdicts Keep Getting Worse for Trucking – Transport Topics
The U.S. transportation sector is facing skyrocketing legal verdicts at a moment when fierce opposition to reform is emerging, according to a panel of experts speaking October 26 at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition.
“We have been hearing from many of our members – some in the transportation industry, many not – about this concerning trend of verdicts rising,” said Oriana Senatore, managing director and senior vice president of strategy at the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. “They’re just getting exponentially larger.”
To learn more, Senatore said the group conducted some “foundational research” to put a finer point on the anecdotal evidence and determine the severity of the trend.
The resulting research showed that one in four auto accidents that result in a nuclear verdict involved a commercial trucking company. The researchers defined nuclear verdicts as being $10 million or more. They also found that nuclear verdicts have been getting larger in recent years across industries beyond just trucking, with overall costs reaching $529 billion by 2022.
October 27: In Reversal, ATA Says U.S. Driver Shortage About Quality, Not Quantity – Commercial Carrier Journal
In a U.S. trucking environment suppressed at least partially by too many drivers scrambling to haul not enough freight, at the 2025 American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello contended that a driver shortage remains: one of quality, not quantity.
“What we have in the United States is a quality problem around drivers, much more so than an absolute number,” he said during his economic update. “It’s the quality of the labour. Drug and alcohol testing. Accidents. That is what the ATA is talking about when we talk about this issue.”
ATA in 2021 estimated the industry was short upward of 80,000 drivers and was trending toward a shortfall of 160,000 drivers by 2030. ATA President and CEO Chris Spear, citing ATA’s 2022 Driver Shortage Update, told Congressional leaders this July that, “over the next decade, trucking companies will need to hire roughly 1.2 million new drivers to keep pace with growing freight demand and an aging workforce.”
In his address at his organization’s conference, Spear noted there’s never been a lack of people with CDLs. “What we lack,” he said, “is the number of qualified drivers who meet our high standards of professionalism and safety.”
October 28: ‘No Evidence’ Non-Domiciled CDLs Bad for Safety: Lawsuit to Block U.S. DOT’s New Rule – Overdrive
An “emergency motion” demanding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit immediately halt the Department of Transportation’s new rule banning nearly 200,000 non-citizens from holding CDLs says the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration showed “no evidence” that immigration impacts safety in trucking, and that the rule is “threatening the livelihoods of more than 200,000 working people and their families.”
On October 27, the court gave DOT until October 31, to respond to the petition, and the petitioners will then have to respond by November 3. Within a few weeks, the court may have ruled on DOT and FMCSA’s most forceful regulatory action in years.
DOT’s new rule, which came down under emergency circumstances, explicitly bars all temporary non-citizen residents of the U.S., excepting a few specific visa holders, from obtaining CDLs under strict new criteria.
October 30: Government of Canada Clamping Down on Driver Inc. Scheme in Budget 2025 – Department of Finance Canada press release
Trucking is vital to connecting Canada’s vast and expansive territory and bridging our united economies, but not at the expense of industry standards and tax obligations. Too many trucking companies and the drivers they hire are in non-compliance with tax obligations. Some companies erroneously and deliberately misclassify their truck drivers as independent contractors, instead of on-staff employees. These practices undercut competition in the sector and unevenly punish rule-abiding companies, and deprive workers of the benefits and pensions they are owed.
To restore fairness to the sector and ensure workers are receiving the benefits they deserve, Budget 2025 will provide $77 million over four years, starting in 2026-27, with ongoing funding of $19.2 million annually, for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to lift the moratorium on the penalties for failure to report fees for service transactions in the trucking industry and to implement a focused program that addresses non-compliance issues related to personal services businesses and reporting fees for service.
The budget will also propose amending the Income Tax Act and the Excise Tax Act to allow the CRA to share taxpayer information and confidential information as it relates to the classification of workers with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESD). This would provide ESD with access to better information, which could in turn allow it to more effectively address the issue of driver misclassification in the trucking industry.
October 30: New FMCSA Bond Rule May Shake Up Broker Compliance in U.S. – FreightWaves
On January 16, 2026, the FMCSA will begin enforcing stricter compliance standards around freight broker and freight forwarder financial security. If you’re a broker – or rely on brokers to move freight – you need to pay attention.
This isn’t just another policy tweak. This is one of the most impactful financial stances for brokers since MAP-21 was enacted over a decade ago.
Under the MAP-21 law, every freight broker and freight forwarder is required to maintain a $75,000 surety bond (BMC-84) or trust fund (BMC-85) as a financial safety net. That bond exists to protect motor carriers and shippers in the event a broker fails to pay.
Until now, though, many BMC-85 trust fund providers have been able to use non-liquid assets like personal loans, crypto, real estate holdings or unsecured financial instruments as backing. That loophole is about to slam shut. Starting in 2026, the FMCSA will recognize only liquid assets.
If a broker’s bond drops below $75,000 for even a single day, such as when a claim is paid and not replenished, their authority can be suspended immediately.
If you’re a small carrier or an owner-operator, you’ve likely dealt with slow-pay brokers, fly-by-nights or those who go radio silent after you deliver. This rule could clean some of that mess up, or at least expose the bad brokers, which will eventually purge them.
CIFFA issued a statement on October 3 to the Minister Responsible for CBSA, Gary Anandasangaree, regarding ongoing systems outages affecting Canada’s border crossings and the clearance of goods.
In the letter, CIFFA said: “The repercussions of the latest system outage are impacting thousands of truck drivers waiting to cross into Canada, warehouses at capacity awaiting shipment release, and shipments being held resulting in storage charges being assessed to the import community. Our concerns focus on system reliability and consistency, as well as transparency.”
September 3: Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Region Mayors Join Fight to Rectify Insufficient CBSA Container Clearance Services – Maritime Magazine
In a joint letter to three federal government ministers, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence mayors have joined marine industry stakeholders to “unlock growth potential through Hwy H2O” by eliminating a critical barrier: the limited clearance services by the Canada Border Services Agency of international containers.
The mayors point out that “the clearance of international containers along Hwy H2O is concentrated in one port facility, and no complementary capacity elsewhere on the Canadian side of the system. (The port facility they refer to is Montreal.)
“While this existing capacity is essential, the absence of additional confirmed clearance options at other ports – including Hamilton, Quebec City, Windsor, Picton, Port Colborne and Goderich – leaves the system less flexible and under-utilized.
“The recent withdrawal of services by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) from the Port of Valleyfield in 2024 has further reduced our collective capacity. This is happening in a context where American ports on the East Coast are gradually taking over business destined for Canada, with containers from ports south of the border then being transported by truck and rail to our region. This not only creates congestion but also prevents the development of logistical chains that support a Canada Strong economy and well-paid jobs for our residents.”
In a letter to Minister of Transport Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree and Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly, the mayors of Montreal, St. Catharines, Quebec City, Hamilton, Windsor, Port Colborne, Goderich and Valleyfield stressed their belief that the Great Lakes/Seaway corridor is “essential not only for diversifying Canada’s global trade connections but also for building a more integrated, resilient, and competitive national economy.”
September 5: India Inaugurates Its Largest Container Terminal as Part of Global Strategy – The Maritime Executive
Ceremonies in Mumbai on September 4 marked the completion of the Phase 2 expansion of the JN Port-PSA Mumbai Terminal, which doubled its capacity and became the largest container terminal in the country.
The Mumbai terminal, which is built on 200 hectares, doubled its annual handling capacity to 4.8-million TEUs. It is designed to accommodate multiple mega container vessels alongside its 2,000-metre (6,560-foot) quay. The project brought together enhanced yard capacity and multimodal infrastructure and adopted the use of electric equipment.
September 7: USTR Port Fees Expected to Cost Cosco Shipping and OOCL $1.5 Billion in 2026 – Seatrade Maritime News
Chinese container lines Cosco Shipping Holdings and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) will face the brunt of the impact from United States Trade Representative (USTR) port fees that will come into force in October according to a report from HSBC Global Investment Research.
The USTR fees for Chinese-built and Chinese-owned ships calling the U.S. will come into force on October 14 and, although the final rules are yet to be announced, the report looked at the potential costs to container lines.
“Non-Chinese carriers will be levied a port fee only if they deploy Chinese-built ships on U.S. port calls. We believe they have sufficient non-China-built ships to deploy to avoid the fees,” HSBC said in the report.
HSBC said that 71% of global container ship capacity is non-Chinese-built and that just 21% of capacity on the Transatlantic and Transpacific trades is China-built tonnage, and only 15% of U.S. port calls in 2024 were made by Chinese-constructed vessels.
September 8: Montreal Port Authority and DP World Sign Development Agreement for Contrecœur Project – Maritime Magazine
As part of the Port of Montreal expansion project in Contrecœur, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) and DP World in Canada (a joint venture between DP World and La Caisse) have entered into a joint development agreement for the design of the land-based works of the future container terminal scheduled for completion in 2030, the MPA announced.
The official signing of the agreement, which took place on September 4, enables DP World to join the ranks of active terminal operators at the Port of Montreal.
September 8: Maersk Warns Canadian Importers to Brace for Peak-Season Disruptions, Tariff Changes – Inside Logistics
Canadian importers and exporters should expect continued supply chain turbulence heading into peak season, with new tariff measures, port congestion and inland transport bottlenecks adding cost and complexity, according to Maersk’s latest North America market update.
The global shipping giant said low water levels on the St. Lawrence River are limiting vessel capacity into Canada, complicating planning for businesses already navigating variable lead times and shifting trade flows. On the East Coast, congestion around Montreal is being compounded by major road construction at Turcot, Ville Marie and the La Fontaine Tunnel, while high dwell times in Newark are slowing Canada-bound rail cargo.
Reefer trucking into Canada is especially tight. Maersk urged shippers to book refrigerated equipment earlier than usual and build up safety stock to buffer against late arrivals. The company also recommended flexible Montreal delivery windows and considering alternative inland ramps or gateways to avoid bottlenecks.
“Plan Canada moves with added lead time and keep Montreal delivery windows flexible to account for variable discharge and roadworks,” the company said in its update.
September 8: Ocean Shipping Profits Plunge 56% in Q2 – American Shipper
The container shipping industry faced a challenging second quarter in 2025, recording its third consecutive quarterly decline in earnings.
The industry’s net income fell to $4.4 billion, a 56% drop from the first quarter’s $9.9 billion and a 63.7% decrease from the $12 billion earned in the second quarter of 2024. This decline is attributed largely to the ongoing impacts of tariffs and shifting trade policies, particularly involving the United States, said analyst John McCown in a report.
The imposition of tariffs by the Trump administration has significantly disrupted trade flows, leading to a pronounced downtrend in inbound U.S. container volumes. This disruption is forecast to continue, with the National Retail Federation estimating a 5.6% decrease in U.S. inbound volume for the entire year of 2025 compared with 2024. As a result, the second quarter set in motion a ripple effect across the global container shipping network, particularly affecting trade lanes that connect the Asia-Pacific region with North America.
September 15: 41% of Container Transport Is Empty – Splash
New analysis from Danish liner consultancy Sea-Intelligence shows the growing percentage of empty containers moving around the world.
Experts at Sea-Intelligence have calculated the share of empties relative to full containers, based on TEU-miles, and found out that currently 41% of container transport is empty.
“The present situation is that, for every 10 miles a full container is shipped, there is now a need to ship an empty container 4.1 miles – sharply up from ‘just’ 3.1 miles in 2019, before the pandemic market disruptions,” Sea-Intelligence explained in its latest weekly report, noting a five-year increasing trend, with only a minor temporary reduction in 2022.
Discussing the issue of empty containers, Acumen Freight Solutions, a Karachi-based freight forwarder, noted in a recent social media posting that trade rarely flows evenly between countries.
“Some regions export far more than they import, while others are primarily import-driven. This creates container imbalances where one port is overflowing with empties while another struggles with shortages,” Acumen explained, pointing out that ports in Asia often face container shortages due to high export volumes, while ports in North America and Europe may see surpluses as more imports arrive than exports leave.
September 22: Montreal Gateway Terminals Employees Launch Strike – Maritime Magazine
The 32 employees of Montreal Gateway Terminals launched an indefinite general strike on September 22. They had filed a strike notice on September 18 after voting 96% in favour of strike action on September 11.
With the exception of certain schedule adjustments, operations are expected to continue as normal.
Mediation and conciliation have been tried in this case, but without success. The previous collective agreement expired on December 31, 2024.
The Montreal Port Authority noted that the strike is not affecting other terminals.
September 22: Shipping’s Net Zero Crossroads: Ambition Meets a Credibility Test – Seatrade Maritime News
In a matter of days, what had been a technical debate about fuels and vessel design has turned into a public stress test of the International Maritime Organization’s Net Zero Framework (NZF). Prominent owners, including those linked to Frontline, Angelicoussis Group, Capital, TMS and Bahri, have said they cannot support the framework as written, describing it as an excessive financial burden for both industry and consumers.
Classification voices added their own caution. The outgoing chief executive of the American Bureau of Shipping, Christopher Wiernicki, called for a “timeout,” citing uncertainties in fuel availability, scalability and infrastructure. He also warned that bridge options such as LNG and bio/e-LNG should be protected in any framework rather than marginalized.
Elsewhere in London, executives began describing October’s extraordinary MEPC session as a choice between “two devils”: adopt a framework with unresolved mechanics and risk locking in unworkable obligations or reject it and risk regulatory fragmentation and investment paralysis. It’s now abundantly clear that confidence in adoption has weakened as the vote approaches.
Port authorities, represented by the International Association of Ports and Harbours, have also issued warnings, arguing that if no framework emerges, the result would be a patchwork of rules that raise costs and undermine planning for bunkering, terminals and landside investments.
The dispute is not over whether to decarbonize but instead over whether the current draft is investable, operable and affordable at scale. Five themes now dominate discussions across the sector.
September 22: Container Rates Plummet on China-U.S. Routes – The Maritime Executive
International container rates have plummeted over the past few weeks, pulled down by cooling economic signals in the West and the onset of the Golden Week holiday in China.
The core Shanghai-U.S. West Coast route saw rates drop by 31 percent week-on-week, down to just $1,600 per FEU. The all-water route from Shanghai to the East Coast fell to $2,500 per FEU, down 23 percent week-on-week. Rates from Shanghai to Europe dropped by nine percent to $1,000 per TEU, a favourable price per ton-mile for the shipper. Falling demand and falling rates are typically a sign of blanked sailings ahead.
“If demand drops, so should capacity if you are to at least underpin the rates and prevent them from dropping. And if we look on the capacity side, the carriers are still busy blanking sailings,” said Vespucci Maritime analyst Lars Jensen in a podcast released on September 22. “We are now at a point where roughly 14% have been pulled out of the Pacific, 17% out of Asia and Europe.”
September 22: Genoa Dockers Walk Out as Italian Unions Protest Against Israel – gCaptain
Striking dockworkers blocked access roads to the port of Genoa in northern Italy on September 22, as part of protests against Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Transport services also faced disruption and a number of schools across Italy were closed following strikes called by a group of unions in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Further down the coast in the Tuscan city of Livorno, an entrance to the port was blocked by protesting workers.
Italian dockworkers say they are seeking to prevent Italy from being used as a staging post for the transfer of arms and other supplies to Israel which is waging a war on Hamas in Gaza.
Demonstrations were planned for many Italian cities later on September 22.
September 23: Super Typhoon Ragasa Disrupts China’s Key Ports – Hellenic Shipping News
The closure of several major Chinese ports on September 22 ahead of Super Typhoon Ragasa could create shipping delays that exacerbate congestion at Southeast Asian ports, market sources said.
Port authorities closed Shenzhen and Nansha ports in Guangdong province until conditions improve. Shekou, Chiwan, Mawan and Dachan Bay ports also closed on September 22, according to a shipper.
“It is predicted that the wind and rain will gradually intensify in the afternoon of the 23rd, and the period from the night of the 23rd to the 24th will be the period with the strongest wind and rain, with an extremely high risk of causing disasters,” a China-based carrier said.
The same carrier estimated that the Yantian and Shekou terminals in Shenzhen will likely reopen on September 25, “if all goes well.”
September 23: Montreal Port Faces Bigger Problem Than $2.3-Billion Expansion Can Solve, Says Maritime Expert – Windsor Star
Montreal’s Contrecœur Terminal expansion may ease traffic at the port, but it won’t solve the port’s bigger problem: getting deep-draft modern container ships in and out.
Jean-Paul Rodrigue, a professor of maritime business administration at Texas A&M University, said the St. Lawrence River channel from Quebec City to Montreal isn’t deep enough to handle increasingly large container ships. It’s designed to handle vessels carrying up to 5,000 standard containers, which is much less than the standard Neo-Panamax container ships that can carry as many as 14,000 containers.
That’s a deal-breaker, he said.
“It’s becoming very evident over the last two or three years as the size of the container ship has increased exponentially that Montreal is becoming marginalized,” the specialist in maritime shipping, port operations and supply chains said. “We’re going to lose market share to the American seaboard. It’s going to eventually undermine maritime connectivity of Eastern Canada. That seems to be what’s happening.”
September 26: Record Cargo Volumes at Port of Vancouver in H1 2025 – Maritime Magazine
The Port of Vancouver announced it moved record volumes of Canadian trade in the first six months of 2025, delivering vast quantities of made-in-Canada grain, energy and fertilizer exports to diverse world markets against a challenging geopolitical backdrop.
The port’s mid-year cargo statistics show a 13% increase in cargo moved between January and June 2025, compared with the same six-month period last year – with a record of more than 85 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo handled.
Port of Vancouver terminals handled nearly 20% more international trade than a year ago, exports of Canadian crude, canola oil, grain, potash and coal to markets worldwide. Containerized trade over the first half of 2025 remained steady.
September 6: Air Canada Flight Attendants Massively Reject Wage Offer, Union Says; No Labour Disruption to Result – CTV News
Air Canada flight attendants have massively rejected the employer’s wage offer following a vote on a new contract that ended on September 6. Flight attendants at Air Canada wrapped up voting at 3 pm ET on the tentative new contract, with 99.1 percent voting down the airline’s wage offer.
The airline says the wage portion will now be referred to mediation as previously agreed to by both sides.
“Air Canada and CUPE contemplated this potential outcome and mutually agreed that if the tentative agreement was not ratified, the wage portion would be referred to mediation and, if no agreement was reached at that stage, to arbitration,” the airline said in a statement shortly after the results were released by the union.
“The parties also agreed that no labour disruption could be initiated, and therefore there will be no strike or lockout, and flights will continue to operate.”
September 16: CUPE Requests Cancellation of Mediation – Air Canada press release
Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) reached a four-year tentative agreement for its flight attendants in August. This agreement, which was not ratified by the flight attendants, was achieved without concessions from the union and included improvements to wages, pensions and benefits, while also including a mutually agreed-to modernization of compensation for work performed on the ground.
In contemplating the potential outcome of not ratifying the tentative agreement, the parties mutually agreed that the wage portion would be referred to mediation and, if no agreement was reached at that stage, it would continue to the arbitration process previously ordered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The parties also agreed that no labour disruption could be initiated, and therefore flights will continue to operate as normal.
On September 12, CUPE asked to dispense with the mediation process and have the wage component proceed directly to arbitration.
Air Canada agreed to CUPE’s request.
September 23: IATA Study Confirms that SAF Technology Rollout is Main Bottleneck to Net Zero, Not Feedstock Availability – IATA press release
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in partnership with Worley Consulting, has published a study demonstrating that sufficient sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstock exists to enable the airline industry to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. All feedstocks considered meet stringent sustainability criteria and do not lead to changes in land use.
The study also identified significant barriers in using that feedstock for SAF production, namely:
The slow pace of technology rollout that would enable SAF to be produced from varied sources. Currently the only commercially scaled SAF production facilities use HEFA technology, for example converting used cooking oil into SAF.
Competition with other potential users of the same feedstock. IATA believes that policies to allocate biomass feedstock should prioritize hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation.
September 10: CN, CSX to Launch New Intermodal Service into Nashville – Progressive Railroading
CN and CSX this week announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to develop a new intermodal service into Nashville, Tennessee.
The service will provide customers with a seamless, all-rail alternative for international containers moving from Canada’s West Coast gateways through Memphis directly into Nashville, CN and CSX officials said in a joint press release.
By replacing the current trucking leg with a steel-wheel interchange, CN and CSX will be able to deliver faster, more-reliable and more-sustainable supply chain solutions for shippers, they said. The all-rail solution will reduce truck traffic on highways.
September 9: Misclassifying Truck Drivers Is Illegal, ESDC Warns Employers – Today’s Trucking
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) issued a blunt warning to the trucking industry, reminding employers that misclassifying workers under the Driver Inc. model is illegal and will have consequences.
In a new video titled “Misclassification is illegal,” the department’s labour program outlines the growing problem of employee misclassification in road transportation and stresses that non-compliance with the Canada Labour Code will not be tolerated. The video explains what misclassification is, why it is prohibited, employer obligations and the penalties for failing to comply.
The initiative is part of Ottawa’s broader effort to clamp down on the Driver Inc. model, in which truck drivers are treated as independent contractors rather than employees. The practice allows some carriers to avoid obligations tied to overtime pay, vacation, employment insurance and Canada Pension Plan contributions.
September 9: FMCSA Will No Longer Accept Paper Payments, Including Cheques, as of September 30 – CDL Life
The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will transition to accepting only electronic payments later this month as the agency works to modernize operations.
Effective September 30, FMCSA will no longer accept paper payments like cheques or money orders for any transactions, including fees for initial application of operating authority registration, reinstatement or legal name changes, civil penalty payments, and other fee-based transactions.
After the September 30 deadline, users will be required to make electronic payments by providing debit or credit card information.
Officials say that they are transitioning away from paper payments because electronic payments are “faster, more secure, and more efficient, reducing errors and administrative burden,” as well as being in alignment with White House Executive Order 14247: Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account.
Any paper cheque received after September 30 will not be processed and will be returned, potentially delaying services.
September 10: Drivers’ Licence Suspensions a Positive Step in Tackling Truck Safety Crisis in Ontario – OTA press release
As the Province of Ontario continues to address significant challenges and irregularities within its commercial truck driver training and licensing regime, the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) continues to urge the government to accelerate the process to end lawlessness in the trucking industry.
OTA understands the Ministry of Transportation continues to issue letters to Class A licence holders, notifying them of a 90-day suspension of their licence. The letter reportedly states the suspension is due to “their dishonesty during the Class A test and or/training process” and “further communication related to this matter will be forthcoming.”
“Trucking is one of the few industries that shares its workplace with the public. It comes with added responsibility to meet the highest safety standards – something most truck drivers and company owners willingly accept as part of doing business,” said OTA president Stephen Laskowski.
“…there are way too many companies that allow such drivers to share the road with the public. OTA questions how many fleet owners were aware or unknowingly participated in these licensing scams to access low-cost labour at the expense and risk to public safety.”
September 11: Trucker Protests Coming to Quebec – La Presse (translated from French)
Starting September 22, a group called Enough is Enough promises to create traffic congestion every Monday in several Quebec cities.
“Our goal is to make ourselves heard and be tiresome,” movement spokesperson Steve Bourgeois told me. “We’re going to drive our trucks in the right lane. We’re going to respect the speed limit and we’re going to cause even more traffic during rush hour, between 5 am and 9 am.”
The means can certainly be criticized. The Quebec Trucking Association has distanced itself from the upcoming demonstrations, even though it supports the demands of the Enough is Enough movement.
The truckers are essentially demanding… that the screws be tightened. They want more regulation and more oversight. You read that right.
September 22: Investigation: Is Unsafe Ontario Equipment Being Allowed to Operate with Unethically Obtained Safety Inspection Decals? – Today’s Trucking
A Toronto-area heavy-duty repair shop owner recently became suspicious when a normally steady stream of local trucks seeking annual safety inspections stopped showing up. When he began seeing those same units coming to his shop in various states of disrepair, yet with shiny new FMCSA inspection stickers affixed, his suspicions grew.
Some of the customers told him they found a cheaper service provider for safety inspections elsewhere. But he also noticed each of those trucks and trailers from a variety of trucking companies were certified by the same Illinois repair shop, ATG Repair.
The shop owner could think of no possible explanation for so many Ontario-based trucks and trailers to have all been inspected by the same shop in Cook County, Ill. Stranger yet, these trucks carrying ATG Repair stickers, but belonging to different companies, frequently congregated in the same Mississauga yard.
September 24: B.C. Court Upholds New Restrictions on Independent Truckers – Castanet
A judge has upheld a ruling from the B.C. Container Trucking Commissioner imposing strict new rules on independent truck operators.
The decision, handed down September 17 by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Matthew Kirchner, dismissed an application for judicial review brought by two truck drivers, Paul Uppal and Waldemar Zawislak, who claimed the changes would severely restrict their business operations.
Both men have owned and operated two container trucks for the past 20 years but were denied a second set of truck tags for a new two-year licensing term starting December 1, 2024.
The commissioner, whose role was set up in 2014 to resolve labour problems associated with the oversupply of trucks and underpayment of drivers, regulates access to container terminals in the Lower Mainland. To get access to the port, trucks must be associated with a licensed company and have valid truck tags.
Reforms in 2020 aimed to cut down on a glut of trucks accessing the port. The commissioner later released a report raising concerns of “high rates of non-compliance.” New changes, he said, would distribute a reduced number of truck tags to existing licensees based on their business case, compliance history and fleet efficiency.
The reforms have forced some larger trucking companies to retroactively pay out tens of thousands of dollars to drivers and lose preferred access to the port.
When it came to independent operators, new rules announced in May 2024 capped the length of time they can use a hired driver at 90 days.
September 26: With House Back in Session, CIFFA Advocacy Team Heads to Ottawa for Meetings
On September 23, CIFFA’s advocacy team – Ben Martin, Julia Kuzeljevich and Executive Director Bruce Rodgers – attended a series of meetings in Ottawa to advance CIFFA’s advocacy issues before officials. The group had meetings with National Supply Chain Office officials (in Ottawa and remotely from Vancouver); Transportation of Dangerous Goods directorate officials; the Leader of the Opposition’s Stakeholder Relations team; Conservative MP Jacob Mantle, a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade; and Transport Parliamentary Secretary Mike Kelloway.