Freight Pulse & Law: Diesel Tops $6, Ports Jam, and CBP Cracks Down on Importer Data
Saturday’s freight picture is tightening from every direction: fuel, vessel capacity, truckload availability, and importer compliance. Shippers should act before September closes.
What is driving the freight squeeze?
National diesel prices have surpassed $6 per gallon, pressured by Middle East conflict and refining constraints. Fuel surcharges recover only part of the increase, leaving small truckload carriers exposed to thinner margins. (EIA)
Global port congestion has also exceeded pandemic-era peaks. More than 4 million TEU is waiting at anchor or in port queues after typhoon disruptions in China, with spillover pressure at Busan.
Uber Freight’s Q3 update adds another warning:
Dry-van contract rates: $2.39/mile in July, up 18% year over year
Tender rejection index: 13.45%
More than 48,000 noncompliant drivers exited the market
Class 8 equipment backlog: approximately nine months
About 20,000 Mexican drivers lost U.S. visas
Use September and October to secure baseline capacity, backup carriers, and Mexico transloading options before late-October peak demand.
Which compliance deadlines matter now?
September 18: CBP may void an importer of record number when phone, email, address, or other Form 5106 data is inaccurate: even when a broker filed the entry. (Federal Register)
December 1: Comments are due on CBP’s proposed supply-chain visibility framework, including possible foreign export documentation requirements.
September 3: PHMSA HM-268 took effect, covering electronic emergency-response information and updated aerosol and packaging rules. PHMSA also preempted California’s propane-cylinder reuse mandate on September 7.
November 15: The Jones Act waiver remains active for 237 HTS codes, with pre-voyage approval required.
September 14: The Coast Guard launches Navita for digital mariner credentialing.
Keep DOT/CVSA readiness, including CVSA Brake Safety Week planning, in the same compliance calendar.
What should shippers do?
Audit customs data, lock capacity, and monitor every exception through FlowOps real-time visibility. A digital fruit-fly brain reportedly connected to a Coinbase account is down only 1%; but your supply chain should not trade on luck.
Lanta Logistics supports third party logistics providers with 3PL fulfillment services, 3PL Maryland coverage, Mid-Atlantic fulfillment, food-grade warehousing, Hazmat certified 3PL operations, and a Glen Burnie warehouse. Explore FlowOps and compare plans.
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