An amendment to a California labor statute exposes shippers to liability if they use certain “blacklisted” drayage carriers. The new law went into effect in January 2019, and it applies to any business entity that engages a blacklisted port drayage motor carrier (PDMC) in California. Of note, this applies to

Currently, congestion is causing delays for cargo in and around the Port of Montreal. Several factors are contributing to the delays, including weather conditions, on-dock dwell times, and driver shortages. As a result, some ocean carriers are implementing a congestion fee. Some dray carriers are no longer serving the Port

Imports of fabricated structural steel from Canada, China, and Mexico may come under anti-dumping and countervailing (AD/CVD) injury investigations following a petition that alleges it is being sold at less than fair market value in the US. If an investigation ensues, the Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission could

On January 25th, Hapag-Lloyd declared general average on the 7,510-TEU containership Yantian Express. The vessel and cargo in hold 1 and 2 sustained fire, smoke, and firefighting water damage during its voyage from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Halifax, Nova Scotia. General average is a principle of maritime law where all

On January 11, the office of the US Trade Representative provided a written response to senators indicating that no exemptions will be allowed on the third tranche of Section 301 tariffs unless they increase from 10 to 25 percent. Approximately 5,700 classification lines of products, accounting for $200 billion in

The US Trade Representative published Federal Register Notice 83 FR 67463 on December 28, 2018, announcing the decision to grant certain exclusions from the 25% duty assessed on goods from China (Tranche 1).  The 25% duty is in response to the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a final rule announcing regulatory changes to duty drawback that are part of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (TFTEA). The Modernized Drawback Final Rule includes several changes, including liberalizing merchandise substitution standards, recordkeeping requirements, and drawback for excise tax.

Beginning January 1, 2019, commercial trucks carrying Section 321 goods will be required to file an advance electronic manifest. Previously, shipments qualifying for Section 321 were exempt from filing an e-manifest as part of a policy decision made by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A growth in eCommerce over

Beginning March 22, 2019, US imports of regulated composite wood products must be certified and labeled by a third-party as compliant with Title VI of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Previously, the goods could be certified under the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Airborne Toxic Control Measures (ATCM) phase

President Trump and President Xi of China concluded a “highly successful meeting” on Saturday resulted in a moratorium on the Section 301 tariff increases that were slated for effect on January 1, 2019. The tariff increase from 10% to 25% on $200 billion of Chinese-origin goods, or tranche 3, is

Major steamship lines have advised of an intended 2019 GRI for all eastbound cargo moving from the Far East and India to the US and Canada. The GRI comes directly before the congestion of Chinese New Year, which occurs in early February and often lasts for several weeks. Over the

UPS Freight, UPS’ less-than-truckload (LTL) unit, may strike after November 12th unless the union and management can come to a contract agreement. Employees of UPS Freight will vote on a proposed contract between November 9th and 11th. This division is operated separately from other units, so there’s no anticipated impact

The Canadian seaports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Halifax are experiencing delays resulting from increased dwell time (waiting time for loading onto rail). Vancouver dwell times are ten to fifteen days, and Prince Rupert dwell times are five to ten days. On the East Coast, dwell times in Halifax are

PierPass, the system used by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to mitigate truck congestion at the ports, will change next month. An appointment-based system with a single flat fee for daytime and nighttime container moves will replace PierPass, and the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) previously assessed only

Montreal Gateway Terminals (MGT) recently provided notice of extended truck gate operating hours. The new hours come with an associated fee of $35 per full inbound or outbound container. Shippers should anticipate that the fees will be passed along in new trucking rates. The fee will help support the operational

On September 30, 2018, the US, Mexico, and Canada reached an agreement on a revised North American trade deal. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The agreement will not go into effect until 2020, after approval by the three countries’ governments. The

Severe weather and vessel congestion in Asia have caused delays for ocean shipments en route from Asia to North America. The delays may cause vessel bunching at some ports. Some ocean carriers are slowing vessels to avoid delays at ports of discharge. Zim announced plans to slow their vessels, which

The US will impose tariffs on a third list (i.e., tranche) of Chinese goods subject to Section 301 duty. A 10% duty rate will be applicable to 5,745 tariff lines of goods, valued at $200 billion, effective September 24, 2018. On January 1, 2019, this duty rate will increase to

On August 7, 2018, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published the list of 279 Chinese imported products that will be subject to an additional tariff of 25 percent. As part of the Section 301 tariffs previously announced, the tariff is being imposed as a response to China’s unfair trade

Under the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 and the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, facilities which engage in the manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding of food for consumption in the US must register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These facilities are required to reaffirm the information submitted by