Total POLA January volumes, at 852,440 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) marked a 5.4% annual gain and represent the busiest January output for the port in its 112 years of operation. POLB January volume, at 657,286 TEU, was off 0.1% annually compared to January 2018, which is the port’s highest all-time level for January. kwhorisk@ehpub.com

Rail carloads, at 250,236, fell 3.9%, and intermodal containers and trailers, at 273,679 units, rose 3.9%. kwhorisk@ehpub.com

January shipments, at 1,061,288, were up 5.1% annually, growing for the 23rd consecutive month with Panjiva noting that this tally includes a 5.8% annual increase in containerized freight, which “will do little to alleviate the congestion being felt at U.S. ports. kwhorisk@ehpub.com

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Earlier this month, UPS Freight, the less-than-truckload subsidiary of Atlanta-based transportation and logistics bellwether UPS announced general rate increases (GRI) that went into effect on February 18. The GRI, which applies to non-contractual less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments rated on the current UPS Freight 525, 560, 570 and 571 tariffs, is 5.9%. kwhorisk@ehpub.com

Freight transportation consultancy FTR reported today that final Class 8 trailer orders for January, at 26,300 units, were down 3% compared to December and down 39% annually. While orders were down, FTR said that this tally was higher than expected, with the order level in line with current trailer production rates and backlogs near record levels. kwhorisk@ehpub.com

With a $0.04 increase, the national average this week is $3.006. This follows an average of $2.966 for the weeks ending February 11 and February 4, respectively, and an average of $2.965 for the weeks ending January 28 and January 21, respectively. kwhorisk@ehpub.com

In anticipation of handling a new generation of mega-container vessels, the Port of Oakland’s largest terminal plans to install three 300-foot-tall gantry cranes late next year. kwhorisk@ehpub.com