GHY Tradelines

(The Globe and Mail – Tu Thanh Ha  and John Ibbitson )

The United States government insists it has no plans to put up a fence along parts of the Canada-U.S. border, despite a report that contemplates exactly that.

The report from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency put forward the possibility of fencing the border to deter illegal crossings. But a statement from the agency insisted that “a border fence along the northern border is not being considered at this time.”

The study that proposed the fence was intended to put forward options that could be considered “if additional manpower, technology, and infrastructure were employed,” the statement said.

There is no suggestion as yet that Congress or the Obama administration are planning to substantially increase border-protection funding. Read more here.
 

(Journal of Commerce Online – William B. Cassidy)

One-time fees for special services high on carriers’ negotiating list, TCP says

More than two-thirds of truckload carriers plan more use of accessorial charges, adding income from shipping fees to higher rates, Transport Capital Partners said.

The consulting firm said 68% of the carriers it surveyed in the third quarter plan to renegotiate accessorial fees across more categories with shippers. Those accessorial fees include detention charges, mentioned by 42% of carriers, and fuel surcharges, which 39% of the carriers hoped to renegotiate.

And the percentage of carriers that expect to renegotiate their contracts to change the mileage standard they use to bill shippers tripled, rising to nearly 20%.

Those carriers hope to move from shortest-route mileages favored by shippers to a practical mileage standard that more accurately reflects distances traveled. Read more here.