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21
Jan
Cargo Crisis: how delays at coastal ports and inland depots could affect you
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis may be known as “America’s Distribution Center,” but COVID-19 is cramping the Bluff City’s style.
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25
Mar
Local truckload carrier preps for import surge from China
A locally based truckload carrier is trying to surge ahead in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
Donna Lemm, EVP of national sales for IMC Cos., said all U.S. ports and inland rails remain open, which means the company’s drivers continue to deliver freight.
Lemm acknowledged that before the coronavirus, the industry looked promising and intermodal volumes were strong. The Chinese New Year brought a typical seasonal lull for the transportation industry. But, Lemm said things changed when the virus hit Wuhan, China and import volumes from Chinese manufacturers dropped. Ocean carriers were also forced to cancel sailings out of China.
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12
Mar
EVP Donna Lemm Featured in Transportation Podcast
Rainmaking Podcast has launched a new edition featuring IMC Companies Executive Vice President of Sales Donna Lemm. The podcast discusses the role of women in the transportation industry and the importance of technology in the intermodal space.
“We source all of our technology internally. We are very fortunate because we have a lot of depth in our IT department staff. We have great leadership from our CIO (Joel Tracy), but more than that, we have a chairman (Mark H. George) who believes in technology,” said Lemm. “We are always mindful of what’s going on outside of our realm. It’s not just about size and scale, it’s about being able to respond to an e-commerce world demanding speed and demanding that we respond in every area not just execution but in billing, in invoicing, in our response time. It’s a very exciting time to be in this business.”
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11
Mar
Shippers applaud CMA CGM’s jump to Memphis gray chassis pool
Shippers and truckers are applauding a decision by CMA CGM to join the gray pool in Memphis, with the decision to embrace open choice making it less likely there will be a chassis shortage should volume spike after disruptions from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pass.
“[The decision] increases shipper efficiency, provides more affordable and timely chassis access, improves on-time container arrival at terminals and vessel loading, keeping bookings on CMA and APL vessels intact,” wrote Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agricultural Transportation Coalition, in a letter to CMA CGM. “Your chassis policies in the South Atlantic and Mid-South support the competitiveness of agriculture and forest products exporters.” (more…)
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20
Dec
Intermodal Trucking Sees 2020 As Year Of Tough Laws, Cost Increases
Intermodal and drayage carriers are winding down a year that for many meant only modest growth in container trucking. On the international side, the National Retail Federation projected another record year for U.S. container imports, but it would amount to only a 1% increase in volumes over 2018. Domestic rail containers, meanwhile, saw a steeper drop of 4% from 2018.
As the industry looks toward 2020, there is hope among intermodal executives that container volumes will keep growing, albeit much of the growth may be in certain regions and for specific goods. Likewise, intermodal carriers want to see more done on the maritime link in the supply chain to improve efficiency. For its own part, container trucking will have to wrestle with a slew of regulations and cost increases that will require them to be more efficient as well.
Here are some views on how 2020 will shake out for intermodal.
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23
Sep
No easy fix for chassis conundrum: speakers
Issues involving chassis interoperability, shortages, and dislocation continue to hamper productivity at US ports and inland rail ramps, and there is no single solution on the horizon that will make those problems go away, speakers at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) conference in Long Beach said this week.
In fact, with each stakeholder in the supply chain — ocean carrier, trucker, railroad, and intermodal equipment provider (IEP) — doing what best serves their own interests, the industry may eventually be forced into the unwanted condition where it has to choose between regulation and free markets before a solution is found, the speakers said.
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12
Aug
Chamber Partners with IMC Companies Host Japanese Delegation
International marine drayage company, IMC Companies, recently hosted a delegation of logistics consulting and service providers from Japan. The event sponsored by the Greater Memphis Chamber, highlighted Memphis-area logistics companies for potential future business opportunities.
The group, led by Japan’s Funai Soken Logistics, Inc., visited the IMC Companies corporate office and Memphis terminal and the FedEx distribution facility. “We were delighted to host this fine delegation of Japanese logistics providers at our headquarters and terminal,” said IMC Companies Executive Vice President Donna Lemm. “They were extremely knowledgeable about our industry, and we shared ideas to benefit both of our countries.” (more…)
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19
Jul
IMC Companies Hosts Japanese Delegation
Memphis, TN: International marine drayage company, IMC Companies, recently hosted a delegation of logistics consulting and service providers from Japan. The event sponsored by the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce highlighted Memphis-area logistics companies for potential future business opportunities. (more…)
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20
Mar
IMC Companies EVP Testifies Before U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Donna Lemm, EVP of National Sales for IMC Companies represented the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) and testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation at a hearing entitled Connecting America: Examining Intermodal Connections Across Our Surface Transportation Network. Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska, the Chair of the Transportation and Safety Subcommittee, conducted a multimodal hearing with representatives from railroad, intermodal, and AgTC. (more…)
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