Traffic World articles from July 2003

Traffic World archives from July 2003

Derailment ahead.(relations between truckers, railroaders)(Editorial)
July 7, 2003... It ain't gonna last. Call me a pessimist but I don't see the much-ballyhooed truce between truckers and railroaders lasting a year. The Association of American Railroads and the American Trucking Associations agreed two weeks ago to...

Stuck at the border: feds have 'substantially completed' actions to ensure safe Mexican trucks; delays continue. (Up Front).
July 7, 2003... It's 11 years and counting since the United States and Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement and still there is not yet a truly open border for freight trucking for one of this nation's largest trading partners. That is...

Trouble in the heartland: Chicago foundation faults Midwestern states for failing to take advantage of ISTEA, TEA-21. (Washington).(Joyce Foundation)
July 7, 2003... The Midwest has fallen behind on addressing freight bottlenecks, traffic congestion and air pollution according to a report released by the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation, which provides grant money for groups including the Surface...

Terror trades: 'prior to 9/11 we were trying to keep things in the box, now we are trying to keep things out'. (Logistics).
July 7, 2003... What kind of shipment could carry a weapon of mass destruction to the United States? How about a football-size tactical nuclear device mounted on a concrete skid shielded with lead and tucked inside a containerload of Heineken beer,...

Security demo. (Logistics).(Northern Border Demonstration Project)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... The Secure Cargo Anti-terrorism Coalition, created to demonstrate technical solutions to security and logistics concerns, has previewed a proprietary new process to more than 50 elected officials, security professionals, port representatives...

The Bekins Co. (Briefs).(Bekins International Group Inc. created)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... The Bekins Co., the Chicago-based transportation and distribution services company, has partnered with international transportation services company Gateways International to launch Bekins International Group, a new business division that will...

TRW Automotive. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... TRW Automotive, the automotive safety systems maker based in Troy, Mich., has extended its relationship with pallet pooling organization CHEF to include the delivery of seat belts to Ford Motor Co. CHEF will deploy containers and will service...

Redwood City, Calif.-based Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, formerly called Emery Forwarding. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Redwood City, Calif.-based Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, formerly called Emery Forwarding, has upgraded its logistics facility in Otay Mesa, Calif. The facility provides full transportation, logistics and warehousing capabilities to support the...

Gilbert, a division of P&O Nedlloyd Logistics. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Gilbert, a division of P&O Nedlloyd Logistics, has signed a contract with Wal-Mart for West Coast consolidation and distribution services to 34 distribution centers throughout the country. Wal-Mart needed to ensure the continued flow of goods...

Kuehne & Nagel's wholly owned subsidiary, USCO Logistics. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Kuehne & Nagel's wholly owned subsidiary, USCO Logistics, will manage ongoing overflow services for Ramco Trading Corp. in USCO's multicustomer distribution center in Miami. Ramco, south Florida's largest wholesale distributor of discount and...

Global freight forwarder Schenker. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Global freight forwarder Schenker has signed a long-term supplier contract with the International Olympic Committee. The agreement positions Schenker as the official supplier of freight forwarding and customs clearance services for the Olympic...

Norman Global Logistics. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Norman Global Logistics, headquartered in Feltham near Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom, has been appointed by the Hi-Tech Forwarder Network as representative for the U.K. region. Norman has offices/warehouse operations at Northampton,...

PT Samudera Combined Logistics. (Briefs).(PT Samudera Combined Logistics renamed)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... PT Samudera Combined Logistics, a joint venture company between the GAC Group and Samudera Indonesia, has been renamed PT GAG Samudera Logistics. This move enables SCL, one of Indonesia's leading supply-chain management solutions specialists,...

A.N. Deringer Inc. (Briefs).(Neologex launched)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... A.N. Deringer Inc., based in St. Albans, Vt., the largest privately held customs broker in the United States, has launched a new subsidiary-company, Neologex, a nonasset-based, third-party logistics service provider. The offshoot serves midsize...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (Briefs).(Freight Management Services Inc. receives freight brokerage license)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a freight brokerage license to Freight Management Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tucson, Ariz.-based OrderPro Logistics. The company said EMS will create revenue and margin by...

Stonepath Group. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Stonepath Group, a global logistics services organization based in Philadelphia, has agreed to acquire the business of Customs Services International Inc., a Miami-based, privately held international freight forwarder and customs broker. The...

Global supply-chain management organization Exel has opened an office in Chihuahua, Mexico. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Global supply-chain management organization Exel has opened an office in Chihuahua, Mexico. The new office will offer current and future customers freight forwarding in Mexico's Northern region. The organization has opened three new offices in...

Raleigh, N.C.-based supply-chain consulting firm Tompkins Associates has agreed to an investment by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners Inc. (Briefs).
July 7, 2003... Raleigh, N.C.-based supply-chain consulting firm Tompkins Associates has agreed to an investment by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners Inc., a private investment firm based in Boca Raton, Fla. The transaction is expected to strengthen...

Entrepreneur magazine. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Entrepreneur magazine has published a book on starting a freight brokerage business. The book, "Start Your Own Freight Brokerage Business," is part of the magazine's Startup Series, a collection of about 30 books on business startups. The...

It's good to be SAP: new supply-chain functionality, software and customer wins announced at annual conference. (Technology).
July 7, 2003... Enterprise software giant SAP AG announced improvements to its supply-chain management software at its recent annual conference. The company also announced several developments in conjunction with the conference, including new software, new...

Getting better: quarterly results, new president at Manugistics; expanded alliance, early debt payment at i2. (Technology).
July 7, 2003... Manugistics Group has announced a new president, a new customer and its quarterly results, and i2 Technologies a new customer implementation, an expanded alliance and early debt payment. Jeremy Coote is now Manugistics' president,...

Geac acquires Comshare: $52 million deal expands company's product line; Geac to replace current budgeting software. (Technology).
July 7, 2003... Business performance management software provider Geac is acquiring Comshare for $52 million cash. The acquisition broadens Geac's enterprise resource planning software suite and market opportunities, adding Comshare's MPC suite of planning,...

Swapping inventory for good data: to do so requires a high degree of trust between supply-chain partners and sharing of sensitive marketing and proprietary information. (Special Report: Shipper Solutions).
July 7, 2003... In an uncertain economy, managing supply-chain partnerships to reduce inventory has become more important than ever, but challenges abound. Can shippers and carriers trust one another with sensitive information? Do they share long-term goals?...

Record roadcheck: three-day commercial truck safety blitz places nearly one in four trucks out of service. (Trucking).
July 7, 2003... Despite overall improvement in truck safety trends, a recent three-day North American road check placed nearly one in four trucks out of service for mechanical problems. The 16th annual Roadcheck produced a record number of 43,583 Level...

Fines going up? (Trucking).(Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003 )
July 7, 2003... Stricter penalties for out-of-service violations and false records are part of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003 legislation recently proposed by the Department of Transportation. The DOT...

Overnite Transportation Co. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Overnite Transportation Co., Richmond, Va., the nation's fifth-largest stand-alone LTL carrier and biggest nonunion LTL carrier, is continuing its Western expansion. It opened the doors on its 11th California facility in Simi Valley. The...

Con-Way Transportation Services'. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Con-Way Transportation Services' Con-Way Central unit has opened a new 54-door terminal near its headquarters hometown of Ann Arbor, Mich. The Whitmore Lake, Mich., facility replaces a smaller 18-door facility in Ypsilanti, Mich. The company...

Roadway Express. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Roadway Express has created an engineering services group. After gaining a thorough understanding of a customer's logistical needs, the engineering services group provides what the LTL carrier calls "tailored solutions that leverage Roadway's...

Twin Modal. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Twin Modal, Roseville, Minn., has opened a Chicago branch office. David Kreidler, formerly of C.H. Robinson and American Backhaulers, is division manager. That's Twin Modal's 10th branch office.

Chicago-based Allied Van Lines has formed a strategic alliance with GMAC Real Estate. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Chicago-based Allied Van Lines has formed a strategic alliance with GMAC Real Estate. Customers who buy or sell homes through GMAC Real Estate get a minimum 55 percent discount on "any move" within the continental United States or Canada,...

Roadway Corp. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Roadway Corp.'s Northeast regional unit -- New Penn Motor Express -- is introducing "POOLTRAC," a new shipment tracking service for pool distribution shipments allowing customers to utilize the New Penn website to determine shipment status even...

Air security tweaks: house unit OKs 'corrections' to air security law; group also approves more money for railroads. (Air & Express).(House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)
July 7, 2003... After temporarily putting aside a jurisdictional dispute with another congressional committee, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has approved legislation that would tweak the aviation security law passed two months after the...

Riding shotgun. (Air & Express).(Transportation Security Administration to train pilots in firearms)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... The Transportation Security Administration is set to begin its first full0scale training class for commercial pilots who wish to be licensed to carry guns in the cockpit. Citing security reasons, the agency refuses to disclose the number of...

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... KIM Royal Dutch Airlines is planning to launch scheduled service to Baghdad on Sept. I. The airline, which has not flown to Baghdad since 1985 during the Iran-Iraq war, plan four weekly roundtrips on Boeing 767 aircraft. KLM cites growing...

DHL Danzas Air & Ocean. (Briefs).(Berben Express purchased)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... DHL Danzas Air & Ocean has completed the purchase of Turkey-based Berben Express. DHL Danzas Air & Ocean announced the acquisition in February. Effective July 1, the new company, which is 100 percent owned by Deutsche Post World Net, will...

Maersk Air. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Maersk Air has chosen Kuehne & Nagle as its exclusive aviation logistics services provider. The Danish airline gave New Jersey-based Kuehne & Nagel responsibility for handling all airline spare parts for Maersk Air's fleet of Boeing 737 and...

Polar Air Cargo. (Briefs).(Vizion Logistics to be sales agent in western U.S.A.)(The Purchase appoints Vizion as sales agent)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Polar Air Cargo has named Vizion Logistics as its general sales agent for San Francisco and other westem U.S. cities. The Purchase, N.Y-based airline also chose Vizion to represent it in Denver; Salt Lake City; Sacramento, Calif.; Reno, Nev.;...

Russian all-cargo airline. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Russian all-cargo airline Volga-Dnepr plans to take delivery of its first generation of Anotov-124-100M freight aircraft in 2004. The new aircraft will have a payload of 150 tons and a maximum takeoff weight of 402 tons. A $29.9 million loan...

China Southern Airlines. (Briefs).
July 7, 2003... China Southern Airlines has re-launched service to locations where flights had temporarily been suspended due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Cities back on the service list from Guangzhou, China's Baiyun International Airport, include Ho...

Bridge battle: accusations of intimidation fly between KCS, UP over control of the U.S.-Mexican border. (Rail & Intermodal).( Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific Railroad)
July 7, 2003... It's no secret in the railroad industry that the relationship between Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific Railroad is not among the more congenial. Much of the mutual dislike, at least from a corporate standpoint, was cemented in 1995 and...

Hot market: limited capacity to import LNG fuels supply and demand gap and high prices. (Maritime).(United States needs more marine terminals for liquid natural gas deliveries)
July 7, 2003... Natural gas used to be burned off by oil drillers who considered it a worthless nuisance. Today we can't get enough of the stuff and the United States needs more marine terminals and gas carriers to tap into global pipelines for this...

Singapore-based global transportation and logistics company Neptune Orient Lines Ltd. (Briefs).(first-quarter 2003 profit reported)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Singapore-based global transportation and logistics company Neptune Orient Lines Ltd. reported a first-quarter 2003 profit of $20.3 million, in contrast with a loss of $91.5 million for the same period in 2002. Year-on-year group revenue for...

Japanese transportation company NYK has mapped out a new medium- to long-term management vision, "Forward 120". (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Japanese transportation company NYK has mapped out a new medium- to long-term management vision, "Forward 120," which places emphasis on globalization and pursuing a wider range of business opportunities. The organization aims to achieve...

Northrop Grumman Corp. (Briefs).
July 7, 2003... Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Ship Systems sector has been awarded two U.S. Coast Guard contracts for the beginning stages of the Coast Guard's new National Security Cutter. The contracts, totaling $129 million, are part of the Coast Guard's...

The American Waterways Operators. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... The American Waterways Operators, trade group for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, and the U.S. Coast Guard have jointly released a study of barge-bridge accidents spanning 10 years. Based on the findings the report identified a...

Hino Diesel Trucks (U.S.A.) Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Hino Diesel Trucks (U.S.A.) Inc. named Derek Kaufman senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support.

Neptune Orient Lines. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Neptune Orient Lines announced the following appointments: Ang Kong Hua, president of NatSteel, and Willie Cheng Jue Hiang, country managing director of Accenture Singapore and managing partner of Communications & High Tech Industry, South...

Avicon. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Avicon announced that its co-founder and chief strategy officer, David Demers, was elected to the Supply-Chain Council of North America Leadership Team. Demers will serve on the leadership team for two years beginning July 1.

Waterways Work! (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Waterways Work! named Barry Palmer to the position of president and chief executive officer.

Crowley Maritime Corp. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Crowley Maritime Corp. promoted Ed Alford to director of security.

Wiseway Transportation Services. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Wiseway Transportation Services announced that Wayne Chan has joined as managing director of Asian sales.

Transportation Marketing & Communications Association. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... The Transportation Marketing & Communications Association announced the election of a new vice president and five new members to its board of directors for two-year terms. The officers are: Ray Venturino, assistant vice president of P&O...

Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Todd Shipyards Corp., named Thomas V. Van Dawark president and chief operating officer.

Cannon Express Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Cannon Express Inc. announced the appointment of Brian Abel as chief operating officer.

UniGroup Worldwide UTS. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... UniGroup Worldwide UTS named Ben Jude national account executive for General Commodity Freight Forwarding.

Watkins Motor Lines Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Watkins Motor Lines Inc. announced the following new hires to the position of account executives: Ed Hark, Austin, Texas; Faryl Jones, Orlando, Fla.; and Joanne Macisaac, Toronto, Canada.

Zilliant Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Zilliant Inc. announced the appointment of Greg Peters as president and chief executive officer.

Riverside Logistics. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Riverside Logistics announced that Chris Dawson has joined the company as business process manager.

SynchroNet Marine Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... SynchroNet Marine Inc. announced the appointment of Wilford W. Middleton as chairman and chief executive officer.

Federal Aviation Administration. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... The Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration announced the appointment of Russell G. Chew as chief operating officer.

Econocaribe. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Econocaribe announced the promotion of Antonio Galvao to FCL manager.

Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... John Gaughan, vice president of the American Maritime Congress, is the new chairman of the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council.

DHL Danzas Air & Ocean. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... DHL Danzas Air & Ocean announced the appointments of Claudio Scandella as vice president of ocean freight Asia-Pacific, and Franz Herbst as vice president of industrial projects Asia-Pacific. Both are based at the company's regional office in...

Air Transport Association. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... The Air Transport Association named John M. Meenan executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Landstar Systems Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... Landstar Systems Inc. announced the appointment of Larry McKinley as Landstar Logistics vice president of sales, Eastern region.

Menzies World Cargo. (People Watch).
July 7, 2003... Menzies World Cargo announced that Alastair Couper, financial director, has joined the company's parent Menzies Group as group financial controller.

FedEx Corp. (People Watch).
July 7, 2003... FedEx Corp. elected two new directors to its board; they are: August A. Busch IV, president of Anheuser Busch Inc., and John A. Edwardson, chairman and chief executive officer of CDW Computer Centers Inc.

SATO America Inc. (People Watch).(Brief Article)
July 7, 2003... SATO America Inc. appointed Alicia Re sales manager for its Latin America region. Re will be responsible for the overall sales, marketing and business performance in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

DOE Diesel Price Index.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 7, 2003... DOE Diesel Price Index (cents per gallon) National Average - 142.0 June 30, 2003 REGION 1 142.7 REGION 2 139.8 REGION 3 136.4 REGION 4 145.5 REGION 5 155.6 * Includes Alaska and Hawaii. Regional...

Weekly Traffic of Major U.S. Railroads.(Illustration)
July 7, 2003... Weekly Traffic of Major U.S. Railroads for the week ending June 21, 2003 Traffic Originated Week 25 Ending June 21, 2003 ...

Calendar.(Calendar)
July 7, 2003... JULY 7. HMT-115 Preparing Hazardous Materials for Transportation by Motor Vehicle, Recurrent Training (Dangerous Goods Advisory Council), Las Vegas. (202) 289-4550 or www.dgac.org. 7-11. Introduction to the Maritime Shipping Industry...

Does carrier owe shipper explanation? (Q & A).
July 7, 2003... Q: We ship a bulk product via pneumatic truck to a customer whom we sell to on a delivered basis. We arrange the logistics (railcars to central point, transload, local bulk trucking) and invoice them for one price that includes product and all...

The back page.(multiple briefs)
July 7, 2003... Today's thought. Message on the back of a Norfolk Southern Railway t-shirt: "May the horse be with you." Horsing around. June 29 marked the 199th anniversary of the Swansea & Mumbles Railway, claimed to be the world's first regular...

Terror tax. .(companies spending money on security measures)(Editorial)
July 14, 2003... Just how much is corporate America spending to enhance security in this post 9/11 world? Not as much as you might think, according to a new study from the Conference Board research organization and ASIS International, a society of security...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
July 14, 2003... Big Truck Battle I've been in the railroad industry for 26 years (I'm currently working for a small consulting firm), and the battle for larger trucks has been going for that entire time. So I'm not going to get into the statistics war. I...

Billion-dollar bombshell: combined Yellow-Roadway Corp. rocks LTL world as shippers' options dwindle. (Up Front).
July 14, 2003... Shippers' long-haul options in the unionized LTL sector further diminished in the wake of Yellow Corp.'s blockbuster buy of Roadway Corp. for approximately $966 million last week. Counting Roadway's $140 million debt, the value of the equity...

Applying the pressure: captive shippers believe railroad campaign urging opposition to competition bill may be a good sign. (Washington).
July 14, 2003... Rail shippers are aiming to take full advantage of rail-related proposals being debated on Capitol Hill this year by looking beyond infrastructure financing to the regulatory environment in which shippers and railroads operate -- and the...

Savings on tap: third U.K. brewer will help TrenStar build brewing industry container pool, speed pints to pubs. (Logistics).
July 14, 2003... A third mobile asset management contract with a large brewing company in the United Kingdom will give TrenStar Inc. the critical mass it needs to create its first industry pool of containers. For Europe's brewing industry, this means radical...

Another bites the dust: freight audit and payment firm Audipac announces 'orderly closure, liquidation'.
July 14, 2003... Audipac Logistics Management, a freight bill audit and payment firm based in Grove City, Ohio, is closing its operations and liquidating, the company announced recently. Audipac is a trade name for North American Logistics Inc. and has...

Mending fences: TABD has lost steam over recent years but is being revived with a new structure, agenda. (International Trade).(Transatlantic Business Dialogue)
July 14, 2003... Help is on the way for the bruised transatlantic alliance. The Transatlantic Business Dialogue, a forum spearheaded by chief executive officers from Europe and the United States, is being revived with a new structure and a revamped agenda. ...

Food fight. (International Trade).(European labeling laws on genetically modified foods)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Laws passed by the European Parliament on July 2 that require genetically modified foods to be labeled may ease Europe's unofficial ban on GM crops but are unlikely to remove the issue from the menu of major transatlantic trade differences. ...

Decades of change. (Commentary).(transportation and logistics courses at the University of Wisconsin)
July 14, 2003... From an initial offering of one program in 1947 to a high offering of 22 different program offerings in 1985, the University of Wisconsin has consistently supported the transportation and logistics industry in meeting its training needs. ...

Two tech wins: UP's Transcentric, Timera subsidiaries help Formosa track railcars, C.R. England enter intermodal arena. (Technology).(Union Pacific Corp., Formosa Plastics Corporation USA)
July 14, 2003... Formosa Plastics Corp. USA can see better. The company recently installed railcar tracking and tracing technology from Union Pacific Corp. subsidiary Transcentric LLC. Formosa is using Transcentric's ShipmentVision, a tracking and tracing tool;...

Lawson's growing reach: Pathmark Stores uses Lawson's software to streamline supply chain, integrate operations. (Technology).
July 14, 2003... Pathmark Stores, an East Coast supermarket chain with 143 stores in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia, is streamlining its operations with retail software from Lawson Software. The company is implementing Lawson's Retail Enterprise...