Traffic World articles from November 2004

Traffic World archives from November 2004

Ocean winds.(Editorial)(Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement)
November 29, 2004... Anyone interested in reliving the romance of life on the high seas from days in the distant and irretrievable past might sign up for one of those rare and expensive cruises aboard tramp steamers or, for those feeling less adventurous, curl up...

Shippers squeezed in 2005: carriers say ROI will guide fleet additions as shippers seek solutions to capacity crunch.(return on investment)
November 29, 2004... San Antonio Shippers hoping to get more transport capacity next year for supply chains that have been frayed by space shortages are getting little comfort about 2005 from carriers. In rare unanimity across modes and services,...

Regulators on the capacity sidelines.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Shippers shouldn't expect much help from Washington, even from the straggling bits of transportation regulatory power left in the nation's capital. Speaking at a Transportation Research Forum event this month, Surface Transportation...

Trailer orders on the rise.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Although truckers say adding capacity may be out of their hands because of the difficulty hiring drivers, equipment help may be on the way. Some industry observers are expecting help on the equipment side as truckers finish up fleet...

States vote highways: voters approve $28 billion for transport spending in ballot initiatives seen s spur for Congress.(Washington)(road-related taxes and fees be used only for transportation)
November 29, 2004... Missouri voters took the "More Money for Roads, No New Taxes" message to heart on Election Day. A huge majority, 79 percent, of state voters said "yes" to a constitutional amendment requiring that road-related taxes and fees be used only...

Highway bill: closed for repairs.(Washington)(The 108th Congress delays highway reauthorization bill)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Put away the picks and shovels, work on the highway bill is over for the year. When Congress left town Nov. 20, it left behind a legacy of failure to complete work on federal highway spending that had won approval by large, veto-proof...

Postal Service has new priorities: USPS seeks to boost sagging Priority Mail; Postal reform to be redelivered in Congress.(Washington)(United States. Postal Service)
November 29, 2004... The U.S. Postal Service doesn't appear to be sitting back waiting for postal reform efforts to resume in Congress. Looking to reclaim business customers lost to FedEx and UPS, the Postal Service on Nov. 20 debuted two flat-rate Priority...

STB's new year's resolutions: Nober's message to shippers is that rate cases are wanted as oversight panel eyes services.(Surface Transportation Board)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Surface Transportation Board Chairman Roger Nober expects the agency to increase its focus on rates in 2005. An offshoot of the defunct Interstate Commerce Commission, the STB began its life focusing mostly on mergers. But it has steadily...

Dell gets domestic: by locating assembly, shipping sites closer to home, Dell hopes to keep its advantage in U.S. market.(Logistics & Technology)
November 29, 2004... Dell is putting some of the "U.S." back in the U.S. computer industry while speeding production and delivery cycles. The computer maker will open its third domestic plant in the fall of 2005, a step that could have significant supply chain...

TWIC tests under way: TSA evaluates prototype biometric ID cards at East Coast, West Coast port facilities.(Logistics & Technology)(Transportation Worker Identification Credential, Transportation Security Administration)
November 29, 2004... The Transportation Security Administration began testing its Transportation Worker Identification Credential--also known as the TWIC card--at the Port of Long Beach, Calif., and at the Philadelphia-based Delaware River and Bay Maritime...

TWIC goes Dutch.(Logistics & Technology)(Transportation Worker Indentification Credential)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... The Transportation Security Administration isn't the only player in the transportation ID game. The Port of Rotterdam says it will use hand geometry technology--also being tested by TSA--in concert with a smart card to confirm the identity of...

FDA has Rx for RFID: federal guidelines for testing, promoting RFID in drug chains to boost technology, lower costs.(Logistics & Technology)(radio frequency identification)
November 29, 2004... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision to encourage pharmaceutical companies to test radio frequency identification tags and readers should hasten the deployment of RFID. "It's another tipping point for RFID," said Bill Allen,...

T-ray vision still blurry: Terahertz imaging may find shipping application, but it's a long way from laboratory to loading dock.(Logistics & Technology)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Rice University researchers said they've moved a step closer to developing a sensing power hitherto reserved for comic book heroes. But will it help shippers move large orders in a single bound? Electrical engineers at the Houston...

Rates push strategies: express carriers to narrow air-ground gap, reinstate ground fuel surcharges in 2005.(Air & Express)
November 29, 2004... With their 2005 rates increases, integrated carriers are seeking to boost their express products and fine-tune the pricing of their more demanding delivery services. FedEx and UPS recently announced in quick succession that they are...

Ground's limitless expansion.(Air & Express)(trends toward ground delivery will soon extend beyond the United States.)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Some expedited shipping experts expect trends toward ground delivery will soon extend beyond the United States. "Although they have not made an announcement, we predict that DHL will begin crossborder ground service to both Mexico and...

AMS goes national: AMS sparks few problems as it nears full implementation while giving jumpstart to industry.(Air & Express)(Air Automated Manifest System)
November 29, 2004... Airlines and forwarders are confident they are ready for new regulations mandating advanced electronic reporting of critical data about air cargo coming into the United States. The regulations will soon be in force throughout the country...

UPS, IPA near deadline: both sides rush to meet mediator's deadline for agreement in early 2005.(Air & Express)(United Parcel Service of America Inc., Independent Pilots Association )(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... The pace of the talks between UPS and the Independent Pilots Association likely will quicken next month as the sides push to meet the mediator's first quarter 2005 deadline for an agreement. The company and the union are slated to take up...

Expressly bound for bellies: passenger airlines are finding that surprising growth in air express traffic has fed a belly turnaround.(Express Delivery)
November 29, 2004... For U.S. airlines, the cargo business has been a lone bright spot in an otherwise dark year. As the passenger business falls prey to cost-cutting competition and rising jet fuel prices, the airlines are posting healthy gains in belly...

Yellow blurring lines: the LTL giant is in it for the long-haul, short-haul and overnight haul as old transport barriers fall.(Trucking)(Yellow Transportation Inc, less-than-truck load)
November 29, 2004... Transportation barrier is about to be broken as the nation's leading long-haul LTL trucking company prepares to muscle its way into the short-haul expedited delivery market. Yellow Transportation's announcement that it will roll out its...

UPS's U.S. operations head to retire.(Trucking)(United Parcel Service of Canada Ltd)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Cal Darden, senior vice president of U.S. operations at UPS since 2001, will retire in early 2005, UPS announced. Darden, who is ending a 33-year career with Brown, will be succeeded by Jim Winestock, UPS Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew said....

Striking Canada: one-day strike at UPS gives Canadian shippers a scare; UPS, Teamsters reach six-year accord.(Trucking)(United Parcel Service Canada Ltd)
November 29, 2004... A sudden one-day strike against UPS in Canada early last week temporarily sent shippers in Canada and the United States searching for alternative means to ship packages north of the U.S. border. UPS officials cancelled customer pickups in...

Gridlock threatens crossborder trade.(Trucking)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Canada's trade will be at risk if the country is unable to speed the movement of goods across its border with the United States, a leading trucking official said. "An efficient, predictable border between Canada and the United States is...

Rivals for capacity: UP, BNSF competing plans for container facility may stall intermodal initiatives in Los Angeles.(Rail & Intermodal)(Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway; Union Pacific Railroad)
November 29, 2004... The struggle over intermodal capacity, in Southern California is turning into a battle between two Western railroad giants for control over millions of containers flowing through the Port of Los Angeles. Burlington Northern Santa Fe...

Near-dock site has support.(Rail & Intermodal)(significant latent demand for near-dock intermodal rail yard facilities at Los Angeles)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... The Burlington Northern Santa Fe has some support from some key areas in its plan for facilities at the Port of Los Angeles. A rail market study conducted earlier this year by Parsons Transportation Group on behalf of Pedro Bay ports...

Container drain: grain exports, demand for empties keeping the pressure on container equipment.(Rail & Intermodal)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... More shipments of export grain are moving by container, soaking up badly needed container capacity during this year's record peak shipping season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said wheat exporters are switching to con tainer...

Shane takes reins in San Antonio: UP replaces superintendent after five derailments, four deaths in six months.(Rail & Intermodal)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Union Pacific Railroad named Shane Keller the new superintendent of the San Antonio Service unit in the wake of five rail accidents that occurred in the area since May. Effective immediately, Keller replaces Gary Davidson, who was...

Shortline operator Genesee & Wyoming.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Shortline operator Genesee & Wyoming will use part of a new credit facility and private financing to repay $110 million of outstanding debt at its U.S. and Canadian short line subsidiaries. The railroad completed a five-year, $182 million...

Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway will improve transit times and asset utilization in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario under a new track-sharing agreement. The deal will allow CP to move eight trains a week of bulk...

Freight packaging companies.(Sud-Chemie Performance Packaging)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Freight packaging companies such as Sud-Chemie are offering products to help railroads and shippers protect freight from condensation, moisture and ethylene gas (which emanates from produce as it ripens) during delays in transport caused by...

Vessel counts.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Vessel counts at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were in the "normal range" for the first time in four months, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California. On Nov. 20 there were 48 ships in port, including 25...

More than 3,000 Canadian National Railway track workers left the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees to join the United Steelworkers Union after a year-long battle for members between the Steelworkers and the Teamsters, the BMWE's parent organization.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... More than 3,000 Canadian National Railway track workers left the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes to join the United Steelworkers Union after a year-long battle for members between the Steelworkers and the Teamsters, the BMWE's...

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway enhanced its Web site to allow customers access to the information they need from a single personalized Web page--the first railroad to offer its customers a "fully customizable and personalized Web...

Second round for C-TPAT: CBP issues second draft of C-TPAT standards, easing some requirements on importers' partners.(Maritime)(Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection )
November 29, 2004... The current buzz in the import community could be summarized by Yogi Berra: "Deja vu all over again." Importers felt they had achieved a partnership with the government to balance the imperatives for security and trade facilitation, but now...

P&O means pricing opportunity: container giant says ocean rates still rising, says offshoring feeds rising Asia exports.(Maritime)(P and O Nedlloyd Container Line Ltd.)
November 29, 2004... Container giant P&O Nedlloyd says record ocean rates in 2004 are setting the industry tip for even more price increases next year. The world's fourth-largest container line saw average freight rates rise 10 percent in the third quarter,...

CP Ships' rising tide: growing rates, volume float ocean carrier as accounting controls said strengthened.(Maritime)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Ocean-borne trade is growing fast enough to make tip for even the accounting problems at CP Ships. In its first financial statement since the British liner company had to restate its earnings, CP Ships says it had a $31 million net profit in...

A New York-based private equity firm says growth in ocean trade and more "consolidation opportunities" are behind its purchase of container leasing giant Transamerica Maritime Containers.(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... A New York-based private equity firm says growth in ocean trade and more "consolidation opportunities" are behind its purchase of container leasing giant Transamerica Maritime Containers. The $1.2 billion mega-deal brings some one million...

Order Pro Logistics.(People Watch)(William McGee )(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Order Pro Logistics, Tucson, Ariz., hired William McGee as regional supervisor for Southwest business development for Order Pro Logistics. McGee has worked in construction services, with primary responsibilities in managing the scheduling,...

Schneider National.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Schneider National, Green Bay, Wis., named Steve Matheys to the new position of chief marketing officer. The truckload company said the 10-year Schneider veteran, will report to Schneider President and CEO Chris Lofgren. He had been chief...

Old Dominion Freight Line.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Old Dominion Freight Line, Thomasville, N.C., promoted Charles W. Powell to vice president of its Central region, based in Kansas City. Powell was manager of sales and service at the LTL company's Los Angeles service center.

The Port of Los Angeles.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... The Port of Los Angeles named Philip A. Tondreault director of property management. Tondreault had been deputy director of asset management at the Los Angeles municipal Department of General Services. He spent 17 years at the port before...

Deutsche Post World Net.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Deutsche Post World Net, the German parent of the global DHL logistics and express network, named Fouad Hamdan head of its new public relations department. Hamdan, 45, had been head of communications for Germany at Greenpeace, the...

The Ontario Trucking Association of Canada.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... The Ontario Trucking Association of Canada announced that Scott Smith, CEO of Ontario trucker J.D. Smith & Sons was elected chairman at the association's annual general meeting in Toronto. Smith, 42, becomes the youngest chairman in OTA's...

Christian Salvesen.(People Watch)(Stewart Oades )(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Christian Salvesen, British logistics and trucking operator, hired former Salvesen executive Stewart Oades to serve as its chief executive officer. Oades, 51, was head of the United Kingdom and Ireland contract logistics business at Exel. He...

ShipXpress.(named John F. Andrews chairman of the board)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... ShipXpress, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., named John F. Andrews chairman of the board. Andrews was chief information officer at CSX and GTE and CEO of several information technology companies, including Giga Information Group, a public company...

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.(People Watch)(James P. Fox)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey named James P. Fox, a 20-year veteran of state and federal public service, deputy executive director of the port. Fox most recently served as chief of staff for New Jersey Governor James E....

Watkins Motor Lines.(People Watch)(Greg Blankenship)
November 29, 2004... Watkins Motor Lines hired Greg Blankenship, a 13-year sales and management veteran as an account executive at its Nashville, Tenn., facility. Ron Clopton joined as an account executive at its Bloomington, Ill., facility. Clopton is a 15-year...

Keystone Dedicated Logistics.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Keystone Dedicated Logistics promoted John Kraus to a logistics coordinator, after serving the last year in areas of invoicing/payable. Previously, Kraus had been with Pitt-Ohio. Erin Davis joined as a logistics coordinator. Davis has five...

The New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... The New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association announced that James J. Devine, president and CEO of New York Container Terminal, formerly Howland Hook Container Terminal, was selected as its "2005 Person of the...

Consolidators International.(People Watch)(Dale E. Lakin)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Consolidators International named 35-year cargo industry veteran Dale E. Lakin director of operations for the Southeast. Lakin began his career at one of the original all-cargo airlines, Airlift International, and most recently was at SITA,...

Airlines turn again to BNSF.(People Watch)(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Matthew K. Rose, chairman, president and CEO of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, took a step into the airline industry, joining the board of directors of American Airlines parent AMR. The election marks the second time this year that the...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 29, 2004... NOVEMBER 30. U.S.-Mexico Trade Security Symposium (U.S. Trade and Development Agency), Mexico City. (703) 255-1101, ext. 112 or www.mexicotradesecurity.com. DECEMBER 1-2. IEA's annual Future of Air Transport conference...

Logistics seminars and courses.(Calendar)
November 29, 2004... DECEMBER 1-3. Preparing Hazardous Materials for Transportation by Motor Vehicle (initial training) (Dangerous Goods Advisory Council), Baltimore. (800) 634-1598 or www.dgac.org. 2-3. Capstone Course (Consortium for Supply Chain...

National & regional averages: Nov. 22.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
November 29, 2004... National & Regional Averages: Nov. 22 United States $2.116 East Coast $2.143 Midwest $2.083 Gulf Coast $2.048 Rocky Mountain $2.170 West Coast $2.242

Carrier overpayment refunds.(questions and answers)
November 29, 2004... Portion of the monies paid for a minimum of three years. After that the money is put into a "pot" (I have no idea what happens to the "pot") and the carrier does not refund any overpayments unless the payer bills them. Also, when this...

Solved.(The Back Page)
November 29, 2004... The Back Page is considering changing its name to Back Page Solutions but we are still trying to figure out what are the questions.

Goodbye?(The Back Page)(Norman Y. Mineta )(Brief Article)
November 29, 2004... Workers at the Department of Transportation certainly enjoyed the 25-minute video tribute to Secretary Norman Y. Mineta at the department's recent employee awards ceremony. To some it looked almost like a departure tribute.

Meeting.(The Back Page)
November 29, 2004... There were only a few moments of tension at the joint meeting of the NITL, IATA and the TIA in San Antonio as far as we could tell. One came as a trucker sidled tip to a shipper on the sprawling trade show floor, deadpanning, "Sorry I didn't...

Assessed.(The Back Page)
November 29, 2004... Unfortunately, attempts to work out agreement on accessorials in San Antonio fell flat. At a forum on the extra charges, panel leader Dick Macomber of IBM tried to charge carrier reps $1 apiece to ask a question during the q-and-a and...

Swift Floats.(The Back Page)
November 29, 2004... Swift Transportation chief Jerry Moyes drew plenty of attention for his lively keynote address at the NITL/IANA/TIA meeting. Never mind the PowerPoint charts, the most creative moment was when he posted a photo of Kevin Knight, founder of...

Zzzz.(The Back Page)
November 29, 2004... Surface Transportation Board Chairman Roger Nober notes that as many as 700 people have logged in online to watch STB hearings. Wc hear the Web site's traffic has really surged since some online gambling outfits started setting odds on rail...

Barging.(The Back Page)
November 29, 2004... We loved The New Yorker story Nov. 15 by John McPhee, who took a barge trip down the Illinois River. Our favorite line comes from a ferryman who tells the towboat, "Keep her coming, I don't want to slow down the economy."

Capacity math.(Editorial)(Editorial)
November 22, 2004... Shippers are practically desperate in their search for new capacity this year and, oddly enough, so are carriers. But don't expect those two needs to add up to more trucks, trains and other freight carrying space the rest of this year or even...

While you were asleep ...(Commentary)
November 22, 2004... Some day, supply chain professionals are going to wake up and ask... "What happened?" When they wake up, they will find that they live in an environment where expectations are more rigorous and the demands more challenging than anything they...

No RFID rush at UPS: UPS, along with other integrators, is testing RFID, but doesn't see a compelling reason to adopt it.(Radio Frequency Identification)(United Parcel Service )(Cover Story)
November 22, 2004... With 575 jets and 88,000 vehicles carrying more than 13 million packages and documents to 1.8 million customers each day, UPS might seem at first blush to be a pushover for RFID. But Brown is not on the bandwagon touting the technology....

Challenge to shippers: Moyes: shippers must pay more for transport if truckers are to invest in needed capacity.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... If shippers want more capacity, they'll need to pay for it, the CEO of one of the largest truckload companies told shippers last week in San Antonio. "Our industry has got to be paid more for the services we are providing," Jerry Moyes,...

TSA's bank shot: by aiming at airlines and freight forwarders, TSA hopes to tighten air-cargo shipper security.(Washington)(Transportation Security Administration)
November 22, 2004... Shippers may not be the direct targets of a proposed Transportation Security Administration rule intended to strengthen air cargo security, but they'll feel its effect nonetheless. The agency is focusing its effforts on foreign and domestic...

FAA offers fuel waivers: airlines can save money by carrying less fuel if they can prove to FAA that flights will be safe.(Washington)(Federal Aviation Administration)
November 22, 2004... Airlines are seeking to take advantage of a way to save money as fuel prices stay stuck in the upper price brackets. If they can prove to the Federal Aviation Administration that their flights will still be safe, airlines can qualify for...

Teamster organizer killed: union urges State Department to press for investigation of slaying in El Salvador.(Washington)
November 22, 2004... The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is seeking help from the State Department after a Teamsters organizer was murdered in El Salvador. Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa asked Secretary of State Colin Powell in a Nov. 9...

Texans slam UP: fifth San Antonio derailment since May, second fatal derailment, brings UP political storm.(Washington)(Union Pacific Railroad )
November 22, 2004... As Union Pacific Railroad trains keep derailing in San Antonio, federal regulators say they are cracking down. But Texas lawmakers say regulators are not doing enough and accuse them of being too closely involved with the railroad. UP's...

3PLs: world marketeers: things are good and getting better for 3PLs that follow their clients into global markets.(Logistics & Technology)(third-party logistics)
November 22, 2004... As manufacturers have turned the world into their factory, four new reports say third-party logistics providers are turning that factory into their market. U.S. manufacturers spent 40 percent of their logistics budgets on 3PL services in...

Beyond warehousing's walls: collaboration in warehousing still has a long way to go but smaller companies spending more on technology.(Logistics & Technology)
November 22, 2004... Warehouse management is more frequently being applied outside the warehouse's four walls. More than 30 percent of 135-plus manufacturers, distributors and retailers surveyed by Boston-based Aberdeen Group reported this fall that they...

Making border crossing FAST: traffic delays at borders north and south may soon yield to FAST freight program.(Logistics & Technology)(Free and Secure Trade)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Automotive freight is moving across America's northern and southern borders FAST--as in the "Free and Secure Trade" program FAST, joint initiatives of border authorities of the United States and Canada in the north and the United States and...

Making security pay: good security measures help the bottom line, but shippers want standards.(Special report: supply chain security)
November 22, 2004... This may surprise some shippers, but security isn't about secrecy; it's about visibility. The more "visible" a container is while it's in transit to a U.S. port, the more that's known about its contents, the less likely it is to pose a...

Hazmat hassle: proposed fees for background checks could drive 500,000 truckers away from hazmat freight.(Trucking)
November 22, 2004... Trucking officials fear new rules requiring costly background checks for hazardous materials drivers starting early next year could make the driver shortage worse, ratchet capacity tighter and increase costs for hazmat shippers. The...

Yellow's next-day debut: Yellow Transportation to launch premium overnight service in Upper Midwest; expects 'strong' season.(Trucking)
November 22, 2004... Yellow Transportation will roll out its premium LTL overnight service Feb. 13 across a wide swath of the Midwest, sharply raising the service bar in the premium end of the trucking market. Yellow Transportation President and CEO James L....

Clarity lacking: carriers criticize recent clarification of HOS rules, seek universal recordkeeping requirements.(Trucking)(hours of service)(Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
November 22, 2004... As the federal government tries to ensure carriers are able to prove their drivers are working the hours they say they are, carriers say they just want the hours of service rules to be understandable and fair. The Federal Motor Carrier...

Ward Trucking.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Ward Trucking now offers service to and from Chicago and surrounding areas. The new service area opens up possibilities for new business from Ward's East Coast base into and out of the Midwest, said Bill Fritchey, vice president of sales and...

Concord Transportation.(ViaTrade system)(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... Concord Transportation, an Ottawa-based expedited truckload and LTL carrier, will use ViaSafe's ViaTrade system to speed shipments across the U.S. border. ViaTrade will help Concord manage international trade documents and electronically link...

The American Trucking Associations.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... The American Trucking Associations unveiled a Web site redesigned to enhance its presence on the Internet and to provide more up-to-date information. The new truckline.com site will offer updates on each of ATA's policy and legislative...

Backlog into 2005: fall peak shipping season could run over into 2005, challenging resources of shippers, railroads.(Rail & Intermodal)
November 22, 2004... Millions of dollars of freight tied up in a backlog of containers at Southern California ports threatens to push this year's fall peak into the first quarter of 2005 and keep the pressure on the railroad's ability to maintain adequate...

Limiting liability: Supreme Court decision on cargo liability may require shippers to more closely scrutinize insurance costs.(Rail & Intermodal)
November 22, 2004... The Supreme Court's recent decision in favor of Norfolk Southern in a cargo liability case will limit the extent to which shippers are covered for damage claims on the $3 billion in international freight the railroads handle each year. ...

Containers at the gate: intermodal shippers cautiously hopeful PierPass program at California ports will ease congestion.(Rail & Intermodal)
November 22, 2004... Shippers who can convince carriers to move their freight during off-peak hours can avoid paying a new traffic mitigation fee at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The program is set to start sometime in the first quarter of 2005. ...

RailAmerica.(Brief Article)
November 22, 2004... RailAmerica, the shortline regional rail operator, said its North American carload traffic slipped 0.1 percent in October from the same month last year. RailAmerica said metal, agricultural and farm product shipments led the decline....

Boeing's cargo card: all-cargo version of long-range 777 aircraft to debut in 2008, compete with Airbus A380.(Air & Express)
November 22, 2004... Boeing will take rival Airbus Industries head on in the battle for the growing air cargo market with the launch of a freighter version of its 777 airplane. The first all-cargo 777 will roll out in the fourth quarter of 2008, roughly the same...