AFS BLOG

It’s that time again. On September 16, 2019 FedEx announced the General Rate Increase for 2020, with an effective date of January 6. The announced average increase for Domestic...

As of Monday, November 18, 2019, both FedEx and UPS have announced their 2020 general rate increase and surcharge changes. As expected based on historical patterns, the carriers...

Shreveport, LA – A crisis of another kind was averted at the U.S. / Mexico border when the Trump administration announced Saturday they had successfully negotiated a compromise...

President Trump continues his threat to impose a new 25 percent additional tariff on $200 billion worth of goods originating from China as part of his section 301 efforts to...

Shipping business or personal packages gets more expensive in January as FedEx has announced higher shipping prices for 2019. While year-over-year price increases seem to be...

The international shipping market is about to get even more complicated, and potentially costly. Starting January 1, 2020, the worldwide cap on sulfur imposed by the...

International shipping is a challenging and complex environment. Tariffs, unique trade regulations per country, complicated routes and longer-than-average shipping times all...

As predicted, the 2018 shipping market has faced capacity issues due to a blend of a booming economy, e-commerce growth, a driver shortage and the full implementation of the ELD...

In our increasingly electronic, connected world, we’re constantly under attack by individuals and institutions with the intent to facilitate some form of fraud, whether it’s...

Shipping internationally is a complicated and sometimes arduous process. Trade wars, carrier alliances and capacity issues are all contributing to rising international shipping...

When it comes to paying bills, no one likes paying more than they should. Your freight bills should be no exception, as transportation costs average around 10% of an...

Tariffs seem to be all the rage right now. Everyone is doing it, the US, China, Canada, the EU. Will 2018 be the summer of tariffs? It’s looking that way. The Office of the...

Every year the major parcel carriers announce a general rate increase (GRI), which historically averages out to around five percent. Additionally, these carriers implement logic...

Most people are always looking to work smarter not harder which is why businesses consistently strive to become more efficient and streamline shipping processes. In the current...

As e-commerce retail sales continue to claim a larger share of the market, carriers are evolving their processes to meet the needs of an increasing population of digital...

We all know that capacity has been an issue since the ELD Mandate went into effect last December, but we’ve just hit another deadline in the rollout that could mean the trend...

At times, shippers face many challenges in the world of LTL shipping. They must know how to maximize efficiencies and utilize the most cost-effective methods for shipping. The...

For the first time this year volumes and prices are declining. DAT industry analyst Mark Montague indicated one reason for lower prices on van freight could be a result of rail...

On Friday, Feb. 9, the Wall Street Journal published a report detailing a new service from e-commerce giant, Amazon called “Shipping with Amazon,” an Amazon owned and operated...

Did it sneak up on you again? Much like that dreaded diet you keep saying you will start next week. While 2018 may already be flying by, the most important holiday season in...

Even people who have been in the industry for years have trouble differentiating between a freight forwarder and an NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier). Although they are...

There are a multitude of advantages that businesses can utilize by outsourcing their logistics and supply chain needs to a third party logistics (3PL) provider. While every 3PL...

2018 is a few short weeks away, which means the big industry mystery will be revealed. How close to that 50,000 mark will the American Trucking Association’s driver shortage prediction be? If that trend were to hold true, the ATA predicts that shortage to surpass the 174,000 mark by 2026. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.