Traffic World articles from February 2007

Traffic World archives from February 2007

Alaska Airlines Adds Combis.(Alaska Airlines Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Alaska Airlines on Feb. 2 and 3 will introduce two Boeing 737-400 "combi" aircraft to its fleet. The larger airplanes have more cargo capacity, more-advanced flight-guidance capabilities and more-comfortable...

YRC Worldwide Profits Fall 39 Percent.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher In a year that saw record revenue of nearly $10 billion for trucking giant YRC Worldwide, profits fell victim to soft demand, lower prices and too much capacity in the market. Net income in the fourth...

Landstar Net Falls 31 Percent.(Landstar System Inc.)
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Landstar System, Jacksonville, Fla.-based logistics and trucking provider, got hit with a one-two punch in the fourth quarter. Soft freight demand in its trucking division combined with lower need for disaster...

Strong Quarter for Old Dominion.(Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher Old Dominion Freight Line's profits increased 21.5 percent to $17.8 million in the fourth quarter compared to the same period a year ago despite a weak freight environment at the end of 2006. Revenue at the...

FRA Accepts DM&E Review.(Federal Railroad Administration)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd The Federal Railroad Administration accepted a key environmental review of plans by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern to build a new rail line to the Powder River Basin's coal mines, setting off a 90-day countdown to...

Brad Scott, Maverick VP, Dies.(Bradford P. Scott, Longtime Maverick Transportation)(Obituary)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Longtime Maverick Transportation executive Bradford P. Scott died on Jan. 26 after suffering a heart attack, the Arkansas-based truckload carrier said. Scott was 48. Scott, who was vice president of sales and marketing at Maverick, had...

Manufacturing Activity Declines.
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher While new orders are growing, according to a report on manufacturing released Feb. 1, production, employment and inventories contracted and deliveries slowed in the month of January. Economic activity in the...

Target Logistics Profit Dives.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Target Logistics, a domestic and international freight forwarder, earned net income for the quarter ended December 31 of $589,504 down 40 percent from the $976,314 profit in the same quarter a year earlier. ...

Panalpina Partners with NYK.(NYK Group)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Panalpina and the NYK Group agreed to cooperate in Japan and internationally, effective during the second quarter of 2007. As part of the agreement, Panalpina appoints Yusen Air & Sea Service as its agent...

Saia Acquires LTL in Wisconsin.
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Multi-regional less-than-truckload carrier Saia added another small LTL to its growing family. After a year marked by sloughing off unprofitable partner Jevic and the acquisition of small LTL carrier The...

Alpine Turns from Loss to Profit.(Alpine Air Express)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, regional air cargo transport and logistics provider Alpine Air earned a net profit from operations of $2.8 million. The transformation from a $2.4 million loss in...

STB Mediates Settlement.(case of Grand Trunk Corp. and Williams Olefins)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Williams Olefins, a shipper, requested Jan. 31 that its complaint against carrier Grand Trunk be dismissed. The parties reached a mediated settlement in a case filed under the Surface Transportation Board's small rate-complaint...

Rail Traffic Falls in January.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Rail traffic of all kinds is off 4.6 percent in the first four weeks of 2007 compared with last year. Not surprisingly, automotive loadings and shipments of paper and lumber are down significantly. But coal,...

Railroads, Union at Impasse.(United Transportation Union)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Negotiators for the nation's largest railroads said their two-year contract negotiations with the United Transportation Union that represents conductors and some other rail workers "have reached an impasse," but...

February 5, 2007.(brief)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Ethics. Transportation's Washington watchers are reeling from new ethics rules that prevent government workers from accepting the tokens of esteem they have often been granted. A lunch out is OK, for instance, but only if the congressional...

i2 Holds On.(earnings of i2 Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Excluding contract revenue, supply chain software provider i2 had a positive quarter. But the loss of 83 percent of its contract business led to a 58 percent drop in overall net income. Making a profit of...

Shipments Grew in December.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Shipments of manufactured goods increased in December, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau. New orders, unfilled orders and inventories also grew at the end of the year in the first all around...

UniGroup Buys Asian Mover.
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher UniGroup Worldwide, parent company of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit, agreed to purchase the Asian subsidiary operations of London-based international relocation company Interdean Group. The transaction...

EGL Hires Former Panalpina CEO.(EGL Eagle Global Logistics Ltd. appoints Bruno Sidler)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Global freight forwarder EGL Eagle Global Logistics named Bruno Sidler president of its Europe, Middle East and Africa Region. Sidler, resigned a year ago from his position as president and CEO of Panalpina...

Patriot Beats the Odds.(Patriot Transportation Holding Inc.)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher From a look at economic statistics and industry trends, hauling construction materials in the Southeast wouldn't seem to be a growth industry. But revenues were up 4.8 percent in the quarter just ended for...

Panama Canal to Change Pricing.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The board of directors of the Panama Canal Authority proposed a restructured pricing system for tolls. The official proposal suggests that cargo vessels be charged based on their displacement. The Canal proposes...

Savi Expands RFID Network.(Savi Networks, radio frequency identification)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Savi Networks this week extended the SaviTrak real-time information service to terminals at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and the Port of Busan in Korea. The Radio Frequency Identification infrastructure linked to the SaviTrak...

Volvo Trucks Set Record.(sales of Volvo Trucks North America Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Volvo Trucks North America sold a record number of trucks in 2006, and increased its market share for the fourth consecutive year. Widespread pre-buying helped increase the size of that market throughout the...

Caterpillar, ProLogis Launch DCs.(distribution centres)
February 2, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Two major global manufacturers demonstrated again that the trend toward bigger and more centralized logistics centers still has life in it. Construction equipment kingpin Caterpillar said Feb. 2 it will build a...

FedEx Launches Long-haul LTL.(FedEx Freight, less than truckload)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher FedEx Freight officially launched on Feb. 5 its long-haul less than truckload services in the United States and Canada. The two new services, FedEx National LTL and FedEx Freight Canada, emerged from the...

Rail Workers to Report Close Calls.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Under a rail safety pilot project, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman said rail workers at Union Pacific's North Platte, Neb., rail yard -- the nation's largest -- can now anonymously report near-misses...

U.S. Air Cargo Falls 2.3 Percent.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Combined domestic and international air cargo tonnage on U.S. airlines declined in December. U.S. airlines handled 2.2 billion revenue ton miles of cargo in December, down 2.3 percent from December a year...

Circuit City Adopts GXS.
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Electronics retailer Circuit City adopted GXS Trading Grid and its Intelligent Web Forms service for its base of small and medium-sized suppliers to replace manual paper-based documents with automated e-commerce...

UPS Orders 767s.(United Parcel Service of America Inc. orders for freighters to Boeing Co.)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher UPS ordered 27 new Boeing 767-300ER freighters for delivery over the next two to five years. The order is "not related to UPS's on-going review of its order for 10 Airbus A380 freighters," the company said Feb....

TNT Completes Freight Management Sale.(Geodis acquires TNT Contract Logistics Inc.)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher TNT on Feb. 5 completed the sale of its freight management business unit to French logistics service provider Geodis. The sale, announced Nov. 16, leaves TNT holding only the express and mail business the...

DOT Tightens Packaging Standards.(Department of Transportation)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The U.S. Department of Transportation published last week a final rule adding strict packaging requirements on air shipments involving oxygen. The rule in the Jan. 31 issue of the Federal Register requires...

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Names CEO.(Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics appoints Arild Iversen)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Oslo, Norway-based Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics appointed Arild Iversen president and CEO, effective April 1.  Iversen succeeds Nils Petter Dyvik, who will become on Aug. 1 group chief financial...

NYK Signs Steel Contract.(Nippon Yusen KK contracts with Baoshan Iron and Steel Corp.)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha agreed to a 24-year charter contract with Bao Shan Iron & Steel of Shanghai, China, for the transport of iron ore from Brazil to Maanshan, China. NYK will transport 800,000 tons...

Budget Office Estimates Scanning Cost.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON -- Implementing the "scan-all" provisions of a House container security bill will require an additional $160 million over the next four years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. On Friday,...

New Box Ship Orders Dry Up.
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard LONDON -- The solid rally in containership charter rates, firming liner freight rates and rising cargo volumes have failed to break a "buyers strike" by ship owners and ocean carriers as contracts for new box ships...

White House Asks $67 Billion for Transport.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... The White House, in its sweeping budget plan for the federal budget proposed Monday, offered a $67 billion spending plan for the 2008 fiscal year for the Department of Transportation that is slightly ahead of what the administration proposed...

Barge Crash on Mississippi.(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Plume The Coast Guard closed a portion of the Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss., after a barge struck a railroad bridge on Thursday. The barge caught fire after it struck the Vicksburg Railroad Bridge near the...

DHS Proposes $46.4B Budget.(Department of Homeland Security )(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... The Department of Homeland Security is proposing a $46.4 billion budget for fiscal 2008, an 8 percent increase over 2007, according to Secretary Michael Chertoff. Chertoff said the department's mission is to protect the nation from...

UPS Mixes Down.
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Paul Page The worst thing about the fourth quarter for UPS was what it said about the coming year.   The world's largest parcel carrier earned a $4.2 billion net profit in 2006, including a $1.13 billion profit in the...

Selling Into a Slowdown.
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Economists estimate consumers account for some two-thirds of spending in the United States, and at some $2.3 trillion in 2006, retail spending accounts for more than half of consumer spending. So the National Retail...

Origin Interlines and Price Application.(Interview)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q:I work for a freight bill auditing company and I've come across a situation on which I'd appreciate your opinion. A while back, major LTL Carrier A acquired major LTL Carrier B. Ever since then I occasionally...

Lend an Ear.(2005 Energy Policy Act)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Paul Page President Bush came painfully close to talking about transportation during his State of the Union address. He came so close, in fact, that one group concerned with the nation's roads issued a statement praising the...

A Critical Moment.(conferences on user fees and bills of lading)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Earle Eldridge With a transportation crisis looming in the United States, it's time to get serious about dedicated user fees, says Peter Ruane.  "We have lacked in this country a clear vision of what the future of...

Learning New Lessons.(Urban Outfitters Inc.)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters carved out a profitable niche selling hip clothes and accessories to college students, so the retailer thought when it took the plunge into the emerging world of...

Houston Systems Go.
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: Janet Nodar After months of delay, the first phase of Houston's new Bayport Container Terminal is scheduled to open Feb. 8.  The new terminal's 360,000-TEU capacity and 60 acres will immediately ease congestion at crowded...

STB Smacks Surcharges.(United States. Board of Surface Transportation)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Rail shippers are hailing a Surface Transportation Board ruling ordering railroads to stop setting fuel surcharges as a percentage of base rates for common carriage hauls. But the STB's final rule only covers "the tip...

Pacific's Rising Tide.(briefs)
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: David Biederman The Frisbee may be an American cultural icon, but like the Hula-Hoop and Boogie Board, it is now made in China. Until last year, Wham-O, which first tossed the famed plastic disc into the market in the 1950s,...

Fourth Quarter Fallout.
February 5, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher Shippers are in a position to reap bargain prices from their carriers as trucking companies lament one of the worst financial quarters in five years.  Fourth quarter earnings reports began rolling in during...

Letters 2/5/2007.(Letter to the editor)
February 5, 2007... See Also:Hunt's Innovation Will Be a Lasting Legacy NITL Celebrates 100th I want to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Traffic World as you celebrate your 100th anniversary (Traffic World, Jan. 8, "New Century"). It is...

Stakeholders React to White House Budget.(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: Earle Eldridge The White House plan for transportation spending in fiscal year 2008 gained mixed reaction from various lobbying groups - winning praise from some and criticism from others. Waterway operators lauded the budget...

KCS Profit Surges.(Kansas City Southern Railway Co.)(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Record revenue in the fourth quarter closed out a good year for Kansas City Southern railway. Profits were up on solid pricing and a 3.5 percent increase in volume. KCS added volume and revenue with its...

Swissport Quality Certified.(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... The Cargo 2000 worldwide air freight standards group gave Swissport its quality certification, making the ground handler the first among airport services operators to gain the recognition from the industry organization. Swissport joined...

Lawmakers Introduce Union Bill.(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher A coalition of 7 Republicans and 224 Democrats in the 110th Congress introduced on Feb. 5 the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill, H.R. 800, would * Establish stronger penalties for violation of employee...

Yellow Transportation Driver Steven Fields Named America's Road Team Captain.(Steven D. Fields)
February 6, 2007... OVERLAND PARK, Kan., February 6, 2007 - Yellow professional driver Steven D. Fields has been selected to serve as an America's Road Team Captain by the American Trucking Associations (ATA).  Fields joins a premier group of million-mile,...

Three Roadway Drivers Named America's Road Team Captains.(American Trucking Associations appoints Al Adams and Kent Durant, )
February 6, 2007... AKRON, Ohio - February 6, 2007 - Roadway professional drivers Al Adams, Kent Durant, and Rich Scholl have been selected to serve as America's Road Team Captains by the American Trucking Associations (ATA). For the next two years, Adams, of...

Maverick Transportation Announces 2006 Driver of the Year.
February 6, 2007... Maverick Transportation announced Lee Hammond of Norwalk, OH, as their 2006 Driver of the Year on Friday, February 2nd, 2007 at their annual Driver of the Year Banquet.  After eleven years of service with Maverick, Hammond was honored with...

NWA Cargo Revenue Fell.(Financial report)
February 6, 2007... Northwest Airlines cargo revenue fell 4 percent in the fourth quarter as the airline saw a sharp downturn in freight traffic as it operated under bankruptcy protection. The cargo revenue of $242 million in the quarter came on a 6.8 percent...

Budget Disappoints Airports.(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The President's FY 2008 budget, announced Monday, leaves out funding the Airports Council International - North America believes is necessary for projected growth. ACI-NA expressed serious concern that the...

CSX Measures Performance Online.(CSX Transportation Inc.)(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... CSX Transportation expanded its electronic tool kit with a performance measure to track interchanges for short line partners. The Interline Service Agreement measurement tool is available on the company's Web site www.shipcsx.com . ISAs are...

ProLogis Thrives on Global Trade.
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman ProLogis said surging global trade volumes kept its commercial real estate development business thriving despite analysts' predictions of a slowdown mirroring that anticipated for the U.S. economy. "While some...

Tacoma sees slim TEU growth.(Port of Tacoma)
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto Officials at the Port of Tacoma are forecasting moderate container volume growth this year of about five percent, to 2.2 million TEUs. But with container capacity expansion of 51 percent planned by 2011, volume...

Diesel Rises 2.2 Cents to $2.435.(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher In the week before Feb. 5 the average retail price of diesel edged up for the first time in two months as crude oil futures also rose nearly five dollars per barrel. Diesel at the pump was going for an...

Allied Moves to Waive Agreement.(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Car hauler Allied Holdings filed a motion in bankruptcy court on Feb. 2 asking for permission to reject its previous agreement with the Teamsters and cut $325 million in wages over the next five years. The...

Avion Orders Airbus Freighters.(Airbus S.A.S.)(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... Avion Aircraft Trading has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus of Europe for six A330-200 freighters. Avion, based in Reykjavik, joins the launch customer list for the jet and will receive the aircraft in 2010 and 2011. ...

Ports Come Up Short.(shipping industry's budget proposal )(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON - Port industry executives on Monday said that President Bush's 2008 budget proposal is short of what ports need for security and maintenance dredging. Kurt Nagle, president of the American Association...

Yellow Transportation Driver Steven Fields Named America's Road Team Captain.(American Trucking Associations)
February 6, 2007... OVERLAND PARK, Kan., February 6, 2007 - Yellow professional driver Steven D. Fields has been selected to serve as an America's Road Team Captain by the American Trucking Associations (ATA).  Fields joins a premier group of million-mile,...

CSX Measures Performance Online.(CSX Transportation electronic tool kit)(Brief article)
February 6, 2007... CSX Transportation expanded its electronic tool kit with a performance measure to track interchanges for short line partners. The Interline Service Agreement measurement tool is available on the company's Web site www.shipcsx.com . ISAs are...

EGL Buyout Partner Withdraws.(General Atlantic Corp.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 7, 2007... The proposed management buyout of global forwarder EGL hit a roadblock Wednesday when a key partner withdrew from the plan because of a poor financial performance projected for the forwarder in the fourth quarter. EGL Chairman and CEO...

Grikitis to Head Intermarine.(appointment of Andre Grikitis)(Brief article)
February 7, 2007... The board of directors of Intermarine has elected Andre Grikitis as its new president and chief executive. He succeeds Roger Kavanagh, Intermarine's founder and prior chief executive, who recently died after a lengthy battle with cancer....

Senators Seek Tougher Air Cargo Security.(Brief article)
February 7, 2007... Democratic and Republican senators on Wednesday introduced a bill calling for 100 percent inspection of all cargo on passenger planes, a plan similar to a measure that has already passed the U.S. House and is strongly opposed by the aviation...

Intermodal Volume Inches Up.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
February 7, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Fourth quarter intermodal volume grew at the slowest pace since a decline in 2001. The 0.6 percent increase was held down by the continuing decline in domestic trailers and by the failure to appear of the normal...

China Restricts Hazmat.
February 7, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The first phase of China's Restriction of Hazardous Substances law goes into effect March 1, 2007.  Also known as the People's Republic of China's "Administration on the Control of Pollution Caused by...

CN Warns of Strike.(Canadian National Railway Co.)(Brief article)
February 7, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd As contract talks continue between Canadian National Railway and the United Transportation Union's 2,800 conductors and yard workers across Canada, the company said it was activating strike contingency plans but union...

ACL Earnings Soar 681 Percent.(earnings of American Commercial Lines L.L.C.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 7, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Jeffersonville, Ind.-based barge operator and manufacturer American Commercial Lines multiplied earnings in 2006 by a factor of nearly seven times the previous year's profit. The stunning results derived...

BAX Opens O'Hare Facility.(facilities of BAX Global Inc. near O'Hare International Airport)(Brief article)
February 7, 2007... BAX Global opened this week its expanded large scale logistics facility near O'Hare International Airport. The 14-acre BAX Global - Chicago World Freight Campus comprises 228,003 square feet, four times the previous storage space. It is...

Oberstar Slams Budget.(Rep. James Oberstar)(Brief article)
February 7, 2007... BYLINE: Earle Eldridge President Bush's $67 billion budget proposal for the Department of Transportation gets its first Congressional debate Thursday before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Leadership of the...

Coffee Importers Fight Terror.(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Relax, coffee lovers. The National Coffee Association is protecting your coffee from terrorists. In partnership with technology developer Intertek, the trade organization will educate members and make...

ProLogis Builds Green Warehouse.(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman ProLogis is building a 530,000 square foot warehouse for UK-based supermarket chain Sainsbury that the commercial real estate developer claims will be one of the most environmentally advanced facilities of its kind...

Weak Peak Hits Pacer Sales.
February 8, 2007... Logistics provider Pacer International Inc. on Wednesday reported net profit increased in the fourth quarter year-on-year despite lower revenue and weaker peak-season traffic. The company, based in Concord, Calif., posted net income of...

Port Trucker Earnings Rise.(Survey)
February 8, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Harbor truck drivers in Southern California reported that they are making more round-trips per day and their earnings are higher since the PierPass extended gate hours program was initiated in...

TDS Merges With Walsh Western.
February 8, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Atlanta-based TDS logistics will merge with European third party logistics provider Walsh Western International to form one of the largest supply chain services companies for the automotive industry. The new...

Kuijpers Launches Cargo Airline.(Rob Kuijpers)(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Rob Kuijpers, former head of DHL in Europe, is starting his own all cargo airline. Kuijpers launched on Feb. 8 Cargo B Airlines in Brussels, Belgium. Subject to government approval, the carrier will begin...

Manhattan Associates Profit Tumbles.(Financial report)
February 8, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Supply chain services provider Manhattan Associates posted a 17 percent drop in fourth quarter 2006 net income, to $4.8 million, despite recording a 14 percent increase in net revenue for the quarter and a 17...

Ocean Container Traffic Slows.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
February 8, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Container traffic at the largest ports in the country slowed in December, falling 6.7 percent below November but still growing 5 percent higher than a year ago, according to the monthly Port Tracker report...