East Coast Labor Update: Agreement Extended 90 Days

Client Alert The following is a statement by Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George H. Cohen on U.S. Maritime Alliance and International Longshoremen’s Association labor negotiations. WASHINGTON, D.C. — I am pleased to announce that at the close of today’s productive negotiation session, in which progress was made on several important subjects, the parties…

Read More »

The Compliance Gap

In recent years, more and more U.S. companies have entered the arena of international business, either through global sourcing or new export sales initiatives. Whether import or export-oriented, these global business initiatives typically require substantial preparation and planning to be successfully launched and sustained. Planning for new global sourcing programs requires development of total-cost sourcing…

Read More »

China’s Upcoming Public Holidays

Client Alert The government and most businesses in mainland China will be closed from September 30-October 7 for public holidays. We urge all clients to book upcoming shipments as soon as possible to avoid delays during this time. To book your shipment now, please contact your Mohawk customer service representative.

Read More »

[EXPIRED] Win a Copy of the Dictionary of International Trade (9th ed.)

Answer our trivia question correctly for a chance to win a copy of the Dictionary of International Trade (9th edition). Description from the publisher: Handbook of the global trade community. Featuring trade terms and definitions; acronyms; country codes; guides to trade documents, cargo insurance, and letters of credit; illustrated guides to ocean/air containers, truck trailers,…

Read More »

Attack of the Asia Gypsy Moth

Asian gypsy moths are invading ports across North America. Is this the plot of a campy monster movie? No. It's reality. U.S. and Canadian authorities are reporting high numbers of incoming commercial vessels infested with Asian gypsy moth egg masses. To avoid spreading the pest through North America, once an infestation is discovered on board,…

Read More »

Brush Up on the Basics of AES Compliance

The Census Bureau has revised their best practices manual for the Automated Export System (AES). Exporters can review their own internal processes against those recommended in the manual. The document covers training, the basics of foreign trade regulations, AES response messages, how to make corrections in AES, and more. AES Compliance Best Practices Manual

Read More »

Just Your Average General Rate Increase

Recently some of the big Less Than Truckload (LTL) carriers, including Con-Way, FedEx, UPS, and YRC, announced a General Rate Increase (GRI). They were in the ball park of 6-7%. With the big boys leading the way, many more LTL carriers joined in with their own rate increases. As I wrote in last month’s article, the…

Read More »

East Coast Labor Talks Halted. Got a Contingency Plan in Place?

Client Alert: Update on East Coast Labor Talks Contract negotiations abruptly broke off Wednesday (8/22) between the International Longshoremen's Association and their employers, the U.S. Maritime Association, after management presented labor with a proposal described as 'take it or leave it' according to the Journal of Commerce. Ongoing local and regional negotiations were likewise halted.…

Read More »