Traffic World articles from May 2006

Traffic World archives from May 2006

Secure strategy: the Transportation Security Administration hasn't drawn much praise in its relatively few years of existence, and most transport-dependent businesses looking at the agency's actions from afar aren't anxious to catch the TSA's eye. Railroads and truckers, for instance, would rather TSA attention stay firmly on aviation.(Transportation Security Administration, air cargo security regulation)(Editorial)
May 29, 2006... But the much-maligned agency made a strong case for confidence in the TSA this month with its new "Air Cargo Security Requirements." The rule that will set the standard for the secure handling and shipping air cargo around the world may...

Three dimensions of supply chain visibility.(logistics sourcing)
May 29, 2006... Here is a true story. It's peak season, and the main character--a large electronics retailer--is coping with the annual headache of sourcing more than 60 percent of its merchandise from hundreds of overseas vendors. The supply network is...

Diesel prices.(Weekly Perspective)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Diesel prices reversed their upward trend of recent weeks, falling more than 3 cents, the Energy Information Administration said. The national average price dipped to $2.888 a gallon for the week ending May 22, down 3.2 cents from the...

The manufacturing sector.(durable goods statistics)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... The manufacturing sector took an unexpected hit, as the Commerce Department reported the biggest drop in new orders of durable goods in three months. Orders for durable goods plunged 4.8 percen to $210.2 billion in April. Inventories of...

Cautious sales.(fuel prices and inflation and retail trade forecast)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Despite months of gains, the retail industry can manage only cautious optimism for the coming months, with fuel prices and inflation worries threatening to take the steam out of the nation's economy. The National Retail Federation said...

The animals returned to a new home--the envy of many displaced New Orleanians.(FedEx Express brings penguins and sea otters to Audubon Aquarium of the Americas)
May 29, 2006... It wasn't exactly the sort of water-focused shipment New Orleans is better known for in the freight world, but FedEx carried some special cargo to the Big Easy last week, providing a further sign that the city is returning to normal after the...

Calling on shippers: Mineta seeks shipper support for plan to clear congestion, speed freight.(Norman Mineta)(Cover story)
May 29, 2006... Shippers that think congestion is just a trucker's problem should talk to Michael Brunick, marketing manager and logistics chief for Bueno Foods, an Albuquerque, N.M.-based producer of red and green chiles, salsas and sauces. Family...

Ready for the next round? FedEx Freight reportedly may buy Watkins Motor Lines, perhaps launching a new round of LTL consolidation.(less than truck load)
May 29, 2006... The next major round of consolidation in the LTL sector is looming with the report of FedEx Freight's plan to buy long-haul national LTL carrier Watkins Motor Lines. If the anticipated, billion-dollar deal takes place, Watkins would give...

Air cargo secured, finally: TSA rule builds on initial proposal, calls for background checks at $3 million cost.(Transportation Security Administration's rules of air cago security)
May 29, 2006... Tens of thousands of air cargo workers will have to undergo government background checks this year under a long-awaited federal rule designed to improve air cargo security. Due out in August 2005, the Transportation Security...

Heavier not an option: transportation secretary rejects raised weight, says longer truck trailers could be an option.(Norman Mineta rejects shippers proposal to increase truck size and weight)(traffic congestion prevention plans)
May 29, 2006... Despite growing calls from shippers and carriers to loosen limits on truck size and weight, heavier trucks are not the answer to the nation's higher fuel prices and mounting congestion problems, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said....

Kendall to lead panel.(Department of Transportation appoints Quintin Kendall )(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... The federal commission studying the future of the nation's surface transportation systems had a new leader as the panel began its work last week. The U.S. Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the commission's work, chose...

Hill wins mountain of praise.(John Hill nominated to head the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... The nominee to head the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is getting high praise from the industry he is set to regulate and the regulators who carry out the federal government's role in trucking safety. John Hill, who is...

Converging on logistics: Pacer Distribution deals with warehouse provider, CaseStack mergers with AtomicBox Logistics.(Pacer Distribution Services teams up with E*Fill America)
May 29, 2006... Four U.S. logistics companies are putting to the test the old maxim that sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Warehouse and consolidation specialist CaseStack is merging with a provider of value-added services to...

No real-time visibility: Oracle executive says real-time visibility doesn't exist in today's global supply chains.(Logistics & Technology)(John Murphy speaks at the Logistics and Supply Chain Forum)
May 29, 2006... Dave Velzy first implemented a visibility strategy at Huffy, in an effort to assure prompt processing of returns and to limit the number of stops delivery drivers made. Eight years later, the vice president of global supply chain for the...

Metro unit to accept Gen 2 tags.(Metro Cash und Carry GmbH to use RFID equipment from Intermec Technologies Corp.)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Metro Group's Cash & Carry self-service wholesale subsidiary is accepting Gen 2 radio-frequency-identification-tagged pallets from suppliers to its stores in Germany. "Generation 2 RFID is here now," said Gerd Wolfram, managing director...

Developers distributing abroad: ProLogis, AMB Property to launch large expansion plans in China, Europe.
May 29, 2006... Warehouse developers ProLogis and AMB Property clearly are taking their competition over distribution facilities well beyond the United States. The companies announced a series of big expansions in Europe and China that suggest strong...

TNT is coming and going.(TNT Logistics UK signs contracts with Disney Store Inc. and Nissan Renault)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... TNT Logistics has The Disney Store and Nissan Renault spare parts coming and going in the United Kingdom. Under a new contract, TNT vehicles make about 120 deliveries a week of soft toys, stationery and dress-up clothing to 59 Disney...

Pep boys adopts transplace TMS.(Pep Boys-Manny, Moe and Jack signs contract with Transplace.com)(transportation management system)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Auto parts retailer and service chain The Pep Boys adopted Transplace's Web-based transportation management system for its low implementation cost and ability to be monitored from anywhere in the world. "At Pep Boys, we have experience...

Wolseley picks Descartes system.(Wolseley Group Services contracts Descartes Systems Group Inc.)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... The world's largest specialist trade distributor of plumbing and heating products chose Descartes' on demand delivery management system for customer reservation, delivery route planning and vehicle dispatch within the United Kingdom. ...

Trucking's narrowing field: consolidation drives growth at top trucking companies as carriers expand networks, add more diverse services.(Special Report: TOP TRUCKING COMPANIES)
May 29, 2006... "You'd have to be crazy to get into this business," truckers like to say. The barriers to success are high: high capital, fuel and insurance costs and the driver shortage. "It's becoming harder and harder for smaller carriers to...

Top trucking companies: traffic world's top 50 trucking companies, prepared by SJ consulting.(Table)
May 29, 2006... Top Trucking Companies Traffic World's Top 50 trucking companies, prepared by SJ Consulting Rank Rank CARRIER NAME AND PRIVAIE/ 2005 2004 BRAND NAME PARENT COMPANY ...

Heartland changing drivers: truckload carrier's path to stay steady as leadership transitions from father to son.(Heartland Express Inc. promotes Michael Gerdin)
May 29, 2006... There is a change leadership, but no planned change in direction at one of the truckload sector's star performers. Heartland Express, Coralville, Iowa, named 36-year-old Michael Gerdin as its new president to succeed his father, Russell,...

Central tries to stop slide: LTL carrier reports financial, customer losses, calls takeover by Moyes 'best strategic alternative'.(Central Freight Lines Inc. ends contract with Dell Inc.)(less than truck load, stockholder Jerry C. Moyes)
May 29, 2006... When Dell's contract with Central Freight Lines came up last June, the LTL, carrier was determined to get "satisfactory yield" through a rate increase--its first with Dell in at least five years. But the computer giant balked when Central...

BNSF, Mayo fight DM&E: decision on loan nears as competition, opposition argue against $2.5 billion loan.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)
May 29, 2006... The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad is fending off a multi-track attack as crunch time approaches for a $2.5 billion government-backed loan to help the railroad compete for prized coal freight out of Wyoming's Powder River Basin. ...

Gaining the inside track: new tracking technology gives rail shippers a heads up when freight gets damaged.(RFTrax launches new software for railroads)
May 29, 2006... A company specializing in sensory technology says it call save shippers thousands of dollars in inventory A costs by tracking not only the location of a shipment but the condition of the freight inside the car. RFTrax, a subsidiary of...

KCS credit downgraded.(Standard & Poor's Ratings Services )(Kansas City Southern's ratings)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its preferred stock ratings on Kansas City Southern to 'D' from 'C' for failing to make a dividend payment May 15. The ratings were initially placed on CreditWatch March 23 and had been...

Intermodal moves inland.(utilizing inland ports for inland water transportation)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Intermodal carriers looking to avoid port and highway congestion along the East and West coast are taking more advantage of inland ports, says one transportation analyst. "We believe many shippers are increasingly utilizing inland ports...

APL raises rail alarms: rails, ports seen as weak links in supply chain that could be headed for gridlock in 2010.
May 29, 2006... Stepping up the call for railroads to speed up their infrastructure expansion, a key shipping executive is warning the record $8.2 billion the rails are investing ill construction won't be enough to avoid supply chain gridlock. John...

Watco sells short line: Four Rivers Transportation buys 158-mile West Virginia line; profits lagged volume expansion.(Watco Companies Inc. sells rail lines)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Short line railroad operator Watco Companies says strong volume growth on its 158-mile Appalachian Ohio Railroad didn't turn into profit growth so it is selling the West Virginia line to Four Rivers Transportation. Watco expanded...

Europe gets posted: private carriers line up for market share as postal markets prepare for deregulation.
May 29, 2006... Europe's mail package market is heating up suddenly as Europe prepares for postal deregulation, triggering high-stakes jockeying by the world's top express companies for position in the new era of competition. The TNT Post division of...

NWA speeds courier service: carrier says software, self-serve kiosks will improve check-in for high-margin courier market.(Northwest Airlines to launch new courier service)
May 29, 2006... Northwest Airlines is pushing a new service to expand its share of the small but high-margin courier market, deploying software that allows its self-service kiosks at airport ticket counters to double as fast-processors for package shipments....

AirBridge adds Hong Kong.(AirBridge Cargo, service introduction)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Russian carrier AirBridge Cargo wilt add Hung Kong to its network in July when it takes delivery of its fourth 747 freighter. AirBridge, which bills itself as Russia's first scheduled all-cargo airline, said arrival of the 747 it is...

BAX, Schenker getting integrated.(Deutsche Bahn plans to merge operations of BAX Global Inc. and Schenker Inc.)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Deutsche Bahn is moving to bring the operations of BAX Global and Schenker, its two freight units, together. U.S.-based BAX and Schenker will share a DC-8 freighter over the Atlantic in a cooperative built around the control of airline...

Teamsters press ABX, DHL: pledge more organizing efforts as ABX sees more DHL linehaul operations slip away.(ABX Air Inc., DHL Airways Inc., International Brotherhood of Teamsters)
May 29, 2006... The Teamsters union is stepping up its campaign to organize ABX Air's ground workers even as the carrier faces a growing challenge from DHL, its main customer. Teamsters President James Hoffa led a rally with 300 ABX and DHL employees at...

FedEx hikes fuel charge.(FedEx Express)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... FedEx Express is raising the fuel surcharge for its air parcel shipments to 16 percent for June 5 to July 2. and hiking its fuel fee for package shipments by ground to 4.25 percent. The new fuel surcharge rates match those recently...

Unisys taps DHL.(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Information technology firm Unisys chose DHL as its global lead provider for service parts logistics. The companies said Unisys will have DHL to manage the transportation and repair of equipment parts from more than 100 providers. ...

Avoid shipping's black hole: technology integrating port terminal operations, distribution systems speeds cargo, cuts congestion.(technology application in marine cargo handling)
May 29, 2006... For many shippers, the marine terminal is the black hole of international transportation. Containers arrive at a U.S. port and disappear from view, resurfacing only after numerous calls and faxes reveal they are available for pickup. It...

Hanjin's Rooney knocks rails: crowded intermodal terminals, dray driver shortage could become chokepoints, threaten peak season.(Hanjin Shipping Company Ltd.'s William Rooney forecasts on traffic congestion )
May 29, 2006... Poor rail service--not congestion at West Coast ports--is the biggest threat to importers in this year's peak shipping season, says Hanjin Shipping's top U.S. executive. Insufficient investment by railroads could lead to bottlenecks both...

DP World: 'we'll be back'.(Dubai Ports World plans to enter the United States market)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Oubai Ports World says it will return to the United States, despite the drubbing it took in Congress, the media and public opinion polls when trying to buy U.S. port operations. "This is the world's largest economy. How can you just...

Maersk expands in N.C.(North Carolina, recruiting and relocating)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Maersk will add 254 jobs in Charlotte, N.C. during the next five years and invest $80 million to relocate its Charlotte offices to a bigger facility. The U.S. subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk plans to acquire the 345,000-square foot...

1Q loss for Trailer Bridge.(sales and earnings)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Trailer Bridge reported a first-quarter less despite a slight increase in revenue as dry-docking cut into utilization levels on both the southbound and northbound legs of the tug-barge operator's Puerto Rican trade lanes. The...

Total Quality Logistics.(appointments)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Total Quality Logistics, a Cincinnati-based third-party logistics provider, added new employees. Anne Polcinski, Bobby Ward, Chris Barnes, Dan Dusa, Doug Fredley, Jeremy Chalk and Tim Belting were named logistics account executive trainees....

Wilbur Smith Assoiates.(Thomas R. Warne, C. Michael Walton and Michael S. Townes appointed)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Wilbur Smith Associates, a Columbia, S.C.-based consulting firm specializing in transportation, infrastructure, community development planning, engineering and economics, named Thomas R. Warne, C. Michael Walton and Michael S. Townes to...

FWL Technologies.(Christopher Tengsales appointed)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... FWL Technologies named Christopher Tengsales director for the Asia Pacific for the Singapore-based supply chain software provider. Teng has more than 12 years experience in technology and consulting, most recently with Open Text and was...

BDP International.(Tom Burgess appointed)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... BDP International, Philadelphia, named Tom Burgess director of sales for the Americas. Burgess has more than 22 years industry experience, including positions at Emery/Menlo Worldwide Forwarding and most recently at UPS Supply Chain Solutions...

The American Society of International Law.(Elizabeth Andersen appointed)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... The American Society of International Law, Washington, a non-profit membership organization advancing the study and use of international law, appointed Elizabeth Andersen as its executive director. She'll begin her term in the fall. Andersen...

Fulbright & Jaworski.(Shephard Melzer and Debra Goldberg appointed)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Fulbright & Jaworski, an international law firm, added veteran asset finance attorneys Shephard Melzer and Debra Goldberg as a partner and senior counsel, respectively. Melzer, an authority on asset-based and aircraft financing, is a former...

The Port of Tacoma.(Carol C. Mitchell, Pam Jenkins, and Galen Hon appointed)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... The Port of Tacoma, Wash., named Carol C. Mitchell director of human resources. Before joining the port, she was director of diversity programs for Edge Learning Institute of Tacoma. The port also named Pam Jenkins director of environmental...

Lynden International.(Jeff Bill, Michael Baekboel, and Marcus Tolar appointed)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Lynden International, Seattle, added Jeff Bill as an account executive at its Houston office. Hill has more than seven years of industry experience ranging from operations to business development. He most recently worked for Bertling Global...

Logistics seminars & courses.
May 29, 2006... MAY 31. Border Security--Best Practices (Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg), Miami. (305) 591-4300 or www.strtrade.com. 31-June 2. Preparing Hazardous Materials for Transportation by Motor Vehicle, Initial Training (Dangerous Goods...

TW calendar.
May 29, 2006... MAY 30-June 1. T0C2006 Europe Exhibition (Informa Maritime & Transport), Hamburg, Germany. +44 20 7017 4378 or www.toc-events.com. 31-June 1. 2nd Annual Reverse Logistics Forum 2006 (Marcus Evans), Phoenix. (246) 417-5417 or...

DOE diesel price index.(Department of Energy)(Table)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... National & Regional Averages: May 22, 2006 United States $2.888 East Coast $2.877 Midwest $2.836 Gulf Coast $2.801 Rocky Mountain $3.024 West Coast ...

The nature of bills of lading.(shipping industry regulations)
May 29, 2006... Q: You've frequently written that brokers may not issue bills of lading. I don't understand your position. I believe a broker could issue a bill of lading if it chose to, notwithstanding the motor carrier's obligation under the Carmack...

Purpose.(The BackPage)
May 29, 2006... In keeping with the equipment one transportation carrier says it recently ordered, this week's Back Page is purpose-built. Sadly, last week's was entirely without purpose, but we ran it anyway.

Incentives.(railroads' marketing strategy)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Those critics who say railroads aren't keeping up with the most modern marketing methods may have a point. One industry observer tells us one railroad won't even offer frequent flier miles to regulators when it flies them to track inspections.

Historic.(Executive Office of the President honors Merchant Marine Academy on National Maritime Day)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Mariners everywhere were touched by National Maritime Day on May 22, especially by the White House declaration honoring the U.S. Merchant Marine. The declaration notes, "Since 1775, merchant mariners have bravely served our country." Hmmm. We...

Secret.(Transportation Security Administration warns shippers over comment on TWIC card)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... TSA is warning shippers who wanted to comment on the TWIC card. "Do not submit comments that include trade secrets, confidential commercial or financial information, or sensitive security information to the public regulatory docket," the...

Opposition.(James L. Oberstar opposes increasing truck size and foreign ownership of mines)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... Rep. James Oberstar opposes increasing truck size and weight limits, an issue in his logging-heavy district. He's also opposed to liberalizing foreign ownership of U.S. aMines. So Oberstar certainly opposes foreign ownership of logging roads...

Overhaul.(airline trade in its older passengers)(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... One airline we know is taking an unfortunate path in restructuring. While everyone else is trading in older planes, this airline says it prefers to trade in its older passengers.

Congested: Norman Y. Mineta says he is setting "an ambitious schedule" to get his "National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's transportation network" rolling, and the secretary of transportation is certainly half right. The plan is plenty ambitious, but whether there's a real schedule is an open question.
May 22, 2006... The strategy Mineta outlined to the National Retail Federation last week certainly is far-reaching, covering a range of programs from the very new (Urban Partnership Agreements) to the fairly musty (Intelligent Transportation Systems). And...

A national strategy to reduce congestion: congestion is not a scientific mystery, nor is it an uncontrollable force.
May 22, 2006... Few sectors of our economy are as dependent on transportation as the retail sector. Without shipping, trucking, and air freight, America's retailers would have nothing to offer consumers but blank catalogs, empty Web sites, and bare...

The national average diesel price inched closer to $3 a gallon last week.(Weekly Perspective)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... The national average diesel price inched closer to $3 a gallon last week, just in time for the summer season. The Energy Information Administration said the national average diesel price for the week ending May 15 jumped 2.3 cents to...

Containers are returning to California.(Weekly Perspective)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... Containers are returning to California, with the ports seeing a new TEU record in April. Containerized imports in Long Beach totaled 321,044 TEUs in April, a new monthly record, and up 18.5 percent over the same month last year. Imports...

Hampering growth.(This Week)(United States transportation infrastructure)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... Add John Bowe to the growing list of transportation executives calling for improvements to the U.S. transportation infrastructure. At a conference last week, the president of the Americas for APL and sister company APL Logistics said the...

"We expect hybrid delivery trucks to significantly improve our nation's fuel economy.(This Week)(United States Postal Service uses hybrid-electric vehicle to deliver mail.)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... As fuel prices flirt with record highs, many in the transportation world, including those in the heavy truck market, are looking to hybrid technologies to cut costs and improve fuel efficiencies. On the back of the success of the hybrid...

Yellow trims back: YRC's LTL flagship cuts regional divisions, managers as it prepares to expand next-day services, seeks savings.(Yellow Roadway Corp.)(Cover story)
May 22, 2006... Yellow Transportation is slimming down. Faced with rising costs, deteriorating yields and incessant demands for faster service, the flagship carrier of YRC Worldwide is undergoing a "management realignment that reduces its regional...

DOT's congestion relief: Mineta says plan would speed movement; money would come from existing projects.(United States. Department of Transportation)
May 22, 2006... Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta showed shippers an ambitious plan to curb transportation congestion across modes. But although the plan comes with the support of the White House, there was no suggestion it will come with additional...

Hill nominated to be FMCSA chief.(Government & Regulation)(John Hill)(Federal Motor Carder Safety Administration)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... John Hill got the White House nod to be the next chief of the Federal Motor Carder Safety Administration. Hill, the current assistant administrator and chief safety officer at the agency, was nominated by President Bush to serve as...

Fuel distribution crunch: tank truck industry urges congress to enact national policy to move growing menu of fuels.
May 22, 2006... Tank truck operators are raising alarms that they face growing problems delivering badly needed fuel to transportation carriers because of an "almost irrational smorgasbord" of fuel products. The growing use of ethanol is taxing...

FedEx's Smith says 'open skies'.(Government & Regulation)(Fred Smith)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... FedEx Chairman, President and CEO Fred Smith told Congress to step out of the way of the Department of Transportation and let it liberalize foreign ownership restrictions on U.S. airlines. "We at FedEx are the product of deregulation and...

DHS speeds TWIC: TSA issues proposed rules while seeking contractor; Transport industry worries about cards' cost.(Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Worker Identification Credentials, Transportation Security Administration )
May 22, 2006... The Department of Homeland Security is determined to issue Transportation Worker Identification Credentials--or TWIC cards--to maritime workers by the end of this year as it expedites its long-delayed TWIC program. "This has the highest...

NTSB presses safety devices.(Government & Regulation)(National Transportation Safety Board)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... The National Transportation Safety Board wants the Department of Transportation to consider requiring devices to lessen the impact of crashes involving trucks. The recommendation is in response to an October 2003 crash in Illinois that...

Tech buyouts accelerate: new round of consolidation signaled by purchases of SSA Global, Nistevo, Savi Technology, Manugistics.
May 22, 2006... The enterprise application software market is about to get smaller by one with Infor's acquisition of SSA Global for about $1.36 billion in cash. The deal moves enterprise software sellers closer to providing a single-vendor integrated...

Really, it's about costs: 3PLs may talk about 'drivers of value' such as visibility, technology, but shippers hear 'costs'.(cost control in trucking )
May 22, 2006... Supply chain vendors and third-party logistics providers like to talk about "drivers of value"--transparency, visibility, technology. For shippers such as Paul Allegri, executive director of logistics management at Applebee's, the driver is a...

Schneider snags Wal-Mart contract.
May 22, 2006... Schneider Logistics leveraged its acquisition of American Port Services last year to win a warehousing contract from Wal-Mart Stores. Under the pact, Schneider will provide Wal-Mart with warehousing services in Chicago and the Midwest, ...

RFID needs a 'revolution' technology needs to be cheaper, more reliable before widespread adoption is likely, shippers say.(Radio frequency identification equipment)
May 22, 2006... It may take a technological revolution to make radio frequency identification ubiquitous, one shipper says. "I expect it will take a paradigm shift" for RFID to fulfill the promise of supply chain visibility, said Bob Brescia, vice...

Logistics gender gap: ISM salary survey reveals women in logistics make $20,000 a year less than their male counterparts.(Institute for Supply Management)
May 22, 2006... The gender gap divides the supply chain industry, where women are paid $20,000 a year less on average than men, according to the Institute for Supply Management's first salary survey. The survey, released this month, also revealed benefits...

Chassis pools' Gray Horizon: efficiencies gained by pooling domestic equipment still outweighed by lack of a common vision.(case studies on chassis)
May 22, 2006... The intermodal industry may be at a crisis point when it comes to man aging the nation's domestic container chassis pool. Continue with the status quo, according to some, and the industry could end up with an array of equipment providers...

Opening the 'black box': disconnect between shippers, carriers on surcharges injects controversy in already contentious issue.(fuel usage)
May 22, 2006... Shippers claimed they're getting charged too much for fuel, while railroads say they're not recovering enough of their costs. So at the end of the day May 11, the Surface Transportation Board was left to figure out where within this great...

BNSF opens Fontana: new logistics park designed to meet growing demand for carload freight in Southern California.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)(Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.)
May 22, 2006... NSF Railway opened a logistics center in Southern California that combines warehousing, storage, rail service and rail-truck/truck-rail transloading in one location to improve service for carload customers. BNSF's Logistics Center-Fontana...

Buttrey: follow the statute: STB chairman outlines his regulatory philosophy, says board 'bound by the record before us'.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)(Surface Transportation Board Chairman Douglas Buttrey)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... Surface Transportation Board Chairman Douglas Buttrey recently offered a glimpse of the philosophy that he will use when making decisions on rate cases, fuel surcharges and so-called "paper barriers" between short lines and Class I railroads....

Who has pricing power? Shippers see added capacity, softer rates, but carriers say market remains tight, pricing up.(trucking capacity)
May 22, 2006... Added capacity is creeping into the trucking industry, suppressing the rates some carriers can charge. That's what shippers say, but motor carriers are loathe to admit the market is softening. The two groups squared off at the Bear...

Target shares capacity: working with non-competitive shippers, big box retailer better balances freight, trucking capacity.(transportation facilities)
May 22, 2006... The nation's fifth-largest retailer is taking a different route to greater trucking capacity--collaboration with other shippers. Target, the $52.6 billion, Minneapolis-based discount retailer, is working with two other major shippers to...

Tolls take a bite out of trucking profits.(Transportation: Trucking)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... Trucking companies are feeling nickel-and-dimed as toll costs rise rapidly across the country, carrier executives said at a recent technology summit held by ALK Technologies. Richard Wolfe, director of pricing services for Arnold...