Traffic World articles from November 2005

Traffic World archives from November 2005

Transport, nationally: Douglas Duncan has a right to be a contented man. As president of FedEx Freight, he's presiding over an LTL business that is setting standards in its arena and boasting a gaudy 84.9 percent operating ratio.(Editorial)
November 7, 2005... But like a growing number of freight carriers, Duncan is looking at the state of transportation in the United States and seeing not only infrastructure that is in desperate disrepair but a system itself that is thoroughly broken and seemingly...

Hot on the heels.(P and O European Ferries Ltd. acquired by Versacold Canada Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Hot on the heels of Dubai Ports World's $5.3 billion bid for P&O, the world's fourth largest ports operator, subsidiary P&O Ferries sold its cold logistics units to Versacold Holdings in Canada for $323 million. "As P&O continues to focus...

Kansas City Southern.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Kansas City Southern posted a profit in the third quarter following the impact of a tax settlement with the Mexican government. The company posted a profit of $110.5 million, compared with $8.9 million in the same quarter last year. ...

Fueling a slowdown.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... The manufacturing sector is showing signs of weakness, pressured by skyrocketing costs, particularly fuel. The Institute of Supply Management's closely watched index on manufacturing slipped to 59.1 in October, strong growth by most...

Logistics costs: who's getting squeezed? Shippers press back on pricing to rein in costs.(Cover Story)
November 7, 2005... With carriers in command of contracting and capacity in the logistics marketplace, shippers are naming price as their top consideration for an array of logistics transportation decisions, according to surveys released at the latest meeting of...

Shipping hazards ahead: truckers warn hazmat background checks will worsen driver shortage, seek changes to rules.
November 7, 2005... Hazmat shippers face a declining driver pool and skyrocketing rates unless tough, new requirements for hazardous materials license endorsements change, a major truckload carrier executive warns. "The cost to shippers of hazmat... will...

Open skies, empty planes? Airforwarders Association's Wirsing warns open skies pact could worsen capacity problems.
November 7, 2005... As U.S. negotiators work to seal an aviation deal with the European Union, a key aviation official worries an open skies agreement might not be cloud-free for the air cargo industry. A U.S.-EU open aviation area could lead to more excess...

Bhatia leaves DOT.(Karan Bhatia to join United States Trade Representative's office)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... A top Department of Transportation aviation official is leaving for the U.S. Trade Representative's office. Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs Karan Bhatia is set to depart DOT. In his two years in the...

Katrina surge hits barge shippers.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... A top federal agriculture official said Hurricane Katrina sent barge rates, already rising due to a midwestern drought, surging higher, threatening to swamp grain shippers. Rising barge rates made the mode less competitive with other...

Soybean fuel mashed.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... A Minnesota requirement to have trucks use biodiesel blended fuel stalled last month barely a month into the mandate. The state lifted the requirement Oct. 28 for 10 days after a problematic batch of biodiesel, which is made with soybeans,...

Wal-Mart's small order: new inventory, shipment strategy relies on 3PLs to consolidate freight, control rising transport costs.
November 7, 2005... The world's biggest retailer wants to receive smaller shipments from its suppliers--and a lot more of them. In a new logistics initiative that could ripple across countless supply chains, Wal-Mart Stores is asking suppliers to send smaller,...

Logistics costs pinch TNT's profits.(TNT Logistics Holdings B.V.)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Dutch logistics and mail company TNT scored a 2.1 percent rise in operating profit in third quarter, despite restructuring costs and price pressures that depressed results in its logistics division. Third-quarter revenue grew 8.6 percent to...

Bertelsmann books Manhattan WMS.(Logistics & Technology)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... A division of the global Bertelsmann media empire will use logistics software from Manhattan Associates in its expansion into distribution in China. DirectGroup Bertelsmann, the direct-to-customer unit of Germany-based Bertelsmann, is...

OH logistics keeps the beat for Zildjian.(Ozburn-Hessey)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Can Ozburn-Hessey Logistics improve a supply chain that's been perfected over four centuries? Zildjian, a manufacturer of percussion instruments established in 1623, believes so. It will outsource distribution of its products in the United...

Redrawing regional maps: LTL's fastest growing truckers say the only borders they recognize between regions are the ones they are knocking down.(Company Profile)
November 7, 2005... When Estes Express Lines pushed its highly successful regional LTL business to the West Coast this year with the purchase of GI Trucking, the trucker showed just how far region-focused service could go: right to the water's edge. As supply...

Moyes steps down: Swift Transportation founder surrenders chairman, CEO seats, remains director and major investor.(Jerry C. Moyes)
November 7, 2005... Following a troubled recent past, one of trucking s pioneers in the age of deregulation, Jerry C. Moyes, is taking a back seat as a daily executive. But he remains vested in the industry with ownership stakes in two trucking companies he...

LTL leaders living large: consolidating loads boosts profits as customers 'push back' on pricing in contract negotiations.
November 7, 2005... Despite high fuel prices, the LTL freight market remains stable and pricing firm heading into the holiday shipping season, truckers say. Still, some LTL carriers are trolling for larger, truckload quantifies to boost their revenues. ...

TDU claims local election victory.(Teamsters for a Democratic Union)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Teamster dissidents claimed a major victory following the election of national delegates by the union's fourth largest local. The splinter group Teamsters for a Democratic Union said Oct. 28 that members of Local 89 in Louisville, Ky.,...

Defining rail service: paying more for less may get more common as rails differ on link between price, service.
November 7, 2005... New results from the nation's Class 1 railroads suggest that the howls of shipper protests over rail service aren't slowing down the flood of freight hitting the nation's rails. But that gap between growing volume and the service shippers...

Eastern rails' profits soar: demand from ports, tight truckload space overcome hurricane impact at recording-making NS, CSX.(Transportation: Rail & Intermodal)
November 7, 2005... The impacts of two hurricanes and sing fuel costs weren't enough to keep Norfolk Southern and CSX from posting record results in the third quarter. NS saw a best-ever $301 million net profit on $2.2 billion in revenue during the third...

Union Pacific profit builds in 3Q.(Union Pacific Railroad Co.)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Profits at the nation's largest rail carrier soared 83 percent in the third quarter compared to a year ago despite the effects of two hurricanes and slower train speeds. Union Pacific Railroad boosted net income from...

Fueling the pain: rising costs cracking air shipping economics, some carriers eye zero rates, plus surcharges.
November 7, 2005... Airlines are facing the prospect of going from lower revenue to no revenue, as the stratospheric fuel cost is inducing shippers to reevaluate their use of air freight in trade lanes where it did not seem to have competition. Modal shifts...

Boeing adds to freighter mix.(Air freight services)
November 7, 2005... Boeing is doing its part to help the air freight world's separation from the passenger airline business with a full line of freighters. Boeing and All Nippon Airways announced last week that the Japanese airline will be the launch customer...

Japan Post, TNT join forces.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... TNT and Japan Post say a joint venture for international express service in Japan is the first step in a strategic cooperation for the two operators in the Asia-Pacific region. Although relatively limited to start, the larger effort between...

Shanghai set to expand: Yangshan Island deepwater port, logistics complex to open, increasing Shanghai's TEU capacity.(Transportation: Maritime)
November 7, 2005... The Port Shanghai has a problem: it can't handle the fully loaded 8,000-TEU vessels that are entering service in increasing numbers. Shanghai is China s largest container port--and, with more than 14.5 million TEUs last year, third...

Europe's smoother peak: ports added workers, capacity, improve planning procedures ahead of 2005 season.(Transportation: Maritime)
November 7, 2005... Despite surging imports from China and other Asian nations that are boosting Europe's container traffic by as much as 15 percent, experts say the continent's top container ports are avoiding a repeat of last year's peak-season delays. Last...

Panama Canal fiscal 2005 tonnage up.(Transportation: Maritime)
November 7, 2005... The number of ships passing through the Panama Canal dropped slightly fiscal year 2005, but because more ships were large ones, overall tonnage increased. Overall transits declined to 14,011 from 14,035 in fiscal 2004, the Panama Canal...

The New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders & Brokers' Association.(Roberta L. Greening and Michele Farrell appointed)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... The New York/New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders & Brokers' Association made two new appointments. Roberta L. Greening, president of Summit Communications, has been named executive director, and Michele Farrell has been appointed to the newly...

Kmart.(Donald J. Germano promoted)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Kmart named Donald J. Germano senior vice president and general manager. Germano is responsible for the financial performance, operations and management of Kmart's stores. Germano previously served as vice president of inventory management and...

Quick International Courier.(Dan Rourke appointed)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Quick International Courier, New York, named Dan Rourke director of an expanded and reorganized air charter division emergency shipment specialist. Rourke has worked in the air charter industry for more than 20 years with companies such as...

GE Trailer Fleet Services.(Joe Artuso appointed)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... GE Trailer Fleet Services, Wayne, Pa., named Joe Artuso president and CEO. Artuso will head the business once called TIP along with its related GE Modular Space business. Artuso, who has been with GE for 20 years, was chief risk officer at GE...

Innovative Systems Group.(Craig Bremer appointed)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Innovative Systems Group, Raleigh, N.C., named Craig Bremer director of sales at the systems and software development company for the packaging industry. Bromer has more than 25 years of experience in business management in both the packaging...

Dayton Freight Lines.(Joe Schuh promoted)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Dayton Freight Lines promoted Joe Schuh to the position of director of management information systems, in Dayton, Ohio. Schuh has worked for Dayton Freight for seven years and most recently as network administrator/e-Commerce supervisor.

Jacksonville Port Authority.(Ron Baker appointed at Florida Ports Financing Commission)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Ron Baker, deputy executive director and chief financial officer for Florida's Jacksonville Port Authority, was named chairman of the Florida Ports Financing Commission. The commission represents all 14 of Florida's deepwater ports.

Hopkins Educational Resources.(Carolyn J. Humphrey appointed)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Hopkins Educational Resources, Baltimore, a provider of comprehensive educational solutions, and a division of Hopkins Medical Products, named industry veteran Carolyn J. Humphrey as chief executive officer of Hopkins Ed. Humphrey has more than...

BTS Transportation.(Kristi Brumbelow appointed)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... BTS Transportation a Texas-based, full service transportation broker, named Kristi Brumbelow manager of operations in Dallas. Brumbelow has more than 11 years experience in the freight transportation industry.

CFI.(Herbert J. Schmidt appointed)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... CFI, Joplin, Mo.-based truckload carrier, named Herbert J. Schmidt chief executive officer. Schmidt will also retain his current title of president. Since joining the company in 1984, Schmidt has served as senior vice president of sales and...

Con-Way Western Express.(Kevin Huner and Corky Wyrick appointed)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Con-Way Western Express, an operating company of Con-Way Transportation Services, named Kevin Huner director of linehaul. Huner, who joined Con-Way in 1996, most recently served as the director of quality assurance for Con-Way Western Express....

Groseclose named AAPA chairman.(Bernard S. Groseclose, Jr. and others appointed at American Association of Port Authorities)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... The American Association of Port Authorities formally installed Bernard S. Groseclose, Jr., president and CEO of South Carolina State Ports Authority, as the new chairman of the association's board of directors for its 2006 fiscal year....

Calendar.
November 7, 2005... NOVEMBER 8-9. Technology Asset Protection Association Q4 2005 Meeting (Avnet & Intel), Phoenix. www.tapaonline.nrg. 9-10. Innovative Maritime Partnerships Advancing Cargo Transport--IMPACT 2005 (Center for the Commercial Deployment of...

Logistics seminars & courses.
November 7, 2005... NOVEMBER 7-8. Preparing Hazardous Materials for Transportation by Multiple Modes (recurrent training) (Dangerous Goods Advisory Council), Atlanta. (800) 634-1598 or www.dgac.org. 9. Customs and Trade, Reduce Risk and Limit Liability:...

DOE diesel price index.(Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... National & Regional Averages: October 31, 2005 United States $2.876 East Coast $2.784 Midwest $2.907 Gulf Coast $2.846 Rocky Mountain $3.079 West Coast $2.951 Note: Table made from bar graph.

Broker offers insurance proof for carrier.(Colin Barrett)(Interview)
November 7, 2005... Q: I've seen a couple of trucking companies recently that have created a separate company that operates as a I transportation broker. In most cases the only carrier they are using is their own trucking company, with the obvious intent to...

Ghosts.(The BackPage)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... We missed the annual "Ghost Tour" of the U.S. Capitol that Jim Berard, a Democratic staffer on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, gives around Halloween. Isn't the work the committee did on the highway bill over the last...

Egregious.(United States. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Truckers wondering where the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration draws the lines in asking states to enforce only "egregious" hours-of-service violations. To clarify, FMCSA told us that means more than three to a sleeper berth at one...

The hours.(hours of services)(United States. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Speaking of HOS, we hear the FMCSA kept such a tight lid on the rule that even the staffer who delivered it to the Federal Register was instructed not to read it.

Washington.(United States. Board of Surface Transportation)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... You probably thought the Surface Transportation Board would celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Staggers Act with a party. They did, but it was a Washington sort of affair--an all-day hearing. We went over to the sign marking an "open bar,"...

CLM.(council of logistics management)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals concedes its new moniker is a mouthful, but the group said at its annual meeting that was the winner over another suggestion: CLASCMTP-PLORGP, or the Council of Logistics Administrators,...

CLM II.(Council of Logistics Management)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... Some CSCMP members have their own name for the organization. One says it fits his job goal, which is: Can't Stop the Company from Making a Profit.

Badges.(Timothy Lynch appointed by American Trucking Association)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2005... The CSCMP supply chain slipped in giving Timothy Lynch, VP for strategy at the American Trucking Association, his old title as head of the Motor Freight Carrier Association. That was much better than his badge at ATNs convention, which named...

Big, bigger ... Shippers, carriers and logistics providers searching for common ground in Anaheim this week at their annual three-sided meeting can find it in an overriding trend that is reshaping business just as it is redefining relationships in transportation and loqistics.(Editorial)
November 14, 2005... It's a trend that cuts across business sectors and across the varying segments of the supply chain and preoccupies companies in their own industries and in the ways they interact with vendors and their competitors. It's consolidation, and...

CP Ships.(profits of the year is discussed)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... CP Ships is finding its last few months under its own name profitable. Soon to be folded into the Hapag-Lloyd container shipping business, CP Ships saw net profit hit $55 million, up from $31 million last year, boosted by an 11 percent...

UPS and its unionized pilots.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... UPS and its unionized pilots scheduled new talks for the week before Christmas after a brief round under National Mediation Board supervision ended without a new contract. Compensation and retirement issues remained open in the...

Declining diesel.(diesel fuels price decline)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Those sighs of relief echoing across supply chains are coming from shippers and carriers who watched diesel fuel prices tumble to three-month lows last week. Crude oil at $59 a barrel is hardly a bargain, of course, but it's far cry from...

"In less than 72 hours, we must move 750 metric tons of wine from France to Japan.".(This Week)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Once a year, huge numbers of transport and logistics professionals become oenophiles of sorts. That's because a marketing blitz bottled up in France is turned into an unlikely worldwide obsession with cheap table wine that turns a dense and...

Billion dollar bet: DM&E's plan to tap federal coffers could be last chance to build the country's biggest new railroad.(Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad )(Cover Story)
November 14, 2005... Kevin Schieffer is gambling that a $2.5 billion federal loan will break a financial bottleneck and allow him to build the first Class 1 railroad in more than a century, reversing a 50-year trend of line rationalization that has left railroads...

Highway trust fund pothole: study sees deficit spending, eyes tax hike, suggests new ideas for raising highway funds.(Government & Regulation)
November 14, 2005... A new study warns the highway trust fund could go broke as soon as 2008. Cambridge Systematics Senior Associate and study author Gary Maring said if no changes are made in revenue collections or spending, the trust fund will need to spend...

HOS north of the border: Canadian trucking rules approach with little contention; no court challenges expected.(Hours Of Service )
November 14, 2005... Canadian truck drivers will soon see a cut in the number of hours they can spend on the road each day. And, unlike Americans, who have grappled over new HOS rules in and out of federal court, Canadians are publicly pleased with the result....

Rails see reflected costs.(Association of American Railroads)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... A new federal rule requiring reflective materials on rail cars and locomotives may cost the railroad industry millions of dollars. The final tab is up for debate but rail officials say companies are moving to comply in any case. The...

New truck lanes to speed peace bridge traffic.(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Canada and the Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority completed a construction project intended to speed trucks across the Peace Bridge between Fort Erie, Ontario, and Buffalo, N.Y. The reconstruction of the U.S. plaza increased truck processing...

Wanted: foreign airline capital: proposed DOT rule would allow for more influence from foreign investors on U.S. airline operations.(Government & Regulation)
November 14, 2005... Labor unions are criticizing a proposed change in U.S. regulations that would allow financially troubled U.S. airlines to seek more investment from abroad. Introduced this month by the Department of Transportation, the proposal would not...

Customs sets C-TPAT changes.(Trade Partnership Against Terrorism)
November 14, 2005... Customs and Border Protection is adding some teeth to its security standards for the trucking and air cargo industries, as it already has for importers. On the heels of congressional and Government Accountability Office criticism of its...

USPS's happy returns.(Postal Service)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... The Postal Service wants to make permanent a popular reverse shipping product aimed at catalog and Internet retailers. The USPS has tested its "parcel return service" for two years in its Parcel Select program, which is heavily used by DHL,...

E-manifests in low gear.(electronic manifests for trucking)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... With only about 200 truckers signed up for electronic manifests so far, The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection sent a message to truckers that they had better get in the fast lane to comply with requirements set to take effect next year....

Shippers still reject RFID: even 'believers' say costly technology still offers no ROI, despite Wal-Mart's positive report.(radio frequency identification)(return on investment)
November 14, 2005... Shippers without mandate from Wal-Mart or the Department of Defense to adopt radio frequency identification have long complained RFID offers no obvious return on investment. So Wal-Mart could be forgiven for thinking a University of Arkansas...

Inside-out logistics: global supply chains push new inbound logistics strategies, tools offer greater planning potential.(Logistics & Technology)
November 14, 2005... Trying to get a better grip on shipping costs in an import-driven economy, more shippers are turning supply chain planning inside out. It's a strategy that cuts against the grain of most logistics practices that have put more focus on the...

Fire's logistics lessons: logistics provider TNT helps U.K. retailer Primark regroup after blaze destroys London-area center.(Logistics & Technology)
November 14, 2005... U.K. fashion retailer Primark's response to a Nov. 2 fire that gutted its London-area distribution center illustrates the value of supply chain resiliency. Primark's logistics service provider, TNT, stepped in and within hours had...

Schenker to use Descartes Haulage Service.(Descartes Systems Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Schenker's carrier network plans to use Descartes Systems Group's Local Haulage Service to optimize freight shipments, streamline procurement, track delivery status and automate carrier billings. "Descartes' Local Haulage Service will give...

Oneida, Ikea lease space at California Complex.(IKEA Holdings U.S. Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Tablewear producer Oneida and furniture retailer Ikea leased 651,909 square feet of warehouse space at Tejon Industrial Complex's western location, bringing the new industrial facility to full occupancy. Oneida took 244,141 square feet and...

Jacksonville lures logistics developer.(Majestic Realty Co.)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Majestic Realty, a California developer of industrial and business parks, broke ground for a 318,000-square-foot distribution center at its 47-acre site at the Jacksonville International Tradeport in North Florida. The company said it...

Lyondell to close Lake Charles plant.(Lyondell Chemical Co.)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Lyondell Chemical will permanently close its plant at Lake Charles, La., citing damages and higher energy costs from Hurricane Rita. The Houston-based chemical manufacturer acquired the plant as part of its 1998 purchase of Arco. A company...

EGL covets logistics growth: forwarder eyes acquisition possibilities as competitors scale up contract logistics.(Logistics & Technology)
November 14, 2005... EGL Eagle Global Logistics is looking at acquisitions to take the company beyond its forwarding foundation into the contract logistics market. "We will only buy what we do not have," said EGL CEO Jim Crane during the Houston-based freight...

'Won't play with others': frustrated logistics managers say C-level resistance to collaboration hobbles supply chains, increases costs.(Special Report: NITL/IANA SPECIAL)
November 14, 2005... For more than a decade, analysts and logistics experts have hailed collaboration as the best way to wring costs from supply chains and increase productivity. If only they could convince CEOs or CFOs. Calls for collaboration are getting...

Finding the energy for logistics flexibility: when energy drink giant Red Bull set up its new supply chain network in the United States with Ozburn-Hessey Logistics as its provider and partner, the effort included a new "dynamic order routing" feature to help meet Red Bull's needs for flexibility in distribution.(Special Report: NITL/IANA SPECIAL)
November 14, 2005... That came in handy even as the two companies were talking at the recent Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals meeting about their efforts to build a flexible network. As it turned out, the presentation in San Diego came right...

Logistics: the inside job: Johnson & Johnson's transport group competes with outside 3PLs, carriers for 'inside' business.(Special Report: NITL/IANA SPECIAL)
November 14, 2005... As a college basketball referee, George Harry makes split second calls that may provoke catcalls from hostile crowds, nasty glares from players and some choice words from coaches. As director of Johnson & Johnson's Global Transportation...

Is maglev the answer?(Special Report: NITL/IANA SPECIAL)
November 14, 2005... Their was a renewed interest in transportation as an integral part of the supply chain at this year's recent annual conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. I listened to many trucking company executives lament that,...

CRST: from chicken coop to 10th-largest truckload carrier.(Advertisement)
November 14, 2005... It's hard to imagine that a company the size of CRST--the 10th-largest truckload carrier in the nation--could once have been headquartered out of a chicken coop, and could once have been run by one man. For the first five years, "I was the...

CRST Van Expedited is the leader in team expedited freight.
November 14, 2005... The goal of each company in the CRST Carrier Group--which consists of CRST Van Expedited, CRST Malone and CRST Premier Transport--is to be one of the top transportation providers in each of their respective market niches. And in the case of Van...

CRST Malone protects precious commodities.(Advertisement)
November 14, 2005... Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., CRST Malone is an industry-leading provider in its area of expertise--the management of flatbed freight. Since being acquired by CRST International in 1984, Malone Freight Lines has made a name for itself as...

CRST Premier meets demand for short and medium haul.
November 14, 2005... In June 2005, CRST Premier was launched under the direction of Dave Rusch, president, CRST Carrier Group, with Dave Shatto appointed as vice president and general manager. Established to meet growing customer demand for regional short-to...

CRST Logistics 'delivers as promised'.(Advertisement)
November 14, 2005... Imagine you are a shipper receiving more than 1,000 invoices per month, from the carriers who deliver your products In today's fast-paced marketplace, reducing paperwork and administration while ensuring error-free delivery of products to the...

Wal-Mart's trucking mandate: retailer wants to double fuel economy of fleet, demand greater efficiency from carriers, shippers.(Transportation: Trucking)
November 14, 2005... Faced with rising fuel and labor costs and slower sales, Wal-Mart Stores wants to wring savings from its private fleet by doubling the fuel efficiency of its trucks within 10 years. Improving its fuel mileage by one mile per gallon would...

Driving lessons: ATRI's 'performance-based' model uses truck driving history to predict future habits.(Transportation: Trucking)
November 14, 2005... A new "performance-based" driving model could help trucking companies train driver recruits and prevent large truck crashes. The model, developed by the American Trucking Research Institute, uses prior driving history to predict future crashes....

Quality downshifts in 3Q: 'deceleration' in third quarter blamed on hurricane, lower than expected demand, late seasonal recovery.(Transportation: Trucking)(Quality Distribution Inc.)
November 14, 2005... Weak demand in August, disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina and unanticipated insurance costs took a toll on Quality Distribution. The bulk carrier led by former ConWay chief Gerald L. Detter said third-quarter earnings plummeted from $2.8...