Traffic World articles from October 2007

Traffic World archives from October 2007

Making Sense.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Paul Page When Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters took a strong stand recently against an increase in the federal gas tax, she raised a few eyebrows in the transportation world. Certainly not because a Bush administration...

Wild Shots Against Rails.
October 1, 2007... Frank Wilner, in his never-ending campaign to bring re-regulation back upon the railroad industry, now takes aim at the joint venture created by Norfolk Southern and Watco Companies to preserve rail service on 385 miles of track in Michigan and...

Building the Infrastructure Battle.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Ari Natter Janet F. Kavinoky was in her second day on the job as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce''s director of transportation infrastructure when an official from Dow Chemical gave her an important message. "We have recognized...

Congestion''s Consequence.
October 1, 2007... The Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is calling for an unspecified increase in the federal gas tax based on the bleak results of a national report on congestion released Sept. 18. "What''s clear is the...

Tracking for Trust.(Arkansas Electric Cooperative's legislation)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Ari Natter The train tracks that bring the five million tons of coal a year burned by the Arkansas Electric Cooperative run roughly 1,300 miles from the coal-laden Powder River Basin in Wyoming, but this year the company is getting...

More Hours for FMCSA.(Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Ari Natter The Department of Transportation wants 8,760 additional hours to revise its hours of service rules for truckers. The department asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington for a year in which to revise its rules...

Jackson Resigns from DHS.(Michael P. Jackson)(United States. Department of Homeland Security)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Michael P. Jackson''s departure from the Department of Homeland Security leaves a gap in the department''s senior leadership as DHS is putting into force a series of difficult transport security regulations. The longtime transportation...

FedEx Organizing Against Labor Measure in Senate.
October 1, 2007... FedEx is saying publicly the company is not concerned legislation aimed at changing the company''s status under labor law will become law, but the proposal is still moving through Congress. The measure, which would remove FedEx workers from...

Toys in Reverse.(recalls about faulty products)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Experts say a summer full of alerts and recalls about faulty products made in China for export to the West should reinforce the need for shippers'' due diligence and visibility throughout manufacturers'' supply...

Turning the Page.(Borders Group Inc. close its distribution center)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman The nation''s second-largest bookseller is betting it can shave some of its transportation and distribution costs by consolidating shipments of books with those of multimedia, handled separately until recently. ...

Investors Buy Flash.(Brantley Partners)(Flash Global Logistics LLC.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Private equity group Brantley Partners acquired Flash Global Logistics, a high-tech spare parts delivery specialist based in Pine Brook, N.J., and installed new senior executives to direct the company. "Companies are turning to information...

Saddle Creek Moves Food Faster.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Third-party logistics company Saddle Creek completed construction of a high-volume crossdock facility at its Lakeland, Fla., headquarters to speed transit times for a major food manufacturer. The 98,600-square foot facility is expected to...

Mainfreight Buys Target Logistics.(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Extending its reach halfway around the world, Mainfreight, New Zealand''s largest trucking company, bought Baltimore-based Target Logistics and its subsidiary in Carson, Calif., for $53.7 million in cash. One day later, Target Logistics''...

Intermodal on a Briar Path.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd It''s a tough moment for the intermodal industry. A year of slumping traffic was expected to improve but instead has gotten worse. Most railroads report declining volumes for the year, and the shipping season that...

Rails'' 2007 Intermodal Trends.
October 1, 2007... (37 weeks through Sept. 15) Volume, loads originated Pct Change Carrier and received from 2006 BNSF 3,616,497 -5.6 Union Pacific 2,672,647 +0.9 Norfolk Southern 2,215,163 -4.1 CSX 1,458,982 -3.0 Canadian National...

Shippers Driving Truckload.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher Truckload carriers are bracing for a colder-than-average winter as capacity and fuel prices continue to get in the way of their ability keep a lid on costs. As the freight transportation year moves deeper into...

LTL Woes Weigh on FedEx.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher The country''s largest LTL carrier is feeling the sting from a freight economy that is skidding down the road. FedEx Freight''s operating profit plummeted to $105 million from $150 million, a 30 percent fall from...

YRC Names ex-DHL, FedEx exec Lovetro COO.(Keith E. Lovetro, chief operating officer)(YRC Regional Transportation )(executive)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... YRC Regional Transportation named former top FedEx Freight executive Keith E. Lovetro to the new position of senior vice president and chief operating officer. Lovetro''s move to YRC comes after a short stint as executive vice president of...

''Dear Chairman''.(rail industry regulations)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd When Surface Transportation Board Chairman Charles D. Nottingham asked rail CEOs to update him on peak season conditions and what they are doing to meet shipper needs this year and next, he got all he asked for and...

KCS Settles Dispute.(Kansas City Southern Railway)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Kansas City Southern Railway will pay a Mexican company $54.1 million to settle a dispute over KCS''s 2005 acquisition of a major rail line in that country, clearing away past issues just as the investment nears a big...

CN Takes Chicago.(Canadian National Railway Co.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... In a move that will sharply improve transit times for Canadian National Railway through the key Chicago gateway, CN said it will acquire the major portion of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway from United States Steel for $300 million. ...

STB Chief Names Energy Advisory Panel.(United States. Board of Surface Transportation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Rail regulators will get a lot of help sorting through energy shipment issues after Surface Transportation Board Chairman Charles D. Nottingham named 23 industry and shipper officials to a new panel. The STB said the new Rail Energy...

Riding the Storm.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Michael Fabey FedEx''s latest quarter would make a great remake of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." In the short term, its revenue and profit are up, but FedEx now expects full-year earnings to be dragged down by a trucking...

Alpine Air Climbs Higher.(Alpine Air Express)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Regional cargo airline Alpine Air Express says it is preparing a series of business initiatives now that the carrier is profitable and showing a stronger balance sheet. The Provo, Utah-based carrier says improved pricing in its contracts...

FedEx Enhances UK Presence.(FedEx Express)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... About a month after launching a direct U.S.-U.K. flight linking Memphis and Manchester, FedEx Express says is re-branding its recently-acquired U.K. domestic express company, ANC, as FedEx UK. On Aug. 28, FedEx said it would be flying a...

Northwest Promotes Cargo''s Friedel.(Northwest Airlines Corp.)(Jim Friedel)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Michael Fabey Northwest Airlines, in a major management shuffle following its bankruptcy restructuring, moved cargo division chief Jim Friedel into the airline''s overall leadership in the new position of senior vice president of...

Aim for the Heartland.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto A built-from-scratch container terminal at tiny Prince Rupert, British Columbia, is open, and the Fairview Container Terminal is looking forward to handling cargo. "This is the West Coast bypass to the...

Trans-Pacific Gets Tighter.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Vessel capacity and shipper demand in the eastbound Pacific will reach a balance in 2008, leading to rate increases in the largest U.S. trade lane, a senior APL executive said last week. "It''s not a question...

Maersk Narrows Losses.(Maersk Line)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Maersk Line, the world''s largest container carrier, is narrowing its losses and will return to ''satisfying'' profitability levels in 2009, division manager Eivind Kolding says. "We expect a small profit in 2007, further improvements in...

New Tags for L.A. Port Trucks.(Los Angeles, United States)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Trucks entering marine container terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will be required to be equipped with new electronic tags aimed at bolstering security at the ports beginning Dec. 1. Trucks without TruckTags, issued by...

Louisiana Port Seeks New Ties to China.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Port of South Louisiana is looking as far as China for help with its infrastructure needs. Chinese officials visited the port recently to discuss trade with the Gulf region and ways to improve its inland waterway system. The port gave...

People.(briefs)(VH1 Transport Inc.)(Transportation Insight L.L.C.)(ShipMatrix)
October 1, 2007... VH1 Transport, Chester, Va., named longtime MeadWestvaco logistics executive John Smith director of operations at the freight broker and 3PL. Smith had been logistics director for the manufacturer of paper, packaging and specialty chemicals for...

Caring For ''Astray'' Freight.(Column)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q: My mother passed away not long ago. Even at the age of 94 she''d lived in her own home, and she left a lot of furniture, housewares, etc. I chose to have most of her things shipped to my own home some...

The Back Page.(briefs)(Endless.com)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Time. Residents of five Indiana counties won''t need to set their clocks back an hour when the Department of Transportation shifts them from Central to Eastern Standard Time Nov. 4. That disappoints Hoosier truckers, who hoped they''d gain an...

October 1, 2007.
October 1, 2007... Time. Residents of five Indiana counties won't need to set their clocks back an hour when the Department of Transportation shifts them from Central to Eastern Standard Time Nov. 4.  That disappoints Hoosier truckers, who hoped they'd gain...

Caring For 'Astray' Freight.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q: My mother passed away not long ago. Even at the age of 94 she'd lived in her own home, and she left a lot of furniture, housewares, etc. I chose to have most of her things shipped to my own home some distance...

Building the Infrastructure Battle.(talks with Janet F. Kavinoky)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: Ari Natter Janet F. Kavinoky was in her second day on the job as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's director of transportation infrastructure when an official from Dow Chemical gave her an important message.   "We have...

'Dear Chairman'.
October 1, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd When Surface Transportation Board Chairman Charles D. Nottingham asked rail CEOs to update him on peak season conditions and what they are doing to meet shipper needs this year and next, he got all he asked for and...

Letters 10/01/2007.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... Wild Shots Against Rails Frank Wilner, in his never-ending campaign to bring re-regulation back upon the railroad industry, now takes aim at the joint venture created by Norfolk Southern and Watco Companies to preserve rail service on 385...

UPS, Teamsters Sign Contract.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(International Brotherhood of Teamsters)
October 1, 2007... UPS and the Teamsters union reached a tentative agreement Sunday on a five-year contract covering 240,000 parcel workers at the company, a contract that will trigger an historic restructuring of pensions in the trucking industry. The pact...

Air Freight Surges 6 Percent.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Global air freight traffic jumped 6 percent in August, the strongest growth in 16 months, with sharp gains in Asia and Europe leading an accelerating recovery in air shipping. International air cargo in the Asia-Pacific region grew 8.5...

Court Stays HOS decision.(truck driver hours of service regulations )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Department of Transportation has until Dec. 27 to revise its truck driver hours of service regulations under a 90-day stay granted by a federal appeals court. The court's stay delays implementation of its earlier decision striking the...

UPS Goes Paperless.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(international paperless invoice service )(Brief article)
October 2, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman UPS launched an international paperless invoice service meant to prevent shippers from submitting incomplete documents to U.S. Customs - one of the main reasons shipments are held for clearance - as well as an...

Dentressangle Buys Salvesen.(Brief article)
October 2, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman France's Norbert Dentressangle bought U.K.-based transport and logistics group Christian Salvesen for $518.5 million as European transportation companies consolidate to cut rising fuel costs and road tariffs on the...

Zollars: UPS Contract Benefits YRC.(YRC Worldwide )(Brief article)
October 2, 2007... It's not intentional, but if UPS withdraws from the Central States Pension Plan it will be doing the rest of the unionized trucking industry a big favor, a top trucking executive says. UPS's withdrawal from the Teamster union's Central...

TSA Sets TWIC Enrollment.(Transportation Security Administration)(Transportation Worker Identification Credential)(Brief article)
October 3, 2007... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson Enrollment in the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program will begin Oct. 16 at the Port of Wilmington, Del., the Transportation Security Administration announced Wednesday. The agency and the...

Oil Prices Fall Again.(Brief article)
October 3, 2007... The Department of Energy reported an unexpected increase in crude oil inventories, causing oil prices to fall for a fourth consecutive day on Wednesday. Light sweet crude for November delivery fell 8 cents to $79.97 a barrel. The DOE...

Virginia Gets Clean Truck Program.(Brief article)
October 3, 2007... BYLINE: Joseph Bonney An Environmental Protection Agency program to enable truckers to obtain low-cost loans to purchase trucks with cleaner-burning engines will be launched with a pilot program at Hampton Roads.   The SmartWay...

Guam Drops Rate Case.(Brief article)
October 3, 2007... BYLINE: R.G. Edmonson The government of Guam has withdrawn a complaint before the Surface Transportation Board that effectively brings to an end a 19-year old rate dispute with ocean carriers in the offshore domestic trades. In a Sept....

STB Examines 'Paper Barriers'.(Surface Transportation Board)(Brief article)
October 3, 2007... BYLINE: Ari Natter The Surface Transportation Board plans on issuing a final rule on "paper barriers" sometime this month, but the board's chairman testified before a Senate subcommittee that he has questions about how effective...

Kohl Departing from Knight.(Tim Kohl to quit Knight Transportation Inc.)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... Tim Kohl will leave his post as president of Knight Transportation under what the truckload carrier says is a realignment that will eliminate his responsibilities. The Phoenix-based carrier announced Kohl's departure, effective Oct. 27, in...

Intermodal Rates Increase.
October 4, 2007... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Intermodal rail rates have increased dramatically the past two years and will continue to do so as railroads exert pricing power that other modes "can only dream about," a transportation consultant said Tuesday....

NS Expands Intermodal.
October 4, 2007... BYLINE: Joseph Bonney Growth in international shipments through East Coast ports is showing up in Norfolk Southern Railway's traffic volume. Intermodal traffic now accounts for 22 percent of the eastern railroad's revenue, close behind...

UPS Freight, Teamsters Reach Agreement.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(International Brotherhood of Teamsters)(Brief article)
October 4, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher UPS Freight and the Teamsters union reached a tentative agreement for 125 drivers and dockworkers in Indianapolis. "For more than five decades, the workers at UPS Freight and its predecessor, Overnite...

Rail Traffic Improves Slightly.
October 5, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd September rail freight traffic appeared to show signs of improvement, with a slowing of the declines in some cargo categories and some rebound in others after months of weakness. U.S. railroads saw a 0.9 percent...

CP Closes on DM&E Deal.(Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.)(Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Corp.)(Brief article)
October 5, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Now it's official. Unless the U.S. Surface Transportation Board steps in to change things, the big regional railroad Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern is part of Canadian Pacific Railway. That moves CP a step closer to...

Domestic Air Cargo Remains Stagnant.(Brief article)
October 5, 2007... U.S. domestic air cargo traffic edged up 0.5 percent in August, extending a stagnant year for American carriers as they headed into the peak shipping season, according to figures released Friday by the Air Transport Association.  The...

NMFTA Drops Antitrust Appeal.(National Motor Freight Traffic Association)(Brief article)
October 5, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher The National Motor Freight Traffic Association withdrew its appeal of the Surface Transportation Boards' decision to strip away antitrust immunity for collective rate and classification making and will instead...

FedEx Workers Try Thwarting Plan.(Brief article)
October 5, 2007... FedEx contractor-drivers asked a U.S. judge to block a new program for independent drivers in California Oct. 4, claiming it is a disguised "en masse" firing in response to their winning full-time job status in court, Bloomberg reported. A...

FedEx Feels Labor Heat.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Michael Fabey The tentative agreement between UPS and the Teamsters for parcel workers puts the heat on FedEx.  Not only will FedEx fail to see any additional business from UPS customers worried over a possible Teamsters...

October 8, 2007.(briefs)
October 8, 2007... Promises. Lee Connor, a moderator at the recent National Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association of America government affairs conference, vows to do it again next year. "I'm just glad we are in Washington - so we don't have to keep...

UPS, Teamsters In Agreement.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)(International Brotherhood of Teamsters)
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Michael Fabey The impact of the Sept. 30 tentative agreement on a five-year contract between UPS and the Teamster union representing 240,000 company parcel workers will be immediate, long-lasting and far-reaching.  The...

Pros and Cons of Using Brokers.(Column)
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q: I am a traffic manager for a global fabricating company that handles shipments by all modes of transport both internationally and domestically. In the past our company had controlled outbound shipments only...

U.S. Homeland Security Legislation in the New Congress.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Irvin Varkonyi Lots of fanfare. Many photos. No shortage of claims seeking credit for its success. Such is legislative life Washington. The 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act, signed into law by President Bush on Aug. 3, claims to...

Contract Terms.(United Parcel Service of America Inc. contract with International Brotherhood of Teamsters)
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Paul Page When UPS announced its contract settlement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in 2002, the company headlined the agreement as the "best contract ever." It may not sound quite as catchy, but what UPS and the...

Setting Up Camp.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Ari Natter Norfolk Southern may end up the winner of a last-minute lobbying battle over the conditions of sleeping quarters for track maintenance workers - a small part of safety legislation that could end up affecting the entire...

Pricing Fallout.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: William Hoffman Shippers getting better transportation rates are beginning to see some softness in prices for logistics services as well, and they're pursuing it aggressively, logistics providers say. However, logistics...

Short Sea on Horizon.(Horizon Lines L.L.C.)
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Peter T. Leach, William B. Cassidy Fresh from logistics acquisitions and a redeployment of its fleet, Horizon Lines plans to start two short-sea container shipping services on the East or Gulf coasts in the first half of 2008,...

Rails Shed Workers.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Slower traffic levels for U.S. railroads have manifested themselves in smaller work forces.  U.S. railroads are trimming their ranks here and there this year, laying off a small number of workers, putting...

Cargo Security's Next Phase.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Ari Natter Addressing a group of logistics managers, truck drivers and others whose work revolves around the Port of Baltimore, Brian T. Smith held up a faded piece of paper. "It's an application to the captain of the Port of...

Paying by the Rules.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: John Gallagher Less time on the road for truckers could mean higher costs for shippers, say trucking officials and industry observers.  Look for tighter capacity to put pressure on rates if the trucking industry is...

UPS Freight Workers Ratify Contract.
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Workers at the UPS Freight terminal in Indianapolis ratified their first union contract Sunday, Oct. 7. Newly organized members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters voted 107-1 to accept a tentative...

NYK Opens China Logistics Office.
October 8, 2007... Yusen Air & Sea Service Co., Ltd. announced on Friday that its Hong Kong-based subsidiary, Yusen Air & Sea Service (China) Ltd., has opened a new office in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province. YAS, a core logistics unit of...

ATA Opposes LA-LB Truck Plan.(American Trucking Associations)(ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... The Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference of the American Trucking Associations has joined other transport organizations in urging the Federal Maritime Commission to block a plan to change the economic model for drayage at the ports of Los...

World Signs with Etihad.(Etihad Airways P.J.S.C.)(World Airways Inc.)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... World Airways will provide MD-11 cargo service for Etihad Crystal Cargo to and from airports in Germany, China and India. World Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Aero Logistics, signed a one-year contract to provide wet leased,...

INTTRA Books 1 Million.(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... Ocean freight e-commerce portal INTTRA says a record one million container transactions were booked through the system in September and that it expects to handle 10 percent of the world's ocean container bookings this year. INTTRA says it...

Atlas Wins Air Force One Contract.
October 8, 2007... Cargo airline Atlas Air will train the pilots and flight engineers for Air Force One, the president's aircraft, under a new five-year contract. The airline will train the flight crews at its Atlas Air Training Center in Miami. The current...

Freightliner to Change Name.
October 8, 2007... Freightliner, one of the largest manufacturers of Class 3-8 trucks, will change its corporate name to Daimler Trucks North America, effective January 7, 2008. The move follows divestiture in August of the Chrysler Group from the parent...

Senators Vote to Extend CTL Tax Credit.(coal-to-liquid fuels)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved on Oct. 4 the addition of an alternative fuels tax credit extension to a larger tax package. The amendment offered by Sens. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., and Jay...

Circumference America Launches 3PL.(third party logistics)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... Circumference America opened for business in Jacksonville, Fla., as a non asset-based transportation holding company with operating subsidiaries that focuses on truckload, less-than-truckload, expedited and intermodal transportation services....

Ryder Warns of Low Earnings.(Financial report)
October 8, 2007... Logistics and freight equipment specialist Ryder System says a faltering shipping economy is cutting into its business, slowing its third quarter performance by as much as 9 percent. The Miami-based company says its fleet management...

BAX Global Adds Mexico Flight.(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher BAX Global will add a third flight to Mexico starting Oct. 15. The expanded overnight capacity will serve the Queretaro airport in the country's central "breadbasket" region, where industry is growing alongside...

UPS Expands "Green Fleet" with 306 Alternative Fuel Vehicles.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)
October 8, 2007... Also Launches Biodiesel Initiative At Worldport Air Hub ATLANTA, Oct. 8, 2007 - UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced it was adding 306 alternative fuel vehicles to its "green fleet" by placing an order for 167 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)...

TSA Creates Global Office.(United States. Transportation Security Administration)(Brief article)
October 8, 2007... The Transportation Security Administration launched a new office whose goal is to reach out to foreign partners and overseas operations to improve security. The Office of Global Strategies, headed by 30-year intelligence community veteran...