Import volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to post year-over-year increases of 1.8 percent for December and 2.3 percent for the year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report produced by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.  The forecasts for the month and year reaffirmed estimates in last month's Port Tracker, which covers 10 major U.S. import gateways.  Journal of Commerce Economist Mario O. Moreno's latest forecast for all U.S. ports calls for import TEU growth of 3.5 percent during 2013 and 6 percent in 2014. Moreno forecasts that exports through all U.S.,. ports will rise 1.9 percent in 2013 and 2 percent in 2014.  "Imports have seen good growth over last year and retailers are well-stocked as the holiday season continues," said Jonathan Gold, the NRF's vice president for supply chain and customs policy. "Holiday merchandise has made it from the ships to the shelves and the rest is up to the shoppers."  The NRF predicts this year's holiday sales will grow 3.9 percent over last year to a total of $602.1 billion. Cargo import figures do not correlate directly with sales because they count only the number of cargo containers, not the value of the merchandise inside them, but they are an indicator of retailers' sales expectations.

Intermodal Rail Traffic Highest on Record in November- 

The weekly average intermodal rail volume for November rose to the highest level on record, the Association of American Railroads reported.  Intermodal volume reached a weekly average of 251,887 units in November, and total intermodal traffic rose 7.8% to 1 million for the month, AAR said in its weekly report.  "Rail intermodal volume was extremely strong in November, demonstrating the tremendous value that intermodal has become for rail customers," AAR Senior Vice President John Gray said in a statement.  "Carload traffic continues to be consistent with an economy that's growing at a moderate pace," he said.  Eleven of the 20 categories tracked by AAR posted increases in November from the prior year, led by grain which rose 20.6%.  Intermodal volume for the week declined 13.9% to 207,888 year-over-year due to last year being a non-holiday week, the rail trade group said.  For the first 48 weeks of the year, U.S. railroads moved 11.8 million intermodal containers and trailers, up 4.3% from last year.

OOIDA Sues California Over Soot Filter Mandate-

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association filed a lawsuit in a California federal court on Dec. 6, seeking to block implementation and enforcement of the state's Bus and Truck regulation requiring out-of-state truckers to install soot filters on their trucks.  OOIDA asked that the court permanently enjoin the California Air Resources Board from implementing or enforcing the regulation against truck owners or operators who reside and/or conduct business primarily outside California.  "CARB has overstepped its bounds by requiring trucks from other states to be upgraded in order to operate in  California," Jim Johnston, president of OOIDA, said in a statement.  OOIDA said the CARB regulation violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits state laws and regulations that discriminate against interstate commerce or unduly burden interstate commerce.  "It puts out-of-state truckers at a disadvantage because the cost to upgrade is disproportionate to the number of miles traveled in the state of California," Johnston added.