Traffic World articles from April 2004

Traffic World archives from April 2004

Real networks.(Editorial)(Union Pacific Railroad Co.)(Editorial)
April 26, 2004... Remember the Great Blackout of 2003? In the deep heat of August, much of the Northeast was plunged into the largest blackout in the country's history. What began as a power line failure in in Ohio spread across eight states and parts of...

A 'Champion' bows out.(Robert V. Delaney)(Obituary)
April 26, 2004... The longest day I spent with Robert V. Delaney was last June 2, an otherwise brilliant spring day in Washington, D.C. He collapsed at the end of his 14th annual "State of Logistics" report at the National Press Club. I wound up in an...

Logistics hiring picks up: logistics hiring on the upswing as shippers, carriers add workers for growing business.
April 26, 2004... Now that freight is moving, freight jobs are on the move too. Industry, experts and recruiters say hiring at a range of logistics and transportation companies is rising and should continue to grow this year after a long drought. "From...

Trucking's day in court: teamsters, environmentalists, safety advocates make case to keep Mexican carriers out of U.S.
April 26, 2004... Organized labor, environmentalists and safety advocates made their case at the Supreme Court to keep Mexican truckers out of the United States because Mexicans' older equipment would foul the air. "We have rules in this country and...

STB on hold: nominees Mulvey and Buttrey caught up in political fight over judicial appointments.(Board of Surface Transportation)
April 26, 2004... Surface Transportation Board Chairman Roger Nober may be riving solo longer than expected, leaving action on small shipper rate case proceedings in a holding pattern. The confirmations of would-be commissioners Frank Mulvey and William...

FDA rules to fit with Customs.(Washington)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration set May 14 as the deadline for comments on rules that would coordinate efforts against bioterrorism with U.S. Customs rules on cargo manifests. The effort is the result of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002,...

Building up logistics: report says warehouse construction "pipeline" shows logistics business turning the corner.(Logistics & Technology)
April 26, 2004... Logistics planners are stacking more brick and mortar this year as a long-stagnant market for distribution centers and warehouses picks up in an improving American economy. In its annual survey of logistics-related construction in 30 leading...

CMGI buys modus media: combined Internet, supply chain services company to focus on global high-tech, communications markets.(Logistics & Technology)(Commonly Maintained Grounds Infrastructures)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... In a deal designed to help high-tech manufacturers and other shippers better manage international freight, CMGI is buying supply chain services company Modus Media. The combined company will have revenue of approximately $1 billion and 38...

United Kingdom-based.(Contracts )(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... United Kingdom-based Tibbett & Britten Group says a contract with French retailer Castorama, an arm of the Kingfisher home improvement empire, will allow the logistics provider to extend its operations in France and the Benelux region. The...

Sears, Roebuck and Co.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Sears, Roebuck and Co. named TNT Logistics North America a "Partner in Progress" for 2003, in the category "Supplier of the Year for Non-Merchandise Services." It is the second straight year TNT Logistics North America has won the award.

General Motors.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... General Motors honored Penske Logistics with a 2003 supplier of the year award. Bo Anderson, vice president of worldwide purchasing production control & logistics, said, "Penske Logistics is representative of the type of company we want...

Perdue Farms.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Perdue Farms, one of the United States' largest producers of poultry, struck an alliance with Royal Cargo Combined Logistics of the Philippines to manage the shipping of chicken for export to Asian countries. Under the arrangement, Purdue...

The British city.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The British city of Bristol selected logistics company Exel to operate an urban freight consolidation center, part of an effort by local authorities to reduce congestion in the center of the city by pooling delivery services. Exel will run...

A nation of warehouses: pallet in and pallet out is no longer the warehouse model--storing freight now is only part of the business.(Special Report/Warehousing & Distribution)
April 26, 2004... As the economy heats up, logistics planners are focusing on the role of warehouses in their business, crafting strategies to grow and better profit from the recovery. Shippers are reconsidering distribution plans, repositioning warehouses and...

Into the pool.(Special Report/Warehousing & Distribution)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... For Sodrel Logistics, changing warehousing operations meant a change in technology. The company is a pool point operator, receiving, sorting and segregating consolidated shipments from vendors such as Blockbuster, Old Navy and Payless Shoes...

Hours of leverage? Shippers, carriers differ on HOS changes; LTL operators benefit from TL defections.(hours of service for truck drivers, Low Traffic Load, Traffic Load)
April 26, 2004... Shippers and LTL carriers differ sharply on the impact of hours of service regulations on freight flow efficiency and that is becoming a bargaining chip in rate negotiations, representatives of both sides say. Truck transportation, which...

Going longer, tougher: FedEx Freight's Duncan wants LCVs on the table for future growth needs.(Longer combination vehicles)
April 26, 2004... Longer combination vehicles should be expanded in those states that want to allow them, a top trucking official says, bucking a federal freeze on the longer, heavier vehicles as well as the truckers' own trade group's view of their use. ...

'Brisk' demand for truckload service: truckload giants Hunt, Landstar, Werner, USX off to 'great start,' posting solid 1Q gains.(Trucking)
April 26, 2004... Trucking will have a solidly profitable 2004 if first-quarter earnings results from major truckload carriers are a harbinger. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Lowell, Ark., said its quarterly profit tripled, helped by efficiency gains and...

Honolulu Freight Service.(Mergers And Acquisitions)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Honolulu Freight Service, the largest and oldest dry and refrigerated cargo surface forwarder to and from Hawaii, acquired Oahu-based City Wide Transportation. Both companies are family-owned and operated. City Wide Transportation President...

Service down, rates up: Union Pacific Railroad to raise rates to control volume, overcome service crisis; drayage haulers feel crunch.(Rail & Intermodal)
April 26, 2004... Shippers soon may face higher rates as well as service problems when shipping via Union Pacific Railroad. In fact, UP plans to raise rates to help it work its way through traffic volumes that have overwhelmed and congested its network. ...

CN realigns.(Canadian National Railway)
April 26, 2004... Canadian National Railway split its sales and marketing division into separate teams in a realignment following a quick recovery from its month-long yard and clerical workers strike. CN says the change will strengthen its merchandise business...

NS reports record profits: eastern carrier takes advantage of economy, operating efficiencies while other rails struggle.(Rail & Intermodal)(Norfolk Southern)
April 26, 2004... In the race for financial success among railroads, Norfolk Southern was first out of the starting gate in 2004 with record profits and operating numbers. Its first quarter announcement came as eastern rival CSX struggles to get its railroad...

Genesee & Wyoming.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Genesee & Wyoming is the second short-line operating company--RailAmerica was the first--to join the Association of American Railroads as a full member. GWI, which operates shortlines in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia and Bolivia,...

Engineering consultants.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Engineering consultants have been selected by the Illinois Department of Transportation for the $1.5 billion Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program. CREATE is a project partially funded by six Class 1 railroads to...

CrossRoad Carriers.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... CrossRoad Carriers, an Atlanta-based intermodal marketing company, launched a "100th Load Free" program to provide incentives for new and present customers to move their shipments via intermodal. CrossRoad Carriers will provide free...

Burlington Northern.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway introduced a customer notification system to provide customers with timely, customized information about rail service conditions that affect their shipments. The service advisory notices describe the...

The first three.(Containerization )(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The first three Operation Safe Commerce intermodal shipping containers arrived at warehouses in Seattle last week from Europe. The containers, which contained food and automotive parts, left Germany on March 3, and traveled 11,500 miles by...

Bellies getting healthy: U.S. carriers see improved cargo results, but troubled airlines still awash in red ink.(Air & Express)
April 26, 2004... Freight business provided a stronger contribution to the bottom line at American air carriers in the first quarter but the improvement wasn't enough to offset continuing problems at the major airlines. Net losses such as the $230 million...

Exel CEO to lead Cargo 2000: Mick Fountain will bring logistics focus to airline-forwarder group's quality initiatives.(Air & Express)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Cargo 2000, the airline and forwarder group working toward global standards for international air freight shipping, named Mick Fountain of logistics giant Exel as its chairman. Fountain, chief executive of global freight management at the...

Pilot growth surges: record quarter for U.S air forwarder rides on 9 percent rise in revenue.(Pilot Air Freight Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Pilot Air Freight saw international revenue jump 22 percent in the first three months of 2004 in what the company said was a record quarter for one of the largest U.S. domestic air forwarders. The Lima, Pa.-based forwarder said overall...

China Airlines.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... China Airlines is putting capacity behind its long-term confidence in transpacific trade with its purchase of two more 747-400 freighters. By 2007, the Taiwanese airline will have 21 of the jumbo freighters in addition to the 13 passenger...

Iberia Cargo.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Iberia Cargo spread its use of Global Freight Exchange for freight bookings to all its locations. The Spanish airline already was using GF-X for bookings of freight from U.S. origins. The airline began that use of GF-X seven months ago.

Imports up down under: weak dollar bolsters shipments to Australia, New Zealand; carriers plan rate increases.(Maritime)
April 26, 2004... The slumping U.S. dollar is boosting exports of containerized cargo to Australia and New Zealand, one of the few trades in which U.S. exports already exceeded imports--and by a substantial margin. U.S. exports to Oceania last year totaled...

California ports drop.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Container traffic at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles took a dive in February, ending a streak of healthy growth as imports from Asia stepped back. Los Angeles reported a 10.9 percent drop in overall containers, a slide of 58,765 TEUs...

CP Ships.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... CP Ships, the Canadian maritime giant that operates a fleet of 80 container vessels, acquired ROE Logistics, a Montreal-based firm that had $27 million in gross revenue last year. CP Ships CEO Ray Miles said the purchase was part of an effort...

New York-based.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... New York-based Bouchard Transportation will pay a record $10 million fine after pleading guilty to environmental crimes in a New England oil spill a year ago. Company CEO Morton Bouchard III issued an apology for the spill, which killed an...

Evergreen Marine.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Evergreen Marine of Taiwan will start weekly container service between the east coast of Australia and points in the Asia-Pacific region in a joint agreement with Hanjin Shipping of Korea and Hapag Lloyd of Germany. The service will use five...

Contracting: marketing the rate case.(Shippers Tools & Tactics)
April 26, 2004... There is more to an effective contract with a freight carrier than well-discounted shipping rates. The best contracts are carefully tailored to what and how your company ships. When you prepare to negotiate with your carrier, prepare to...

Helen Delich Bentley, who began her 56-year career reporting on the maritime industry for the Baltimore Sun and later was chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission and a five-term member of congress, will be inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame in a ceremony May 12 at the United Nations.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Helen Delich Bentley, who began her 56-year career reporting on the maritime industry for the Baltimore Sun and later was chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission and a five-term member of Congress, will be inducted into the International...

Wilbur Smith Associates.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Wilbur Smith Associates promoted Jimmy T. Mills to vice president. Mills has over 35 years of experience, most recently as director of design-build programs and manager of the mid-Atlantic region. Prior to joining WSA he worked with the...

Keystone Dedicated Logistics.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Keystone Dedicated Logistics hired Lynn Ebersole as director of business development. Ebersole has held various positions in operations at New Penn Motor Express, Pitt Ohio Express, and most recently served as vice president of operations for...

U.S. Department of Transportation.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Richard Goodwin joined as an administrative law judge. Goodwin comes to DOT from the Social Security Administration where he served as an administrative law judge for six years, most recently as...

American Institute for International Steel.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The American Institute for International Steel elected Dennis Rochford to its board of directors. Rochford is president of the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay and organized the Free Trade in Steel Coalition.

Stevens Worldwide Van Lines.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Stevens Worldwide Van Lines announced that Ed Melton, vice president of moving and storage was named to the board of directors of the Michigan Movers Association. Melton will serve as a board member at-large. He replaces former Stevens...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The U.S. Customs and Border Protection appointed Deborah J. Spero acting deputy commissioner. Spero, a veteran Customs and Border Protection executive, previously held the position of director of the Transition Management Office and assistant...

Atlas World Group.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Atlas World Group appointed Suzan North director of agency recruitment. North joined Atlas in 1999 and previously served as controller in the customer service department. Kyle Pucker was named director of agency recruitment. Puckett, a...

Forward Air.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Forward Air, the Greeneville, Tenn.-based air freight trucker, named three new non-management members to its board of directors. C. John Langley, Jr., is a longtime respected educator in logistics and is a supply chain management professor at...

Transportation Loss Prevention and Security Association.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The Transportation Loss Prevention and Security Association announced its elected officers led by Chairman Daniel Saviola of Yellow Roadway, Vice Chairman James Attridge, of Scopelitis, Garvin, Light & Hanson and Treasurer Tom Rotunda of...

New England Motor Freight.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... New England Motor Freight, the LTL carrier based in Elizabeth, N.J., hired Tom Claire as an account executive at the company's Boston area terminal. Claire has worked in sales in Massachusetts for the last six year with a construction...

Consolidators International.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Consolidators International hired Mike Kelly, a 35-year freight industry veteran, as executive vice president and said Kelly will act as both chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Kelly, who most recently worked at the airline...

Waste Management.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Waste Management promoted Mary Kay Runyan to vice president of fleet and logistics. She replaces Tom Derieg, who is retiring. A former U.S. Navy officer, Runyan joined Waste Management in 2001 as director of procurement operations. The...

Manugistics.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Manugistics, the Rockville, Md.-based supply chain software provider, named veteran trucking and technology executive Rod Strata vice president and general manager of transportation and logistics solutions. Strata has held senior posts at...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 26, 2004... APRIL 22-26. Spring Technical Meeting (Transportation Association of Canada), Ottawa. (613) 736-1350 or www.tac-atc.ca. 27-29. 2nd Annual Air Cargo, Express & Freight Aircraft Workshop (Air Cargo Management Group), New York City....

Logistics seminars and courses.(Calendar)
April 26, 2004... APRIL 25-30. Logistics Executive Development Program (University of Tennessee and Council of Logistics Management), (865) 974-5001 or TheCenter.utk.edu. 26-27. UN-Procurement Seminar for U.S. and Canadian Companies (NEXCO and New...

DOE diesel price index.(Update)(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
April 26, 2004... DOE Diesel Price Index (cents per gallon) [GRAPHIC OMITTED] National & Regional Averages: April 19 United States $172.4 East Coast $166.5 Midwest $167.9 Gulf Coast $163.9...

Railroad times.(Update)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
April 26, 2004... Year-over-year percent change in average train speed for North American Class 1 railroads through week of March 29. Union Pacific -16.2% BNSF -6.0% Canadian National -4.7% Canadian...

Weekly traffic of major U.S. railroads.(Update)(Illustration)
April 26, 2004... Weekly Traffic of Major U.S. Railroads Week 14 Ending April 10, 2004 2004 2003 ...

Who owns damaged goods?(Q & A)
April 26, 2004... Q: When a carrier pays a shipper's damage claim, isn't it true that the carrier has "purchased" the goods and/or salvage, and is entitled to keep, sell, or otherwise dispose of the property to which it now holds title? This is how most...

Brown.(The Back Page)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Are they seeing red over at UPS headquarters? At a special meeting with investment analysts a couple of weeks ago, FedEx reps introduced their pitch on FedEx Ground with a familiar-sounding slogan: "What Can Ground Do For You?" We call that...

Underground.(The Back Page)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Just when you thought maglev had run its course comes a book from Brad Swartzwelker called "Faster Than Jets: A Solution to America's Long-Term Transportation Problems." The solution turns out to be an underground, intercity magnetic...

Decamped.(The Back Page)(William Fay)(William Fay left the top post at National Association of Truck Stop Operators)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Our heartfelt goodbye to William Fay who left the top post at NATSO after only 16 months. NATSO represents truck stop operators and the name of the group is simply NATSO. No word on whether they charged Bill a parking fee.

Security.(The Back Page)(airport security activity)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... In this month's summary of airport security activity, a former screener at the Indianapolis International Airport admitted to stealing $5,000 worth of jewelry from the bags of former baseball coach Dallas Williams. And a federal screener in...

Robbing.(The Back Page)(A British airport company has renamed one of its airports Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... A British airport company has renamed one of its airports Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The idea of robbing from the rich and giving the to the poor was the basis for the yield management approach that has made the airlines what...

Retired.(The Back Page)(Don Carty into Hawaiian Airlines)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... It looks like former American Airlines Chairman Don Carty is taking over the top post at Hawaiian Airlines. Airline executives never retire, you know, they just go run a Hawaiian airline.

Recovery lessons.(TW Editorial)(Editorial)
April 19, 2004... Have you learned your lesson? The lesson, that is, of how to operate in an economic upturn? That's one of the interesting questions facing just about all sides of the transportation equation--shippers and carriers alike--as a raft of new...

Auditing inventory appropriately.(Shippers Tools & Tactics)
April 19, 2004... Defining the proper level of inventory is, in many ways, the Holy Grail for a company. Finding how much inventory your company should carry and how much it does carry are really two separate functions and auditing the true level of inventory...

Maritime's security deficit: ports say they face a raft of anti-terror measures with no money to pay for requirements.(Cover Story)
April 19, 2004... When the Port of Portland's commissioners met this month to discuss the port's budget, they faced a problem plaguing ports across the nation: the rising costs of federal security regulations that come without money to pay for anti-terror...

Rail security pressed: terrorist attack in Madrid spurs demand for rail vulnerability assessments, security funding.(Washington)
April 19, 2004... Backers of legislation calling for comprehensive action on rail security are hoping heightened attention since the March 11 railroad bombings in Madrid helps push the bill all the way through Congress this year. The Senate Commerce,...

Van Tine, again.(Washington)(Brief Article)
April 19, 2004... The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee gave controversial deputy secretary of transportation nominee Kirk Van Tine its second seal of approval this month. Van Tine is on the job in an "acting" capacity and President...

'Too skinny inventory': shippers are positioning inventory closer to end users, a strategic shift in supply chain direction.(Logistics & Technology)
April 19, 2004... ProLogis, one of the world's largest managers of industrial warehouse space, says the very structure of how companies handle inventory is changing. The Colorado-based company says it is seeing a sometimes subtle but certain push for...

Is DOD RFID-ready? The U.S. military wants RFID in place by January but it can't tell its suppliers yet how to proceed.(Department of Defense, Radio Frequency Identification Device)
April 19, 2004... The Department of Defense is demanding suppliers adopt radio frequency identification technology or risk losing valuable military contracts but as yet it has no RFID battle plan for shippers. Without guidelines from DOD, shippers fear they...

Afghan logistics challenge.(Logistics & Technology)
April 19, 2004... In a major test of RFID's readiness, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will use radio frequency identification equipment to track supplies moving from several countries to the 6,500 soldiers serving under NATO command in Afghanistan. ...

DOT's information highway: short-range communications under development promise to improve freight transport, traffic control.(Logistics & Technology)(United States. Department of Defense)
April 19, 2004... The federal government and several manufacturers are developing technology that could improve the flow of freight and traffic but its deployment still is many miles down the road. In the meantime, the government wants shippers and transport...

PMC Logistics of Plymouth, Mass.(Wear the Best)(Brief Article)
April 19, 2004... PMC Logistics of Plymouth, Mass., won contracts for logistics services from two New England shippers, Wyman-Gordon and Wear the Best. Wyman-Gordon manufactures a range of metal components and products, including goods for the aerospace and...

ProLogis leased.(Brief Article)
April 19, 2004... ProLogis leased a 283,712-square-foot warehouse to home furnishings retailer Restoration Hardware, adding to what the facilities management company said is a growing move to position logistics sites east of the San Francisco Bay area. The...

Infrastructure blues: truckers call conflict over highway bill a 'huge problem' for truckers, shippers facing productivity restraints.(Trucking)
April 19, 2004... The confrontation over the highway bill is causing consternation among trucking executives who say the nation's fundamental infrastructure problems are too important to be used as a political football. "It's time for the government to...

Rate bureaus aid market: Nober.(Trucking)
April 19, 2004... The Surface Transportation Board will decide by the end of the year whether motor carrier rate bureaus and the classification system help or hinder commerce. Its top regulator is leaning toward voting to continue the antitrust exemptions...

'New' NASSTRAC booming: increased attendance, new leadership spark revival in LTL-based shipper group.(Trucking)
April 19, 2004... For the first time in three years, the National Small Shipments Traffic Conference increased attendance at its annual spring meeting amid a revival in membership and interest in the shipper group. Last week's spring membership meeting...

Realigning the regionals: landscape shifting as SCS, Vitran, Central play angles to add geographic coverage against majors.(Special report: LTL update)
April 19, 2004... Everybody wants to get into regional trucking. Specifically, everybody wants to emulate the gold standard of the 21-year-old Con-Way Transportation Services group of three regional carriers, which provide most of the dollars most profitable...

Top 20 regional LTL carriers.(Illustration)
April 19, 2004... Top 20 Regional LTL Carriers 2003 ANNUAL PARENT REVENUES (5) COVERAGE CARRIER NAME COMPANY (IN $ MILLION) AREA 1 FedEx Freight (1) ...

Empowering Conrail: shippers, shortlines say vigorous competition is lacking in N.J., Detroit shared asset areas.(Rail & Intermodal)
April 19, 2004... Norfolk Southern and CSX aren't competing in jointly owned terminal areas as they promised to when they purchased Conrail five years ago because Conrail isn't allowed to sell their services. That is the complaint and charge of shippers,...

UP slide spreads: crew shortages roil service beyond West Coast; emergency service order not contemplated by STB.(Rail & Intermodal)
April 19, 2004... Union Pacific Railroad's service crisis will get worse before it gets better, according to Wall Street, but the Surface Transportation Board says drastic measures are not necessary. A recent shipper survey by Morgan Stanley showed that...

STB approves CN purchase: steel shipper gets oversight condition but denied service standard protection.(Rail & Intermodal)
April 19, 2004... The Surface Transportation Board approved Canadian National Railway's $380 million purchase of three U.S. railroads on several conditions, none of which address the biggest concern of one of CN's largest customers. Steel producer Ispat...

Blasting express barriers: trade commission sees postal protections, customs systems as barriers to global air express competition.(Air & Express)
April 19, 2004... U.S. express companies say a new government study detailing the costs of anti-competitive postal protections and archaic customs systems provides important ammunition to open international markets to expedited air services. The U.S....