Traffic World articles from July 2007

Traffic World archives from July 2007

Savannah Sets TEU Record.(Port of Savannah)(twenty-foot equivalent units)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 31, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach The Port of Savannah set new annual records for containers handled and total tonnage, according to figures released by the Georgia Ports Authority at its annual board meeting Monday. The figures show that...

TNT Net Gains.(TNT Express Worldwide)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 31, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard Dutch mail and logistics group TNT on Monday reported second-quarter operating profits dipped slightly from a year ago while revenues grew 10 percent, driven by a strong performance at its express unit. ...

World Shipping Council Pans Scan Bill.(Brief article)
July 31, 2007... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON -- The World Shipping Council has called legislation that would require all U.S.-bound containers to be scanned at foreign ports "unworkable." The trade association for the global liner shipping...

Knight Opens Brokerage Centers.(Brief article)
July 31, 2007... Knight Transportation expanded its services and its physical presence at two busy industrial sites. Two brokerage service centers, one in Indianapolis and the other in Carlisle, Pa., will be operated by wholly owned subsidiary Knight...

UPS Covers N.J. Civil Union Partners.(New Jersey )
July 31, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher UPS will extend health care benefits to all civil union partners of hourly employees in New Jersey who are covered under collectively bargained union plans. The coverage is equal to that provided to married...

NAFTA Trade Climbs.(North American Free Trade Agreement)(Brief article)
July 31, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico rose 5.2 percent in May, compared with a year earlier, according to the...

Bridge Collapses.(Brief article)
July 31, 2007... A FedEx truck and its driver were trapped under debris of a bridge that collapsed while under construction Tuesday morning in northern California. The Fed Ex truck could be seen partially crushed under a beam, and a California Department...

Consumer Confidence Hits Six-Year High.
July 31, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Consumer confidence in July hit its highest level in nearly six years, according to a national survey. The Consumer Confidence Index jumped 7.3 percentage points in July after a small decline in June, said...

DOT to Reroute Hazmats.(United States. Department of Transportation)(Brief article)
July 31, 2007... BYLINE: Ari Natter Freight trains carrying hazardous material will be required to reroute around large cities and other high risk areas as part of the Improving America's Security Act of 2007, which Congress passed late last week. ...

July 30, 2007.(Editorial)
July 30, 2007... Young. Rep. Don Young, R-Ketchikan, continues to set a moral beacon for everyone to follow. In the latest news, he admitted taking $5,000 in illegal campaign contributions from a seafood group going back to 2001. He'll pay back the money, but...

No Shortage of Concern.(Survey)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Related Story: Taking the Survey This is an exciting time for rail freight shippers, who see potential help coming but still say they have plenty of concerns about service and capacity. Railroads are projecting...

Shipping and Personal Prejudice.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Colin Barrett In the July 9, 2007, issue, I discussed a female traffic manager who was having difficulty dealing with the assigned sales representative of the only railroad serving her company. She said the salesman refused to...

Universal Truckload Slows Decline.(Universal Truckload Services revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Universal Truckload Services improved its operating margin in the second quarter, relative to the first, but profits were significantly lower than a year ago. In the quarter ended June 30, revenue...

International Air Cargo Gains.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Changing the trend of a sluggish first half, freight demand on international flights in June picked up significantly, according to a report from the International Air Transport Association. In June,...

Grupo TMM Stems Losses.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Grupo TMM, a Mexican multi-modal transportation and logistics company, lost $600,000 in the second quarter, a significant improvement over the loss of $7.4 million in the prior year quarter. Refinancing,...

Congress Passes Transport Security Bill.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The full House of Representatives passed legislation Friday evening that makes 100 percent screening mandatory within five years. The Senate accepted the bill late Thursday, and the White House said the...

Logistics Pros Praise Screening Measures.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Passage of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations bill on Friday stirred qualified approval in the logistics community. Customs brokers, air forwarders and transportation workers all voiced praise for...

Diesel Eases Back to $2.886.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The retail price for a gallon of diesel eased back three-tenths of one cent this week as the market price for a barrel of crude oil came within a penny of a new record. Diesel prices fell in three of five...

YRC Regional Transportation Sends 13 Drivers to National Truck Driving Championships.
July 30, 2007... AKRON, Ohio, July 30, 2007 -- YRC Regional Transportation, a subsidiary of YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ:YRCW), announced today that thirteen of its professional drivers qualified to compete at the National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC) to...

ILWU, Employers Disclose Compromise.(International Longshore and Warehouse Union)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The tentative contract reached Thursday by unionized office clerical workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach and 14 waterfront employers was a compromise agreement that sets the stage for the next...

Vancouver Traffic Increases.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Courtney Tower Container traffic increased 5 percent at Canada's Port of Vancouver in the first half of the year, as overall cargo tonnage gained 4.5 percent from the same period in 2006. Total tonnage reached 39.9 million...

NWA Cargo Upgrades Booking.(Cargo Portal Services )(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... NWA Cargo announced that a new feature, House Air Waybill templates, has been added to its Cargo Portal Services online booking portal. The waybill templates allow portal users to save information and then recall or update the data...

NordCapital to Buy 8 Vessels.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard NordCapital, the world's second-largest containership charter owner, has ordered eight 13,100-TEU vessels for $1.4 billion. The ships, which will be built by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries and delivered...

Weber Hires CFO.
July 30, 2007... Weber Distribution announced that it has hired Craig Smith as chief financial officer. Prior to joining Weber, Smith worked as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Wyle Laboratories, a provider of specialized...

Equity Fund Buys Ace Expediters.(Atlantic Street Capital acquired Ace Expediters)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Atlantic Street Capital acquired Ace Expediters. Ace provides expedited delivery services and specializes in time sensitive deliveries for businesses. The company has expanded in the Eastern U.S. by increasing its service offerings. ...

UPS Combines Services.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Launched this week, UPS Express Critical meshes all of UPS's same-day and urgent capabilities into a single suite. The service seeks to match FedEx Custom Critical by providing a single point of contact for shipping everything from a...

Schneider Adds Oracle Software.(Schneider National Inc.)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Schneider National will use Oracle applications and infrastructure software for its growing domestic and global operations. "We wanted to invest in a vendor with a proven track-record, best-in-class...

Warehousing Risk.(John A. Gentle & Associates)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Although I agree the warehouse is not the consignee ("Warehouses Shift Burden," June 25), shifting responsibility to the shipper would only be appropriate when the shipper exceeds the defined and committed ability of the warehouse to receive...

Road Partners.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Your editorial in Traffic World on public-private partnerships ("Road Partners," July 16) was spot on. The additional scrutiny now being placed upon PPP''s is forcing providers and policy makers to focus on both the good and bad sides of...

Another Hour.(court ruling on length of trucking time)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Paul Page A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals didn''t so much send the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration back to the drawing board on hours of service rules as it told the regulatory agency to find a whole...

No Shortage of Concern.(Survey)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd This is an exciting time for rail freight shippers, who see potential help coming but still say they have plenty of concerns about service and capacity. Railroads are projecting greater investment in their network...

Taking the Survey.
July 30, 2007... The shipper survey is a first-of-its-kind effort between Booz Allen Hamilton and Traffic World to offer rail customers a chance to weigh in on issues surrounding North American railroad capacity. Rune Haug, the Booz Allen Hamilton...

Resetting the Clock.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: William B. Cassidy Truck drivers came up an hour short last week when a federal court struck down rules governing the time they drive. In a new legal twist to federal regulators'' attempts to write trucking hours of service...

Screening''s Far Reach.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Mike Fabey and Ari Natter Now that lawmakers have moved to require 100 percent screening of all overseas maritime cargo and freight in the bellies of passenger planes, it''s time to tally the cost in terms of dollars and impact....

Sensing the Snarls.(Regional Integrated Transportation Information System )
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman It may not relieve the notorious congestion in the Washington area, but at least drivers will be warned. Real-time information about traffic congestion and accident warnings will be available to motorists,...

Right Turn Only.(tip from United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Want a tip from UPS on a simple way to speed your trip? Don''t turn left. When UPS instituted its Package Flow Technology program a couple of years ago, it formalized a longstanding but unofficial policy of routing drivers to minimize...

What Slump?(ProLogis acquired assets in Las Vegas)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman All the speculation and concern over the U.S. freight recession hasn''t reached real estate developer ProLogis. In July alone, the Denver-based commercial real estate developer announced formation of a $1.8...

Bringing Logistics Home.(Global Link Logistics partnered with Hecny Transportation)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Global Link Logistics wants to take matters into its own hands - which means ending a longstanding partnership with Hecny Transportation. After rolling out a new TradeBeam visibility platform and surveying its...

Innovating Logistics, Off the Shelf.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Retailers embracing technology to control inventory and streamline freight logistics are finding new systems enable potentially far-reaching changes in the sourcing, transportation and distribution of their goods....

Off-Road Alliances.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher Shippers are shrugging off alliances built to take advantage of tight supply and demand as excess capacity provides them with enough leverage to negotiate favorable rates on their own. The soft trucking market...

Fleet Adjustment.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher Large truckload carriers are paring down fleets to offset softness in the freight market following another quarter of slow growth and stagnant profits. At Werner Enterprises, where revenues increased only 2.4...

Con-way Sees Soft LTL Pricing.
July 30, 2007... Con-way had a rough second quarter as operating profit dropped 31.2 percent and revenue fell 0.6 percent amid weak a LTL pricing environment in the second quarter despite hauling more freight per day. The results were posted two days...

The Price is Right.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Even in the face of declining freight volumes, flooding and strike delays, North American railroads are still posting solid gains in revenue. The reason: pricing hikes. "Pricing, given the volume, is...

CP Terms Bid ''Inadequate''.(Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd The private equity world''s attention to the railroad industry may be heading north. Faced with a highly detailed newspaper report that a takeover bid for Canadian Pacific Railway was brewing, the railroad issued...

Energy Takes the Stage.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... The U.S. rail regulator Surface Transportation Board saw a lot of customer complaints and railroad defenses when it held a field hearing on energy issues July 18 at Kansas City, Mo., but both groups also suggested that a new advisory panel...

Railcar Makes Tabs Alabama.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Railcar builder National Steel Car is looking beyond this year''s slumping rail freight freight and sliding car orders, and looking toward Alabama. The subsidiary of Canada''s National Industries plans to start building a new plant in...

Minding the Gap.
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Mike Fabey Until about three years ago, freight forwarder Luggage Free used Kitty Hawk for most of its shipments for one simple reason. "I would pay any amount to make sure it''s there on time," said Luggage Free President...

Second EGL Executive Pleads Guilty.(Christopher Cahill)
July 30, 2007... Another former executive for EGL Eagle Global Logistics has been tainted by an alleged bribery scheme that also involves inflating war costs for cargo movements to Iraq. Kevin Andre Smoot, 43, of The Woodlands, Texas, waived indictment...

Fuel prices spur surcharge jump.
July 30, 2007... Jet fuel prices jumped to their highest level in a year in mid-July, reaching beyond $2.20 a gallon in some markets and pushing airlines around the world to raise fuel surcharges. Northwest Airlines, American Airlines and Cargolux were...

UPS Predicts Domestic Package Increase.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... The U.S. small package business is underperforming in the economy - thanks in part to slower industrial rate growth and a decline in business-to-consumer shipments - but UPS believes the market will turn around by the end of the year. ...

On the Right Track.(Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo The Alameda Corridor is handling more containers than ever, and if the trend continues, the agency that operates the intermodal rail route may be able to retire its huge debt five to 10 years early. That''s good...

Prince Rupert Gears Up.(Prince Rupert Port Authority)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... The Prince Rupert Port Authority expects China Ocean Shipping Co. to account for half of the initial handling capacity of 500,000 TEUs a year to be provided by the new Fairview Container Terminal once the line begins service to the British...

Lakes in a ''Dredging Crisis''.(Great Lakes Navigation system)
July 30, 2007... One of the world''s leading iron ore producers says it is being hurt by the lack of maintenance and expansion on the Great Lakes Navigation system. "The dredging crisis is directly affecting (Cleveland-Cliffs'') ability to meet its...

Emerging Louisiana Port Seeks Land.(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... The West Feliciana (La.) Port Commission is hoping a closing paper mill adjacent to its property will result in free land and a jolt to its campaign to attract more industry and develop a container port, The Baton Rouge Advocate reported. ...

People.(briefs)(Suddath Transportation Services)(International Communications Group)
July 30, 2007... Suddath Transportation Services, Jacksonville, Fla., a provider of specialized transportation and logistics services, named Charles Bowman sales executive. Bowman had been logistics manager at its Jacksonville facility. Prior to joining...

Shipping and Personal Prejudice.(Column)
July 30, 2007... BYLINE: Colin Barrett In the July 9, 2007, issue, I discussed a female traffic manager who was having difficulty dealing with the assigned sales representative of the only railroad serving her company. She said the salesman refused to...

The Back Page.
July 30, 2007... Young. Rep. Don Young, R-Ketchikan, continues to set a moral beacon for everyone to follow. In the latest news, he admitted taking $5,000 in illegal campaign contributions from a seafood group going back to 2001. He''ll pay back the money,...

Norfolk Southern Charged in Spill.(Norfolk Southern Corp.)(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Pennsylvania state prosecutors on Thursday filed misdemeanor charges against Norfolk Southern in connection with a derailment and chemical spill last year. The Pennsylvania attorney general and McKean...

Truck Tonnage Declines.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Truck tonnage declined in June at a slower pace than earlier in the quarter but hit a seven month low, said the American Trucking Associations. The ATA seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index...

Rebounding Economy Ignores Freight.(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The U.S. economy bounced back from a lackluster first quarter as gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 3.4 percent, the fastest growth since the first quarter of 2006, the Commerce Department's...

LA-Long Beach Strike Averted.(Los Angeles)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Stephanie Nall A strike at the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach was averted Thursday when office clerical workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union reached agreement with 14 shipping lines on a new...

Ozburn-Hessey Opens Hub in Dallas.(Ozburn-Hessey Logistics)(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... Ozburn-Hessey Logistics announced the opening of a new distribution facility and international station in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The company, headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., now operates four contract warehousing facilities in...

Tacoma Plans NYK Box Hub.(Nippon Yusen KK)
July 27, 2007... The Port of Tacoma on Thursday announced plans to build a $300-million, 168-acre container terminal to be leased to operator Yusen Terminal Tacoma Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan's NYK Line. The port said the plan for the...

Lufthansa Cargo Profit To Gain.(Financial report)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard Despite first-half earnings lower than a year ago, Lufthansa, the world's second-largest airfreight carrier after Korean Air, expects its cargo unit to outpace 2006 earnings as it cuts costs and adds new routes. ...

Hughes, Other ILA Officers Elected.(Richard Hughes elected at International Longshoremen's Association)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Joseph Bonney Richard Hughes, Jr. was elected president of the International Longshoremen's Association along with the rest of his slate of top officers as John Bowers, the union's leader for 20 years, was elected president...

Rail Traffic Falls.(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Rail Traffic fell 2.7 percent in the week ended July 21. With some improvements in grain, chemicals and automotive shipments, carloadings fared better than intermodal, which fell 3.2 percent, according to...

Labrie to Lead Con-way Freight.(John G. Labrie)(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... Con-way on Friday named John G. Labrie president, Con-way Freight. Moving up from senior vice president of strategy and enterprise operations, Labrie will lead the less-than-truckload carrier, which is the largest of Con-way's three...

ASTAR Promotes Flight Director.(Peter E. Blessing promoted at Astar Air Cargo Inc.)(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... ASTAR Air Cargo on Friday promoted former Navy Captain Peter E. Blessing to managing director, flight operations. Blessing, who has been with the company for 17 years, will report to General Ted F. Mallory III, ASTAR's senior vice president...

Fain Takes Global Role at UPS Freight.(John Fain)(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher John Fain, a long-time executive of Overnite Transportation who stayed on following the UPS acquisition, will take on global responsibilities for marketing and sales for UPS Freight. UPS gave Fain no new...

Horizon Makes Modest Gains.(earnings of Horizon Lines L.L.C.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher After making some retroactive adjustments, Horizon Lines made modest earnings progress over last year, revealing the impact of a soft freight market. Net income for the nation's leading Jones Act container...

U.S. Xpress Recovers from Loss.(earnings of U.S. Xpress Enterprises inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher U.S. Xpress Enterprises, the fourth largest publicly owned truckload carrier in the United States, improved on its first quarter loss with a net income of $2.7 million in the second quarter. Down 53...

Accellos to Launch Integrated Suite of Supply Chain Execution Solutions.(Accellos Inc. to launch its new service Accellos One)
July 27, 2007... Comprised of Warehouse, Logistics, Transportation, Mobile and Business Intelligence Applications COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (July 27, 2007)- Accellos, Inc., a global provider of warehouse, 3PL, logistics, transportation and mobile fleet...

Aircraft Orders Boost Manufacturing.(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The Paris Air Show pulled U.S. manufacturers out of a tailspin in June. New orders for manufactured durable goods in June increased $3 billion or 1.4 percent to $217.1 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau...

Kirby Profit Hits Record.(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Barge operator and diesel engine services provider Kirby Corporation earned $30.1 million in the second quarter on revenue of $288 million. The record net income was 28 percent higher than in the prior year...

Celadon Profit Takes a Hit.(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher In the quarter ended June 30, Celadon took a 20 percent hit to its bottom line. But Chairman and CEO Steve Russell maintained the strategy of growth through acquisition puts the long-haul truckload carrier in a...

QUALCOMM Revenue Surges.
July 26, 2007... Strong growth in CDMA-based technologies boosted earnings 24 percent for QUALCOMM. Revenue and earnings hit record levels. Revenue in the company's third fiscal quarter was $2.33 billion, up 19 percent year-over-year and 5 percent...

FreightCar America Sales Plummet.(financial report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Sales plummeted for FreightCar America, the Chicago-based manufacturer of railroad freight cars. Revenue in the second quarter was $195.4 million, down 47 percent from the same period in the prior year, and...

KCS Profit Jumps 32 Percent.(Kansas City Southern revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Kansas City Southern improved its operating ratio and its bottom line with strong pricing in the second quarter. Net income totaled $25.3 million, up 32 percent from the prior year quarter, on revenue of...

Panel Agrees on 9/11 Bill.(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Senate and House conferees agreed on a bill to complete implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, said the chairmen of the two homeland security committees. Before the bill goes to the Senate and...

Celadon's Glaser Retires.(Tom Glaser)(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... Tom Glaser will retire from his position as president and chief operating officer of Celadon. "Tom has contributed greatly to Celadon's growth and development as a respected industry leader over the past six years," said Chairman and CEO...

Artisan Honored with Delphi's 2007 Above & Beyond Award.(Company overview)
July 26, 2007... DETROIT - July 26, 2007 - Specialized third party logistics provider Artisan has been named a recipient of Delphi Corporation's Above & Beyond Award for Supplier Excellence. The award, established in 2007, recognizes suppliers primarily for...

Rails, Utilities Top Up Coal Inventory.(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... The nation's Class I railroads say strong cooperation among carriers has helped bring coal inventories available to electric utilities to their highest level in more than a decade, giving the power companies sufficient supplies for the summer...

YRC Profit Sinks 40 Percent.(YRC Worldwide revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher YRC Worldwide profit fell 40 percent in the second quarter due primarily to a weak domestic shipping market, the company said. Operating revenue was down 4 percent to $2.5 billion. Operating income fell 37...

Norfolk Southern Profits Rise.(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
July 26, 2007... A combination of firm pricing and cost-cutting allowed Norfolk Southern to enjoy a 5 percent earnings gain to $394 million in the second quarter, despite what CEO Charles Moorman called "continued softness" in parts of the economy. NS,...