AFS BLOG

Stat’s Incredible: Carrier Edition
If you’re a carrier, the numbers below clearly show that it’s good to be you. If you’re a shipper, not so much, because until further notice, they provide a good indication of...
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TFI Acquires UPS Freight (Why Your LTL Freight Bills Will Definitely Get Higher In 2021)
In a move that should have surprised no one, UPS recently agreed to sell its longstanding, less-than-profitable UPS Freight division to TFI International as part of its “better...
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Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth From Your Parcel Spend? (Spoiler Alert: Probably Not.)
There are some things that are never fun to ask. The question above is one of them, because right now, the answer is a hard “no.” Since March 2020, UPS and FedEx have:...
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What should you expect from the UPS General Rate Increase (GRI)?
In the wake of FedEx announcing their 2021 General Rate Increase, UPS followed suit on October 29, 2020 with an average increase of 4.9% for Ground, Air and International...
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COVID-19 NEWS CENTER
June 19, 2020 PEAK SURCHARGE REVIEW Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen parcel carriers announce peak surcharges in the wake of COVID-19. As always with these charges, they...
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USMCA Replaces NAFTA
Do you ship to Canada and Mexico? Effective July 1, 2020 the U.S. – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA) will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). USMCA will...
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AFS Names New Chief Information Officer
AFS welcomes Nathan Johnson to the team as Chief Information Officer. Effective May 18, 2020, Nathan brings a wealth of experience and knowledge spanning over 30 years in the...
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AFS Names Tom Nightingale New CEO
AFS Logistics announces Tom Nightingale as Chief Executive Officer effective April 1. Tom will be responsible for driving AFS to the next level, building on the solid foundation...
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2020 Truckload Market Snapshot
2019 was a shipper’s market. In early 2019, rates were down over 20% vs. 2018. By mid-year 2019, the slight tightening of capacity due to rate restrictions, increased insurance...
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Brexit Becomes A Reality
Leaving seems to be a trend in the UK as of late. Harry and Meghan have officially stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family and the UK has begun its separation from the...
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Are You Ready for the Lunar New Year?
In the world of shipping, disruptors come in many forms – natural disasters, political climate, yearly holiday closings, etc. And if you’re thinking holiday closings are over,...
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UPS Rates to Increase in 2020
Following suit of FedEx, UPS has announced their General Rate Increase for 2020 with an effective date of December 29, 2019. The announced average increase is 4.9% for UPS...
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FedEx Rates Take the 2020 Jump
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...
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FedEx & UPS 2020 Rate Increase Comparison
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...
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China Chess Game Continues – New China Tariffs Proposed by President Trump to begin September 1
Shreveport, LA – President Trump just announced that beginning Sept. 1, he will impose a 10-percent additional tariff on virtually all of the remaining $300 billion worth of...
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Did Mexico Get Trumped Over Threatened U.S. Tariffs?
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...
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Section 301 Tariff Alert – Additional 25% tariff effective May 10, 2019
From the desk of Sheila Hewitt V.P. international / AFS LOGISTICS As you likely know, U.S. Customs has been ordered to begin collecting 25% additional duty on items from China...
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Section 301 – Additional 25% tariff effective May 10, 2019 on Chinese goods
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...
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New Service $aves USPS Customers 15% – 20%
Tremendous Savings as a Result of New AFS Logistics Service That Provides Commercial-Plus Pricing for Smaller USPS Parcel Customers
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Risky Business: Cover your Cargo and your Bottom Line
No sooner had the New Year’s Eve ball dropped heralding in 2019, the MSC Zoe made international headlines when it lost about 270 cargo containers overboard in turbulent waters...
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It’s Time to Celebrate the Holidays and Plan Ahead for the Chinese New Year!
With the trade war in China making headlines as of late — and the Chinese New Year in the not-so-distant future — there are some important implications for the transportation...
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UPS Parcel Prices Taking Flight in 2019
On 12/5/2018, UPS announced their General Rate Increase for 2019, with an effective date of 12/26/2018. Typically carriers are required to provide 30-day advance notice to...
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No Diet for FEDEX Parcel Prices in 2019
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...
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Low-Sulfur Fuel Challenges International Shipping Market
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...
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Are you Ready for annual General Rate Increases?
Every Fall, the major Parcel carriers typically announce new logic changes that will affect how much it’ll cost to use their shipping networks. In the past year, we’ve seen a...
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Keeping Up with your Records
International shipping is a challenging and complex environment. Tariffs, unique trade regulations per country, complicated routes and longer-than-average shipping times all...
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Tips for making yourself a more attractive shipper
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...
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Tips for International Peak Season Shipping
This year’s international peak season is already in full swing, getting an earlier start than normal. Are you prepared to deal with tighter capacity, higher rates and more...
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Protect Yourself From Fraud
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...
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Trade War Update
Shipping internationally is a complicated and sometimes arduous process. Trade wars, carrier alliances and capacity issues are all contributing to rising international shipping...
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Adapting to Mid-Year Parcel Rate Changes
2018 has been an interesting year so far, and it’s only half way over. We’ve seen the ELD Mandate go into full effect, capacity issues, the price of oil rising, the economy...
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The Necessity of a Quality Freight Audit
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...
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The Summer of Tariffs
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...
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How a 3PL Partnership Covers Your Bases
A common trend in the 2018 MLB Draft was player versatility. Teams are looking for players with a diverse skillset to round out their pool of talent. The same can be said when...
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3 Tips for Negotiating your Parcel Contract
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...
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Are you in the right lane?
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...
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Is Your Returns Process Costing More Than it Should?
Whether it’s controllable or uncontrollable returns, effective product returns strategies and reverse logistics are imperative to reducing transportation costs, improving...
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E-Commerce Growth Leads to an Evolution of Carrier Delivery Options
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...
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