Freight Cargo Map of the United States

- / N2N / – I have an acquaintance who owns a small, non-asset third party logistics (3PL) company.  He is constantly complaining to me about how cutthroat the transportation business is and how his customers and vendors are always cheating him out of money.  He spends a great deal of time trying to collect money and often ends up having to sue companies in order to get them to pay.

I’ve been involved in the transportation industry for a little over three years now and I can tell you that my experience has been exactly the opposite of that of my friend’s.  In three years I haven’t had a single customer stiff me for so much as a penny.  Sure, there’ve been a few slow-pays, but that’s to be expected.  In these 3 years I’ve met a lot of good people and I now consider many of them to be friends.

As a consultant that helps companies get C-TPAT certified my primary customers are importers, NVOCC’s (non vessel operating common carriers / international freight forwarders), U.S. Customs Brokers and Cross-Border Highway Carriers.  I also offer a program called “C-TPAT Compliant” for those companies that aren’t eligible for C-TPAT certification such as draymen, customs bonded warehouses, domestic trucking companies, most 3PL’s and domestic shipping and distribution companies. I think that’s a pretty good cross-section of the industry.  Even so, I’ve never encountered anyone who’s tried to cheat me.

Maybe I’ve just been lucky or maybe I’m just plain naive.  But what about you?  I’d be very interested to hear about your experiences.  I’m sure there are probably a lot of horror stories out there, but I’ll bet there are also some nice stories about transportation companies watching out for each other and stepping up to do the right thing.

——

Jeff Platts is the president of Combination Sales, Inc., a consulting firm with locations in California & New York.  Jeff can be contacted at 714-788-1531 or jeff@combinationsales.com.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  contact@nation2nation.net.

“This agreement represents the shared commitment of both the United States and China to enhance global peace and security by working to prevent nuclear smuggling,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman. “Preventing illicit transfers of nuclear materials is a critical part of NNSA’s efforts to implement President Obama’s goal of securing vulnerable nuclear material around the world. The success of this program is due in no small part to continued and future cooperation and support from partners such as the People’s Republic of China.”

NNSA is working to expand and strengthen nonproliferation efforts throughout East Asia. Through its Second Line of Defense (SLD) program, NNSA will provide radiation detection equipment and support the development of training materials for use at the Qinhuangdao Training Center. The radiation detection training facility at the Qinhuangdao Training Center will be the first of its kind in the region.

This agreement will complement ongoing cooperative efforts established by a 2005 MOU to combat nuclear and radiological smuggling. The 2005 agreement supports NNSA’s Megaports Initiative, which is working to equip the Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai with radiation detection equipment.

NNSA’s SLD program works collaboratively with foreign governments at land border crossings, airports and seaports to install specialized radiation detection equipment, mobile radiation detection equipment, and associated communications equipment. Through its SLD program, NNSA also provides training to host government law enforcement officers and other personnel to detect smuggled nuclear and other radioactive materials.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

Counterit Marlboro Cigarettes seized by U.S. Customs

As an attempt to mislead CBP and circumvent U.S. federal laws, smugglers falsely invoiced the shipment as “hang tags and hang plugs”. Examination of the merchandise revealed a total of 22,170 cartons equivalent to more than 4.4 million individual cigarettes in violation of the Marlboro Light 100’s and Marlboro Gold Pack trademarks.

“This seizure is a fine example of the hard work the men and women of CBP perform to protect the American consumer and the economic vitality of our country,” said CBP Acting Director of Los Angeles Field Operations. “Preventing the importation of illegal merchandise continues to be a top priority for CBP.”

CBP officers seized a total of 22,170 cartons equivalent to over 4.4 million individual cigarettes in violation of the Marlboro Light 100’s and Marlboro Gold Pack trademarks.

Counterfeit cigarettes not only affect trademark owners, but defraud consumers and deprive government of tax revenue. Consumers think they pay less for a genuine product, when in reality they pay less for a product of substandard quality.

More than 4.4 million counterfit Marlboro Lights and Marlboro Gold Pack cigarettes were hidden by smugglers in a container that arrived in Los Angeles / Long Beach from China

Organized crime organizations smuggle counterfeit cigarettes because of the substantial profits it generates. Much of these profits fund other criminal activities including money laundering and terrorism.

Importers violating intellectual property rights may be subject to civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution. The domestic value of this shipment was estimated at $443,400.

In fiscal year 2009, 14,841 seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods with a total domestic value of $260.7 million were intercepted by CBP at U.S. ports of entry.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

“The change in season means every precaution must be taken in order to defend against pirate attacks,” said David Matsuda, Maritime Administrator. “Our agency remains committed to helping U.S. crewmembers be vigilant and well-prepared for pirate attacks.”

In response to pirate attacks worldwide, the Maritime Administration is working with federal agency partners to reduce the vulnerability of U.S. ships and crews by:

-issuing advisories directly to U.S. ship operators based on latest intelligence
-working with industry to improve implementation of best practices to deter piracy
-distributing industry produced anti-piracy training videos for crews
-conducting voluntary security vulnerability assessments with Naval Criminal Investigative Service on U.S. ships

The Maritime Administration promotes the development and maintenance of an adequate, well-balanced, United States merchant marine, sufficient to carry the Nation’s domestic waterborne commerce and a substantial portion of its waterborne foreign commerce, and capable of service as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency.

Source = DOT

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

“Some companies choose to pursue C-TPAT Certification all on their own.” said Jeff Platts, the C-TPAT Consultant who helped Airlift obtain their certification. “Achieving C-TPAT Certification is a difficult and challenging process. A good consultant can really help smooth the way.”

With its headquarters located near LAX, Airlift (USA), Inc. has offices and affiliates in the U.S., Asia, India and the UK. Airlift is led by its president, Ganesh Murthy. The company expertly coordinates shipments all over the world. Mr. Murthy can be reached at 1-877-724-7543, or by e-mail at ganesh@airliftusa.com.

Jeff Platts, a C-TPAT Consultant, is the founder and president of Combination Sales, Inc. as well as the publisher of nation2nation.net. Jeff can be reached at 714-788-1531, or by e-mail at jeff@combinationsales.com.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

Should this measure become law, the end result will be more dependence on foreign oil and more American jobs lost, not only in the Gulf of Mexico, but throughout the country by industries that supply materials and equipment used in the production and exploration of energy. The consequences would reach those who make clothing, boots, drill bits, safety equipment and supply materials such as steel.

”We remain opposed to this bill becoming law,” said Burt Adams, Chairman of the National Ocean Industries Association. “Fortunately, House Members now head home where they will get an earful from those whose jobs and lives will be adversely affected.”

”The House has christened a ship that — should it reach its destination — will drive up the costs of producing home-grown oil and gas and make it more difficult for independent energy producers to compete in the domestic market,” said Adams.

Unlimited liability, unsubstantiated standards of financial responsibility, a $2 per barrel tax on oil to fund unrelated programs, mandating a technical fix for blow out preventers before knowing the cause of the accident, and the addition of myriads of reviews and clearances — all of these create an overall burden that may drive many independent producers out of the energy market. “It is truly death by a thousand cuts,” said Adams.

To give credit where some credit is due, however, the House did approve the concept that companies may pool their financial resources to demonstrate a level of financial capability. NOIA fully endorses this concept, but fears that by retaining unlimited liability, the bill may simply be rearranging the deck chairs.

NOIA is supportive of the concept of lifting the deepwater drilling moratorium, however while well intentioned, the language adopted by the House not only misses the mark, but the entire target. “The House has lost a golden opportunity to pass a clean lifting of the job killing moratorium,” said Adams.

“We fully support increased awareness and safety in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico accident. There are many safety and procedural safeguards that could, and should, be put in to immediate effect, and some are already underway,” said Adams. “Unfortunately the passage of CLEAR does little to increase actual safety and is a job killer.”

NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf. The NOIA membership comprises more than 250 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.

Source = Business Wire

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.com.

“Our country has never had a unified policy to intelligently guide the management and use of our ocean. For generations, a piecemeal, sector-by-sector approach has put our ocean at risk. As the nation watches the BP Deepwater Horizon tragedy continue to devastate wildlife and coastal economies, President Obama has begun to chart a new course,” said Vikki Spruill, president and CEO of Ocean Conservancy.

The Executive Order establishes a national ocean policy, and empowers local and state governments and stakeholders to work together in coordinating on ocean management through coastal and marine spatial planning.

“As demonstrated by the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, we need a smarter approach to managing activities and assessing tradeoffs in our ocean spaces. Coastal and marine spatial planning will allow for more transparent decisions about how to manage conflicting uses while maintaining and restoring the health of the ocean. Growing demands from traditional ocean users and new industries such as renewable energy, our ocean is getting more crowded and we are taking bigger risks with fragile ecosystems essential for life on our planet,” continued Ms. Spruill. “Without proper planning to protect ocean ecosystems, our growing demands could threaten the health of the ocean that supports our economy, regulates our climate, and provides us with much of the air we breathe and food we eat. Coastal and marine spatial planning will provide a framework for conserving our ocean while determining the best way to site sustainable uses.”

Responsibility for managing how we protect and use our coasts and ocean has been fragmented among state and federal agencies. The way the United States currently manages its ocean is fundamentally flawed. Designation of areas for specific uses has been handled in a piecemeal fashion. More than 20 federal agencies apply 140 laws in pursuit of their individual mandates, often in isolation from each other. Most planning is neither proactive nor based on shared goals, but rather reactive and driven by single sectors without a comprehensive vision. This action by the Task Force, and further action by President Obama, remedies these challenges by charging leaders to work together for better ocean management.

“We know now more than ever that our coastal economies depend on a healthy ocean. Fishing industries and recreation in the Gulf of Mexico are threatened because of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In fact, data on U.S. ocean industries reveals that more than two million jobs and over $128 billion in Gross Domestic Product come directly from ocean tourism, recreation, and living marine resources each year. Coastal and marine spatial planning is good for the environment and good for our economy. We commend President Obama’s leadership and now call on our legislators to support the President’s action through meaningful legislation that ensures the durability of this initiative,” concluded Ms. Spruill.

Ocean Conservancy is the world’s foremost advocate for the oceans. Through science-based advocacy, research, and public education, we inform, inspire and empower people to speak and act for the oceans. Ocean Conservancy is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has offices in Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific, including Alaska, with support from more than half a million members and volunteers. www.oceanconservancy.org

Source = Business Wire

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.com.

IDGA’s Maritime Piracy Summit brings the global shipping community together with those responsible for the safety and security of the world’s oceans. This event will present strategies for partnership between the public and private sectors to improve the stability of maritime operations. The Summit will also present the most innovative security measures and tactics to reduce vessel vulnerability.

Several important Maritime leaders have spoken up about these pressing issues recently. VADM Maurizio Gemignani discussed the current NATO maritime mission and what role the organization plays in providing security in the European theater with IDGA.org’s Senior Editor Nick Younker. He also spoke about expanding mission areas such as participation in non-traditional roles like ISAF in Afghanistan and in the fight against terrorism and piracy. The entire podcast is available at IDGA.org.

ADM Mark Fitzgerald, Commander Naval Forces Europe/Africa and Commander, Allied Joint Forces Command Naples, also spoke with Younker about U.S. Navy and Coalition efforts against Piracy in the Horn of Africa. Events off the Somali coast have been a major disruption to maritime traffic and ADM Fitzgerald spoke candidly about the root causes of the problem and attempts to solve them from a tactical, operational, and strategic level. The podcast has been made available at www.MaritimePiracySummit.com, along with additional information including webcasts, articles, previous speaker presentations, and past attendee profiles.

For more information on attending the Maritime Piracy Summit, and to see a full list of subject matter, please visit: www.MaritimePiracySummit.com or contact Helen Frank at helen.frank@idga.org.

The Institute for Defense & Government Advancement (IDGA) is a non-partisan information-based organization dedicated to the promotion of innovative ideas in public service and defense through live conferences and events. We bring together speaker panels and events comprised of military and government professionals while attracting delegates with decision-making power from military, government, and defense industries.

In addition to our live events, IDGA also offers an online community dedicated to providing defense industry professionals with breaking news, business opportunities, introductions, podcasts, webinars, and presentations from key industry leaders. Members of our online community are able to extend their live event experience and interact with the defense industry by leveraging the opportunity to network, share ideas, best practices, and business solutions.

Source = Business Wire

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.com.

The 12,575 ton, 534 foot USNS Howard O. Lorenzen will be home to a crew of 88 and will host embarked military and civilian technicians and mariners from other U.S. government agencies. Computer-Aided Image: Naval Sea Systems Command

In a career that spanned 33 years at the Washington, D.C., based Naval Research Laboratory, Howard Otto Lorenzen developed the distinction as the “Father of Electronic Warfare” for his development of radio countermeasures that could exploit detected or interrupted electromagnetic transmissions for military purposes, intelligence gathering and electronic countermeasures — a pioneering concept that was the genesis of modern day electronic warfare.

“Lorenzen understood and the Navy realized the value and relevance of not only detecting enemy radio and electronic transmissions, but that recording, analyzing and deciphering these transmissions and developing intuitive countermeasures would prove to be an integral and vital function to the future of national security,” said Pete Wilhelm, Director, NRL Naval Center for Space Technology.

Beginning his NRL career in 1940 as a radio engineer under the leadership of radar pioneer, Albert Hoyt Taylor, Lorenzen got his first taste of electronic countermeasures when he unintentionally jammed the signal of radar being tested at the lab’s Radar Division. As the U.S. entered World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lorenzen’s research focused on developing electronic means to detect, locate, jam and otherwise deceive enemy radar and other electronic locating equipment, ushering in a new era of warfare to benefit U.S. military countermeasures.

As the war progressed, Lorenzen, assigned to the lab’s Special Developments Section, continued to expand on the idea of electronic countermeasures, or ECMs, developing radio detection and recording devices to defeat guided German missiles by analyzing the control signals sent to Henschel 293 flying bombs and using the information to disrupt or distort radio command signals.

NRL’s experience during the war made it evident the importance of electronic countermeasures in Naval operations. After the war, Lorenzen continued to develop new, and tweak existing, ECM technologies organizing NRL’s Countermeasures Branch and toiling with recovered German and Japanese wartime electronic devices. Lorenzen developed the first U.S. magnetic tape-recorder for intercept work and tunable microwave intercept receivers equipped in Navy ships, shore stations and aircraft.

During the 1950s and throughout the Korean and Vietnam military conflicts, ECM technology advanced by Lorenzen and his team of engineers provided new techniques and systems of electronic signal interception, signal source location including high-frequency direction finding, recording, analysis, jamming and deception. It was Lorenzen’s project engineer and prodigy, Jim Trexler, who first started calling Lorenzen “Father.” Trexler was the first to reveal that terrestrial radio signals reflected from the moon could be intercepted back on Earth using a giant parabolic antenna. An immediate outgrowth was the Navy’s Communication Moon Relay (CMR) system, “moon bounce,” that provided our Navy with satellite communication a decade before artificial space satellites were operational.

In June 1960, after a U.S. U-2 spy aircraft was shot down over the Soviet Union, Lorenzen’s most notable achievement became the Galactic Radiation and Background payload, GRAB, the earliest space-based reconnaissance satellite and the first U.S. Navy electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite used to obtain information on Soviet air defense radars that otherwise could not be observed from U.S. military aircraft.

Situated 500 miles above the Earth, safe from surface-to-air missiles, the GRAB satellite’s circular orbit passed it through energy beams from Soviet radar whose pulses traveled straight and far beyond the horizon into space. GRAB received each pulse of a radar signal in a certain bandwidth, as sensed by its tiny antennas, and transponded a corresponding signal to collection huts at ground sites within its field of view. Operators recorded transponded information on magnetic tape and couriered it to NRL for evaluation. NRL evaluated, duplicated, and forwarded the tapes to the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Md., and the Strategic Air Command at Offut Air Force Base, Omaha, Neb., for analysis and processing.

In the mid-1960s as Cold War tensions were ramping up, Lorenzen inspired his team to again think of new, innovative means to thwart enemy attacks on U.S. military targets. In September 1966, his branch was upgraded to division status and Lorenzen was named superintendent of NRL’s new Electronic Warfare Division with the chief role to develop advanced guided missile defenses for Navy aircraft and state-of-the-art electronic warfare (EW) components for the USS New Jersey.

In 1970, Deputy of Defense Secretary David Packard aligned space system acquisition responsibilities with those for weapon systems acquisitions and authorized the military departments to pursue departmental need for space systems. NRL turned to Lorenzen to repeat in space what he had accomplished in EW — design total systems for military operational support — and in 1971 named Lorenzen superintendent of NRL Space Systems. Lorenzen served as superintendent of NRL space systems until his retirement from NRL in June 1973.

Christened in formal ceremonies at VT Halter Marine, Pascagoula, Miss., the 12,575 ton, 534 foot ship will be home to a crew of 88 and will host embarked military and civilian technicians and mariners from other U.S. government agencies. Missile range instrumentation ships provide a platform for monitoring missile launches and collecting data that can be used to improve missile efficiency and accuracy.

The USNS Hayes, named after NRL scientist Harvey C. Hayes, launched in 1970 and is the only other U.S. Navy ship commemorating an NRL scientist. Hayes, a distinguished scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory from 1923 until 1952, pioneered the world of ocean acoustics and is recognized as the first person to accumulate any substantial amount of data at sea and was later responsible for one of two operational sonar equipments used by the Navy at the outbreak of World War II.

The Naval Research Laboratory is the Department of the Navy’s corporate laboratory. NRL conducts a broad program of scientific research, technology, and advanced development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of nearly 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, DC, with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, MS; and Monterey, CA.

Source = Business Wire

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.com.

As part of the Qualified Community Responder (QCR) program, assisting BP in recruiting, hiring, training, deploying and managing 500 local cleanup workers in each of the 12 coastal counties in Alabama (two counties) and Florida (10 counties in the Gulf Panhandle); and
Providing logistics, procurement and warehousing support for BP across the Gulf Coast in support of the company’s ongoing cleanup efforts.
“In supporting the Gulf Coast recovery, the mission priority for our P2S team is to hire local citizens and provide coordinated, safe training and supervision for the cleanup activities along the coast where they live,” said Kirk Grimes, president of Fluor’s Global Services Group.

About P2S

Plant Performance Services (P2S) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fluor Corporation and a leading provider of specialty manpower and construction services to domestic industrial facilities and projects, particularly in the oil and gas, refining, chemicals, petrochemicals, and power generation industries. P2S currently operates from 14 office locations as well as at a large number of project sites in North America. For more information, visit http://www.p2sworld.com.

About Fluor Corporation

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) designs, builds and maintains many of the world’s most challenging and complex projects. Through its global network of offices on six continents, the company provides comprehensive capabilities and world-class expertise in the fields of engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, operations, maintenance and project management. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Fluor is a FORTUNE 200 company and had revenues of $22 billion in 2009. For more information, visit www.fluor.com.

Source = Business Wire

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management. Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.com.