The container doesn’t magically appear at your warehouse when it comes off the vessel, and that gap between “arrived at port” and “delivered” is where intermodal either shines or breaks. We sit down with Anne Reinke, President and CEO of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), to trace the real container journey and the behind-the-scenes systems that keep freight moving across ocean shipping, ports, drayage, rail, and logistics providers.

Anne shares her unexpected career path through CSX, USDOT, and the freight brokerage world, and what each vantage point reveals about how the supply chain actually works under stress. We dig into what happened during COVID when curfews, closed rest stops, and uncertainty collided with the need to keep essential freight moving and why better multimodal coordination at DOT matters long after the crisis headlines fade.

We also get practical about today’s risks and pressures: cargo theft, strategic theft, fraudulent and “chameleon” carriers, and the tough balancing act of carrier vetting and broker liability. From there, we break down the UIIA in plain English, including how shared standards, driver databases, chassis tracking, street turns, and geofencing help the intermodal ecosystem speak the same operational language.

We wrap with why the IANA Intermodal Expo in Long Beach is a must-attend moment for anyone touching containers, equipment, ports, rail, trucking, technology, policy, or supply chain security. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review if the show helps you make the regulatory and operational side of freight clearer.

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Cargo theft is getting smarter, quieter, and easier to mistake for normal business and that’s exactly why it’s so dangerous. A compromised email, a clean-looking bill of lading, a driver who seems legitimate, and suddenly a real shipment is delivered straight to a criminal with everyone thinking they did their job. That’s the modern reality of supply chain security, and it’s hitting freight brokers and shippers especially hard.

We sit down with Scott Cornell, Chief Risk Officer at SPG Cargo and Logistics and one of the leading cargo theft and transportation crime specialists in the United States. Scott breaks down the difference between straight cargo theft (physical theft, pilferage, stolen trailers) and strategic cargo theft (deception-first schemes like double brokering, MC number fraud, identity theft, and email compromise). We dig into why food and beverage is such a popular target, how criminals “launder” freight through paperwork, and why a broken seal can turn a recovery into a total loss.

We also zoom out to the systems problem: cargo theft is often misclassified in law enforcement data, which means the true scale is hard to measure. Scott explains why the CORCA legislation matters, what better reporting could unlock for investigators and prosecutors, and how organizations like TAPA Americas raise the bar with security standards, intelligence sharing, and summits that bring industry and law enforcement into the same room. If you’re responsible for freight, compliance, risk, or operations, you’ll leave with clearer red flags, better questions to ask at pickup, and a stronger sense of what “respond immediately” really means.

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The FMC is back at full power, and if that sounds like inside baseball, it is actually a real operational shift for global ocean shipping. With Bob Harvey sworn in, all five Federal Maritime Commission seats are filled again, which restores the agency’s full voting strength for rulemakings, adjudicatory decisions, and enforcement direction under the Shipping Act. We walk through how the FMC is structured, why staggered terms and bipartisan limits matter, and what changes when the commission is no longer stuck at four members.

We also introduce Commissioner Harvey in plain English: a sharp legal mind with deep experience in economic development, finance tools, public private partnerships, and emerging technology, plus a US Navy JAG background. That mix pairs well with Chairman Laura DiBella’s business first framing of competition, customer choice, and practical outcomes for the shipping public. The bigger takeaway is simple: the FMC sits where law meets markets, and the people in those five chairs shape how the ocean transportation marketplace gets regulated.

Then we turn to a surprisingly revealing budget hearing with MARAD and the FMC. MARAD is focused on ships, shipyards, mariners, ports, and the industrial base, but the thread that ties it together is cargo. You cannot build maritime capacity without consistent cargo to support the business case, and that is where the FMC’s mandate becomes part of a national maritime strategy. We unpack the Maritime Security Trust Fund proposal tied to the SHIPS Act, what it could fund, and what happens if the funding “bucket” never becomes real.

Finally, we hit practical guidance: the FMC’s $40 million budget request, why staffing and IT modernization matter for a small agency, and why CADRS (the FMC’s free mediation and dispute resolution service) can help shippers and carriers avoid expensive, slow complaints. Subscribe, share the episode with a maritime colleague, and leave a review so more people can find clear, usable ocean shipping regulation analysis.

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Ships don’t move cargo, people do and when we forget that, every “maritime dominance” plan turns into a slogan. National Maritime Day gives us the perfect excuse to zoom out from vessels and policy memos and look at the real engine of ocean shipping: the workforce that loads, unloads, builds, maintains, sails, and regulates the system.

We sit down with Federal Maritime Commissioner Max Vekich, whose career starts where the job is hardest and least forgiving: the waterfront. He shares what it’s like to grow up in a union port town, how longshore hiring halls actually work, why maritime labor can be feast or famine, and how one tragic safety incident on his very first day leaves a mark that never fades. That lived experience follows him into public service and eventually into the Federal Maritime Commission, bringing a perspective the industry rarely gets to hear inside a regulator’s walls.

Along the way, we also flag timely FMC updates that shape ocean shipping regulations and supply chain resilience, including the National Shipper Advisory Committee (NSAC) and what proposed rulemaking process changes could mean for industry input. Then we widen the lens to the big picture: rebuilding American maritime strength, protecting freedom of navigation, and filling critical maritime jobs across ports, shipyards, and vessels. If you’re curious about maritime careers, you’ll leave with concrete next steps, including TWIC, Coast Guard credentialing, union apprenticeships, and Military to Mariner pathways.

Subscribe, share this with someone who works in shipping, and leave a review. What part of the maritime workforce do you think the U.S. is most at risk of losing next?

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A $45.6 million award at the Federal Maritime Commission sounds like the whole story until the losing side walks into federal court and starts arguing about the Constitution. We take you from a nuts-and-bolts ocean shipping fight over minimum quantity commitments and service contract performance to a much bigger question: how much authority should the FMC have to decide Shipping Act disputes through administrative law judges, and are those ALJs structured in a constitutional way?

We unpack why MQCs matter so much to shippers, carriers, NVOCCs, and beneficial cargo owners, especially when the market gets tight and freight is pushed from contract rates to the spot market. If you lived through 2020 and 2021, you remember the pain: a lane that once priced around a couple thousand dollars can spike into five figures, and suddenly “committed cargo” and “committed space” become a legal battlefield. We also explain why these cases aren’t just breach of contract claims, and how “enforceability” can become a Shipping Act issue when contracts are filed with and monitored by the FMC.

Then we zoom out to what’s happening in Washington, DC and why maritime policy feels like a once-in-a-generation moment. From port infrastructure and shipyard funding to the broader push for U.S. maritime dominance, one keynote line sticks with us: “the sea is not a border, it is the extension of the homeland.” It’s a reminder that ocean shipping is not the edge of the map, it’s where commerce, national strategy, and supply chain resilience keep going.

Subscribe, share this with a shipping nerd in your life, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What do you think matters more here: the MQC guidance or the constitutional challenge to ALJs?

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A $500 bill shouldn’t be able to move markets, but that’s exactly why we wanted to unpack the Evergreen detention case and the DC Circuit’s latest word on the FMC’s incentive principle. We walk through the real-world question hiding inside a tiny invoice: if a terminal is closed for a holiday weekend and the gates are literally shut, can detention charges still be “reasonable” under the Shipping Act? I break down how the Federal Maritime Commission ties detention and demurrage to freight fluidity, why the court pushed for fact-driven analysis, and what this means for weekend charges, holiday closures, return restrictions, and any scenario where equipment cannot physically move.

Then we shift to a much bigger dollar headline with major shipper implications: the initial FMC decision awarding more than $46.5 million in reparations to Bed Bath and Beyond’s successor against OOCL. We talk through the claims and findings around service contracts, minimum quantity commitments (MQCs), space allocation, premium pricing, refusal to deal, and retaliation, plus why this ruling may add structure to how MQC failures can be treated as potential Shipping Act violations rather than just private contract disputes.

We close by connecting global policy to daily logistics. The FMC Chairman’s appearance at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) MEPC for net zero framework talks raises a practical concern: new vessel compliance costs do not stay on the vessel, they show up in surcharges, freight rates, and the prices paid by importers, exporters, retailers, and consumers. And even with DHS funding restored, we explain why the US Coast Guard cannot be collateral damage in political fights if we’re serious about maritime security, port operations, and supply chain resilience. Subscribe, share this with your team, and leave a review so more people can follow the rules that shape how ocean shipping really works.

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📚 Want to go deeper? Check out our live webinars, on-demand e-courses, and our Just-in-Time Learning™ sessions -- short, plain-language lessons (30 minutes or less) built for supply chain pros who need quick clarity.

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The Coast Guard is still standing the watch, launching rescues, protecting ports, and keeping maritime commerce moving, but the pay story behind the uniform is far messier than most people realize. When a partial government shutdown hits the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard gets pulled into a funding gap that creates real stress for families and real risk for operational readiness. I wanted more than surface-level commentary, so I picked up the phone and called someone I trust to get the facts straight.

Retired Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger joins me to walk through what is actually happening with DHS appropriations, delayed pay, and the difference between uniformed Coast Guard members and the civilian workforce that supports critical missions. We talk about what counts as “essential,” what work slows down, and why “back pay later” does not solve the immediate problem of bills due today. He also explains the fast-moving situation on Capitol Hill, including carve-outs and funding proposals that may protect some DHS components while leaving the Coast Guard stuck in the “rest of DHS” bucket.

We also zoom out to the bigger maritime picture: shipbuilding hearings, the maritime industrial base, workforce retention, long-range planning, and why maritime security is national security. If we want resilience in the maritime transportation system and a stronger U.S. maritime supply chain, funding stability cannot be an afterthought.

If this breakdown helps, subscribe and share the episode with someone who cares about maritime policy, national security, or ocean shipping, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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Coast Guard funding shouldn’t be a footnote, yet the consequences are landing squarely on mariners, ports, and the companies trying to keep ships moving. We break down what a continued government funding lapse means in real operational terms, including why the National Maritime Center and Regional Exam Centers being closed turns into delayed merchant mariner credentials, canceled exams, and a backlog that will haunt the maritime workforce long after headlines move on. Temporary extensions and paused testing clocks help, but they’re triage, not a functioning credentialing system.

We also dig into the mounting pressure campaign from industry, including a coalition letter that frames credentialing delays as a direct threat to vessel safety, port operations, and national security. The Merchant Marine’s role as an auxiliary to the U.S. Navy makes this more than a regulatory inconvenience. If workforce readiness and maritime safety are strategic priorities, stable Coast Guard funding is foundational, not optional, and it deserves louder public and congressional attention.

From there, we look ahead to a joint House hearing that puts shipbuilding, maritime industrial base capacity, commercial shipping realities, and agency coordination in the same room. Finally, we unpack the Federal Maritime Commission’s new hazardous cargo investigation, including radioactive cargo, through the lens of Shipping Act authority, discrimination concerns, and “unreasonable refusal to deal” market access issues that could reshape how certain exports move through global ocean shipping. Subscribe, share this with a maritime colleague, and leave a review, and then tell us what change would make the biggest difference right now: funding, staffing, or process reform?

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Cargo drives fleets. Fleets sustain mariners. And if we’re serious about maritime dominance, commercial cargo has to be part of the strategy. This week I wanted to connect a few threads that illustrate how the day-to-day mechanics of ocean shipping and the long-term future of the U.S. maritime system are unfolding at the same time.

I start with the D.C. Circuit decision in World Shipping Council v. Federal Maritime Commission, which upheld the FMC’s rule defining “unreasonable refusal to deal or negotiate” under the Shipping Act. We walk through the statutory background, the role of OSRA 2022, and how the rule frames the totality-of-the-circumstances test the Commission can use when evaluating vessel space disputes. That includes the controversial documented export policy requirement and the debate over whether quoting an extremely high rate can function as a refusal to negotiate without crossing into rate regulation.

Then I zoom out and offer what I jokingly call a “maritime strategy addendum from The Maritime Professor.” After reviewing the recent maritime policy conversations in Washington, I walk through a few pillars that I think deserve more attention in the national discussion. Commercial cargo needs to remain central to maritime strategy. Shipping policy can’t assume everything moves in containers when bulk and breakbulk cargo still dominate major commodity flows. Market incentives may be necessary if we want cargo to consistently move on U.S.-flag vessels. And if shipbuilding capacity is going to expand, we need to be realistic about the scale of investment required to move beyond incremental programs.

Finally, I reflect on witnessing the transfer of Maine Maritime Academy’s new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel. These ships are designed to replace aging training vessels at the state maritime academies, but they also highlight a bigger reality: none of these maritime strategies work without mariners. Training ships are floating classrooms, and workforce development remains one of the most important long-term investments the industry can make.

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Emergency fees. Geopolitical chokepoints. Antitrust guardrails. Funding gaps that quietly slow the Coast Guard. Maritime policy isn’t moving in one lane right now, and I wanted to connect the dots while the industry is trying to keep cargo moving.

I start with the Strait of Hormuz and the wave of emergency fuel surcharges tied to rising bunker costs and operational risk. Even when a crisis feels like pure force majeure territory, the Federal Maritime Commission is reminding carriers that U.S. Shipping Act compliance still applies. We walk through what the FMC is actually saying about tariff notice timing, special permission requests, and why the tariff in effect when cargo is received can become the rulebook in a dispute. I also tie it back to lessons from the Red Sea, where shippers pushed for more transparency and better justification instead of a blanket “it’s a crisis” explanation.

Next, I dig into an interesting FMC determination involving the World Shipping Council and the limits of filed agreements and limited antitrust protection under the statute. The Commission’s move to cancel certain categories and demand tighter justifications is one of the first guardrail signals on how “cooperative working arrangements” may be interpreted going forward, and it matters for how trade associations and carriers coordinate.

Then we zoom out to China’s increased inspections and detentions of Panama-flag vessels, the Panama Canal terminal backdrop, and the corrective tools the FMC could use if foreign practices start harming U.S. commerce. I wrap with what a DHS funding lapse means for the Coast Guard and mariner credential processing, plus a major PIDP port infrastructure funding opportunity and a bigger question: maritime dominance is not just defense sealift, so how do we build commercial fleet strength that can scale?

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📚 Want to go deeper? Check out our live webinars, on-demand e-courses, and our Just-in-Time Learning™ sessions -- short, plain-language lessons (30 minutes or less) built for supply chain pros who need quick clarity.

🚢 Looking for something tailored? We also provide custom corporate trainings designed to meet your team’s needs.

⚓ Learn more and explore past episodes at: www.TheMaritimeProfessor.com/podcast