Cargo owners consider airfreight alternative to Red Sea shipping delays
Global businesses, uncertain how long the shipping crisis in the Red Sea will last and with a looming shortage of vessels for the export rush before China’s New Year celebration, are scrambling to shift some ocean cargo to airlines, according to logistics specialists.
Major container lines have rerouted vessels around the Horn of Africa or docked them in safe locations to avoid the threat of drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Warehouse employment keeps falling — and more layoffs loom
The U.S. warehouse hiring boom continues to fade as companies shift their focus from expansion to efficiency within their supply chain networks.
In December, the number of warehousing and storage employees fell to 1.85 million workers, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the lowest employment count in the sector since November of 2021.
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Delivery area surcharges and other parcel rate hikes to watch out for in 2024
With the new year well underway, shippers are free from the tyranny of urgent holiday order fulfillment. Now, they can shift their attention to the general rate increases (GRIs) levied by parcel carriers, and focus on mitigating the impact on their shipping costs.
The 2024 GRI announced by UPS and FedEx came with a headline 5.9% figure — a full percentage point lower than last year. In a vacuum, that might sound like a boon for shippers. But the reality is that 5.9% is still the second-highest GRI of all time, and the true impact to shippers is much higher.
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