Traffic World articles from August 2003

Traffic World archives from August 2003

Updates.(Editorial)
August 11, 2003... It's been three weeks since I reported the trouble facing the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees and I promised an update when BMWE officials deigned to comment. Their comment, sparse as it is, came two and a half weeks after" union...

The week.
August 11, 2003... 9 With labor and service issues cleared up and higher valuations available as a result of the merger of two of its biggest competitors, LTL carrier Overnite Corp. will once again attempt to become an independent, stand alone company. Overnite...

Overnite independence: new LTL marketplace provides UP Corp. opportunity to sell its trucking subsidiary. (Up Front).
August 11, 2003... With labor and service issues cleared up and higher valuations available as a result of the merger of two of its biggest competitors, LTL carrier Overnite Corp. once again will attempt to become an independent, standalone company. UP...

Express investigation: at Congress' request, agency to study barriers faced by U.S. express companies abroad. (Washington).
August 11, 2003... A federal agency has launched an investigation into the regulatory and legal conditions that U.S.-based express delivery companies face abroad. The U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent nonpartisan agency, began the review at the...

Conditional options: KCS rivals seek sympathetic ear at STB while agency considers options to deal with competition in Mexico. (Washington).
August 11, 2003... The Surface Transportation Board's public bearing on KCS's control application for the Texas Mexican Railway featured rival railroads asking for conditions, shippers asking for none, and STB chairman Roger Nober trying to figure out exactly...

Revenue tailpipe: data synchonization problems between trading partners found to be expensive cost of business. (Logistics).
August 11, 2003... Error-ridden product information is costing automotive aftermarket suppliers and distributors an estimated $1.7 billion annually, according to an industry analysis. The cost to an average manufacturer is about 1 percent of sales. The findings...

Kulik steps up: North American unit chief to take over corporate logistics operations for TPG. (Logistics).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Dutch mail, express and logistics services provider TPG N.V. has picked David G. Kulik to head its logistics division as group managing director. Peter Bakker, TPG's chief executive officer, expects Kulik to revive the group's ailing logistics...

Cargo conundrum: airports await guidance from TSA before implementing technology to boost cargo security. (Technology).
August 11, 2003... Did you hear about The Loaded Teddy Bear? The United States' Transportation Security Administration recently issued a press release titled "Loaded Weapon Inside Teddy Bear Supports Need to Screen Everyone and Everything No Matter How Innocent...

Buying spree: software consolidation continues as Agile buys Eigner, Ascential acquires Mercator. (Technology).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Just when you think it's over, there's more. Agile Software Corp. is purchasing competitor Eigner for an undisclosed amount of stock and cash. Both firms are product lifecycle management software providers. Customers of Eigner, based in...

Lines are blurring: regional carriers expanding services in 'absolute crazy' trucking market. (Trucking report: LTL update).
August 11, 2003... Regional trucking, which long has driven profits at some of the nation's best-known transportation companies, is becoming increasingly difficult as freight volumes are squeezed. Carriers increasingly are spending large amounts of money to...

Truckload 'seller's market': TL giants J.B. Hunt, Landstar net surges in 2Q as pricing increases stick in sector. (Trucking).(J.B. Hunt Transport Services)
August 11, 2003... It looks like Wall Street has found its two trucking darlings: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Lowell, Ark., the nation's second-largest truckload carrier, and Landstar System, Jacksonville, Fla., the fourth-largest TL concern, which exclusively...

Matter of 'life and death': Philadelphia federal grand jury charges trucking company, dispatcher, drivers with falsifying logs. (Trucking).
August 11, 2003... A federal grand jury in Philadelphia has returned indictments alleging that eight truck drivers, one trucking company dispatcher and one trucking company falsified logs. The indictments allege falsifying logs on a continuous and systematic...

Wabash National Corp.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Wabash National Corp. and Jefferies Capital Partners announced plans to sell all of the assets of Wabash National's trailer leasing, rental and wholesale after-market parts distribution businesses to Aurora Trailer Holdings LLC. The transaction...

Alvey Systems, St. Louis.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Alvey Systems, St. Louis, a FKI Logistex member company and integrator of automated material flow solutions, announced the opening of its newest satellite office in Scottsdale, Ariz. Alvey's new location will serve the Southwest region and...

Coming to terms: NITL agrees to support KCS control of TexMex in exchange for protection of rates and service. (Rail & Intermodal).(National Industrial Transportation League)(Kansas City Southern Industries Inc.)
August 11, 2003... Using guidelines crafted in the Canadian National Railway-Wisconsin Central merger as a model, the National Industrial Transportation League has agreed to support Kansas City Southern's common control application of the Texas Mexican Railway....

Burlington Northern.(Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway is realigning reporting relationships among its operating divisions to reflect BNSF's customer focus, more closely match key traffic flows and further support BNSFs commitment to consistent, reliable...

CSX will monitor.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... CSX will monitor and manage key components of its core IT infrastructure using InCharge(tm), an application developed by business solution software company SMARTS. InCharge will allow CSX to integrate and correlate key infrastructure events,...

Third-party logistics provider.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Third-party logistics provider Pacer International Inc., the nonasset based North American third-party logistics and freight transportation provider, said adjusted net income, excluding $2.3 million of pretax costs ($1.4 million after-tax)...

But for a bolt: missing part faulted for fatal crash in 2000 of Emery freighter; NTSB blames maintenance. (Air & Express).(Emery Worldwide Airlines Inc.)(United States National Transportation Safety Board)
August 11, 2003... A missing bolt felled an Emery Worldwide Airlines DC-8 plane on takeoff in February 2000, the National Transportation Safety Board has ruled. The board issued its findings Aug. 5 in the long-running review of the northern California crash...

First-half dip: Deutsche Post reports drop in profit for first half, expects Airborne merger to help in second. (Air & Express).(Deutsche Post World Net)
August 11, 2003... Saying it anticipates a strong second half of 2003, Bonn-based Deutsche Post World Net reported a 7 percent drop in profit for the first half of the year. The $44.7 billion German postal and express company is pinning some of its second-half...

A play from the side: administrative law judge gets orders from DOT to limit AStar ownership probe to current status. (Air & Express).
August 11, 2003... A U.S. Department of Transportation official has ordered a DOT administrative law judge to limit the scope of his review of the corporate citizenship of AStar Air Cargo, formerly known as DHL Airways. Acting Assistant Secretary for Aviation...

Just the seas, please: Management Dynamics continues to build niche with exclusive focus on maritime contract automation. (Maritime).
August 11, 2003... John Preuninger, president and chief operating officer of Management Dynamics, plops a copy of a chemical manufacturer's 2003 ocean transportation contract on the table. The document is 54 pages, in small type and single-spaced. To...

Dragonair. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Bob Wetherill has retired from Dragonair as regional manager for cargo, Europe and the United Kingdom.

MCD Transportation Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... MCD Transportation Inc., a transportation brokerage firm, appointed Dionne R. Kegley vice president and secretary of the corporation.

Matson Navigation Co. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Matson Navigation Co. appointed James S. Andrasick president and chief executive officer. Additionally, other management changes include promotions of Dave Hoppes to vice president of ocean services and Jack Sullivan to vice president of vessel...

Landstar System Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Landstar System Inc. named Daniel Torok vice president of its carrier group, eastern region.

Neologex. (People Watch.(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Neologex appointed Terry Maready vice president of supply-chain engineering and technology.

OOCL Logistics Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... OOCL Logistics Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Orient Overseas International Ltd., appointed Henrik Kofod-Hansen to general manager and director, Europe.

PBB Global Logistics. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... PBB Global Logistics appointed John Ferguson, Mark Kidkea, Joe Morinello and Gary Vince vice presidents of sales and marketing, customs operations, finance and administration, and logistics operations, respectively.

Virgin Blue. (People Watch).(Virgin Blue Airlines)(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Virgin Blue appointed Bill Wolf account manager for North America sales.

Ryder System. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Abbie J. Smith, the Boris and Irene Stern professor of accounting at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, was elected to Ryder System's board of directors.

PrivatAir. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... PrivatAir appointed Detlef Schroeder ground operations manager and Peter Kotysch head of training at its German affiliate PrivatAir GmbH.

Update.
August 11, 2003... DOE Diesel Price Index (cents per gallon) National Average--145.3 August 4, 2003 REGION 1 144.7 REGION 2 143.0 REGION 3 140.0 REGION 4 148.0 REGION 5 * 161.9 * Includes...

Calendar.(Calendar)
August 11, 2003... AUGUST 11. Essentials of Transportation Management (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Baltimore. (800) 348-8964 or uwexeced.com/transportation. 12. HMT-315 Preparing Hazardous Materials for Transportation by Vessel, Recurrent Training...

Relations with 'lumpers'. (Q&A).
August 11, 2003... Q. Can you please provide the regulations regarding shipper liability to lumpers? (Editor's note: Lumpers are casual laborers employed on a job basis to help with loading and unloading. Typically they hang around on or immediately outside a...

Home, sweet home. (The Back Page).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... Reality TV doesn't get more real than this. Roadway Express is working with the producers of the Discovery Channel's new show, "Monster House," to deliver the materials needed to transform existing homes into "wildest dream" houses. In June...

Redux. (The Back Page).(Brief Article)
August 11, 2003... The Traffic World editorial for Nov. 4, 1996, carried the headline, "Peace at Hand?" Bob Rast, then editor of Traffic World, wrote: "We'll believe it when we see it, but top trucking and railroad industry executives say they're ready to cut a...

Low blow.(Editorial)(American Rivers leads suit against Army Corps of Engineers over shipping)(Editorial)
August 18, 2003... What's the most fuel-efficient and most environmentally friendly mode of freight transportation? What mode of freight transportation is under vociferous attack from environmental groups? The answer to both questions is the inland...

SCAM is a stray bullet.(Letters To TW)(Letter to the Editor)
August 18, 2003... In "Carmack Rolls in His Grave" (June 30), William J. Augello discusses Rep. Tom Petri's proposed "Securing Consumers' Assurance in Moving Act of 2003." SCAM would subject interstate household-goods carriers to liability under state consumer...

Logistics education pioneer Cushman, 86.(Letters To TW)(Obituary)
August 18, 2003... Traffic World is sad to report the death of Frank M. Cushman, founder of Frank M. Cushman Associates, a transportation law and management consulting firm in Sharon and Canton, Mass. The firm was in business for more than 50 years and Cushman...

The week.(briefs)
August 18, 2003... --Transportation attorney Ed Greenberg on why nonvessel owning common carriers should be exempted from tariff requirements. "(I)t has become an expensive, anachronistic exercise, serving little purpose.' 11 Following United Parcel...

Seeking fair seas: customs brokers' and forwarders' group ask same negotiating rights for NVOOCs as liners.(Up Front)(non-vessel-operating common carriers)(Cover Story)
August 18, 2003... The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America has petitioned the Federal Maritime Commission to allow non-vessel-operating common carriers to negotiate contracts with shippers. The NCBFAA on Aug. 8 followed the lead of...

On and off the record: dispute between AStar and UPS-FedEx roils with charges, countercharges.(Department of Transportation's chief administrative law judge, Ronnie A. Yoder)
August 18, 2003... The Department of Transportation's chief administrative law judge, Ronnie A. Yoder, removed himself from the case examining the corporate citizenship of AStar Air Cargo. Yoder's Aug. 13 resignation came two days after AStar attorneys requested...

Still fired up: challenges and the way entrepreneurs in China overcome them are highlighted in a Wharton report.(International)
August 18, 2003... The SARS epidemic, poor infrastructure and inscrutable trading practices are all reasons for being cautious about doing business in China. But the Chinese dragon is still fired by a fierce entrepreneurial spirit and continues to drive forward....

Waiting to exhale: economic upturn appears in sight but mapping the 2004 growth curve is tricky.(Logistics)
August 18, 2003... After three years of holding their breath, companies are hopeful that an economic upturn is finally in sight. The slog through recession has made logistics services providers leaner and more selective about the work they take on but the...

Cleaning house: TPG's new logistics head seeks productivity and efficiency gains.(David G. Kulik)
August 18, 2003... 2003 is a year for getting rid of extraneous costs and underperforming business, said David G. Kulik, newly appointed group managing director of the logistics division at global mail, express and logistics group TPG N.V., based in Amsterdam,...

Transport Corp. of America.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Transport Corp. of America has complete the sale of its maintenance facility in Clarksville, Ind., for net cash proceeds of approximately $2 million. The company expects to record a gain on the sale of the property of approximately $1.3...

Houston-based IFCO Systems.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Houston-based IFCO Systems has opened a pallet services facility in Riverside, Calif. IFCO is the nation's largest pallet recycling company and has 57 pallet facilities with the opening of the Riverside center. The company said its new facility...

Bellevue, Wash.-based.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Bellevue, Wash.-based research firm The Customer Respect Group has released the results of its Summer 2003 Online Customer Respect Study of the transportation, distribution and logistics firms that rank among the country's largest 1,000...

Ocean shipping company.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Ocean shipping company NYK Line has launched NYK Logistics (Asia) Pte Ltd. as part of its expansion into the logistics business. Based in Singapore, the 3PL will offer a single contact point for customers that want integrated logistics...

U-Freight.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... U-Freight, the international freight forwarding and logistics group, has strengthened its European and Scandinavian network with the appointment of a new agent in Sweden. SLS AB will handle the growth in demand for U-Freight's international...

Dallas-based USF Processors Inc.(opens larger facility in Fort Worth, TX)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Dallas-based USF Processors Inc., a division of USF Logistics Services Inc., has opened a larger facility in Fort Worth, Texas to handle pharmaceutical unsaleables processing for customers across the United States. The facility is 30 percent...

Retailer Target Corp.(opens import distribution center in Suffolk, VA)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Retailer Target Corp. has opened a new 1.5 million-square-foot import distribution center in Suffolk, Va. The center, built on a 162-acre site, functions as an intermediary facility for freight moving from the Port of Virginia to other major...

Bethesda, Md.-based.(American Capital Strategies to acquire Roadrunner Freight Systems)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Bethesda, Md.-based American Capital Strategies Ltd. has invested $33 million in the acquisition of Roadrunner Freight Systems Inc., a transportation services company based in Milwaukee. American Capital's investment takes the form of senior...

Zeeland, Mich.-based.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Zeeland, Mich.-based 3PL Total Logistic Control has been awarded a contract to operate a dedicated distribution center in Indianapolis. Under the multiyear contract, TLC will provide turnkey management of the facility, which totals more than...

Louisville, Colo.-based.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Louisville, Colo.-based StorageTek, the $2 billion storage solutions manufacturer, has implemented a "pull-signal" supply-chain system supplied by technology vendor WorldChain. The demand-driven supply-chain system, which was implemented in...

Philadelphia-based.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Philadelphia-based Stonepath Logistics said its joint venture, MagBabbit-UAFS LLC, has secured and signed master freight agreements through National Logistics Management Inc. with Ford Motor Co., DaimlierChrysler/Menlo Logistics, and General...

Global supply-chain services.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Global supply-chain services group Exel has launched high-value services in Canada. Operations recently began and cover all domestic distribution and transportation. The services are devoted exclusively to delivering end-to-end, white-glove...

Logistics executives.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Logistics executives rate customer service ahead of cost cutting and return on investment, according to a survey commissioned by Chicago-based parcel manifest system vendor ShipNow. Thirty-three percent of the logistics and shipping executives...

UTi Worldwide Inc.(donates transportation for medical supplies bound for Ghana)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... UTi Worldwide Inc. based in Rancho Dominguez, Calif., is donating ocean transportation for $250,000 of medical supplies destined for diabetic specialists in Ghana. This is a continuation of UTi's involvement in delivering relief-related...

Border images: U.S. government tests cargo screening technology at Mexico-Texas border.(Technology)
August 18, 2003... What is similar to an x-ray but not an x-ray? The answer is pulsed fast neutron analysis, probably something you've never heard of before. The technology is being tested at the Ysleta border crossing near El Paso, Texas, to improve truck and...

Geac Report Sales: Applegate Farms is new customer; chloride, Hansen transmissions extend contracts.(Technology)
August 18, 2003... Geac Computer Corp., a Markham, Ontario-based enterprise software provider, has won a new customer and extended several current contracts since unveiling its upgraded enterprise resource planning application, System21 Aurora, in April. In...

Elementis plc.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Elementis plc, a global chemicals company, will use international trade logistics software from Precision Software Ltd. to help maximize its global trade management efficiencies and optimize its supply chain. The company is installing TRA/X...

Hallmark Cards.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, Mo., is using web-based transportation management software from NTE, Downers Grove, Ill. The company said it will use NTE Trade to automate routing and manage by exception.

Beaverton, Ore-based.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Beaverton, Ore.-based Planar Systems, provider of computer screens, monitors and digital displays, will use supply-chain event management software from Viewlocity to monitor its fulfillment process.

TrueShip LLC.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... TrueShip LLC, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company, released Shipping Manager 2.0 for United Parcel Service Worldship customers. The software creates an all-in-one packing list and UPS-compliant shipping label from any ink jet or laser printer....

Tag and reader manufacturer.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Tag and reader manufacturer Alien Technology received $38 million in funding. The lead investor was Advanced Equities. Other investors included Lago Ventures Fund, Forsythe Technology, H&S Ventures and supply-chain software provider Manhattan...

Facet Technologies.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Facet Technologies, a medical devices provider and a division of Matria Healthcare, will use software from Logility to improve its supply chain. The company will use Logility Voyager Solutions on an IBM platform.

Pasta, bakery and sauce producer.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Pasta, bakery and sauce producer Barilla America is using hosted web-based transportation management software from LeanLogistics. The software is part of an initiative by the company to revamp its supply chain. Barilla also is using...

Cracking the 750 mile zone: railroad supplier creates company to help railroads break into intermodal markets.(Special Intermodal Shipping Report)
August 18, 2003... When you're talking about moving intermodal freight between 250 and 750 miles, you're not usually talking about railroads--the infrastructure costs so far have proven to be too high. But one company is determined to show that railroads can...

See you in September: USF moves to name Skinner successor as earnings fall in 2Q; Vitran, allied up.(Trucking)
August 18, 2003... USF Corp. is hoping to name a successor to Samuel K. Skinner as it narrows the field for its now-vacant chief executive officer post. Skinner formally left the Chicago-based regional LTL concern May 26. Whoever succeeds Skinner will be...

ABF Freight System.(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... ABF Freight System has launched a re-engineered website at abf.com. The company says it offers "a simpler graphical interface, streamlined applications and industry-first advances in automated personalization"--enhancements focused on bringing...

Trending red: despite good cargo unit performance, most major airlines post 2nd quarter losses.(Air & Express)
August 18, 2003... Major U.S. airlines continued their trend in the red during the second quarter of 2003. America West joined Southwest Airlines in turning a profit, excluding special charges and one-time items, for the quarter. But those airlines' bigger...

Kitty Hawk Cargo.(extends service into Alaska)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Kitty Hawk Cargo has expanded its scheduled service by adding Alaska to its network. The carrier now is serving 16 Alaskan cities, including Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. The service is in partnership with Seattle based Alaska Airlines....

Two new air cargo buildings.(at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Two new air cargo buildings housing four tenants have opened at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The 435,000 square feet of warehouse and office space will serve Lufthansa Cargo, Alliance Airlines, Cargo Services Center and...

Polar Air Cargo.(new service between Seoul, South Korea, and Liege, Belgium)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Polar Air Cargo plans to begin new service between Seoul, South Korea, and Liege, Belgium. The scheduled service, timed to begin with peak cargo season between the two continents, will run three times per week when it begins Aug. 20. Flights...

Singing 'Kumbaya': NIT League seeking joint shipper-carrier solution of rail infrastructure problems using Vision 2020.(Rail & Intermodal)(National Industrial Transportation League)
August 18, 2003... The National Industrial Transportation League and Kansas City Southern recently came to terms on KCS's NAFTA Rail petition at the Surface Transportation Board. The League agreed to support the transaction in exchange for KCS implementing...

Ground solution: UP, CSX find a way to make UPS more competitive while taking business away from BNSF.(Rail & Intermodal)(Union Pacific Railroad)(United Parcel Service )
August 18, 2003... Union Pacific Railroad and CSX teamed up against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in a way that resulted in United Parcel Service switching carriers from BNSF to UP for the western half of a new expedited, guaranteed service between Los...

Canadian Pacific Railway.(high capacity boxcars )(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Canadian Pacific Railway says there is a direct link between its new fleet of 625 high capacity boxcars used for hauling newsprint and pressroom quality and production. The cars, which have 25 percent more capacity than the industry norm, were...

The 25th annual edition.("Analysis of Class I Railroads" )(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... The 25th annual edition of "Analysis of Class I Railroads" is new available from the Association of American Railroads' Policy and Economics Department. The latest edition presents comprehensive 2002 data about each of the seven Class I...

A carrier's market: tight capacity will help transatlantic container lines raise rates 10 to 15 percent this year, Drewry predicts.(Maritime)
August 18, 2003... After years of sailing against the wind, transatlantic carriers are enjoying fair seas. Steady volume and tighter capacity are enabling ship lines to make rate increases stick. "Shippers are scrambling around to get capacity," said David...

Global Consolidators Inc.(Shawnda Falvo named to vice president of sales)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Global Consolidators Inc. promoted Shawnda Falvo to vice president of sales.

Union City Body Co.(People Watch)(Mark Gobessi, general manager)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... Union City Body Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Grand Vehicle Works Holdings, named Mark Gobessi general manager.

ACE World Wide Moving & Storage Co.(People Watch)(Gary P. Yates, vice president)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2003... ACE World Wide Moving & Storage Co. named Gary P. Yates vice president of specialized transportation.