Travel between Canada and the United States is still restricted but businesses, diplomats and communities that depend on cross-border traffic are urging the two countries to join forces in a co-operative approach to thriving in the new post-pandemic global economy. The Washington-based Canadian American Business Council launched a new online campaign May 21, 2020 to convince states, provinces and federal officials on both sides of the border to team up in their battle back from the impact of COVID-19. The primary goals of the council’s “North American Rebound” campaign are to encourage Canada and the U.S. to work together to secure personal protective equipment, replenish and maintain each other’s medical stockpiles and defend critical cross-border supply chains.  May 22, 2020.   (www.insidelogistics.ca)

The Class I railroads are closely watching the restart of North American automotive production, hoping that the slow ramp up will not only grow auto volumes but also improve demand for supplies such as steel and plastics, according to executives at recent investor conferences. However, a key unknown variable is whether consumer demand will lift volumes for automobiles and other goods, executives said. “Our auto plants reopened this week with very limited production. The sustainability of that production is going to be highly dependent on consumer demand and consumer confidence to go out there and buy automobiles,” said Norfolk Southern Chief Marketing Officer Alan Shaw during Wolfe Research’s virtual conference for investors on Wednesday, May 20.

Rail pins hopes on auto manufacturing as US carloads sustain record decline, May 21, 20202, www.americanshipper.com

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has approved a bill that would allow the formation of a committee of American shippers to advise the Federal Maritime Commission on policies related to competitiveness, reliability, integrity and fairness in ocean shipping. FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye proposed the FMC National Shipper Advisory Committee two years ago when the agency was analyzing persistent ocean shipping bottlenecks due to systemic port congestion throughout the U.S.

National Shipper Advisory Committee for FMC gets Senate push, May 21, 2020, www.americanshipper.com

U.S. airlines carried 1.4% less cargo (1,455 thousand tons for 15 carriers) by weight in March 2020 than in March 2019, according to preliminary data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 15 of the leading cargo airlines. The 15 airlines carry more than 95% of the total cargo by weight on U.S. airlines. Cargo data consists of freight and mail carried within the U.S. and between the U.S. and foreign points.

March 2020 U.S. Airline Cargo Data (Preliminary): International Cargo Weight Down 14%, May 20, 2020, www.bts.gov

UPS drone delivery subsidiary UPS Flight Forward will collaborate with German drone-maker Wingcopter to develop the next generation of package delivery drones for multiple uses in the United States and internationally. Both companies will work toward earning regulatory certification for a Wingcopter unmanned aircraft to make commercial delivery flights in the United States and build a fleet of drones with diverse capabilities. The Wingcopter drones execute vertical takeoffs and landings in tight spaces. Their main function is the patented tilt-rotor mechanism, which enables a seamless transition between hovering and high-speed forward flight.

UPS Upgrades Unmanned Drone Fleet, May 7, 2020, www.inboundlogistics.com

U.S. railroads originated 980,535 carloads in April 2020, down 25.2%, or 329,693 carloads, from April 2019. U.S. railroads also originated 1,095,423 containers and trailers in April 2020, down 17.2%, or 227,165 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in April 2020 were 2,075,958, down 21.2%, or 556,858 carloads and intermodal units from April 2019. Canadian railroads reported 67,952 carloads for the week, ending May 2, 2020 down 23.8%, and 69,551 intermodal units, down 6.2% compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 18 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,532,358 carloads, containers and trailers, down 5.8%.

Warning: Disturbing Images, May 6, 2020, www.railwayage.com

U.S. ports should see sharply lower container imports in the 2020 second quarter, but throughput could pick up in the second half—assuming there is not a major resurgence of coronavirus cases. “The container shipping industry has spent the past month in the eye of the storm [and will] now face the full impact of the international spread of COVID-19,” said U.K.-based consultancy Maritime Strategies International (MSI) in its latest monthly outlook. Then, after a “disastrous” second quarter, MSI expects “an uneven recovery in mainline volumes in the third quarter.” “Attention is turning to how soon container trade will get back to normal,” the consultancy explained. “In reality, there will be a high degree of differentiation by region and by industry. Consumer retail goods are of course a huge driver of containerized trade, but their share of overall volume is sometimes overstated.

Container Import Weakness Could Peak in 2Q2020, May 6, 2020, www.railwayage.com