According to the American Journal of Transportation, the trade gap for U.S. merchandise expanded to a record last month. Increases in imports surpassed exports, with the gap in goods trade rising from $75.5 billion to $76 billion.

Read the full article here: Tariffs Bite US Economy With Record Trade Gap, Cooler Orders – Jenny Leonard, Sarah Foster & Katia Dmitrieva, American Journal of Transportation 

According to FleetOwner magazine, over $74 billion in trucking operational costs were added due to traffic congestion. Not only does congestion increase financial costs, but it also leads to lost hours of productivity. Most of the congestion costs are concentrated in metropolitan areas (over 90%).

Read more information here: Traffic Adds $74.5 Billion to Trucking's Annual Price Tag – Neil Abt, FleetOwner

​“The U.S. trade deficit widened in August to the biggest in six months as soybean exports plunged and a measure of the gap with China hit a record, showing how the Trump administration’s trade war is dragging on economic growth.

The gap in goods and services trade increased 6.4 percent to $53.2 billion, from a revised $50 billion in the prior month, Commerce Department data showed Friday. Imports rose 0.6 percent and exports fell 0.8 percent. Soybean exports dropped $1 billion, or 28 percent, to $2.58 billion, reversing a run-up earlier this year ahead of retaliatory levies from China.”

Read more details: US Trade Gap Hits Six-month High as Soybean Exports Plunge 28% – Andrew Mayeda, American Journal of Transportation

ATTS Logistics is a proud member of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA). Our company has been a distinguished member in good standing since 2001.

As a member of the TIA, we:

• Adhere to the highest code of ethics within the 3PL and freight brokerage industry
• Commit to outstanding customer service
• Serve as leaders in the brokerage and 3PL industry

We also receive educational resources to continuously learn about the industry and improve the ways in which we serve our customers.

​In the summer of 2016, Lake Zurich residents Shari Gullo and Diane Myers hosted a book drive to send 10,700 books to the impoverished Big Ugly region of West Virginia. Working with West Virginia nonprofit Step by Step, the two set up collection bins throughout Lake Zurich and neighboring communities to collect books for a region with no public library or bookstores. The nearest public library is nearly 40 minutes away from the tiny coal mining region in the Appalachian mountains.

ATTS Logistics played a part by providing warehouse space, labor, and materials to package and palletize the books. ATTS also arranged a carrier to ship the resources to the Big Ugly region. ATTS is excited to help deliver more books to the Big Ugly region this October. If you are interested in donating books or resources, please email Jessica at jessica@attsinc.com.

You can read more information about the 2016 efforts here.