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Full planes and fond farewells: air cargo does Miami

The weather was dreadful, the blueberries were under suspicion, and there were people dressed as rats outside the convention centre. Inside, however, air cargo was in a remarkably good mood. At TIACA's Air Cargo Forum in Miami this week, the airlines had turned up in force, people wanted to do business, and anyone with a freighter on the transpacific had particular reason to enjoy themselves. (Although there may be less enjoyment from anyone trying to book space on it.) One word that was heard surprisingly little was "peak". The conversations were about strong demand from the AI sector continuing well beyond the point at which the industry traditionally takes down the decorations and starts worrying again. Various forecasts put next year's demand growth at 5% or more; expectations for capacity growth were more mixed. But, having covered this industry for over a decade, I've never heard so many airlines crying-out for freighter capacity, normally a risky business. Conversions have shot up in price; and the delivery dates stretching out over the next several years may perhaps come too late for this current rush. Adding to the uncertainty were rumours in Miami that Boeing might not make use of its FAA exemption to keep delivering the current 777 freighter beyond 2027. Unconfirmed, but hardly comforting for anyone hoping the aircraft shortage might resolve itself. The broader concern in Miami was capacity: where to find it; how to secure it; and how long the squeeze might last. Even ecommerce, whose demise has been so eagerly discussed, was still taking up space. Down on some lanes, yes. Out of the picture, certainly not. The parcels have declined to take the hint. For shippers, a prolonged squeeze makes the relationship with their forwarders rather more consequential. Their message in Miami was straightforward: help us when things go wrong, and we will remember when it is time to award the next contract. One shipper described rewarding a forwarder that had worked to protect agreed rates during a capacity crunch, rather than simply joining the queue with a surcharge. Others wanted practical alternatives when disruption struck. Loyalty still has commercial value, even if it is difficult to put in a procurement spreadsheet. There was less enthusiasm for 'yet another' dashboard. A beautifully displayed problem remains a problem, although perhaps it is reassuring to know precisely which shade of amber your shipment has become. Forwarders, meanwhile, had their own disappointments. One said he had emerged from a string of airline meetings finding the offerings distinctly "meh". Little innovation; not much to get excited about. With space in short supply, perhaps an airline can get away with a sales pitch that largely amounts solely to 'having some'. But a market in which customers need you is also a useful opportunity to give them a reason to stay when they don't. Outside the venue, another industry relationship was receiving rather more theatrical scrutiny. Union protesters dressed as rats were highlighting safety allegations against Alliance Ground International. Inside, AGI occupied a large stand at the main entrance to the exhibition hall. An awkward arrangement for anyone hoping visitors would encounter only the approved brand messaging. Elsewhere, the mood was more affectionate, if occasionally tearful. Air cargo was saying goodbye to several familiar faces, and TIACA outgoing DG Glyn Hughes appeared determined to provide enough emotion for the entire departing cohort. TIACA's board had given him a send-off the night before the event started; a public 'roast' supplied further opportunities for him to reach for a tissue. Having spent years making sure there were no incriminating photographs of him, he had apparently failed to anticipate AI. A lifetime of photographic discipline, undone by a prompt. With Mammen Tharakan taking over as DG, and Mr Hughes continuing part-time until January, the latter plans to spend some time 'doing life', before deciding what comes next. There are, unsurprisingly, plenty of invitations. The challenge may be persuading an industry accustomed to his availability that retirement is not simply a more flexible booking system. With new chair Roos Bakker too, a new era at TIACA is taking shape; younger, driven, and motivated. It'll be great to watch to see how it thrives. Those problems stalking TIACA in the past, largely financial, seem to be now in the rear-view mirror. Long may that last. And there were retirements elsewhere. A United Cargo party to say goodbye to cargo chief Jan Krems added to the sense of a generation handing over. The US Airforwarders Association has also changed its guard. After 21 years of Brandon Fried, Steve Smith, previously chief executive of Airlink, has taken over. Affable and seemingly well suited to the job, he looks a good choice for a role requiring relationships, persistence, and the ability to both listen and explain. Encouragingly, the farewells were accompanied by some arrivals. More than 100 students attended TIACA's event, with a raffle among the proceedings. The industry spends a good deal of time discussing the next generation; it was nice to see them in the room. And there were airlines. Plenty of them. At the previous Miami event, finding a carrier in the exhibition hall was a surprisingly tough ask. This time, the Americas were particularly well represented in the hall, and a record 100 airlines were represented among the delegates, according to the organisers. Cathay took the crown for best stand - centrally located, with the best coffee (and the worst queues) and also serving carajillos - espresso fortified with liqueur, very efficiently combining the two principal fuels of any air cargo event. Attendance was put at around 3,000, although the hall did not always feel that busy. There were fewer stands than last time, but the mix felt better. The morning-only conference programme also worked well, leaving afternoons free for meetings. Forwarders, as ever, were largely in those meetings, making them both reassuringly busy and extremely difficult to find. For all the competition between air cargo events, there remains a pleasure in going to a key global one, and seeing people who, over the years, have become actual friends. New faces noted how welcoming everyone was, how readily people made introductions and helped them connect. It's a considerable part of this industry's appeal. People may be ferocious over a rate negotiation, but they will still introduce you to someone useful afterwards. Miami itself - very much dressed for Halloween - was facing its own battles, with the weather. Horizontal rain and lashings of wind threatened the yoga, pickleball, and golf events - but, true to the industry, the disruption did not stop play. The weather also seemed to herald a metaphorical view ahead of next week's US midterm elections. There were plenty of gloomy predictions about what may happen in the country next week - yet another possiiblity of a 'black swan' that people now expect to see more often than white swans. But inside the hall, people were motivated. There was freight to move, business to win, and a reasonable expectation that demand would keep them occupied well beyond the usual seasonal rush. The question was, how to carry it all. And, it being Miami, there was also extensive discussion of perishables throughout the hall, including one earnestly confidential briefing on the alleged shortcomings of Peruvian blueberries. I shall protect my source. Some relationships are too important to jeopardise over soft fruit.

IATA: Air cargo demand up more than 7% in September

Air cargo demand continued its strong growth levels in September, with IATA registering a 7.7% increase in cargo tonne kms (CTK) compared with a year earlier. The increase in demand outstripped a 2.7% increase in capacity in available CTK terms and resulted in the cargo load factor improving by 2.2 percentage points on last year to 47.9%. IATA said that the demand increase was again fuelled by AI shipments being moved across the Pacific but also warned that airlines were facing rising costs. Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist, said: "Air cargo demand rose 7.7% year on year in September, with growth across all regions. "Stronger global trade and manufacturing provided a supportive backdrop, while AI-related shipments helped drive another month of double-digit growth across the Pacific. "The challenge is cost. Jet fuel prices have more than doubled compared with a year ago, and yields have not kept pace. "There is no shortage of goods to ship, but doing that profitably in the face of persistently high fuel prices has become more challenging." Jet fuel prices rose by 17.5% month on month in September and were 103.4% higher than a year earlier, IATA said. Trade lane performance Looking at trade lane performance, it was no surprise to see the strongest growth came on the Asia-North America trade, which was up 17% compared with a year ago and has now recorded eight consecutive months of growth. Next up was Europe-North America, which improved by 9.3% on last year and has now registered five consecutive months of growth. Elsewhere, within Asia improved by 10.2%, Asia-Europe was up 6% and Africa-Asia increased by 2.6%. In contrast, Europe-Middle East was down 18% and Middle East-Asia slipped 10.2% as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East region. Airline performance followed suit, with Asia Pacific-based carriers registering an 8.6% increase in demand, North American airlines were up 11.8%, European airlines improved by 4.5%, Middle East-based carriers benefitted from a 3.8% increase in demand, Latin American airlines were up 6.7% and there was a 4.7% improvement for African airlines.

How accurate load measurement prevents tarp, strap, and permit errors

There is a moment every flatbed driver knows well. You are standing in the yard, coffee in hand, looking at a load that needs to move by morning. All the necessary American truck parts are packed: the tarp is folded on the catwalk, and the straps are coiled and ready. Everything looks fine. Then you realize you never actually measured the load. You guessed. And that guess is about to cost you money, time, or both. It happens every single day across the country. Drivers skip the tape because they have hauled similar loads before. They assume the height is close enough. They figure the width will be fine. That assumption travels with them onto the highway, and it does not end well. Use American Truck Parts Properly: The Tarp Will Tell You the Truth Eventually The tarp isn't some soft blanket that allows for mistakes in measuring. The tarp is cut to exact specifications. Should you lay the tarp over cargo which is taller than you anticipated, the tarp will pull tight on the edges, while the center drops down. Wind gets inside that loose fabric almost right away. At sixty-five miles per hour, that tarp flapping against the trailer becomes something which will batter the stitching of the tarp itself. Straps Lose Their Grip When Angles Change Every strap in American truck parts has a working load limit. That limit assumes a specific angle between the strap and the cargo. When the load is taller or wider than planned, that angle changes. A strap that should run at forty-five degrees might end up nearly vertical. Vertical straps lose holding power. Tension concentrates on one point instead of spreading across the load. Webbing stretches. Hardware bends. The cargo shifts. Corner protectors are supposed to prevent this by creating a smooth surface for the strap to slide across. But if the dimensions are wrong, the protectors sit in the wrong place. The strap rubs directly against rough cargo. Friction eats through the webbing. A strap that should last years fails in one trip. Permits Are Legal Documents, Not Suggestions Oversize and overweight permits list exact dimensions of American truck parts. If you apply for a permit with a height of fourteen feet, that permit covers a load measuring fourteen feet. Not fourteen feet six inches. Not fifteen feet. The number on the paper has to match the number on the road. Bridge strikes in New York reached 350 in 2024, according to the governor's office, which is why its "Check Your Height" campaign is now running in 16 states and Washington, D.C., and why it warns that consumer-grade GPS can steer trucks onto low-clearance routes. A navigation app cannot know how tall a tarped load really is, so the measurement has to come from a tape, not a screen. That warning applies everywhere. Building Better Habits Behind the Wheel Measure height with the tarp installed. Measure width at the widest point, including overhang. Measure length for the full combination. Scale the load and record axle weights. Write everything down. Recheck after any adjustment. These steps take five minutes. A bridge strike takes hours. A rejected permit takes days. A load that shifts because the straps were never going to hold takes lives. Measurement is not glamorous work. Nobody brags about measuring a load correctly. But it is the work that keeps tarps intact, straps tight, and permits valid. Drivers who treat measurement as a core part of the job spend less time fixing problems on the shoulder and more time delivering loads the way they were planned.