It comes down to sound management. "Alaska is the most expansive and challenging logistics laboratory in the United States," says Dr. Darren Prokop, professor of logistics, College of Business and Public Policy, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Take an industry with huge capital costs, long lead times in acquiring vessel capacity and couple that with the uncertainty of global market conditions over that long time period. In this context it probably never seems like a good time to invest in fleet size. But periodic investment must take place and it is always a risk-taking exercise.
Federal, state and local regulations impact every mode of transportation in some way and to varying degrees. Motor carrier haulage is subject to federal regulations when it is interstate.
The U.S.-China trade war reached something like an armistice with the “Phase I” trade agreement signed January 15, 2020. The U.S. cancelled further trade tariffs on imports from China. To reciprocate, China agreed to purchase more U.S. exports and be more respectful of other countries’ intellectual property rights.
There is this party starting in a very cool place and everyone who showed up is a little uncomfortable. Things are heating up – and not necessarily in a good way. This is the state of affairs in the Circumpolar North and its Arctic waters.
