Traffic World articles from October 2006

Traffic World archives from October 2006

IICL's White Resigns.(Institute of International Container Lessors )(Henry F. White, Jr.)(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... The Institute of International Container Lessors announced that President Henry F. White, Jr. resigned Sept. 15. White, who served as the group's president since January, 1999 has accepted an appointment as executive director and chief...

Greenbrier Hits Profit Record.(Greenbrier Companies Inc.)(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Greenbrier's railcar manufacturing and leasing operations made a record profit for the year, despite a lower volume of deliveries in the fourth quarter. By the end of its fiscal year on August 31,...

Portland Boxes Up 31 Percent.(Port of Portland)(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto The Port of Portland's resurgence continued as total container volume increased 31.2 percent during the first nine months of this year from the same period a year ago. Total volume of 153,391 TEUs through...

RailAmerica Profits Fall.(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The slowdown in the housing market and a work stoppage at a paper mill in Nova Scotia cut into carload volume significantly for RailAmerica, operator of short line and regional railroads in the United States...

DHS Claims Few Trade Accomplishments.(Department of Homeland Security)(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: R. G. Edmonson WASHINGTON -- Customs and Border Protection completed 2,052 validations in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Program in fiscal 2006. The validations, which included site visits in 58 countries,...

Vietnam Plans Box Port.(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: Gordon Feller The Vietnam Ministry of Transport approved a proposal for the development of a new container port in Van Phong Bay, north of Nha Trang in the central coast province of Khanh Hoa. The proposed International...

Grand Alliance Trims Capacity.(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... The member lines of the Grand Alliance on Tuesday announced that they will lay up vessels during the traditional slack season in the trans-Pacific, effective Nov. 20. Hapag-Lloyd, NYK Line and Orient Overseas Container Line will idle...

Breakbulk Market Outlook Is Strong.(17th Annual Breakbulk Conference & Exhibition)
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach NEW ORLEANS -- Breakbulk rates, though softening slightly at present, are likely to remain strong and get stronger over the next four to five years, Fred Bedford, director of Jumbo Shipping, told the Journal of...

United Airlines Turns a Profit.
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher UAL, parent company of United Airlines, turned a profit for the third time in as many quarters after emerging from bankruptcy in February. Cargo revenue grew 5.2 percent for the formerly bankrupt airline...

KCS Revenue Rises, Profit Falls.(Kansas City Southern )(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Kansas City Southern earnings dropped 76 percent in the third quarter, compared with third quarter of last year, when the railroad received a $131.9 million tax settlement from the Mexican government. But...

Consumer Confidence Slips.(Brief article)
October 31, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher As indications of a slowing economy mount, consumer confidence slipped in October, according to a report from the Conference Board. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 105.4, down...

Con-Way Freight Receives Multiple Honors At American Trucking Associations Management Conference.
October 31, 2006... Safety Record, Environmental Record and Contributions to Industry Recognized ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - October 31, 2006 - Con-way Freight (CWF), the less-than-truckload operating company of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) has been recognized for...

Double-Brokered Payment Problem.(Column)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q:A broker is given a load by another broker, who bills the shipper prepaid freight charges. The shipper pays the first broker. The broker who actually moved the freight bills the first broker, but the first broker...

October 30, 2006.
October 30, 2006... CHOP. Best Buy's Scott Jauman has one of the best titles in logistics: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, sourcing and procurement solutions. It's not just a snappy title -candidates work hard for months to gain Lean Six Sigma Black Belt...

TNT to Divest Freight Management.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: William Hoffman Netherlands-based express and mail operator TNT said it would exit its freight management business even as the company reported third quarter 2006 group revenue hit $3 billion. TNT Freight Management was...

Panalpina Profits Encourage Strong Outlook.(financial report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Global logistics operator Panalpina, showing double-digit expansion in revenue and profits in the first nine months of the year, says the "globalization-driven world economy shows no signs of weakening" and is forecasting a strong finish for...

Europe Air Freight Up 3.8 percent.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Freight traffic for European airlines grew in September at the sharpest rate since the first quarter, expanding 3.8 percent on strong growth across the Atlantic. The increase followed a small decline in August, according to figures from...

Horizon Lines Earnings Soar.(financial report)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Tax benefits helped Horizon Lines report record earnings of $52.9 million for the third quarter. That is an overwhelming increase above the $3.2 million net earnings reported in the third quarter a year ago....

West Africa Project Cargo is Booming.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Alan. M. Field In Africa, the biggest challenge in the transportation sector is poor roads, not unproductive ports. Alan Jones, Africa region executive at Safmarine, the South African-based carrier that is a division of A.P....

Online Holiday Sales to Grow.(Survey)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Emily Rehring Feliz The familiar ring of cash registers is being replaced by the clicks of the keyboard and mouse as more holiday shoppers log on instead of hit the malls. For transportation providers, the move to more online...

CMA CGM, IBM Join Forces.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The CMA CGM Group, the world's third-largest ocean shipping company, and IBM on Monday announced an information technology joint venture to manage the French carrier's growth. The new company, CMA CGM SYSTeMS, will be based in Marseille...

Emirates Shakes Up Airbus.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... In a new signal of potential trouble for Airbus, the Emirates airline canceled orders for 10 long-haul A340-600 aircraft on Monday and sent a special team to Airbus headquarters to examine the state of the wounded A380 program. Emirates...

Matson Volume Falls.
October 30, 2006... Matson Navigation Co. saw third-quarter profit fall below year-ago results with weaker container volumes in its Jones Act services. Operating profit fell to $34.2 million from $36.8 million in the third quarter of 2005, according to...

2007 TSMA Communication Awards Competition Announced.
October 30, 2006... Annual Event Presents Opportunity for Transportation Sales and Marketing Professionals to Showcase Their Talents Peachtree City, Ga. - Oct. 30, 2006 - The Transportation Sales & Marketing Association is now accepting entries for its 2007...

APM Renews JAXPORT Lease.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Jacksonville Port Authority's Board of Directors approved on Oct. 30 a 25-year lease with long-time port customer APM Terminals North America, one of JAXPORT's largest tenants. "At APM Terminals, we are...

NWA Cargo Cuts Fuel Fee.(Northwest Airlines Cargo Inc)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... As jet-fuel prices continue to decline, NWA Cargo announced it will reduce its fuel surcharges effective Nov. 1. The airfreight unit of Northwest Airlines will trim international bulk surcharges from 55 cents to 50 cents per kilogram....

Pittsburgh Logistics Systems Appoints Vice President, Rail Strategy.
October 30, 2006... ROCHESTER, PA, October 30, 2006 - Pittsburgh Logistics Systems, Inc. (PLS) announced today the appointment of Louis Williams as Vice President, Rail Strategy. In this role, Mr. Williams will be leading strategic efforts to expand rail...

Diesel Edges Down 0.7 Cent to $2.517.(prices and rates of diesel )(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher After a nine-week free fall, diesel prices have stabilized in the last two weeks. The average retail price for a gallon at the pump rose 2.1 cents in the week ending Oct. 20 and came back down 0.7 cent in the...

STB Pares Rate Dispute Rules.(Board of Surface Transportation)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: John Gallagher The Surface Transportation Board revamped the way it looks at rate case disputes in a rulemaking it claims will cut millions of dollars in litigation costs for railroads and their coal-burning electric utility...

A Logistics Tail.(Newest business trends in logistics)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Paul Page Anyone in the logistics and transport industry who is not up on the newest business trends should be getting up to speed on the "long tail." It's the latest name for trends in the still-developing Internet economy and...

Shippers No Fools When it Comes to Fuel Surcharges.
October 30, 2006... After reading Steve Broussard's commentary ("Don't Get Fueled Again," Oct. 9, 2006), it occurred to me Mr. Broussard is trying to play to current and potential shippers and has completely lost perspective on how fuel surcharges work. His...

Trucking's Porous Umbrella Effect.(Department of Transportation for hearing tests for truck drivers)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Anderson (Andy) Scott As a lawyer who does a great deal of employment work for trucking companies, I often see the "umbrella effect." This is when a company assumes the laws that cover one set of employees covers all its...

Trucking Seeks a Slowdown.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Angela Greiling Keane The American Trucking Associations is moving into the fast lane in a new series of showdowns over transportation regulations numerous enough to fill a freeway that will govern the future of freight movement...

Resurgent Seaway?(Saint Lawrence Seaway )
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: ANGELA GREILING KEANE The Saint Lawrence Seaway has a new nickname, ad campaign and administrator. Its supporters say the nearly 50-year-old waterway also has a brighter future as a channel for commercial trade. But the...

FMCSA Promises New Rules.(Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The trucking industry should gear up for a host of new rules coming out of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the next few months, FMCSA Administrator John Hill said. Speaking at a Transportation Table in Washington, Hill...

DHS IG Says TSA Needs Continuity Plan.(Department of Homeland Security's inspector general)(Transportation Security Administration)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general says the Transportation Security Administration would face trouble in an emergency because of a lackluster continuity plan. IG Richard Skinner warned in a report released this month...

Intermodal Truckers Take Complaint to FMC.(Sinotrans Container Lines, Federal Maritime Commission)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... A group representing intermodal truckers last week accused Sinotrans Container Lines of illegally refusing to do business with an intermodal trucker. The Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference of the American Trucking Associations filed a...

Truckers Win in New Jersey.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Truckers won what they said was a critical victory for interstate commerce when the Supreme Court refused to hear a case from New Jersey in which the state sought to bar out of-state trucks from the state's non-interstate highways. An...

Water Bill Beached.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The hopes of the inland waterways industry for a new spending inland waterways spending plan were dashed when congressional negotiators said they will not pass a water resources bill before leaving for a long recess. House and Senate...

Truck Stop Program Kicks Off.
October 30, 2006... A controversial program intended in part to increase truck parking is accepting applications. The Federal Highway Administration laid out the plan for its Interstate Oasis program, under which truck stops and other private facilities...

N.Y. Upgrades Border System.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... One more state on the northern border is now equipped with a new trade processing system at its land crossings. But although New York's crossings are set up with the Automated Commercial Environment, 50 land crossings on the Canadian...

HOS Date Set.(hours of service )(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The next court battle for the hours of service rules for commercial truck drivers will be in a federal appeals court on Dec. 4. The same court that overturned the previous HOS rules in 2004 will hear a challenge to the new version brought...

Finding Hidden Logistics Costs.(retail trade)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: WILLIAM HOFFMAN Most retailers have two supply chains. There is the visible one that snakes from manufacturers to ports and across transportation nodes to distribution centers and stores. Then there is the hidden supply chain...

Collaboration for CSCMP.(Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: WILLIAM HOFFMAN Collaboration isn't just for companies -- the new head of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals plans to make collaborative efforts with other trade groups, perhaps even for-profit educators, a...

Four Soft Buys British Firm.(FWL Technologies)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Mumbai, India-based transportation and logistics software developer Four Soft agreed to buy the assets of freight and British shipping software maker FWL Technologies for about $2.5 million in cash. The deal, to be handled through wholly...

In Survey, Unexpected is Expected.
October 30, 2006... After Hurricane Katrina, every logistics executive heard stories of companies brought to their knees by supply chain disruptions, and it turns out most had personal experience with them. Almost three-quarters of 151 executives at $1...

Digging Deeper into Data.(Freight Accounting & Information Management Association)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: William Hoffman Freight payment professionals are getting what appears to be their first dedicated trade association as business trends and new technologies transform their industry. The Freight Accounting & Information...

Avoiding Freight Payment Pitfalls.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Craig Cameron, AIMS Logistics Each year, thousands of companies shop for freight payment systems and solutions. Some are new to outsourcing this function, while others are benchmarking against a current solution or attempting to...

LTL's 'Systemic Softness'.(Low Traffic Load )
October 30, 2006... Arkansas Best is expanding its services into what increasingly appears to be a slowing LTL market. The parent of ABF Freight System saw its operating revenue grow 11.2 percent to $507.3 million in the third quarter, but its net profit...

Knight's Bright Quarter.(Knight Transportation)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: BY WILLIAM B. CASSIDY For many truckload carriers, diminishing freight volume flattened this fall's peak shipping season. Knight Transportation, however, is climbing higher, shortening its length of haul to gain more regional...

Heavy-Duty Laying Off.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Heavy-duty truck manufacturers are preparing for a smaller future. Mack Trucks this month said it will lay off about 450 workers at its Pennsylvania plant, or 43 percent of its workforce, because of an expected drop in orders once new...

Charged Up Rates.(Diesel fuel prices on transportation industry)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: John Gallagher Railroads could be in the driver's seat for the foreseeable future when it comes to competing with trucks for freight, even as fuel prices drop from record levels. The average price for a gallon of diesel fuel...

Stressed Out Service.(Railroad wants more railcars)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: JOHN GALLAGHER Railroad market power may be at an all-time high as even the nation's largest corporations don't seem to have the leverage needed to get adequate service. Shell Oil President John Hofmeister, speaking Oct. 23...

CN, Union Renew Contract.(Canadian National Railway, United Transportation)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Canadian National Railway and the United Transportation Union renewed an hourly-rate labor contract covering 300 conductors working on the company's former Grand Trunk Western territory between Chicago and Port Huron, Mich. In contrast...

Safety Tips for Crossings.(Safety tip cards to truck drivers to reduce rail-grade crossing accidents)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Working with the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will distribute 250,000 safety tip cards to truck drivers to help reduce rail-grade crossing accidents. The two-sided laminated card reminds...

UPS Integration Pains.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: JOHN D. BOYD UPS is taking strong steps to improve its logistics and freight performance after setbacks in businesses the package delivery giant has built up through recent acquisitions. In the midst of a quarter in which it...

TSA Delays Some Cargo Rules.(Transportation Security Administration)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: JOHN D. BOYD Air freight industry executives are looking for the Transportation Security Administration to make more changes to its air cargo security regulations, after TSA said it would delay many of its implementation dates....

UPS Mails Italy.(UPS strikes deal with Poste Italiane)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Private express carriers are rushing to strike deals with European postal authorities as Europe prepares for greater deregualtion of mail delivery. UPS took the latest step, announcing an agreement with Italy's Poste Italiane, that will...

Delta to Add Overseas Capacity.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Delta Air Lines, building up its international network as it tries to fly out of bankruptcy protection, will add flights to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America out of its Atlanta hub next year while...

ALPA Changes Leadership.(Air Line Pilots Association )(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... The Air Line Pilots Association is showing a "newly aggressive stance" by voting John Prater as its next president. Prater defeated Duane Woerth's bid for a new term after pilots suffered years of pay and benefit cuts at several major...

Forward Air Growth Slows.(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Forward Air's net profit rose 5 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier to $12.7 million, but the expansion in profit and revenue was the slowest at the nation's leading air freight trucker in some three years. Forward Air,...

Bunker Battle.(Ocean carriers to lower fuel surcharges)
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: William Armbruster and Peter T. Leach Ocean carriers are responding to declining oil prices by lowering fuel surcharges, but shippers question whether the surcharges are falling as fast as fuel prices. "We had unprecedented...

Voters OK Bigger Panama Canal.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach The Panama Canal Authority will begin work next year on the $5.25 billion project to double the capacity of the waterway after overwhelming approval by voters in a referendum this month. The project won 78...

People.
October 30, 2006... GT Nexus, Alameda, Calif., named Dan Riley, the former president of Bank of America's Global Treasury Services, to its board of directors. Monika Ribar officially took over as chief executive of Panalpina, a global transport and...

FedEx Ground's Bram Johnson Dies.(obituary)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 30, 2006... Bram B. Johnson, a senior executive at FedEx Ground who was instrumental in building the company and its predecessor RPS into a force in the parcel market, died suddenly Oct. 20 while on vacation in Spain. He was 59. FedEx said Johnson...

Double-Brokered Payment Problem.
October 30, 2006... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q: A broker is given a load by another broker, who bills the shipper prepaid freight charges. The shipper pays the first broker. The broker who actually moved the freight bills the first broker, but the first...

GDP Growth Slows.(gross domestic product)(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Output of goods and services grew a full percentage point slower in the third quarter than in the second, according to the advance report released Oct. 27 by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Real...

Hub Group Profits Break Records.(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: John Gallagher Hub Group posted record profits of $13.5 million in the third quarter, a 60 percent increase over third quarter 2005, while growing revenues 11.5 percent to $432 million during the quarter. The intermodal...

P.A.M. Boosts Profit 50 Percent.(P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc.)(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher P.A.M. Transportation Services, a truckload dry van carrier covering the United States and parts of Canada, boosted profits by 50 percent in the third quarter as its business mix insulated the company from the...

YRC Earnings Grow 13 Percent.(YRC Worldwide )(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher YRC Worldwide earned net income of $96 million in the third quarter on record revenue of $2.57 billion. Profit was up 12.9 percent compared with third quarter a year ago. Even so, chairman, president and...

FreightCar America Doubles Profit.(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher FreightCar America more than doubled its profits in the third quarter on a 50 percent increase in sales. Company president and CEO John E. Carroll, Jr. said his company is primarily focused on productivity and...

Boeing Adds Asian Freighters.(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Tokyo-based All Nippon Airways exercised options to buy two more 767-300 conversion freighters from Boeing, on top of three it previously ordered. But it was just the latest in a series of recent moves Boeing has...

Volvo to Lay Off 600.(Volvo North America Corp.)(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... Truck builder Volvo North America said Friday it will cut some 600 jobs from its Hagerstown, Md., powertrain plant next year, the latest announcement of job cutbacks in response to a projected decline in demand for heavy-duty trucks. ...

Bestway Express CEO McCormick Dies.(James "Mac" McCormick III)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: John Gallagher Clarence James "Mac" McCormick III, chairman, CEO and founder of Bestway Express, was killed in a plane crash near Lawrenceville, Ill., late on Oct. 26. McCormick also served as first vice chairman at the...

Mineta Volunteers for Highway Users.(Norman Y. Mineta, The American Highway Users Alliance)(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Former U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta volunteered, effective immediately, to serve as Honorary Chairman of The American Highway Users Alliance. Highway Users President Greg...

Universal Acquisitions Boost Earnings.(Universal Truckload Services)(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Universal Truckload Services enjoyed a 24.1 percent increase in net income in the third quarter, due primarily to acquisitions and internal growth. Net income increased 24.1 percent, or $1.1 million, to...

Truck Tonnage Rebounded in September.(Brief article)
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Truck tonnage increased in September, compared with August, but not compared with last year. Recovering almost all of a slowdown in August, the American Trucking Associations' preliminary September...

Kirby Profit Jumps 48 Percent.
October 27, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Houston-based barge and towing operator Kirby Corporation earned a record $25.6 million in the third quarter, up 48 percent year-over-year. Recent acquisitions doubled its diesel engine services revenue. Adding...

Old Dominion Growth Tops 20 Percent.(financial report)(Brief article)
October 26, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Thomasville, N.C.-based regional LTL carrier Old Dominion Freight Line increased revenue more than 20 percent for the tenth consecutive quarter, a result of steady geographic expansion. The company currently...

Stacktrain Pioneer Orris Retiring.(Brief article)
October 26, 2006... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Pacer International Chairman and Chief Executive Donald C. Orris, who is considered the architect of intermodal stacktrain services, will retire next year. Michael E. Uremovich, Pacer vice chairman, made the...

ProLogis Earnings Grow 22 Percent.(financial report)(Brief article)
October 26, 2006... BYLINE: William Hoffman Higher rental rates and continued strong global demand for its distribution facilities earned commercial real estate developer ProLogis $202.1 million in funds from operations in third quarter 2006, up 22 percent...

Dragonair Gets First Conversion Freighter.(Brief article)
October 26, 2006... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Hong Kong-based carrier Dragonair took delivery of the first of five 747-400 conversion freighters Boeing is preparing for it, and said it will start operating the aircraft next month in the peak air freight shipping...

Swift Earnings Nearly Triple.(financial report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 26, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Swift Transportation recorded net earnings of $33.5 million in the third quarter, a 166 percent improvement over $12.6 million in third quarter a year ago. Based on operating revenue which declined 0.3...

Manufacturers' Shipments Drop $6B.(Brief article)
October 26, 2006... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Shipments of manufactured durable goods decreased in September, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Oct. 26 in its advance report, as quarterly reports from trucking companies confirmed a slow quarter for freight...