Traffic World articles from April 2004

Traffic World archives from April 2004

Confidentially.(Editorial)
April 5, 2004... The most heartening thing that Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Steven Blust recently said about the controversy over confidential contracting for ocean forwarders wasn't exactly about the federal rules on contracting. What Blust said,...

Fixing private pensions.(Commentary)
April 5, 2004... More than 20 years have passed since Congress last significantly changed the federal laws regulating multiemployer pension plans in 1980. Trucking deregulation that same year dramatically altered the industry and started the gradual decline in...

Paying the 'black tax'; takeoff in crude oil prices threatens recovery, raises costs for all transport modes.
April 5, 2004... Crude oil is taking off like a cargo plane, climbing to a 13-year high and flirting with $40 a barrel. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries may want more. OPEC met last week to decide whether to further rachet down production...

$318 billion now ceiling; highway bill heads for Senate-House conference if House approves $275 billion bill as expected.(HIghway bill approval)
April 5, 2004... What a difference a month can make. The $318 billion highway bill the Senate passed in February has become the ceiling rather than the floor for the highway bill Congress is working to pass this year. When the Senate approved its six-year...

Insecurity over ports; McCain blasts 'confusion' on maritime security, senators want new tracking, container mandates.(improvement in maritime security measures)
April 5, 2004... Facing a lineup of senators who oversee maritime security, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas H. Collins had kind words about congressional action: "We're pleased with the support," he said. But that support was nowhere evident at a Senate...

Finding new roads; C.H. Robinson looks beyond roots in produce 'sourcing' and transportation to forwarding, supply chain services.(Logistics)
April 5, 2004... C. H. Robinson Worldwide likes to call itself a nonasset-based logistics operator, or at the very least asset-light. But a closer look suggests that is hardly the case anymore. The company ended 2003 with nearly $200 million in cash and...

Philadelphia-based BDP.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Philadelphia-based BDP International introduced a Global Rate Inquiry system, that enables customers and employees to retrieve real-time transportation rates over the Internet. By entering shipping information, users can retrieve options...

GENCO re-named logistics.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... GENCO re-named logistics, the transportation software company it acquired last July, as its supply chain management division. The change is part of a reorganization the Pittsburgh-based 3PL completed recently. It has created a number of...

GeoLogistics, the Santa Ana.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... GeoLogistics, the Santa Ana, Calif.-based 3PL, strengthened its presence in Asia with the opening of operations in Pakistan. GeoLogistics Pakistan consists of five offices, including the head office in Karachi. GeoLogistics employs more than...

Aftermarket parts planning software.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Aftermarket parts planning software company Baxter Planning Systems launched Baxter Outsourcing Services Group to support logistics service organizations in forecasting, planning and procurement. The new group, based in Austin, Texas, provides...

Artful logistics: Michaels Stores uses transport planning tools to integrate growth, logistics strategies.(Technology)
April 5, 2004... Planning your transportation ahead of time to avoid capacity constraints sounds like a great idea--unless you've got nearly 1,000 stores to manage and are planning to grow even larger. But Charles J. Wyly Jr., chairman of Michaels Stores,...

Logistics hubs' promise: some railroads are trying to tie together logistics hub networks to improve shipper efficiencies, drive down costs.(Special report: intermodal shipping)
April 5, 2004... In California's Central Valley, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is setting up a switchyard and intermodal loading site even as logistics specialists are erecting assembly structures and distribution centers. That's hardly unique in...

Scheduling profits: scheduled service won't win back traffic lost to trucking but efficiency gains will boost rail profits.(Rail & Intermodal)
April 5, 2004... A new government-commissioned study claims that scheduled railroading could reap hundreds of millions of dollars in profits for the rail industry. So it's not only good for shippers, it's good for the railroads, too. The report, titled...

KCS sees clear tracks; railroad says an arbitration decision is a major victory in quest for a NAFTA railroad.(Rail & Intermodal)
April 5, 2004... A larger stake in a North American cross-border rail system is still within Kansas City Southern's grasp. The railroad's plan to create a company called NAFTA Rail by acquiring a controlling interest in its partnership with Mexican...

Fighting back hours: safety advocates, fatigue fighters oppose Wal-Mart's bid for short-haul HOS exemption.(Trucking :Fighting back hours: safety advocates, fatigue fighters oppose Wal-Mart's bid for short-haul Hours Of service exemption)
April 5, 2004... Highway safety advocates are throwing barricades up to lobbying attempts by Wal-Mart and other short-haul trucking interests to drive a U-turn around to the new hours of service regulations. The claims made by the short-haul/delivery sector...

Looking longer term: UPS, long-haul LTL carriers hone structural changes to pension plans.(Trucking)
April 5, 2004... The unionized long-haul LTL sector is "absolutely" committed to forging a long-term structural, financial shoring up of multiemployer pension plans, which currently are bleeding red ink, a top trucking industry official says. Timothy P....

The American Trucking.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... The American Trucking Associations entered into a $19.3 million agreement with the federal Transportation Security Administration to expand a program that trains truck drivers, other highway professionals and shippers to identify and report...

The Stevens Group.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... The Stevens Group says Stevens International, Columbia City, Ind., successfully achieved FIDI's FAIM ISO certification. FIDI (Federation Internationale des Demenageurs Internationaux), a global network of international moving professionals, not...

Enrollment in PrePass.(electronic preclearance system for tolls and highways charges.)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Enrollment in PrePass has passed 250,000 trucks and continues to increase. More than 250,000 trucks representing more than 30,000 carriers have enrolled in the electronic preclearance system for tolls and highways charges. Carriers...

Freighters provide growth; government sees growth gap in air cargo accelerating, growing in international trade.(Air & Express)
April 5, 2004... The air cargo gap between the belly and the upper deck will only grow greater over the next decade, according to a new government forecast on the airline business. In its annual look ahead to the next decade, the Federal Aviation...

Deferring security rules; agency says air regs may take all year, industry weighed by more uncertainty.(Air & Express)(Air regulations)
April 5, 2004... A Transportation Security Administration official says new air cargo security regulations due out this spring instead will be issued much later in the year. TSA Assistant Director for the Aviation Operations Division Rafael Ramos said the...

Austrian Cargo created a new product.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Austrian Cargo created a new product portfolio for the freight division of the Austrian Airlines Group, stressing priority service as it seeks to increase its air cargo business as Central European nations become part of the European Union. The...

Menzies Aviation won ground handling.
April 5, 2004... Menzies Aviation won ground handling contracts in Prague from El Al and Fly Globe Span. Menzies has a three-year contract with El Al to provide cargo handling and passenger ramp services for the airline's flights to and from Tel Aviv. There are...

Canada and Russia signed.(air services agreements)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Canada and Russia signed an air services agreement to allow their airlines to increase service between the two countries and on to other destinations. The agreement applies to both cargo and passengers. The agreement gives rights for...

US Airways appointed AvStar.
April 5, 2004... US Airways appointed AvStar International as its general sales agent in the Philippines. AvStar is a joint venture between AvStar International of Los Angeles and a group of Philippine businessmen.

Scanning for nukes; Jersey City gets first nuclear weapons monitor, due at all major U.S. ports by summer's end.(Maritime)
April 5, 2004... The most frightening specter facing U.S. officials charged with protecting the nation's borders is the possibility that terrorists could smuggle a nuclear device or materials that could be used to make a "dirty bomb" into the country. To...

ILA, ports reach agreement; longshoremen, management agree to six-year master contract; local pacts still to be negotiated.(Maritime)(International Longshoremen's Association)
April 5, 2004... Negotiators for the International Longshoremen's Association and waterfront management have agreed to a six-year master contract, six months before the Sept. 30 expiration of the current agreement. That's good news for shippers. James...

Seko Worldwide.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Seko Worldwide, a freight forwarder and logistics provider, appointed Tom Madzy chief information officer. Prior to joining Seko, Madzy worked in positions of director and most recently as vice president of information technology at Associated...

Keystone Dedicated Logistics.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Keystone Dedicated Logistics hired Jerry McConnell as director of domestics and international logistics. McConnell has over 14 years of industry experience in LTL, TL, small parcel, international air, ocean, rail, and air and ground expedited...

Pitt Ohio Express.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Pitt Ohio Express promoted Tim Stipcak to manager of hazardous materials and distribution safety. Stipcak, who joined Pitt Ohio in 1996, worked prior at Indiana Hospital in its safety department. He also is the company's representative for the...

FKI Logistics Automotive Division.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... FKI Logistics Automotive Division hired George Parr as national accounts manager, East Coast, for its Custom Engineered Systems group. Parr, who has more than 25 years in the material handling industry, including work at Mathews Conveyor and...

Marsh & McLennan Companies.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Steven Spiegel, vice chairman of Putnam Investments, has joined Marsh & McLennan Companies, Putnam's parent company, as director of corporate development, based in New York. Spiegel, 58, who joined Putnam in 1995 and has more than 30 years of...

Vastera.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Vastera, a provider of solutions for Global Trade Management, appointed Robert J. McGovern to its board. Most recently, McGovern served as chairman and CEO of CareerBuilder. He founded CareerBuilder in 1995 and he brings more than 20 years of...

Integrated Warehousing Solutions.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Integrated Warehousing Solutions named Joel Epstein its new chief technology officer. Epstein joined the company four years ago and most recently served as manager of systems integration. He is a certified RedHat Linux engineer, and is a...

Henry A. Essenberg, 57, executive vice president of passenger business, will leave KLM on July 1, 2004.(KLM Royal Dutch Airlines)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Henry A. Essenberg, 57, executive vice president of passenger business, will leave KLM on July 1, 2004. Essenberg joined KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in 1970 and held various management positions, including work at KLM Cargo. Hans W. de Roos, 53,...

Stevens Worldwide Van Lines.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Lindsay Stevens, a fifth generation member of the Stevens family, joined Stevens Worldwide Van Lines as a business process analyst. Stevens over the course of the next two years will work within the van line's various departments. In addition...

TNT Logistics North America.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... TNT Logistics North America appointed Richard G. Piontek director of sales for its industrial manufactured goods sector, which includes building materials, heavy equipment, machinery and related parts and components. Piontek has more than 20...

P&O Nedlloyd.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... P&O Nedlloyd named Bob Agresti executive vice president and general manager at its North American Trades. Agresti has held several executive positions during his 16-year career with P&O, mostly recently as CFO for P&O Nedlloyd North America.

MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics hired Jarrod Goentzel as a research associate and executive director of MIT's effort in the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics program. Goentzel's will manage MIT's participation in the new research...

Transportation Security Administration.(People Watch)
April 5, 2004... The Transportation Security Administration named John F. Lenihan and William P. Leahy federal security directors. Lenihan will serve at the Washington-Dulles International Airport. He has more than 26 years experience in inspections and...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 5, 2004... APRIL 3-5. 21st Annual Catalog Conference 2004 (ACC), Chicago. (330) 425-9330 or www.catalogconference.com. 4-6. TIACA Annual General Meeting & Air Cargo Executive Conference (International Air Cargo Association), Johannesburg, South...

Logistics seminars and courses.(Calendar)
April 5, 2004... APRIL 5-7. Logistics Optimization (Logistics Institute at Georgia Tech), Atlanta. (404) 894-2343 of www.tli.gatech.edu 14. Understanding ACS Reconciliation (Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services), Chicago. (800) 587-2335 or...

DOE diesel price index.(Update)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
April 5, 2004... DOE Diesel Price Index (cents per gallon) National Price 2003-2004 [GRAPHIC OMITTED] National Average--164.2 March 29, 2004 East Coast $163.8 Midwest $161.6 Gulf Coast $1.58.3 Rocky...

Lack of outsourcing limits.(Q&A)
April 5, 2004... Q: Just read your Feb. 23, 2004, article about a shipper who said the 3PL it hired to handle its "millions of dollars" in freight is refusing to pay substantial amounts of its (the 3PL's) contract carrier's freight bills in a dispute over...

Drivers.(The Back Page)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... A six-wheel, 26-foot truck built by Oshkosh Truck and dubbed TerraMax won a 210-mile race across Death Valley in a competition among driverless trucks. Designed by Ohio State engineers, the truck was trailing but pulled ahead when the leading...

Smelly.(The Back Page)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Bad news at the Port of Benton, Wash., where local authorities are moving against the port for the heaping piles of grape waste piled up on port land. Seems the local Tri-City & Olympia Railroad had subleased part of its Benton facilities to a...

Squish.(The Back Page)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Truckers near Palm Desert, Calif., have been having an interesting drive on roads coated with an unusually prolific seasonal appearance of caterpillars. Apparently millions of the three-inch crawlers are filling the roads as they hunt for food....

Captive.(The Back Page)(Letter to the Editor)
April 5, 2004... We don't want to sound like a complaining shipper and all, but what do we have to do to get one particular railroad to send us their press releases? Their claim that the STB hasn't ruled on building a "press release spur" doesn't wash with us.

Directory.(The Back Page)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 5, 2004... Don't get us wrong, we're flattered to get a call from a representative of a national group asking for names of shippers who are feeling even a small impact of the hours of service rules changes. Let's see, if we can just find the same group's...

On pause.(The Back Page)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Rep. Don Young has his own way of admonishing cell phone users during a markup. "You can use the vibrator just as well as you can the ringy ding," Young said when one chiming phone sounded off. We know better than to comment on that.

Service jobs.(Editorial)
April 12, 2004... It's a truism that manufacturing jobs are fleeing the United States and the jobs numbers certainly bear out that the country is being driven by a service economy. A closer look suggests that reality is a good deal more complicated than the...

Truck lanes and LCVs.(Letters To TW)(Letter to the Editor)
April 12, 2004... Your article on truck-only toll lanes for longer-combination vehicles ("Life in the Truck Lane," March 8) paints a far too rosy picture of a concept that has numerous serious flaws. As the article points out, the Southern California...

Private market is best.(Letters To TW)(Letter to the Editor)
April 12, 2004... This is regarding the letter from Fritz Kahn on Overnite Transportation's separation from Union Pacific, ("A Little History," March 1). In addition to Norfolk Southern's attempt to buy North American Van Lines and the UP's deal with...

Technology made appropriate.(Shippers Tools & Tactics)
April 12, 2004... The availability of good, innovative technology for logistics is a fact of life. Go to any shipping or logistics industry show and you'll find hundreds of vendors ready to sell their software, systems, equipment, or advice. Any company can,...

UP, heading off track? Union Pacific Railroad pulls cross-country UPS trains as it struggles to unclog its network, hire train crews.(Cover Story)
April 12, 2004... Union Pacific Railroad is turning away business as it seeks to break out of a service tailspin that has shippers worried the country's largest railroad could be headed toward another operations meltdown. Crew and power shortages across its...

Robert V. Delaney dies at 68.(Obituary)
April 12, 2004... Robert V. Delaney, whose 40-year career took him from redrawing the supply chains of companies to chronicling changes across American industry in his "State of Logistics Report," died suddenly April 2 at his home in St. Louis, Mo. The...

Logistics at the crossroads: as manufacturing wanes, logistics gains importance as an economic engine for Indiana and Indianapolis.(Logistics hub: Indianapolis)
April 12, 2004... When Thomson Consumer Electronics shut down its TV assembly plant in Marion, Ind., last month, it put 989 employees out of work. Thanks to a statewide development plan and larger economic forces, those workers have a far better chance of...

Vitran Express.(Paid Advertisement)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
April 12, 2004... Vitran Express, a regional LTL carrier based in indianapolis, is entering its fifth year of operations. As a subsidiary of a Toronto-based Vitran Corp., Vitran Express serves 14 Mid-western states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska,...

Liquid Transport.(Paid Advertisement)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
April 12, 2004... What's in a name? Liquid Transport's name clearly suggests what we do. We are a premier bulk carrier predominately in the chemical business. But more than that, we are a team of dedicated associates, drivers, terminal personnel, administrative...

Ozburn-Hessey Logistics: network hub strategy is right for shippers.(Paid Advertisement)(Advertisement)
April 12, 2004... Founded in 1951 to provide warehousing services to the manufacturing and printing industries, OHL has emerged in the 21st century as the nation's leading provider of strategically-placed campus locations offering multi-client, multi-market...

Yellow.(Paid Advertisement)(transportation industry)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
April 12, 2004... Yellow is one of the largest transportation service providers in the world. Yellow offers its customers a wide range of asset and nonasset-based transportation services integrated by technology. The result? Yellow delivers transportation...

Jacobson Companies: what can we do for you?(Paid Advertisement)(Advertisement)
April 12, 2004... Logistical problems rarely come with simple answers. At Jacobson we've built our reputation on creating customized solutions which integrate and streamline the customer's supply chain. Jacobson is a full service logistics group comprised of six...

Financing the chain: logistics companies are banking on more shipper trade by offering financing as part of their supply chain services.(Logistics report: finance)
April 12, 2004... When the semiconductor industry went into a demand meltdown in 2002, at least one California bank thought it had a novel way to help chipmakers out of their steep descent. The bank purchased the growing inventory from the manufacturers, stored...

Highway collision course: lawmakers will seek highway bill compromise under GOP rift, White House veto threat.(Washington)(Grand Old Party (US Republican Party))
April 12, 2004... Congress and the White House are on a head-on collision course over highway spending and neither seems willing to swerve off the road. Under a veto threat and an astonishing fracture in Republican ranks during this presidential election...

China's ocean boom: factory building across China spreads shipping, U.S. Gulf region sees growth in all-water services.(Maritime)
April 12, 2004... When transportation executives talk about China these days, the world's most populous nation is described as either "the 800-pound gorilla" or the "black hole." That's because China's voracious appetite for embracing capitalism and...

A decline in bulk traffic.(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... A decline in bulk traffic hurt the Port of Amsterdam in 2003, but its volume of general mixed cargo increased 3.6 percent, the port said. Liquid and dry bulk shipments--the most important business for the port--dropped 7.5 percent last year to...

'Righttime' for aggression: Central's Fasso juggling all 'balls in the air' with strong expansion in Midwest, Northwest.(Trucking)(Biography)
April 12, 2004... Bob Fasso was one of trucking's whiz kids. He was working for Yellow Freight System at 20. At 22, he was the company's youngest terminal manager. By 26, he was managing five of Yellow's busiest Northeast terminals. After leaving Yellow in...

Driving longer rules.(Trucking)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is establishing minimum training requirements for operators of double and triple trucks, also known as longer combination vehicles. The safety agency also established new requirements for...

Shippers: rails cost jobs: captive shippers blame lack of railroad alternatives for loss of business, jobs to overseas competitors.(Rail & Intermodal)
April 12, 2004... Shippers levied a politically charged complaint against railroads last week, claiming that a lack of rail competition is costing them business and contributing to the outsourcing of U.S. jobs overseas. "For the first time (in 2002 and...

Lufthansa Cargo slips: decline leads airline to revamp cargo capacity, sell 747s in favor of MD-11 freighters.(Air & Express)
April 12, 2004... After slipping traffic and a nearly $82 million decline in pretax profit, Lufthansa Cargo plans to reduce the size of its fleet. The world's largest international air cargo carrier blamed a "weak economy and massive currency effects" for its...

AMB Property acquired 32 acres.(air cargo complex)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... AMB Property acquired 32 acres adjacent to Tokyo Narita International airport to build a $15 million, 12 million square foot, five-building air cargo complex. The move is part of San Francisco-based AMB's ramp-up of facilities development in...

Air France and KLM Royal Dutch.(KLM Royal Dutch Airlines)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines plan to close the offering period for shares of common stock by the end of this month. The airlines have European regulatory approval for their merger, which is proceeding on schedule.

Retailer Saks chose two FedEx.(contracts )(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Retailer Saks chose two FedEx operating companies as its exclusive shipping provider. Saks will use FedEx Express for its domestic, international and express freight deliveries and FedEx Ground for its ground and home delivery services. The...

As part of a sharp upgrade.(Taipei-Hong Kong service, air freight services)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... As part of a sharp upgrade in capacity in Asia, DHL boosted its Taipei-Hong Kong service with increased capacity on the route. The service was upgraded to an Air Hong Kong A300-B4 freighter from an A330-300 passenger plane operating as a...

Emirates started passenger flights.(Emirates Air Service)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Emirates started passenger flights to Glasgow and to Shanghai, expanding its cargo capacity in two directions out of its Dubai base. Emirates will offer 15 tons of A330-200 belly capacity daily to Glasgow. The airline expects to carry garments,...

Menzies Aviation secured a contract.(Lan Peru)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Menzies Aviation secured a contract to handle Lan Peru in Venezuela. Menzies will provide the airline ramp and passenger handling for its new service to Venezuela. Lan Peru is now flying for A320 flights per week between Lima and Caracas.

MacroAsia Menzies Airport Services.(Cargo handling)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... MacroAsia Menzies Airport Services is the new handling agent for Pacific East Asia Cargo in the Philippines. The all-cargo airline flies 727 freighters from its Manila hub to Taipei and Shanghai. MacroAsia Menzies is Menzies Aviation Group's...

DHL launched a new business.(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... DHL launched a new business unit called Global Customer Solutions that is targeted to serve its top global customers. GCS provides a single interface and point of contact to all DHL products and services. Teams working under GCS will coordinate...

Construction work on the north runway.(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Construction work on the north runway at Frankfurt Airport, a major European cargo hub, will resume this month. As it was last year, reconstruction work on the 13,100-foot runway will be done only at night. The work is done on 49 feet of runway...

Pilot Air Freight reported.(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Pilot Air Freight reported a 9.9 percent increase in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2003. The Lima, Pa.-based forwarder reported $66.7 million in revenue for the quarter in which it handled 220,463 shipments totaling 113.4 million pounds....

Emirates SkyCargo began direct.(services to Budapest, Hungary, and to Bangalore, India)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Emirates SkyCargo began direct freighter service from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Budapest, Hungary, and to Bangalore, India. Both routes are served by a B747-200F with a 100-ton payload. Budapest is the Dubai-based airline's fourth...

DHL expanded its logistics network.(DHL Airways Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... DHL expanded its logistics network in Latin America. The company opened new express rogistics centers in Sag Paulo and Mexico City. DHL Worldwide Express expects the new centers to improve its turnaround time for serving Latin American...

SmartMail.(Paid Advertisement)(shipping company)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
April 12, 2004... SmartMail is a shipping company that, first and foremost, delivers confidence, value and dependable service. We know that your priority is to get your materials into your customers' hands - and we make sure it happens. On time, on budget. ...

Packing up logistics: shippers increasingly are looking to 3PLS for ways to integrate packaging and logistics in supply chains.(Logistics)
April 12, 2004... With logistics operators increasingly focused on packaging an array of services, is it any wonder some are looking at the packaging itself as an important new offering? In the latest push toward packaging, Exel says its appointment of Lynn...