Traffic World articles from March 2006

Traffic World archives from March 2006

Major moves: Mitch Daniels hardly looks like a man in the middle of a storm. Affable and polite, Daniels has a restrained Midwestern manner that belies his place in American politics as a key figure in Reagan-era economics and a major architect over the past two decades in bringing business efficiency to government.(Editorial)
March 6, 2006... And that's why for the transportation industry the governor of Indiana is very much at the center of a large and growing storm. Daniels is one of several governors from coast to coast looking for new ways to pay for improvements in...

Truck tonnage.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Truck tonnage was at its second highest level ever in January, according to the American Trucking Associations. ATA's for-hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 0.6 percent in January to 118.0. Revisions to the index showed a slightly stronger...

The Institute of Supply Management's PMI manufacturing index jumped in February.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... The Institute of Supply Management's PMI manufacturing index jumped in February, boosted by increases in production and new orders. The PMI index at 56.7 shows more rapid growth than January's 54.8, ISM said last week. The new orders index...

Durable U.S. economy.(manufacturing sector analysis)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... The manufacturing sector is shrugging off a dour durable goods report for January, saying a steep decline in new orders and shipments is a result of a drop in aircraft orders and not a sign of a slowdown in the manufacturing industry. New...

"This rule is contrary to the very intent of congress".(This Week)(Brief article)
March 6, 2006... Comply no with California performance standards for diesel engines used to cool refrigerated trucks would cost the trucking industry up to $1.4 billion n retrofitting or replacement costs, the American Trucking Associations said. ATA filed...

America's roadside attraction: from ports to highways foreign investment in U.S. transportation comes under scrutiny.(Cover story)
March 6, 2006... For Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniel, the gathering opposition to his plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road for nearly $4 billion over 75 years came like a vehicle rushing in from a highway blind spot. The road privatization plan, part of Daniels'...

Virginia transport plan draws heated battle.(governor Timothy Kaine proposes transit funding)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Virginia's new Democratic Gov. Timothy Kaine jumped into office this winter with transportation on his mind. Virginia is home to two major north-south trucking corridors and two major bottlenecks. It is also emblematic of the attention many...

DPW debate's silver lining: outcry over purchase of P&O by Dubai company could boost funding for port security programs.(Government & Regulation)
March 6, 2006... The scrutiny of Dubai Ports World's pending acquisition of P&O Group is increasing attention--and perhaps even funding--for port security. Many congressional critics of the DP World's acquisition of Britain's P&O--and through it control of...

Coalitions challenge HOS; opponents launch two-pronged court assault on FMCSA's latest trucker hours of service rules.(Government & Regulation)(hours of service)(Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
March 6, 2006... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is facing two new lawsuits challenging its latest hours of service rules for truck drivers. A group of highway safety organizations led by Public Citizen and a trucking coalition led by the...

DHS names point person.(Government & Regulation)(appoints Douglas Hoelscher)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... The Department of Homeland Security now has one point person to oversee the more than 20 groups that advice the agency, including several that deal with cargo. DHS appointed Douglas Hoelscher to be the executive director of the Homeland...

Use of e-manifests rising.(Government & Regulation)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... The overall numbers may be low but the number of trucking companies using e-manifests to file customs data is rising fast. During the last full week of February, the number of trucking companies certified for the electronic manifest program...

Highway help wanted; national transport policy commission still short; two commissions on highways may merge.(Government & Regulation)
March 6, 2006... With the clock ticking on the current highway bill, a commission charged with studying the highway program's future is only partially named and has yet to meet. Nine of the 12 members of the National Surface Transportation Policy and...

Feds need logistics chief; report on Katrina response recommends naming single point of coordination to manage supply chains.(Government & Regulation)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... A White House report on the federal response to Hurricane Katrina calls for the Department of Homeland Security to appoint a chief logistics officer to avoid a repeat of the stumbling relief effort last year. The exhaustive study says the...

CBP fashions crackdown.(Government & Regulation)(U.S. Customs and Border Protection)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... U.S. Customs and Border Protection targeted some 40 shipments entering the United States at the Buffalo, N.Y., port of entry during its textiles imports blitz in January. CBP cracked down at the border crossing for two weeks as part of a...

CEOs catch logistics: more CEOs see supply chain as key to growth, but cost-cutting is still king in the boardroom, survey finds.(Logistics & Technology)
March 6, 2006... A new survey of CEOs suggests all the talk about a shift from cost-cutting in supply chains toward top-line growth is largely just that--talk. "There is some struggle to get the supply chains aligned with a growth strategy," said Don...

Attack of the ERPs: SAP, Oracle chip away at supply chain vendors with transportation management programs.(Logistics & Technology)(Enterprise resource planning)
March 6, 2006... Enterprise resource planning vendors believe the days of specialty software providers catering only to supply chains are numbered. "Our customers are recognizing that there's really not a need to look outside the SAP family for their supply...

Boeing tabs New Breed.(Logistics & Technology)(New Breed Logistics)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Boeing chose High Point, N.C.-based New Breed Logistics to provide logistics support for final assembly of the new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. New Breed won the contract based on its track record of cost reduction, flexibility and...

IPO raises $80 million for investors.(Logistics & Technology)(Global Logistics Acquisition Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Those who say there's no money to be made in logistics aren't getting through to Wall Street. A group of former executives from some of the world's largest logistics companies used an initial public offering to form a new private capital...

U.S. plant to make FKI warehouse cranes.(Logistics & Technology)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... FKI Logistex, the materials handling unit of British-based engineering group FKI, is shifting production of one line of cranes from the United Kingdom to the United States. Volatile currency markets and rising shipping costs are among the...

Order Logistics buys two.(Logistics & Technology)(JAT Transportation and GT Logistics)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Urbana, IlL-based Order Logistics acquired JAT Transportation and GT Logistics for an undisclosed sum. The deal seeks to help shippers who want to reduce inventories and lower total costs by moving to dedicated service contracts with...

RedPrairie expands reach.(Logistics & Technology)(buys Marc Global Holdings)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... RedPrairie completed the acquisition of Marc Global Holdings, expanding RedPrairie's offering in key industry verticals and broadening its geographic reach. "The integration of Marc and RedPrairie is already underway," said Company Leader...

Is regional logistics enough? Denver is a mainstay of distribution in the Rocky Mountain states, but national networks have to take a pass.(Special Report: LOGISTICS HUBS: DENVER)
March 6, 2006... The Rocky Mountains rise like an enormous barrier to the Great Plains on the outskirts of Denver, dominating the city's identity and its economic landscape. For shippers and transportation providers, the picturesque range also presents an...

Court strikes truck ban; N.J. rule banned certain interstate trucks from state, local roads; state plans challenge, new regulations.(Transportation: Trucking)
March 6, 2006... A federal appeals court ruling striking down a New Jersey restriction on through-state trucking may bring only temporary relief to interstate carriers Rand shippers. The Garden State already is working on rules to impose the same size...

If you can make it there ...(Transportation: Trucking)(New York)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... New Jersey may be tough sledding for truckers, but New York is no sleigh fide. The Empire State's "ton/mile" weight and distance tax and high taxes in general help explain why none of the top carders call New York home, said William G. Joyce,...

Overnite goes brown; UPS extends deep into trucking by recasting Overnite Transportation as 'UPS Freight'.(Transportation: Trucking)
March 6, 2006... Brown extended its brand to embrace trucking while retiring one of the industry's most venerable names. Six months after buying LTL carrier Overnite Transportation, UPS Feb. 28 unveiled the "go-to-market" name for its new subsidiary--UPS...

FFE restates financials; CFO Pruden quits after three months; law firm to investigate alleged 'questionable' billing practices.(Transportation: Trucking)(Gary M. Pruden of Frozen Food Express Industries)
March 6, 2006... One of the nation's largest refrigerated carriers is taking serious financial heat, restating revenue and earnings while its new CFO abruptly departs and an investigation into "questionable billing practices" gets under way. Frozen Food...

Truck sales drop.(Transportation: Trucking)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Sales of Class 8 heavy trucks in the United States dropped 17 percent in January from the previous month, but were ahead of sales in January 2005. According to auto data service WardsAuto.com, Class 8 truck sales in January were 19,229...

Universal buys intermodal companies.(Transportation: Trucking)(Universal Truckload Services)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Universal Truckload Services, Warren, Mich., said its recent acquisitions of four intermodal companies will operate as part of its Mason Dixon Intermodal subsidiary. Terms of the acquisitions, including two in January, were not disclosed....

CEO sacrifice or pay ploy?(Transportation: Trucking)
March 6, 2006... The rank and file are chaffing as planned bankruptcy bonuses come to light for executives at the nation's two largest autohaulers. "Phony sacrifice" is what the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is calling a Feb. 22 offer by Allied...

Throttling up to fight: railroads, shippers renew debate over rail competition amid record freight, tight capacity.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)
March 6, 2006... Railroads are responding to new "attacks" by shippers calling for increased rail competition with a salvo of their own that underscores the benefits of 25 years of deregulation. The debate, which has ebbed and flowed since the Staggers Act...

Trusting in railroads.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Railroads are on the "furthest end of the spectrum" in the level of exemption from antitrust laws, but whether that hurts shippers is an open question, says Andrew Heimert, an antitrust attorney tasked to oversee a review of antitrust laws...

UP gets handle on boxes; railroad says new chassis pool in Denver speeds boxes through rail system.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)
March 6, 2006... Union Pacific Railroad said a new cooperative arrangement with ocean carriers to improve the flow of containers on its rail system has been successful after its first three months of operation. The new chassis pool arrangement, called...

Short line sells in Australia.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)(Genesee and Wyoming Inc. sells out to Queensland Rail and Babcock and Brown)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Genesee & Wyoming sold its Western Australia operations to Queensland Rail and Babcock & Brown for $980 million. Queensland Rail will own the train operations and Babcock & Brown will maintain the track infrastructure. The sale is expected...

BNSF focusing on speed.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)(Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... BNSF Railway is linking employee compensation to train speed to improve service after a record-breaking volume year but one in which shippers continue to struggle to find space to move freight. "We feel so strongly about locomotive and car...

Anacostia joins AAR.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)(Anacostia Rail Holdings now member of Association of American Railroads)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Anacostia Rail Holdings, a short line operator that owns six rail properties, joined the Association of American Railroads. AAR, which represents seven Class I railroads in the United States and Canada, counts six other short lines and...

CP shuts terminal.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)(Canadian Pacific Railway)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Canadian Pacific Railway will close its container terminal in Thunder Bay, Ontario, April 28 due to declining business in the local pulp and paper industry. "Terminal activity has been declining over the years, and last year it processed a...

Projects lift NS carloads.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)(expansion at Norfolk Southern Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Norfolk Southern customers spent $2 billion on new plants and expansions along NS rail lines in 2005 that will generate 88,000 carloads of new rail traffic annually. "The strong economy continued to drive a variety of industrial projects...

Cargo suit names IATA; complaint says airlines conspired on fuel, cites Justice Department move on surcharge.(Transportation: Air & Expedited)(Niagara Frontier Distribution)
March 6, 2006... As private lawsuits against airlines' cargo operations sprang up in the wake of a government price-fixing probe, one group of cases named the International Air Transport Association as a defendant along with nine carriers. A class-action...

World Airways signs UPS unit.(Transportation: Air & Expedited)(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... World Airways once again has both its DC-10 freighters hauling freight for the Menlo Worldwide Forwarding unit of UPS--for now. World, which also provides MD-11 freighters and crews to several other customers, had flown the DC-10s to and...

Freight Northwest's bright spot: airline's larger problems, restructuring charges trump relative strength in its cargo business.(Transportation: Air & Expedited)
March 6, 2006... Cargo business is providing struggling Northwest Airlines some relief, but the freight gains pale compared to the larger problems the carrier is facing. Northwest, the nation's largest cargo-carrying passenger airline, reported a $2.6...

Hubbub over hub fees: DHL's volume growth at California airport may counters overestimations in fees.(Transportation: Air & Expedited,DHL Airways)
March 6, 2006... The agency overseeing the cargo airport at March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, Calif., found itself with a potential problem over revenue from its new DHL hub. But it may have also found a happy solution. A new consultant's study found...

Venezuela targets airlines; tensions with U.S. roil cargo carriers, country threatens to end freighter flights.(Transportation: Air & Expedited)
March 6, 2006... Freight is becoming a political football in the latest diplomatic spat between Venezuela and the United States. Venezuela, acting amid growing tensions between the country and the United States, plans to slash the number of U.S. cargo and...

TNT sees express surge; express profits rise as 4Q revenue climbs to $1.7 billion, but overall profit drops due to logistics restructuring.(Transportation: Air & Expedited)(TNT Post Group N.V.)
March 6, 2006... Dutch express freight, logistics and mail service provider TNT enjoyed overall growth in the fourth quarter, particularly in its express operations, as the company focuses on building its global freight-management network. TNT said its...

CMA CGM goes trans-Atlantic; French line prepares to launch three new services linking U.S. East Coast, Europe and Asia this month.(Transportation: Maritime)
March 6, 2006... Ocean carrier CMA CGM will launch three new services to the U.S. East Coast this month, shifting several smaller ships into the trans-Atlantic trade. The French shipping line may add a fourth East Coast service later this year as it adds...

Cosco, Evergreen head to East Coast.(Transportation: Maritime)(Cosco Container Lines and Evergreen Marine Corp. Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Cosco Container Lines and Evergreen Marine plan to launch an all-water service from Asia to U.S. East Coast and Gulf ports this spring, according to a vessel-sharing agreement filed with the Federal Maritime Commission. The fixed-day...

Auto trade shifts gears; competition drives down rates in Hawaii-bound automotive trade as ro-ro business grows.(Transportation: Maritime)
March 6, 2006... Buoyed by a strong local economy and competitive freight rates, the auto trade between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii is heating up. With three lines competing in the vehicle trade, there is plenty of capacity, and freight rates reportedly...

Horizon attacks debt, plans acquisitions.(Transportation: Maritime)(Horizon Lines)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Horizon Lines says it plans to grow through acquisitions in the near future, but will focus first on paying down its debt. The acquisitions "will not be small deals," said Charles G. (Chuck) Raymond, CEO and president of the Charlotte,...

Kirby raises stake in Osprey Line.(Transportation: Maritime)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Kirby Corp. of Houston increased to two-thirds its interest in Osprey Line, the container-on-barge feeder operator founded by Rick Couch. Kirby purchased Couch's one-third share of the company for an undisclosed sum. In April 2004, Kirby...

Toyota Material Handling, USA.(Brett Wood appointed)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Toyota Material Handling, USA, Irvine, Calif., a lift truck supplier, named Brett Wood vice president of marketing, product planning and dealer development. Wood, who has worked for TMHU for 16 years, most recently was national product...

The International Franchise Association.(David French appointed)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... The International Franchise Association, Washington, an organization of franchisors, franchisees and suppliers, named David French vice president of government relations, effective March 13. Prior to joining IFA, French led the governmental...

Tucker Company.(Heather Salvatore appointed)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Tucker Company, a freight management company based in Cherry Hill, N.J., appointed Heather Salvatore logistics service group representative. Salvatore has experience in sales and marketing and most recently worked for Protocol Personnel Before...

Reactrix Systems.(Michael Harshfield appointed)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Reactrix Systems, Redwood City, Calif., a software developer for advertising, retail, event trade show and entertainment applications, named Michael Harshfield vice president of supply chain management, deployment and customer care. Harshfield...

MHF Logistical Solutions.(Richard Santello appointed)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... MHF Logistical Solutions, Pittsburgh, named Richard Santello vice president of business development at the provider of packaging, transportation and technical services for hazardous materials shippers. Santello had been a senior vice president...

Manhattan Associates.(Dennis Story appointed)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Manhattan Associates, Atlanta, named Dennis Story senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective March 31. Story was senior vice president of finance for Fidelity National Information Services.

Ryder System.(Mark T. Jamieson and Robert Brunn promoted)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Ryder System, Miami, named Mark T. Jamieson executive vice president and chief financial officer, replacing Tracy Leinbach, who is retiring. Jamieson had held those positions at Sammon Enterprises. Before that, he spent 30 years at General...

The American Waterways Organization.(People)
March 6, 2006... The American Waterways Organization named Angela Madden assistant in government affairs. She had been an assistant in AWO's legislative affairs department.

SEKO.(Thomas Szwaja appointed at SEKO Air Freight Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... SEKO, Itasca, Ill., named Thomas Szwaja vice president of domestic field operations. A 30-year industry veteran, Szwaja had been at SEKO from 1989 to 2000, leaving as vice president of domestic field operations.

Hilldrup Moving & Storage.(Linda Rivera, Scott Caple and Justin Johnson promoted)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Hilldrup Moving & Storage's quality department promoted Linda Rivera to director of quality; Scott Caple to quality systems supervisor; and Justin Johnson to corporate quality labor trainer. Rivera has more than 20 years of experience in the...

Alliance Shippers.(People)
March 6, 2006... Alliance Shippers, Chicago, named Greg Poda to its sales team. Poda is a 20-year industry veteran with airfreight sales experience.

Railpower Technologies.(Lorraine Potvin appointed)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Railpower Technologies, Vancouver, British Columbia, named Lorraine Potvin chief financing officer, effective March 15. Potvin has more than 20 years of corporate finance experience, working at Domtar and Bombardier.

Con-Way Truckload Services, Ann Arbor, Mich.-based subsidiary of CNF, promoted Eric Madison to director of human resources.(People)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Con-Way Truckload Services, Ann Arbor, Mich.-based subsidiary of CNF, promoted Eric Madison to director of human resources. Madison joined Con-Way Central Express, another CNF subsidiary, in 1993 and joined Con-Way Truckload in 2004. Con-Way...

Crowley Maritime.(Barbara Johnson promoted)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Crowley Maritime, Jacksonville, Fla., promoted Barbara Johnson to manager of port and terminal operations for Crowley's Gulfport terminal. She replaces Bob Weist, who was promoted to director, inland operations for the company's Puerto...

TW Calendar.(Traffic World)(Calendar)
March 6, 2006... MARCH 6-7. 6th Annual Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference (Journal of Commerce), Long Beach, Calif. (760) 294-5563 or www.joc.com/conferences. 6-10. 39th Annual Supply Management Program (Institute for Supply Management), Tempe, Ariz....

Logistics seminars & courses.(Calendar)
March 6, 2006... MARCH 6-7. Export Operations, Workshop (Unz & Co.), Philadelphia. (800) 631-3098 or www.unzco.com. 6-7. Transportation: Today's Buying, Selling and Pricing of Transportation Services (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Executive...

DOE diesel price index.(Update)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 6, 2006... National & Regional Averages: February 27, 2006 United States $2.471 East Coast $2.493 Midwest $2.417 Gulf Coast $2.443 Rocky Mountain $2.509 West Coast $2.623 Note: Table made from bar...

Carrier quotes one rate, bills a higher one.(Q & A)
March 6, 2006... Q: We're in an unusual situation that I've never encountered before. We phoned one of our motor carriers about a shipment we planned to move. In fact, we phoned several carriers, but this particular one quoted us the best rate. They gave...

Captain Hamad.(views of the captain of Dubai Ports World )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Along with the rest of the maritime/political world, we've spent most of the past few weeks on the DP World Ports Web site looking for what Capt. Hamad, the port operator's "Kid Zone" mascot, has to say about terminal handling in the United...

Blessed.(views of Steve Brooks from American Trucking Associations)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Departing American Trucking Associations Chief of Staff Steve Brooks told ATA's newspaper Transport Topics, "I've learned a lot about politics and the association world. I've been blessed." We think his second sentence validates the first.

Train sites.(The BackPage)(Union Pacific sues canadian photographer)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Union Pacific is breaking new ground in the rail industry with its lawsuit against a Canadian photographer who has sold calendars featuring shots of UP trains, many of them vintage steam engines. UP tells the Vancouver Sun it is protecting its...

Al dente.(accidents at Interstate 70)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... There was tough going on Interstate 70 outside Columbia, Mo., last month when a tractor-trailer loaded with pasta hit a guardrail and went up in flames. Local firefighters let the load burn for 12 to 14 minutes while diverting a load of olive...

Stopped.(replacement of truck stops by the shopping malls)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... Truckers in Indiana are lamenting the closing of a truck stop in Columbia City to build a strip mall. So you replace a truck stop with a large parking lot where people can get bad food and kill time away from home? Not exactly a radical...

Tracked.(new tracking system used by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2006... It's not just Wal-Mart that is tracking its goods. A livestock group is using a web-based system to track livestock "from birth to processing." And shippers say RFID is too expensive.

Political ports: congress isn't usually where you go for sharp insight or larger truths but we're finding unusual clarity on Capitol Hill even on this contentious issue.(Editorial)
March 13, 2006... It's the sort of insight that shippers and transportation companies should pay attention to because it says a lot about where freight transport and the government are going. Even as he came down solidly, inarguably and deftly in the middle...

Use technology to secure ports.(Commentary)
March 13, 2006... Check the calendar. It's 2006, right? More than four years after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Plenty of time for our nation to have learned a few things about homeland security. Yet the best minds in Washington can t seem to agree whether...

U.S. diesel prices.(Weekly Perspective)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... U.S. diesel prices surged to their highest level since November, jumping more than 7 cents to $2.545 a gallon for the week ending March 6, the Energy Information Administration said. A year ago, the average diesel price was nearly 38 cents...

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.(Weekly Perspective)(Port Authority of New York and New Jersey)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was on hand as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey launched a test program aimed at improving container security. The program is designed to track the flow of containers using devices called Container...

Dana in bankruptcy.(This Week)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Another auto supplier tumbled into bankruptcy last week as the automobile industry's woes rippling through the supply chain. Dana is in good company. In the past year, fellow auto parts suppliers Delphi, Collins & Aikman, and Tower...

Evergreen Marine Chairman Chang Kuo-Cheng's call to action last week for the transportation industry to act to protect the environment was a rare forceful and highly public statement by a transport industry executive on environmental issues.(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Evergreen Marine Chairman Chang Kuo-Cheng's call to action last week for the transportation industry to act to protect the environment was a rare forceful and highly public statement by a transport industry executive on environmental issues....

Shipper squeeze play: bottlers sue Coca-Cola over Wal-Mart demands as retailer reshapes supply chain.(Cover story)
March 13, 2006... Hoping to squeeze more efficiencies out of its supply chain, a company asks a supplier to change the way it delivers a product. It sounds simple enough. But when the supplier is soft drink giant Coca-Cola and the company is retail behemoth...

Dubai's potomac impasse: bills demanding container screening, foreign disinvestment hit as opposition to DPW-P&O deal grows.(Government & Regulation)(Dubai Ports World)(Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.)
March 13, 2006... As Congress moved toward a showdown with President Bush over a Dubai-owned company s plan to buy operations at six major U.S. ports, the heated debate threatened to take in far larger areas of foreign investment in American transport business....

Inventory faces taxes: bill would free states to tax stored goods, warehouse operators see double taxation.(Government & Regulation)(Business Activity Tax Simplification Act)
March 13, 2006... The warehousing industry concerned that legislation aimed at helping businesses avoid double taxation may cause just that for shippers--doubling their taxes. The "Business Activity Tax Simplification Act" is backed by the financial...

May 22 is Maritime Day.(Government & Regulation)(American Association of Port Authorities)(Maritime Association of the Port of New York)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... The Maritime Administration, American Association of Port Authorities and others are planning a big celebration for this year's May 22 National Maritime Day. Designated by Congress in 1933, National Maritime Bay usually passes without...

Sandberg's goodbye, hello: FMCSA's departing chief to stay another month as agency copes with court challenges, rulemakings.(Government & Regulation)(Congress. Senate. Committee on Finance)(Federal Motor Carrier Safety)
March 13, 2006... Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Annette Sandberg's announcement that she would stay on the job extra month has trucking industry officials wondering about the timing of the on-again, off-again departure. The week she was to have...

Liz's logistics makeover: Liz Claiborne blends customs compliance, supply chain systems to reduce global transit times, cut inventory.(Logistics & Technology)
March 13, 2006... Global shippers with their eyes fixed on supply chain "visibility" may stumble when they reach borders. That's because many supply chain systems focus on tracking shipments but don't take international customs and other trade hurdles that...