Importers who bring in goods from the USA have had plenty of fingernail-biting moments lately: the strikes on the waterfront; the fires in Los Angeles; the uncertainty of the new Trump administration; fluctuations in the Australian dollar. At Colless Young we value good communication equally with competitive rates and first-class service.
With that in mind, here is an update on conditions at US ports and airports.
Strikes Averted
The global shipping industry’s fear of a new port strike on the United States East Coast has been averted after an agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) – and freight rates could ease as a result.
The two organizations have reached a tentative agreement on all items for a new six-year Master Contract. Both sides agreed to continue to operate under the current contract until the union can meet with its full Wage Scale Committee and schedule a ratification vote, and USMX members can ratify the terms of the final contract.
ILA president Harold Daggett claimed the meeting held with his son, Dennis, and Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month was the “chief reason the ILA was able to win protections against automation for his 85,000 members.”
Details of the new deal will not be released to allow ILA rank-and-file-members and USMX members to review and approve the final document. Those matters, when revealed, will lead to much scrutiny of the “jobs versus automation” debate.
Operations at Ports
Carriers and shippers have been closely monitoring the evolving situation with the wildfires around Los Angeles. While the fires and their aftermath have the potential to cause delays or interruptions to transportation services, we would like to alleviate some concerns, as Colless Young has been actively communicating with carriers in the affected areas. Fortunately, there have been no significant disruptions to LCL operations so far. Terminals remain open and operational, and transport services are still being offered.
LA’s main aerial gateway, Los Angeles Airport (LAX) says it is still open and operating normally, as are other airports in the area such as Hollywood Burbank Airport and Long Beach Airport. Just as with seafreight, our agents keep watch on road access for trucks and so far, cargo has been getting in and out without significant obstruction.
Our Role as your Freight Forwarder
Colless Young has well-established agency agreements at all major gateways and hubs in the USA. These enable us to offer competitive rates on FCLs from both East and West coast – we can also consolidate your LCL freight into our regular containerised shipments. Airfreight is uplifted according to your requirements, whether by direct service when urgent, or more economically by consolidation when budget is the main concern.
For more information on schedules and rates from the USA, give Colless Young a call.
Contact Andrew, email enq@collessyoung.com.au Tel: +61 7 3890 0800.
