Growth in rail freight has been hampered this year by competition from trucking, in part driven by trucking’s falling rates and extra capacity.

Despite persistent concerns of a worldwide economic slowdown, a new report from logistics and shipping company DHL says international trade remains strong, with only a slight decline in its overall DHL Global Connectedness Index.

Improved efficiency, better communication and slower growth are three of the reasons truck turn times at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in November fell to their second-lowest level since March 2014, the Harbor Trucking Association announced. 

Canadian National Railway is making a quick recovery from the eight-day strike by 3,200 Teamsters Canada Rail Conference conductors and yard crews, according to the Montreal-based railroad.

Two thousand salaried Cummins employees will be laid off in the first quarter of 2020, the Columbus, Ind.-based engine manufacturer announced Nov. 25.

Ports on the East Coast are enjoying an uptick in volume thanks to infrastructure improvements, expanded sea routes and the positive effects that the United States’ ongoing trade war with China are having for other countries, while these same factors are contributing to drop-offs for West Coast ports.

Canadian National Railway and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference announced Nov. 26 the sides reached a tentative agreement to end the strike by 3,200 CN Rail conductors and yard crews.

Canadian National Railway pleaded for a neutral arbitrator Nov. 21 to resolve a strike by thousands of its conductors, yard workers and other employees who walked off the job Nov. 19.

Trucking and agriculture officials said the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Dean Foods and its decision to sell its assets to the national milk marketing cooperative Dairy Farmers of America is not an indication of a broader problem in the sector, at least in the short term.

Chris Connor, the new president and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities, knows his way around shipping after nearly 40 years in the industry, but his challenge now is to learn the perspective of port operators and government agencies regulating the facilities.