Welcome to the post-CNY freight update for 2023. Just when you didn’t think freight could get any more exciting, GPI is ecstatic to announce our partnership with the crowdfunding company, Floship. Check out all the benefits and offerings in this month’s newsletter. We’re halfway through February and factories in China are back from the lunar holiday and ramping up production. Here’s what we’re seeing along the supply chain this month.
Asia Ports
Asia’s southern ports are no longer experiencing congestion or container shortages. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Due to delays in projections and orders from US businesses, the post-CNY shipping business is off to a slow start. Export volume is down so we can expect to see several blank or canceled sailings in the next month until production ramps up again. There are still restrictions between Hong Kong and China at the borders, but they are no longer causing significant delays.
US West Coast
Vessels are no longer experiencing long wait lines and days at anchor when arriving at LAX and LGB ports in California. The ocean congestion is clear as ocean imports are down, and we expect this trend to continue over the next few months at least. We’re still experiencing some waiting at these ports as truckers are still waiting in long lines to retrieve cargo. Ocean imports pay for labor at port and with imports down, that’s fewer shifts for port workers, shorter hours at cargo freight stations, and less machinery running to unload or handle containers. This causes longer lines for truckers retrieving your goods. Don’t let this information bring you down since the ports are running smoother than they have in the past 3 years. Everything is improving. Some things are taking a little more time.
Ports of Prince Rupert and Vancouver in Canada are still experiencing wait times of 10 days or less specifically due to rail delays. Some of these delays are leftover congestion, but most are due to the weather they’ve been experiencing in recent weeks. We expect to see improvement over the next month at these ports if the weather continues to improve.
US East Coast Ports
The US East Coast ports are running smoothly at pre-Covid levels. We’re seeing very slight delays (1 – 2 days) in the ports of Savannah and NYC/NJ.
US Trucking
Trucking is still in high demand in the USA and we can all expect to pay a little more this season. With imports on the decrease, fuel surcharges escalate which in turn drives up the cost of trucking. On the up-side, we’re not experiencing chassis shortages any longer
US Rail
We’re still experiencing congestion at the rail both on the West Coast and inland. The weather has not been agreeable which is slowing down rail transit. Railyards are also still trying to clear lasting congestion. Expect 1-week delays when using the train for transit.
You’ve Gotta Be Shipping Me!!!
We’ve finally made it! After years of delays, high prices, delays, lockdowns, delays, and restrictions, we are finally starting to see pre-pandemic transit times and prices. China to US West Coast is about 17 days, and China to East Coast or mid-country is about 35- 40 days. A 20’ container port-to-door is about $9,000 and a 40’ container port-to-door is about $12,000. These prices are very generalized and are more than just the container price, they account for delivery/trucking costs. Ask us for a freight estimate for your purchase order today!
