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Strong consumer demand, continued supply chain bottlenecks and tight carrier capacity sent air, ground and ocean transportation rates soaring to historic levels in 2021 as shippers leaned on third-party logistics providers to bolster inventories and avoid product stockouts.

The past two years have been difficult ones for shippers to move their freight. But times like these are when logistics providers can most clearly demonstrate the value they bring to their business partners.

The head of the U.S.’s second-busiest container seaport said he has seen no letup in import volumes, though there may be some slowing in coming months as high inflation and growing services spending threaten to temper consumer demand for goods.

The Logistics Managers’ Index, a measure of U.S. supply chain pressures, rose to a record.

The wait times for semiconductor deliveries rose slightly in March, reaching a new high, after lockdowns in China and an earthquake in Japan further hampered supply.

The latest warning sign for U.S. stocks is emerging from a corner of the market that investors closely watch to get a read on the state of the economy and the health of American consumers: Transportation shares.

WASHINGTON — Recent passage in the U.S. Senate of comprehensive legislation aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing of semiconductors is helping to set in motion formal negotiations with House lawmakers.

Global supply strains that started to ease in early 2022 are worsening again as headwinds strengthen from the war in Ukraine and China’s COVID lockdowns, threatening slower growth and faster inflation across the global economy.

Prices for some of the world’s most pivotal products — foods, fuels, plastics, metals — are spiking beyond what many buyers can afford. That’s forcing consumers to cut back and, if the trend grows, may tip economies already buffeted by pandemic and war back into recession.

Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, Mario Cordero, joins TT's Dan Ronan to discuss his current outlook on port operations, the fate of the proposed container dwell time fee, and what the planned $450 million in grants from USDOT means for U.S. ports.