Brazil’s Minimum Freight Rates are Being Negotiated
Approximately 60% of corn and soybeans in Brazil is transported by truck from origin to destination. As a result, truck freight rates play a major…
Port of Virginia Completes Renovation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that nearly 16% of U.S. containerized grain exports move through the Port of Virginia. The two-year renovation and…
IMO 2020 Regulation Could Increase Diesel Cost
In 1973, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) enacted regulations to reduce pollution from marine and shipping operations. The International Maritime Organization’s new regulations (IMO 2020)…
USDA Quantifies Impact of Aging Inland Waterways Infrastructure
An important component of the U.S. Soy Advantage is its consistent supply. The U.S. supply chain is one of the most reliable in the world,…
Barge Rates Muted
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), “the U.S. Inland Waterway System utilizes a percent of tariff system to establish…
Truck Rates Declining in 2019
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grain Transportation Report indicates trucking cost per ton is down almost 9%, which is a welcome change from the…
Ocean Bulk Fleet Expanding
Second quarter 2019 ocean freight rates for shipping bulk grains were lower than last year, but 4 percent higher than the first quarter. Despite the…
Truck Capacity Availability Improving in 2019
American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimates the U.S. has approximately 3.5 million Class 8 trucks dispatched by over 210,000 trucking companies transporting 16.18 billion tons of…
Infrastructure Investment Helps Keep U.S. Soy Shipping Costs Down
Few public investments provide more economic development than a public port. For example, operating as the major grain logistics tenant at the Port of Greater…
Dry Barge Fleet Consolidation
Over the near term, the U.S. Coast Guard, due to flood conditions, has reduced barge tow configurations from St. Louis, Missouri to the Gulf, which…