The recent decision by voters in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union has created a cloud of uncertainty throughout the shipping and logistics world about what the so-called "Brexit" means for international shippers. Our Vice President of International Solutions, Charlie McGee, recently sat down to discuss the repercussions for US shippers. His thoughts on the subject may surprise you.

Nearly a decade after the initial groundbreaking, the Panama Canal's expansion of a third set of locks is set to open to container ships (and specifically mega-ships) on June 26th. 

Leaders and cargo movers from across the international shipping industry were out in full force this year for the Journal of Commerce's 16th TPM (Trans-Pacific Maritime) Annual Conference in Long Beach, CA. In the thick of it all wa

s Charlie McGee, Averitt's vice president of international solutions.

After four days of making the rounds and sitting through discussions to size up the industry's concerns and outlook for 2016, McGee delivers his three major takeaways from 

TPM:

Ups and Downs of Ocean Rates

2015 WILL LIKELY BE RECORDED AS THE MOST VOLATILE YEAR IN THE HISTORY OF CONTAINERIZED OCEAN SHIPPING.

During the peak of the West Coast ILWU/PMA labor dispute that was reached in February of 2015, backlogs and congestion reached from both shores of North America all the way back to the containers stacked up in Asia awaiting a slot on a vessel that had been long delayed by the gridlock on the West Coast and the sheer volume that was diverted and moving via East and Gulf Coast ports, container rates had skyrocketed to a level never seen before.  Many desperate shippers were willing to pay almost any price to get their cargo moving.

Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. and Averitt Express Inc. had been working together in the Southeast for two decades with mutual success. As the two companies describe the relationship, they often worked together on solutions, not just prices. As a result, the two were able to create more supply chain flexibility and savings for Toshiba.

The capacity crunch currently affecting the trucking industry is likely here to stay, at least for the immediate future. That’s the assessment from many experts, including Danny Crooks, of Averitt’s truckload leadership.