Traffic World articles from March 2007

Traffic World archives from March 2007

Cosco Profits Plummet.(Financial report)
March 30, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach China Cosco Holdings' full-year profit from container shipping fell 69 percent from a year earlier to 1.56 billion yuan ($213 million) as higher fuel prices and lower freight rates cut into earnings. The parent...

Dock Workers Stop Gas Shipments.(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard Negotiations were scheduled to resume Friday afternoon in an effort to end a 17-day strike at the Port of Marseilles that could threaten gasoline exports to the United States. Hopes for an early end to the...

DHL Named Exclusive Delivery Provider For Hard Rock International.
March 30, 2007... DHL to Manage Hard Rock's "Top of the Rock" Program PLANTATION, FL - March 29, 2007 / DHL, the world's leading global express delivery and logistics company, today announced a new multi-year contract with Hard Rock International, one of...

Scovell Outlines DOT Challenges.(Department of Transportation )(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... The Department of Transportation needs to take stronger action to improve highway and rail safety and to ensure money meant for highway programs is properly spent, the department's inspector general says. In an annual assessment of "Top...

ACE Smoothes Crossings: Survey.(Automated Commercial Environment)(Survey)(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... Truckers face large costs in setting up the "e-manifest" system now being used at the United States-Canada border but those who make the investment are finding they can move more easily across the border, according to a new trucking industry...

Norfolk Southern Promotes Three.
March 30, 2007... Norfolk Southern named three people this week to senior positions in the company's finance, law and engineering departments. Effective April 1, James A. Squires will be executive vice president finance; Joseph C. Dimino will be vice...

RailAmerica Adds Three VPs.(David J. Rohal, Charles M. Patterson and Paul Lundberg join as vice presidents)(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... Short line railroad operator RailAmerica added three new vice presidents to its executive roster this week. David J. Rohal, Charles M. Patterson and Paul Lundberg join the company one month after it was acquired by Fortress Investment Group...

NS, BNSF to Test Brakes.(Norfolk Southern Railway Co.)(Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.)(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... Norfolk Southern Railway and BNSF Railway are will begin testing a technologically advanced braking system that may reduce the amount of time it takes to stop a train. The Federal Railroad Administration authorized the testing program...

Railroads Modify Surcharge Systems.(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... Four railroad companies turned to a popular software maker to meet STB fuel surcharge requirements by April 26. The Surface Transportation Board recently ruled that fuel surcharges may no longer be based upon the percent of freight rate...

Weber Opens Hub.(Weber Distribution)(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... Los Angeles-based Weber Distribution opened a 100,000 square foot facility in Lodi, Calif., to serve as a Northern California hub. The temperature-controlled facility is adjacent to major rail lines 85 miles from the Port of Oakland....

FFEX Named to Select Market.(Frozen Food Express Industries)(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... Frozen Food Express Industries will join the NASDAQ Global Select Market, effective April 3. Global Select Market members meet NASDAQ's highest listing standards in terms of market value, liquidity and earnings. FFEX is the largest...

Exel Earns Kellogg's Top Gun Award For Second Straight Year.
March 30, 2007... WESTERVILLE, Ohio (March 29, 2007) - Exel, the leading contract logistics services provider in the Americas, today announced that its Dallas distribution center earned Kellogg Company's Top Gun award for 2006. It is the second consecutive...

Senators Introduce FAA Bill.(Federal Aviation Administration )(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee late Thursday introduced the Bush Administration's Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization proposal as a courtesy to the Administration....

Commerce Imposes Import Duty on China.(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The U.S. Commerce Department said early Friday, March 30 that it would impose tariffs on imports of high-gloss coated paper from China. The move reverses a policy of 20 years' standing and opens the...

Bush to Sign FTA with Panama.(free trade agreement)(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher President Bush notified Congress that he will sign the US-Panama free trade agreement. Manufacturers expressed a hope that Congress will act to approve the agreement. "I am pleased to notify the Congress...

Dock Workers Stop Gas Shipments.(Brief article)
March 30, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard Negotiations were scheduled to resume Friday afternoon in an effort to end a 17-day strike at the Port of Marseilles that could threaten gasoline exports to the United States. Hopes for an early end to the...

DHL Named Exclusive Delivery Provider For Hard Rock International.
March 30, 2007... DHL to Manage Hard Rock's "Top of the Rock" Program PLANTATION, FL - March 29, 2007 / DHL, the world's leading global express delivery and logistics company, today announced a new multi-year contract with Hard Rock International, one of...

Exel Earns Kellogg's Top Gun Award For Second Straight Year.
March 30, 2007... WESTERVILLE, Ohio (March 29, 2007) - Exel, the leading contract logistics services provider in the Americas, today announced that its Dallas distribution center earned Kellogg Company's Top Gun award for 2006. It is the second consecutive...

UTi Stays Strong in 4Q.(earnings of UTi Worldwide Inc. in the fourth quarter)(Financial report)
March 29, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher UTi Worldwide defied the downturn that hit most other transportation companies in the fourth quarter, including some of their close competitors. Organic growth and contributions from the March 2006...

Rail Traffic Drops 1.2 Percent.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
March 29, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Widespread declines in volume hit the U.S. railroad industry in the week ended March 24. Without the effects of bad weather to blame, a definite slowdown in freight movement may have deeper economic causes. ...

LA Lobbies for Transport Funds.(Los Angeles )(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON -- Some 200 Los Angeles business and political luminaries wrapped up two days of activities on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon with a "pep rally for goods movement." The group was armed with an...

CN Forecasts Earnings Fall.(Canadian National Railway Co.)(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... Canadian National Railway on Thursday forecast first-quarter earnings per share to fall five to 10 percent from earnings of C66 cents a share a year earlier. Canada's largest railroad said earnings have been hit by severe weather...

China-U.S. Capacity Increases.(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach The CKYH Alliance of Cosco Container Lines, "K" Line, Yang Ming Line and Hanjin Shipping on Thursday announced three express services from China to the U.S. East Coast on several of the all-water rotations it plans...

Analyst Urges Freight Education.(Gil Carmichael)(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... An industry analyst warned that federal agencies have not addressed the increasing need for intermodal education to help meet growing demand for transportation services. Gil Carmichael, senior chairman of the Intermodal Transportation...

DHL Opens Research Center.(Deutsche Post World Net )(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... Deutsche Post World Net has opened the DHL Innovation Center in Troisdorf near Bonn, Germany. The center will serve as a laboratory for developing new, marketable products keyed to future logistics trends. The company is cooperating...

GDP Grew 2.5 Percent.(gross domestic product)(Financial report)(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... Economic growth was moderately stronger in the fourth quarter than previously thought, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Thursday. The Gross Domestic Product, which measures total goods and services output, expanded at a 2.5-percent...

NAFTA Transportation Fell.(North American Free Trade Agreement)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
March 29, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico totaled $60.6 billion in January. That was 0.9 percent less than in the...

CSX Vows to Cooperate with FRA.(CSX Transportation Inc.)(Federal Railroad Administration)(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher When the Federal Railroad Administration released a report on March 27 citing CSX for 199 serious safety violations, Administrator Joseph Boardman said "the railroad is still not doing enough to make safety a...

Justice Subpoenaed Northwest.(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... BYLINE: Robert W. Moorman Northwest Airlines was one of several carriers subpoenaed last year by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its ongoing investigation into price fixing in the air cargo industry, bankruptcy documents...

Apollo Sues EGL.(Apollo Management L.P., EGL Eagle Global Logistics)(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Apollo Management Group upped the ante on March 27 in its pursuit of logistics firm EGL with a lawsuit and a higher offer. The private equity firm added $1 to its bid, raising the price to $41 per...

Durable Goods Orders Rebound.(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher In a modest improvement in the outlook for manufactured durable goods, new orders in February increased by $5 billion or 2.5 percent to $206.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau said March 28. The small...

Truck E-Manifest Compliance Delayed.
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON -- Customs and Border Protection has announced a delay of about 30 days for the enforcement of rules requiring truckers to electronically file manifests before arriving at U.S. border crossings in three...

Israel to Join CSI.(Container Security Initiative )(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... Israel is expected to join the U.S.-backed Container Security Initiative in the coming weeks. Last week, Jayson Ahern, assistant commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told a House Appropriations subcommittee on homeland...

Maersk Loses $568M.(earnings of Maersk Line)(Financial report)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard Results at Maersk Line, the world's biggest ocean container carrier, plunged to a loss of $568 million in 2006 from a profit of $1.3 billion in the previous year on lower freight rates, higher fuel bills,...

AAPA Praises Clean Air Bill.(American Association of Port Authorities, Maritime Pollution Prevention Act of 2007)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The American Association of Port Authorities breathed a sigh of relief as the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed legislation that would strictly limit air emissions from ships in U.S. seaports. ...

UP Reopens Powder River Line.(Union Pacific Corp.)(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Union Pacific ended March 27 its embargo on new service from all stations on the Joint Line serving the Southern Powder River Basin of Wyoming. The embargo had been in effect since last summer to enable...

FRA Completes CSX Inspection.(Federal Railroad Administration)(Seaboard Coastline Railroad )(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The Federal Railroad Administration on March 27 submitted a blistering inspection report concerning CSX. The wide ranging inspection was performed in January, following a CSX derailment in East Rochester,...

Bombardier Profit Rises.(Financial report)(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Bombardier ended a tough year with a very strong fourth quarter. In the three months ended Jan. 31, 2007, the Canadian manufacturer of aircraft and rail transportation equipment, systems and services earned...

Schneider National Driver Wins First Annual Woman Trucker Award.
March 28, 2007... Women in Trucking Association, DOTAuthority.com, Inc. and the Orlando Truckers' Conference Honor Glenda Campbell for Success in Truck Driving GREEN BAY, Wis. - March 27, 2007 - Schneider National, Inc., a premier provider of...

International Air Cargo Slows.(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Robert W. Moorman While passenger growth continues unabated, international air freight traffic growth slowed in February, the International Air Transport Association reported. International air freight growth was 2.4 percent...

Norfolk Southern Speeds Buy-Back.
March 28, 2007... Norfolk Southern will buy back 75 million shares of its common stock, the board of directors said March 27. The board had previously announced it would buy 50 million shares by the end of 2015. The new goal also cuts five years from the...

Panel to Advise on California Bonds.(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The California Transportation Commission this month appointed members to a special public-private advisory panel to recommend criteria for allocating funds under Proposition 1B, approved by state voters last...

Bombardier Profit Rises.(earnings of Bombardier Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
March 28, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Bombardier ended a tough year with a very strong fourth quarter. In the three months ended Jan. 31, 2007, the Canadian manufacturer of aircraft and rail transportation equipment, systems and services earned...

Truck Tonnage Falls.(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Truck tonnage declined in February compared with a year earlier. February was the eighth month running in which tonnage declined year-over-year, the American Trucking Associations reported March 27. ...

FedEx Ground Expands in Georgia.(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... FedEx Ground launched the replacement of a facility in Columbus, Ga., as part of a major expansion plan. By August of this year, FedEx Ground expects to have completed a 55,656-square-foot terminal in Muscogee Technology Park outside of...

OOIDA Fights Mexican Trucks.(Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association of America)(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher A Department of Transportation program to allow Mexican trucking companies to operate in the United States came under harsh criticism this week from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. The...

DHS Funds Research.(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office awarded ten contracts this week totaling $8.8 million to nine companies that will perform exploratory research in advanced nuclear...

DHS to Test Air Cargo Screening.(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport will be the site of a test program for air cargo screening technologies this spring. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will focus on assessing the flow...

AMB Builds at Incheon.(AMB Property Corp.'s logistics center)(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Global developer of industrial real estate, AMB Property launched a development project in South Korea at the Incheon Free Economic Zone, immediately adjacent to the cargo terminal area of Incheon International...

Consumer Confidence Retreats.(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher A major stock market correction and increases in gasoline prices seem to have eroded economic confidence among consumers, according to a report from a national business research organization. The Consumer...

USPS Seeks International Growth.(United States Postal Service)(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The United States Postal Service launched a new Global Business group aimed at getting the business of international mailers. The Global Business team consolidates all postal international efforts into one...

Corps Doubles Columbia River Funding.(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto SEATTLE -- The Army Corps of Engineers will put $30 million into the Columbia River channel deepening project this year, double the amount originally allocated in the fiscal 2007 federal budget. The...

House Passes Maritime Clean Air Bill.(Maritime Pollution Prevention Act)(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON -- The House on Tuesday passed by a vote of 359-48 the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act, designed to reduce air pollution from ships. The bill adopts the International Maritime Organization Annex VI...

Boxship Orders Revive.
March 27, 2007... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard LONDON -- Ocean carriers are ordering container ships again, ending a near year-long drought of contracts as surging world trade banishes fears that an earlier buying bonanza will create a massive oversupply of...

CMA CGM Profit Jumps 5 Percent.
March 27, 2007... French carrier CMA CGM on Monday reported that profit attributable to shareholders increased five percent in 2006 to 485 million euros ($611 million) from $584 million in 2005 on revenue that increased 33 percent on-year to $8.4 billion from...

UPS Expands Tracking Technology.(UPS Delivery)(Package Flow Technology )(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman In an expansion of its Package Flow Technology track and trace system, UPS launched what it called the first automated, Web-enabled re-routing system for small packages. UPS Delivery Intercept allows customers...

Most Truckers Use Speed Governors.(American Transportation Research Institute)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The American Transportation Research Institute released on March 26 the initial analysis of its industry survey on speed governor use. The most common users of speed governors are large fleets. Of all...

SCI Merges with AMG, First Team.(SCI Logistics, AMG Logistics and First Team Transport )(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... SCI Logistics of Toronto forged an agreement with two other Canadian companies to work as a single group providing logistics for businesses operating north of the border. AMG Logistics and First Team Transport will bring more than 30...

Seko Expands in India.(Seko Worldwide Inc.)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... Freight forwarder Seko is expanding its operations in India, with new offices in Mumbai, Ludhiana, Jaipur and Coimbatore, and later this year a facility in Chennai. "India's economy is growing at a rate of 8 percent," said William...

Savi Speeds Thai Customs.(Savi Technology Inc. and Western Digital Corp.)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... Savi Networks and Western Digital partnered to automate shipment information from active Radio Frequency Identification seals on trucks in Thailand. In the "Secure Free Zone Project" over the last four months, Western Digital and Royal Thai...

Checkpoint Develops New Tags.(Checkpoint Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... Checkpoint Systems developed a new line of RFID labels and tags. They are EPC Generation 2, Ultra-High Frequency products designed for broad band case and pallet applications in the retail supply chain. "We believe this new line of labels...

Kerry Partners with Wincanton.
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Kerry Logistics and Wincanton signed a joint venture agreement to provide international supply chain solutions. Wincanton is a UK-based contract logistics provider with annual revenue of more than $3.5...

Port Users Propose Environmental Plan.(The Waterfront Coalition)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher A group of shippers and carriers in Southern California is offering a proposal to clean up congestion and air pollution at ports without raising taxes. The Waterfront Coalition, a group of business...

Penske Logistics Awarded Merck's 2006 Sector Operational Award.
March 26, 2007... Penske is the First Logistics Services Provider to Ever Receive the Award READING, Pa., March 26, 2007 - Today, Penske Logistics announced that it is the recipient of Merck & Co., Inc.'s 2006 Sector Operational Award, recognizing its...

Emirates Shipping Line Joins INTTRA.(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Emirates Shipping Line joined the INTTRA carrier network this week. The world's newest carrier is the 23rd member of the worldwide maritime industry Web-based electronic booking platform. Emirates Shipping...

Customs Improves Electronic Filing.(Customs and Border Protection)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON -- Customs and Border Protection announced that it will re-test electronic filing of applications to admit goods to a foreign trade zone. The test begins Monday and will run for six months. Companies...

ProLogis Hires New CFO.
March 26, 2007... ProLogis, the Denver-based real estate investment trust, has appointed William Sullivan as the company's chief financial officer, effective April 1. Sullivan will replace Dessa Bokides at ProLogis, which develops and manages warehouse...

TWIC Enrollment Delayed.(Transportation Worker Identification Credential)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON -- Enrollment of port workers for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential has been delayed until late spring, Transportation Security Administration officials said Friday. Stephen Sadler,...

DHL Opens U.S. Gateway.(DHL Express)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... Express and logistics provider DHL on Monday will open its new international gateway in Southern California. The expanded operation will come fully online with the arrival March 27 of a flight from DHL's Central Asia SuperHub in Hong...

Neopost To Showcase Value-Added Mailing Solutions At The National Postal Forum 2007.
March 26, 2007... For More Information, Visit Booth #407 Neopost, the worldwide provider of mailing and shipping solutions, is exhibiting at The National Postal Forum, March 25-28, in Washington, DC. Neopost will feature a variety of value-added mailing...

Diesel Dips Half Cent to $2.676.(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher A slight dip in diesel prices this week coincided with a major up-tick in crude oil prices, presaging another surge for retail fuel coming soon. The average retail price for a gallon of diesel across the...

Air France Gets Grounded.
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Ian Putzger The balance sheet of Air France-KLM's cargo business spells doom for the "classic" 747-200 freighter, with financial returns on the aircraft prompting the operator to reduce its uplift out of New York. In the...

March 26, 2007.(transport industry entrepreneurs in world's richest people)(les than truck-load transportation)(Wells Fargo's advertisement in Traffic World)
March 26, 2007... Unloading. We don't want to tell LTL carriers how to do their jobs, but when you're still getting integrated into the larger package company that bought you not so long ago and you're unloading a pallet of paper at a residential address in...

Who Pays for Detention?(Colin Barrett clears quires)(Interview)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q: A shipper calls a carrier for pickup and consigns the shipment as freight collect. Halfway into the move, the shipper calls the carrier and says, "Don't deliver because I am not sure I will get paid." The...

Shippers and Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel.
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas K. Sanderson I have fielded a lot of questions from shippers about the impact on transportation rates and capacity resulting from ultra low sulfur diesel and the 2007 diesel engine requirements. A lot of CFOs are asking...

Private Equity.(private equity firms invest in transportation industries)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Paul Page A rush of surprise coursed through the freight world when private equity firm Apollo Management started what looked to be a bidding war for forwarder EGL Eagle Global Logistics, but no one should have been that...

Building a Roadblock.(Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration v. consumer group)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher A leading consumer advocacy group wants a federal court to keep Mexican trucks from crossing the U.S. border. A lawsuit filed by Public Citizen could set a roadblock in front of the Department of...

RFID at the Crossroads.(radio frequency identification)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman After years of hype about radio frequency identification's promise to shippers to increase visibility into supply chains, organize inventory and strengthen the links between sales, replenishment and production,...

Breaking Border Barriers.(JPMorgan Chase Vastera introduces Border Logistics Management System )
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman It's not just truckers who are interested in the Mexican border. JPMorgan Chase Vastera, a multinational bank and global trade management provider, is rolling out a Border Logistics Management System it says will...

The Right Price.(Maher Terminals Inc. acquires Deutsche Bank AG)
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach Maher Terminals, operator of the biggest container terminal in New York Harbor and a major backer of the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, agreed to be acquired by Deutsche Bank of Germany. The...

CSX Under Scrutiny.(CSX Transportation )
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd The fireball that erupted over CSX Transportation tracks at Oneida, N.Y., early March 12 soon lit up two prominent U.S. senators and had the nation's top rail safety regulator rushing to douse an increasingly hot...

RFID's New Challenge.
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: Ronald E. Quirk Jr. Just a little more than two years ago, radio frequency identification looked poised for rapid growth. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, was making RFID mandates, as were the Department of Defense and the...

Opportunity Window.
March 26, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher Truckload shippers around the country are scrambling to lop off 25 percent or more from contract rates before their newfound leverage with carriers gives way to tighter capacity expected as early as midyear. ...

Savi Speeds Thai Customs.(Savi Networks and Western Digital partnereship)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... Savi Networks and Western Digital partnered to automate shipment information from active Radio Frequency Identification seals on trucks in Thailand. In the "Secure Free Zone Project" over the last four months, Western Digital and Royal Thai...