Joanna Marsh - Staff Writer - FreightWaves - Falls Church, VA

“The railroads should not be able to continue to operate without buffer for unexpected demand, make historic profits, and engage in enormous stock buybacks, all while providing subpar service to agricultural shippers and disregarding safety,”  - Tom Vilsack

Vilsack said while rail service in 2023 so far has improved over last year, rail service “remains inadequate and unreliable for many agricultural shippers,”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service noted in April that rail service metrics were mixed in the first quarter of 2023. Reduced carload volumes helped to improve service, but dwell times were still an issue, the agency said. 

Topic: BNSF to expand intermodal service in Texas

BNSF is increasing intermodal options in Texas by expanding service at the Port of Houston in response to what BNSF says is growing intermodal demand. The western U.S. railroad plans to add more service options between the Barbours Cut Container Terminal at the Port of Houston, which has on-dock terminal capability, and BNSF’s intermodal facility at Alliance, Texas, which is nearby Dallas-Fort Worth and has benefited from expanded capacity and technology enhancements as well as existing live lift capabilities, according to a Monday release. BNSF is also expanding service between Barbours Cut and BNSF’s intermodal facility in Denver.  The new service will start on June 2

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Donny Gilbert - Director of Customer Solutions - FreightWaves

Tony Mulvey - Senior Analyst - FreightWaves

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Noi Mahoney - Borderlands Writer - FreightWaves - San Antonio, TX

Topic: Mexican-US trade still resilient despite economic downturn.

Uber Freight says that things are doing well at the border - what have they said about prospects in cross border trade?

Have they seen a downturn because of the economic climate or even an upturn with the nearshoring activity that has been going on recently?

What are some of the other factors that are going to affect US-Mexico trade this year?

OTHER BORDERLANDS QUESTIONS

San Diego-based XB Fulfillment recently received $100 million in private equity funding, which it will use to accelerate expansion of its logistics warehousing, according to a news release.

New Orleans-based Louisiana Pepper Exchange, a global chile pepper company, recently announced plans for a processing and distribution facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. 

A collision between a freight truck and passenger van in northern Mexico left 26 people dead, according to Reuters.  The accident occurred May 14 on a highway near Ciudad Victoria, which is located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Topic: Layoffs at DHL and GXO

DHL Supply Chain and GXO Logistics are laying off workers in Texas as a result of both companies losing customers. DHL is laying off 80 Houston-area employees after a customer ended its contract.

Also announcing layoffs is GXO Logistics, which will let go of 105 workers at a logistics operation in Fort Worth by the end of June, according to state filings.

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Donny Gilbert - Director of Customer Solutions - FreightWaves

Tony Mulvey - Senior Analyst - FreightWaves

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Randy Mullett - Senior Advisor - Imaginnovate - Washington DC

Loren Smith - President - Skyline Policy Risk Group - Manassas, VA

Bill Priestley - Producer - FreightWaves NOW

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Thomas Wasson - Enterprise Trucking Expert - FreightWaves

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Matt Leffler - Armchair Attorney - Chicago, IL

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Donny Gilbert - Director of Customer Solutions - FreightWaves

Tony Mulvey - Senior Analyst - FreightWaves

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Eric Kulisch - Air Cargo Editor - FreightWaves - Vancouver, WA

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Donny Gilbert - Director of Customer Solutions - FreightWaves

Tony Mulvey - Senior Analyst - FreightWaves

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