Freight Logistics Optimization Works

White House to Trump: Get ready for more supply chain shocks

WASHINGTON — The U.S. needs to triple the number of freight market participants sharing data with the U.S. Department of Transportation during the Trump administration to help ward off the next supply chain disruption, according to the White House.

“We are likely to encounter additional supply shocks in the years ahead – just last year we saw 28 climate disasters that each cost at least a billion dollars, that’s a record,” said Lael Brainard, National Economic Advisor to President Joe Biden,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/white-house-to-trump-get-ready-for-more-supply-chain-shocks

Three more West Coast ports join DOT’s FLOW initiative

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) reports that the Port of Oakland and the Northwest Seaport Alliance, which includes the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma, are now members of the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) initiative.

The Port of Oakland and the Northwest Seaport Alliance join the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach as FLOW members. Collectively, the five ports handle roughly 95% of West Coast inbound container volume. With all major West Coast ports now...

https://www.marinelog.com/news/three-more-west-coast-ports-join-dots-flow-initiative/

DOT confirms boost in West Coast container imports

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced on Wednesday it is gaining ground on its ability to help importers and container vessel operators navigate shifts in freight flows with new information it is publishing from inland rail terminals and warehouses.

The increase in timely ocean container import data being supplied by private industry into the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Freight Logistics Optimizations Works (FLOW) initiative confirms what has been predicted since earlier in the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-confirms-boost-in-west-coast-container-imports

Robin Hutcheson discusses priorities for FMCSA

FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson

Last month Robin Hutcheson was confirmed as the seventh administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, but she has been leading the agency since January after acting administrator Meera Joshi left to become a deputy mayor of New York City.

It has been a busy year for Hutcheson since then. Barely a week after she took the wheel at FMCSA, the U.S. Department of Transportation rolled out its National Roadway Safety Strategy, an agency-wide initiative aimed at tackling road...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/robin-hutcheson-sets-priorities-at-fmcsa

Freight companies begin sharing capacity data with feds

Containers stacked at marine terminal.

Carriers, shippers and logistics companies have started sharing critical freight capacity information with the federal government in the first data exchange aimed at untangling congested supply chains.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the development Wednesday before hosting a meeting of participants in its Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program.

If successful, DOT’s initiative would be seen as a significant step toward overcoming long-standing concerns associated with...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freight-companies-begin-sharing-capacity-data-with-feds

DOT to advance container congestion/demand index

Stacked containers and locomotive

The U.S. Department of Transportation is looking to the White House to help expedite its container data exchange initiative aimed at improving cargo flow through domestic freight networks.

In a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Monday, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has requested emergency approval from the Office of Management and Budget for a pilot effort to develop a proof-of-concept Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) data exchange, launched...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-to-advance-container-congestiondemand-index

Biden slams ocean carriers ahead of Port of LA speech

Biden speaking at White House and flanked by photos of container ships

Ahead of President Joe Biden’s planned speech at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday, the White House released a video of the president on a phone call with retailers who were complaining about the high cost of ocean shipping.

“One of the big reasons why prices are going up is the cost of shipping things across the Pacific, in particular,” Biden says during the call. “There’s only nine major ocean line shipping companies who ship from Asia to the United States. These companies have raised their...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/biden-slams-ocean-carriers-ahead-of-port-of-la-speech

Cracking the supply chain data code

The government typically is not the preferred place for creative ways to improve how private businesses operate, but Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel may be changing that as he leads an effort to make freight supply chains work much better.

Bentzel has held weekly meetings over the last four months as part of the FMC’s Maritime Transportation Data Initiative (MTDI) aimed at finding consensus among various industry players on data transparency to improve cargo flow.

Importers, exporters,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cracking-the-supply-chain-data-code

White House unveils freight data exchange to bolster supply chains

The White House announced on Tuesday a freight data exchange to be coordinated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Biden administration sees the exchange as the next step toward strengthening supply chains.

The Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) includes 18 initial participants including shippers, trucking, warehousing, logistics companies and ports.

“These key stakeholders will work together with the Administration to develop a proof-of-concept information exchange to ease...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/white-house-unveils-freight-data-exchange-to-bolster-supply-chains