News Updates

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DGX - Dependable Global Express

4/3/2018

Dear Valued Customers,

The following is provided for your information:

Holiday Schedule

The following offices will be closed in celebration of their local holiday:

Japan	Showa Day (Observed)	April 30
Hong Kong	Ching Ming Festival	April 5
China	Ching Ming Festival	April 5
Australia	ANZAC Day	April 25
New Zealand	ANZAC Day	April 25
Philippines	Day of Valor	April 9
American Samoa	Flag day	April 17

Please remember that certain offices are across the International Dateline. The dates above are their dates, not the actual U.S. date.

Tokyo Port Congestions

We've seen increasing road/ traffic congestion near the Port of Tokyo with average turn times between 4-8 hours, particularly near Oi Container Terminal. The time to dray has become an increasingly acute issue in Tokyo because of growth in the volume of containers handled at the port.

The Oi Container Terminal is by far the biggest among the Port of Tokyo’s three container terminals.

Effective March 29th, 2018 trucks carrying containers into and out of the Oi Container terminal are required to use two newly established waiting areas from Monday through Saturday every week, excluding national holidays, to ease the traffic congestion near the port. The waiting areas for the Oi Container Terminal are expected to accommodate up to 500 total trucks.

Truck drivers with either empty or loaded containers will be required to pick up numbered tickets at ticketing machines in the waiting areas and stay at designated waiting lanes until being instructed to enter the port. Trucks with containers leaving the port will leave the terminal via a special lane and bypass the waiting areas.

A Chronic Shortage of Truck Drivers in Japan

It's been reported over the years that there exists a national shortage of truck drivers in Japan. This year the issue has become critical. The shortage is forcing transport companies to take their labor issues more seriously and government agencies to review labor laws for potential changes.

The transport ministry has recently set new maximum per-day and per-month working hours for truck drivers. This could further enhance the driver shortage because the number of hours each driver can work could drop by one-third according to experts commenting on the change.

The Industry and government are hoping to offset this shortage somewhat by reducing the minimum age for obtaining a truck driver's license to 18 from 20.

Rate Changes

The following rate changes apply to origin/destination, respectively:

RATE TYPE	EFFECTIVE DATE	DESCRIPTION	AMOUNT OF INCREASE OR DECREASE
US Mainland Origins/Ports CHASSIS FEE with the exception of OAK PORT.	3/11/2017	US Mainland Origin/Ports with the exception OAK Port - CHASSIS Fee	FCL: $30/per day, minimum of 2 days LCL: $4 W/M (LCL $1 W/M Increase (from $3 W/M to $4 W/M)
Low Sulfur Surcharge (LSS)	4/1/2018	USA to Australia and New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti and Papua New Guinea	FCL: $15/20' $30/40' (Decrease) LCL: $1 WM (remained)
EFAF/BAF	4/1/2018	USA to Australia and New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti and Papua New Guinea	FCL: $595/20' $1190/40' (Increase) LCL: $24 WM

USA Trucking Industry Update

The US trucking industry is experiencing an increased driver shortage as well as other factors critically disrupting operations and ability to meet current demand. Truckers in several regions are requiring an average of two (2) weeks advance notice. Factors and areas affected:

Factors Affecting Service

Affected Areas

· New Electronic Log Device requirements

· Decreasing availability of drivers

· Winter weather in the Midwest, Ohio Valley, Southeast and Gulf

· Record-breaking Import volumes

Chicago, IL
Columbus, OH
Detroit, MI
Houston, TX
Florida
Memphis, TN
New York, NY
Savannah, GA
Wisconsin

In an attempt to minimize delays in your supply chain, please consider taking proactive measures that include placing bookings as far in advance of the desired departure as possible and/or providing flexibility in scheduling of pickup and delivery appointment dates/times.

We will continue to monitor the situation and work on ensuring you obtain the levels of service you require and are accustomed to.

Marmorated Stink Bug Season Measures for FCL & Break Bulk Shipments ex USA to Australia

The Marmorated Stink Bug Season, which began September 1, 2017, will end on April 30, 2018. During this period, all high-risk commodities are required to be fumigated at origin to avoid delays and extra costs upon arrival in Australia.

If you are unsure if your goods fall into the high-risk category please contact your local DGX office or check the commodity list on the below homepage.

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/before/pests/brown-marmorated-stink-bugs/season-measures?wasRedirectedByModule=true#containerised

Fuel Surcharge Increase – Hawaii, Guam, and CNMI

Matson Navigation Company (“Matson”) announced that due to a steady increase in fuel-related costs over the last three (3) months, the current fuel surcharges are changing. Accordingly, Matson will increase their ocean fuel surcharge by 1.5 percentage points. The fuel surcharge for Hawaii will be increased from 28.5% to 30%, for Guam from 29% to 30.5%, and for CNMI from 34% to 35.5%, all effective with sailings on or after Sunday, March 18, 2018.  

Because of this increase in our underlying costs, we are changing the fuel surcharge charged to you to reflect this 1.5% adjustment, effective with sailings on or after Sunday, March 18, 2018.

By making the above rate changes, we are able to maintain our service levels as well as the financial stability you would expect and want from your service provider. We apologize for any inconvenience these changes will cause you.

Should you have additional questions or scheduling concerns, please contact your local office or contact our DGX at 888-488-4888 or at 310-669-8888. For DHX Customer Service Center call us at 800-488-4888, Ext. 2020.

For Hawaii news updates see News Updates at www.dhx.com.

Thank you for your business - we appreciate it!