Traffic World articles from January 2008

Traffic World archives from January 2008

Pilot Freight Services Revenue Grows.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Lima, Pa.-based forwarder Pilot Freight Services generated record revenue for the year of $341 million, up 5 percent from 2006. International sales leapt 18 percent, and government sales surged 23 percent....

Old Dominion Profit Slips.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Profits at Old Dominion Freight Line slipped 12 percent in the fourth quarter as competition for freight weakened pricing for the industry as a whole. Revenue grew 12 percent from $319 million to $359...

Gene Tyndall Joins Tompkins.(Tompkins Associates Inc.)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Gene Tyndall, named "Global Logistics Person of 2007" by the Global Institute of Logistics, joined Tompkins Associates as executive vice president of global supply chain services. Tyndall, former president of...

Landstar Profits Flat.(Landstar System Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Landstar System profits were flat in the fourth quarter despite higher revenue. The surprise was that revenue took a 5 percent jump even though contract work for the federal government fell off significantly....

Consumer Confidence Sinks.(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Consumer confidence resumed its long slide in January after a small glimmer of hope in December. In a national survey of households, 20 percent of respondents said they felt business conditions were bad....

Carrier411.com Launches Upgrade.(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Carrier411.com added a qualification settings feature to its carrier monitoring service. The Norcross, Ga.-based Internet service now allows brokers and shippers to configure and apply their company...

BNSF Cuts Capital Commitment.(Northern Santa Fe)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher BNSF Railway on Tuesday announced its plan to spend $2.45 billion in 2008 on projects to improve its infrastructure and increase capacity. The capacity expansion program allocates approximately $350 million or...

Charleston Boxes Decline.(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... The Port of Charleston announced Wednesday that container volume fell 11 percent in 2007, while breakbulk volume rose 18 percent. Total pier volume was 1.75 million 20-foot TEUs, down from 1.97 million TEUs in 2006. Container volume...

Summit Files Chapter 11.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Summit Global Logistics assets will be bought out by senior management and senior secured lenders while the company and its subsidiaries file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under a restructuring plan that...

ProLogis Leases Ohio Facility.(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Two third-party logistics providers will boost their presence in the Midwest and their profile with commercial real estate developer ProLogis in Ohio. Menlo Worldwide Logistics agreed to lease 150,000 square...

Moller-Maersk Buys Into Hoegh.(A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach A.P. Moller-Maersk, parent of Maersk Line, has acquired a 37.5-percent stake in Norwegian vehicle carrier Hoegh Autoliners under an agreement announced by the two companies on Wednesday. No financial terms were...

NAFTA Surface Trade Grows.(North American Free Trade Agreement )(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico grew year-over-year but slowed after hitting an October peak. Exports...

Norfolk Southern Names VP Audit.(Joseph C. Dimino)(Vice President)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Norfolk Southern on Tuesday named Joseph C. Dimino to the position of vice president audit and compliance. Effective Feb. 1, Dimino will assume the duties of James E. Carter Jr., who will retire as vice...

UTU Chief Offers Path to Merger.(United Transportation Union)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd The plan to merge the United Transportation Union, the largest single U.S. rail labor group, with a larger body of sheet metal workers appears headed for further delay, as the UTU's president claimed a "consensus" to...

Drivers Settle with Bulkmatic.(Bulkmatic Transport Co.)(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher Drivers who claimed getting shortchanged by the country's largest dry bulk carrier settled their lawsuit in federal district court in Chicago. The lawsuit, filed in November 2003, alleged that Griffith,...

Tie Demand Slumps.(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd North American sales of crossties for railroad projects fell 4.8 percent to 20.3 million last year, as some carriers trimmed their tie installation amid slumping traffic volumes. In addition, figures from the...

Commission Wants Vehicle Mile Scheme.(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter A research panel's recommendation to replace the Federal gasoline tax with a vehicle miles traveled system was blasted by a Senate Committee Thursday, after both Republicans and Democrats highlighted privacy concerns...

Rail Traffic Plunges.(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Freight traffic on U.S. railroads during the week ended January 26 slumped significantly in comparison with the corresponding week last year, according to figures released Thursday by the Association of...

International Air Freight Demand Slows.(Brief article)
January 31, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Weakening freight growth for 2007 presages a slowdown in 2008 for the air cargo business, warned an industry association. Air freight traffic increased just 4.3 percent in 2007, according to a report...

PIERS[R] Launches Trade Profiles Connect "Click-to-Email" Business Contacts Feature.
January 31, 2008... NEWARK, NJ (January 31, 2008) - PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions (www.piers.com), a Commonwealth Business Media company, is kicking off 2008 with a software update and new subscription option for its industry-leading Trade Profiles.[R]...

Commonwealth Business Media Appoints Lenny Corallo to President & Chief Operating Officer of PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions.
January 31, 2008... East Windsor, NJ, January 30, 2008 - Commonwealth Business Media (www.cbizmedia.com) announced today the appointment of Lenny Corallo to the position of President and COO of PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions (www.piers.com). Corallo...

Jacksonville, Florida-Based Supply Chain Company Starts Its Second Century by Announcing a New Name and New Management Team.(Industry overview)
January 30, 2008... JACKSONVILLE, Florida--PenserSC is the new name for Peninsular Warehouse Company--an established, respected provider of complete Supply Chain Management services in the U.S. Southeast. Established in 1908 as Peninsular Warehouse, the company...

UPS Loses $2.6B in 4Q.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher UPS lost $2.6 billion in the fourth quarter as costs from their landmark agreement with the Teamsters union pushed the country's largest transportation company into the red. The cause of the first...

GDP Inches Up.(Gross Domestic Product)(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to advance estimates released Wednesday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The anemic growth...

J.B. Hunt Leans on Intermodal in 4Q.(B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher J.B. Hunt's conversion from an asset-heavy trucking company to an asset-light intermodal company helped shield it from the economic headwinds buffeting many of the big motor carriers in the fourth quarter. ...

T&I Committee Cites Successes.(Transportation and Infrastructure )(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Noting the committee moved 74 pieces of legislation through the House and passed a bill after a presidential veto, Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee lauded its achievements in 2007 and...

ABF Accepts Teamsters Standards.( Thomas L. Gallagher)(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher ABF Freight System agreed to be bound by the proposed 2008-2013 Teamsters National Freight Industry Standards. The agreement will replace the National Master Freight Agreement which expires on March 31,...

C.R. England Adopts McLeod's HirePower.
January 30, 2008... New imaging module from McLeod Software is saving time and improving the efficiency of the driver recruiting and hiring process for the leading motor carrier Birmingham, Ala. - January 30, 2008- McLeod Software, a leading provider of...

Saia Profits Sink.
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Profits at multi-regional less-than-truckload carrier Saia sank 62 percent in the fourth quarter as lower margins in a weak economy undercut higher revenue. The challenges of price slippage as demand fell...

NYK Nearly Doubles Profit.(Nippon Yusen KK)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Hisane Masaki TOKYO -- Japan's NYK Line reported on Tuesday that group profits for the April-December, 2007, period nearly doubled from a year earlier, buoyed by substantial revenue growth in shipping and lower costs. ...

EU Trustbusters Raid Classification Groups.(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard LONDON -- European Union trustbusters raided the offices of five European ship classification societies following allegations they are engaging in anti-competitive practices. The EU is understood to be probing...

CH Robinson Net Climbs on Volume.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Increased volume, even at the expense of a small bit of margin, led CH Robinson to a positive fourth quarter. Net income jumped 19 percent to $85.3 million on revenue that grew 19 percent to $1.95 billion. ...

Marten Earnings Suffer in 4Q.(Marten Transport Ltd.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher For the fourth quarter, net income was $3.0 million, or 14 cents per diluted share, compared with $5.2 million, or 24 cents per diluted share, for the same quarter of 2006. For 2007, net income was $15.0...

Cold Blocks CN Traffic.(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Due to extreme cold and wind conditions, CN on Tuesday temporarily reduced freight service in most areas of Western Canada. "The health and safety of our employees and the security of our customers'...

Panama Canal Tonnage Slips.(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Fewer transits at the Panama Canal cut net tonnage in the three months from October through December. Tonnage dropped 2 percent to 79 million tons in the Canal Authority's fiscal first quarter from 80.6...

BNSF Earnings Slip.(Burlington Northern Santa Fe)(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Strong yields and an increase in fuel surcharges brought in a 9 percent increase in revenue in the fourth quarter for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the railroad reported Tuesday. Buying back some shares...

Tax Benefits Push CP.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Canadian Pacific saw significant growth in net income in the fourth quarter and full year of 2007 chiefly because of lower future Canadian income tax rates, the company reported Tuesday. But harsh weather and a...

Northwest Narrows Losses.(Financial report)
January 29, 2008... For the fourth quarter, Northwest Airlines reported a loss off $8 million, compared to a $267 million net loss in the final three months of 2006. Its $3 billion in revenue was a 3.9 percent increase. Results include a $14 million pre-tax loss...

Con-way Earnings Tumble.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Con-way earned $36 million on revenue of $1.2 billion in the fourth quarter. The net result was 57 percent below the comparable quarter last year partly because of the $41 million gain last year on the...

AMB Profit Climbs.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher AMB Property earned net profit of $97 million in the fourth quarter, up 11 percent from the fourth quarter a year ago. Earnings for the year were up 40 percent to $314 million. The positive results came...

Teamsters Win One, Lose One.(International Brotherhood of Teamsters)(Brief article)
January 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher As the Teamsters made progress on one front this week, they took a step back on another. A majority of 300 UPS Freight workers at two terminals in New York signed cards to join the union, but the union...

Oberstar Urges More Stimulus.(Brief article)
January 29, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter House and Senate leaders may not have included transportation infrastructure investment in an economic stimulus package swiftly moving through Congress, but the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure...

Fiat's Iveco Honors Ryder for International Transportation Management.(Company overview)
January 29, 2008... MIAMI, January 28, 2008 - Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a global leader in supply chain, warehousing and transportation management solutions, today announced it has been honored as a top supplier for international transportation management...

New Orders Surge in December.(Brief article)
January 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher New orders for manufactured durable goods surged 5.2 percent in December, but inventories and unfilled orders also increased, leaving shipments down 0.1 percent. The increase in new orders in December...

January 28, 2008.(Association of American Railroads, co-sponsor of the recent Democratic presidential debate )(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... Debated. Little known but actually true is that the Association of American Railroads actually, really was a co-sponsor of the recent Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina. We've been assured that a discussion of Ramsey pricing and...

Who is Liable for Carton Damage?
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q: We had six ocean containers arrive from China into Seattle. Due to a need for expedited delivery of the product to Alabama, we contracted with a warehouse to perform the transload of the product from the ocean...

Organized Ground Attack.(Internal Revenue Service hits FedEx Ground with taxes and penalties)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Michael Fabey Related Story: * Packaging a Business There are few targets as large for organized labor this year than the parcel delivery business at FedEx. But in the wide range of legal and regulatory assaults on FedEx...

Manhattan Associates Supply Chain Solutions Support Hyper-Growth At Crocs and Vera Bradley.
January 28, 2008... Supply Chain Optimization Solutions Provide Flexibility, Agility and Scalability to Manage Explosive Growth ATLANTA, Jan. 28, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Global supply chain optimization provider Manhattan Associates, Inc....

Teamsters Sign Up 300 in Kentucky.(International Brotherhood of Teamsters)(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher A majority of approximately 300 workers at the UPS Freight terminals in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, last week signed authorization cards to become Teamsters. "As more and more cards are submitted...

Savi Launches Projects in UK, India.
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Lockheed Martin subsidiary Savi is taking advantage of local contacts as it expands research and marketing efforts for its active RFID technology. In the UK, a $1.2 million government grant to the...

Greenbrier to Buy American Allied.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The Greenbrier Companies agreed to acquire the assets of freight car equipment maker American Allied. The purchase expands Greenbrier's reach in the central and southeastern states. Greenbrier said it will...

AeroLogic Completes Lease Agreements.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo completed lease agreements this week for eight new aircraft for their joint venture, which they named "Aerologic" on Monday. In September of last year, DHL and Lufthansa...

New Automation System Commissioned at Illinois & Midland Railroad.
January 28, 2008... January 28, 2008 -- RailComm, Inc. has successfully upgraded Illinois & Midland Railroad's existing interlocking control system to include a new Local Control Panel along with a web-based, remote control system. The new control panel is...

West Brother's Transportation Services, Inc. Adds Business Development Manager.(Heir Matthew Hunter)
January 28, 2008... RALEIGH, N.C. (January 28, 2008) - West Brother's Transportation Services, Inc, a leading provider of long-term, dedicated contract carriage transportation services, has appointed Matthew Hunter as Business Development Manager. Hunter will...

Diesel Drops 1.1 Cents to $3.259.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The average retail price for a gallon of diesel fuel last week was $3.259, down 1.1 cents from a week earlier, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. After a week under $90 per barrel,...

HUD Approves $600M for Gulfport.(Housing and Urban Development)(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson has approved $600 million to rebuild and expand the Port of Gulfport, Miss., which was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Affordable housing...

Emirates SkyCargo Teams Up with Dubai Customs for "Paperless Freight".
January 28, 2008... DUBAI, U.A.E., January 28, 2008 - Emirates SkyCargo has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai Customs as part of a global initiative to reduce paperwork and expedite the movement of goods in the air cargo supply chain. The...

YRC Worldwide Lost $735 Million.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher YRC Worldwide operated at a $735.7 million loss in the fourth quarter, the toughest period of the year 2007. The outlook for the first quarter of 2008 is no better. After falling 40 percent in the second...

Panama Raises Fees.( Panama Canal Authority )(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... Rising fuel costs have led the Panama Canal Authority on Friday to announce revised fees for tug, locomotive and linehandling services, to begin March 1. Rates for tug services will increase 8 percent; rates for linehandling services...

Long Beach Rejects Bunker Tax.( Long Beach City Council )(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo The Long Beach City Council this week defeated a proposal to bring back a bunker fuel tax. The council also defeated a proposal that would have doubled the annual contribution that the port makes each year to the...

MSC, Ceres Partner in New Orleans.(Mediterranean Shipping Co)(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Janet Nodar Mediterranean Shipping Co. and Ceres Terminals announced their partnership in a new joint venture, New Orleans Terminals. New Orleans Terrminals will operate half of the port's Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal,...

ProLogis Develops in Poland.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Distribution in fast-growing eastern European markets is getting a boost from ProLogis's announcement that it developed and leased 1.1 million square feet of industrial facilities across Poland. The...

Experts Press Shippers on Real-Time.
January 28, 2008... Real-time data has the potential to reshape supply chains, but not unless logistics managers learn how to use it more effectively. That may require new technology and a new business "framework," say two experts in supply chain management....

CP in Tentative Union Pact.(Canadian Pacific)(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Canadian Pacific on Sunday reached a tentative agreement with the union representing its mechanical services employees. The three year contract with the Canadian Auto Workers union addresses the railroad's...

Truck Tonnage Rebounded in December.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Truck tonnage declined in 2007 but rebounded in December to its highest level since January 2006 and topped its year ago level by 1.4 percent. The Truck Tonnage Index of the American Trucking Associations...

Nearly 90 Percent of Union Pacific's Road Locomotives to Have Cameras by End of 2008.
January 28, 2008... Digital Camera Technology Installed on Locomotives to Enhance Public Safety OMAHA, Neb., January 28, 2008 - Union Pacific this year plans to install more than 1,600 Track Image Recorders (TIRs) aboard locomotive cabs to digitally record...

Savannah Boxes up 20 Percent.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... Container volume through the Port of Savannah climbed by 20.6 percent in 2007 to more than 2.6 million TEUs, the Georgia Ports Authority announced Monday. Total tonnage handled by the Colonel's Island facility increased by 13.4 percent...

APL Revenue Climbs.(Financial report)(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach Average revenue per FEU climbed by 12 percent for container carrier APL as volumes jumped 18 percent in the six-week period from Nov. 17 to Dec. 28, 2007, parent Neptune Orient Lines said on Monday. The...

Stimulated Talk.(shippers and transportation operators)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page Shippers and transportation operators may be at odds over a wide range of business issues, but when it comes to the government and political arena, they share one very close bond - both sides believe transportation gets...

Organized Ground Attack.(Internal Revenue Service hit FedEx Ground with a $319 million bill for taxes and penalties)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Michael Fabey There are few targets as large for organized labor this year than the parcel delivery business at FedEx. But in the wide range of legal and regulatory assaults on FedEx Ground, the most serious challenge yet to the...

Packaging a Business.(FedEx Ground)
January 28, 2008... FedEx Chairman, President and CEO Frederick W. Smith, says the operating model for FedEx Ground is built on a strict and well-considered business strategy aimed at meeting customer demands. Suggestions that the basic model is just as focused...

Transport Seeking Stimulus.(transportation projects in an economic stimulus)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Lawmakers and lobbyists are rushing to include dollars for roads, bridges, rail and other transportation projects in an economic stimulus package speeding its way through Congress. "We are pushing very hard on our...

Politics Get Congested.
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter With more than 100,000 deliveries a day in 34 countries and a network of 32 distribution facilities across the country for next-day shipments, Office Depot Chairman and CEO Steve Odland knows the effects of a traffic...

Operating in Sync.(logistics technology)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Collaboration has become one of the most over-used words in supply chain management, but retailers are learning it can be crucial to getting consistent returns on investment in logistics technology. "You look...

GT Nexus Buys Metaship.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... GT Nexus says the acquisition of import logistics technology specialist Metaship will give the global trade management software provider a stronger foothold in Europe. European shippers and logistics providers face the same globalization...

More Changes at Panalpina.(John Klompers )(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... Another management change at Panalpina suggests the Swiss forwarder, which is the target of inquiries into its business practices, is undergoing something of a restructuring in its leadership. Panalpina said this month its chief marketing...

NLM Spins Off Software Firm.(National Logistics Management )(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... Just two months after integrating the resources of four companies to create a supply chain management and software provider for automotive and aerospace companies, NLM spun off a new company to develop Web-based transportation software...

Streamlining the Leviathan.(Eivind Kolding chief executive officer of Maersk Line)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach When he took over as the sole CEO of Maersk Line last June following the reorganization of A.P. Moller-Maersk''s top management, Eivind Kolding faced a Herculean task. How was he going to turn the business around...

APL: It''s Not All Gloom and Doom.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... People should not confuse current economic conditions in the United States with the overall health and prospects for container shipping, said Ron Widdows, chief executive of APL. Slowing growth in the trans-Pacific container trade has...

MOL Expects 2008 Loss.(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... Japanese carrier MOL says it expects to lose money on its container shipping business in 2008 because of losses on its North American routes. In a New Year''s message, MOL President Akimitsu Ashida said the MOL Group''s overall results...

Back Door to Back-Selling?(Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Limited)(Fashion Accessories Shippers Association)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson A common fear among shippers and non-vessel-operating common carriers has the Federal Maritime Commission examining an uncommon complaint. The 200-member Fashion Accessories Shippers Association, doing business...

ABF Seeking Muscle.(ABF Freight System Inc. will negotiate separately with labor)
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher ABF Freight System is betting a healthy bank account and less reliance on railroads will go a long way toward securing a labor agreement that both sides can live with. For the first time since the National...

Truckers Hunker Down.
January 28, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher Slow demand across almost every industry that moves freight by truck is slamming a lid down on capital spending and forcing carriers to rethink their business plans. "We''re seeing prices soft across all...

UPS Freight Teamsters Gain Steam.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(International Brotherhood of Teamsters)(Brief article)
January 28, 2008... UPS Freight dock workers and drivers in Detroit signed Teamster authorization cards following what the Teamsters consider successful organizing efforts in New England and Memphis, Tenn. The process, known as a card check, is the first...