Traffic World articles from October 2008

Traffic World archives from October 2008

British Manufacturing Dives Sharply.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A key index of manufacturing in the United Kingdom fell to its lowest point in 17 years in September, a new sign that troubles in the United States economy are spreading overseas. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply purchasing...

Arviem, AscentIQ Form Partnership.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Two providers of supply chain and global trade management services have formed a strategic partnership to serve exporters and importers. Arviem, based in Zurich, Switzerland, and Seattle-based AscentIQ said their service will enable their...

Ports Ready to Enforce Clean-Trucks Plan.
October 1, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Starting Wednesday, all pre-1989 trucks will be banned from the harbor and motor carriers must display concessionaire stickers on their vehicles when they call at the ports of Los Angeles and...

Investor Group Seeks Hapag-Lloyd.(contracts)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... BYLINE: Bruce Barnard A consortium of Hamburg-based investors has edged out Singapore's Neptune Orient Lines in the bidding for Hapag-Lloyd, according to a German press report. The Hamburg investors have offered a little over 4 billion...

Agility Names COO.(Michael Robinson appointed as a chief operating officer at Agility)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Agility, a global logistics provider, has named Michael Robinson as its new chief operating officer for the company's U.S.-based Global Integrated Logistics business group. Robinson joins Agility from Schenker U.S., where he was most...

Martinair Adds Perishables Services.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Martinair Americas has launched four new services for perishable cargo. The services, known as Can do Fresh, Can do Fresh Pre-cool, Can do Thermal and Can Do Thermal Pre-cool, are available from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Miami. They were...

U.S. Manufacturing Plunges.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A key measure of U.S. manufacturing fell to its lowest point since October 2001 in September, adding to worries that the American economy is in the midst of a recession. The Institute for Supply Management's PMI index fell to 43.5 in...

Union Pacific Elects Director.(Michael R. McCarthy)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Union Pacific elected Michael R. McCarthy to the railroad's board of directors, effective Oct. 1. McCarthy serves as chairman of McCarthy Group, an Omaha-based investment firm he co-founded in 1986. He is responsible for the management of...

Crowley Maritime Orders 10 Barges.(Greenbrier Companies Inc.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Crowley Maritime ordered 10 heavy lift series deck cargo barges from the Gunderson Marine division of the Greenbrier Companies. The deck cargo barges measure 400 feet in length and 105 feet wide. They can be used in construction, salvage,...

YRC to Close Topeka Center.(YRC Worldwide Inc.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... YRC Worldwide is closing a revenue management center in Topeka, Kan., at the end of the year. The troubled LTL carrier is offering to transfer 50 of the 86 employees from that facility to company headquarters in Overland Park, Kan. The others...

Con-way Multimodal Enhances Quick Pay.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Con-way Multimodal, the nationwide truckload brokerage division of Menlo Worldwide Logistics, launched an enhanced Quick Pay program which could bring revenue back from the people it pays to carry goods. ...

Investors Drop Pa. Turnpike Offer.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Pennsylvania is looking for a new plan for road funding after a consortium of investors pulled out of a $12.8 billion plan to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike when state lawmakers let their bid expire without moving...

ProLogis Leases in Shanghai.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Commercial real estate developer ProLogis scored two new leases in the popular Chinese market of Shanghai. The Denver-based developer leased 192,000 square feet at its ProLogis Park Jinqiao in Pudong, Shanghai,...

Rail Safety Bill Comes to Senate Floor.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Sweeping rail safety legislation is expected to pass easily in the Senate, where it is scheduled to be brought to the floor Wednesday evening, according to a Senate aide. Dubbed by labor unions as the most...

Second Chance for Short Line Tax Credit.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter A tax credit for short line railroads contained in legislation that the House did not vote on may get a second chance. The legislation, part of the so-called "tax extenders" bill, will be attached to the Wall Street...

President Signs FAA Extension.(Federal Aviation Administration)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... President Bush signed an extension of the Federal Aviation Administration authorization late Tuesday evening, Sept. 30. The legislation provides for programs through March 2009 but deliberately delays until next year contentious and costly...

30,000 UPS Volunteers to Deliver Community Support.(United Parcel Service of America Inc.)
October 1, 2008... ATLANTA, Oct. 1, 2008 -- UPS employees across the globe are rolling up their brown sleeves to do a lot more than deliver packages in October. Throughout the month, UPS employees will participate in the company's Global Volunteer Month, giving...

Enviromodal Offers Surplus Capacity.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman The new Enviromodal Transportation Initiative company out of Jacksonville, Fla., is offering surplus intermodal, railcar and marine capacity that it said will lower consumption of fossil fuels and reduce polluting...

'Battered' Economy Hits Con-way.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Con-way slashed their profit outlook anywhere from 7 to 23 percent as the faltering economy is expected to further cut demand for the truckload and LTL operator. The San Mateo, Calif.-based transportation...

Rail Safety Passes Senate.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Legislators and advocates of new rail safety restrictions are urging President Bush to sign the most sweeping reform in railroad safety in at least a decade. The Senate passed the legislation Wednesday night by a 74-24 margin, only three...

Motorola Closes AirDefense Acquisition.
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Motorola completed its acquisition of wireless LAN security provider AirDefense, which will become a wholly owned subsidiary integrated into the company's Enterprise Mobility business. "The acquisition of...

Genesee & Wyoming Buys Short Lines.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Genesee & Wyoming expanded its holdings in the South and Midwest with the acquisition Oct. 1 of the Georgia Southwestern Railroad and the ten short lines in the Ohio Central Railroad System. GWI paid $16.5...

Manufacturers' Orders, Shipments Drop.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Shipments and new orders for manufactured goods in August fell harder than any time in the last two years, according to a report Thursday from the U.S. Census Bureau. The steep declines in the national...

Kerry Launches China-ASEAN Trucking.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Kerry Asia Road Transport launched service between China and Thailand and plans to carry freight to Vietnam later in the year. The cross border trucking enterprise connects KART's Southeast Asian network...

LAX Air Freight Dives.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Freight traffic at Los Angeles International Airport plunged 16 percent in August, a stark sign of a deepening slowdown in the trans-Pacific air cargo market heading into the critical peak shipping season. The drop was the ninth straight...

LA-Long Beach Program Slows Truck Traffic.
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo Truck traffic in Los Angeles-Long Beach was down considerably Wednesday morning as the ports launched their clean-trucks programs to reduce pollution in the harbor area. On a positive note, marine terminal...

Schwarzenegger Rejects Lowenthal Bill.(Arnold Schwarzenegger)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo LONG BEACH, Calif. -- For the third consecutive year, Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has refused to sign legislation that would have levied a $30-per-TEU fee on cargo moving through the ports of Los Angeles,...

Yang Ming Spins Off Dry Bulk.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Yang Ming Group announced it will spin off its bulk operations to its subsidiary, Kuang Ming Shipping Corp., effective Oct. 1.   The Taiwan-based company in a release said the decision follows the rapid expansion of its tramp business and...

FMC Appoints Counsel, Secretary.(Federal Maritime Commission)(appointment of Peter J. King and Karen V. Gregory )(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... The Federal Maritime Commission has appointed two senior staff members to positions they had been holding on a temporary basis. Peter J. King was appointed general counsel. He has been acting general counsel since February. He has been with...

Ex-Horizon, Sea Star Execs Plead Guilty.
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Joseph Bonney Four former executives of Horizon Lines and Sea Star Line have agreed to plead guilty and serve jail sentences for participating in what the Justice Department said was "a wide-ranging conspiracy to rig bids, fix...

Mica: Bush to Sign Rail Safety Bill.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter President Bush intends to sign recently passed rail safety legislation into law, according to Rep. John L. Mica, the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Mica, who has been in...

Schneider Implements Manhattan Software.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Schneider National is optimizing loads and drivers with software from Manhattan Associates. The nation's largest truckload carrier will use Manhattan Carrier Drop&Swap across its van/truckload and bulk...

U.S. Xpress to Acquire Smith Stake.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher U.S. Xpress Enterprises will acquire a 47 percent interest in Smith Transport and its affiliated companies. The nation's third-largest privately-owned truckload carrier will beef up its eastern U.S. capacity...

Rail Traffic Slammed.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Hurricane Ike and the national credit crunch combined for a one-two punch that clobbered freight rail traffic in September. In the week ending Sept. 27, U.S. rails carried 3.6 percent less tonnage than in...

Peters Gives Nod to Rail Safety Bill.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said Thursday that President Bush will sign the railroad safety legislation approved by Congress this week.  "We remain committed to working with Congress to implement...

UP, Dairyland Power Settle Surcharge Case.(Union Pacific Railroad Co.)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd A major shipper complaint against fuel surcharges levied by Union Pacific Railroad appears headed for private settlement, after Dairyland Power Cooperative asked regulators to put a hold on its case. "Dairyland and...

First ACE Roll-Out Needs Testing.
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo SAN DIEGO -- Customs and Border Protection is asking the trade community to participate in an early roll-out of a new automated entry filing system, and industry experts are advising companies to accept the...

AADA Cuts Bunker Charges.(Asia-Australia Discussion Agreement)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... Member lines of the Asia-Australia Discussion Agreement announced plans to further lower bunker surcharges imposed earlier on cargo moving from China and Hong Kong to Australia. In a notice to the trade, the 13-member group said the...

Border Bridge Owner Eyes Legal Fight.
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: Courtney Tower The owners of the busiest commercial bridge crossing linking the United States and Canada say they'll sue if their plan for a new span is not approved by government authorities. Following a rejection by the...

Descartes Buys Dexx.
October 3, 2008... Descartes Systems Group, the Ontario-based logistics software provider, announced it has acquired Dexx, a Belgium-based European customs filing and logistics messaging provider. The purchase price for the acquisition was approximately...

Tokyo Containers Gain.(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: Hisane Masaki TOKYO -- The Port of Tokyo handled 315,234 TEUs in foreign trade in May, the first increase in two months, and up 0.9 percent from the same a month a year ago, according to preliminary figures released by the Tokyo...

Ryder to Acquire Trans-Pacific Services.
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Ryder System will expand its reach into Asia and Canada with the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Transpacific Container Terminal and CRSA Logistics. CRSA Logistics provides trans-Pacific...

Power Freight Names Senior Sales Executive.
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Power Freight Systems named Chris Liberty as its new vice president of sales and marketing. He will be based at the 3PL's Newark, Calif. headquarters. Liberty is an experienced sales and marketing executive....

Etihad Cargo Expands in Thailand.(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Etihad Crystal Cargo will handle its own cargo sales and customer service in Thailand. The move comes as the cargo division of the United Arab Emirates national airline Etihad Airways expands its presence in...

FRA Bans Cell Phones in Locomotives.(United States. Federal Railroad Administration)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd The Federal Railroad Administration is ordering a halt to railroad operators using cell phones and other personal wireless devices while running a train, and restricting how even company-supplied equipment may be used....

STB Slows NS-Pan Am Deal.(Norfolk Southern Corp. contract with Norfolk Southern Railway)(Surface Transportation Board)
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Norfolk Southern Railway's bid to unite with Pan Am Railways in a New England joint venture network will go slower than first expected, after the Surface Transportation Board decided to conduct a limited environmental...

Ship Orders Collapse.
October 3, 2008... Orders for new container ships are drying up as vessel charter rates and ocean freight rates tumble and volume growth slows on key liner trade routes. Enquiries to shipbuilders about new tonnage have "hit the floor," said London-based...

Candy Shippers Scare Up Business.(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... With news on the economy getting more frightful, more consumers want to be spooked out of everyday realities on Halloween. A survey shows more people are planning Halloween celebrations as a way to let loose - good news for shippers of...

Saia Lays Off 400.
October 3, 2008... Less-than-truckload carrier Saia laid off approximately 400 workers in the face of falling demand for the peak season. The 5 percent cut in a workforce of 8,200 is a response to what the company called "an uncertain economic environment,"...

Con-way Freight Honored by Tennessee Trucking Association.
October 3, 2008... Company Receives First-Place Safety Award in Less-Than-Truckload Division ANN ARBOR, Mich. i Oct. 2, 2008 i Con-way Freight received a first-place fleet safety award at Tennessee Trucking Association's (TTA) Annual Convention. The...

Short Line Credit Tucked Into Bailout.(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter A tax credit for short line railroad infrastructure and the installation of technology designed to reduce the idling of heavy-duty trucks has been sent to the President's desk, part of the broader $700 billion Wall...

YRC Taps Credit for $325 Million.(YRC Worldwide Inc.)(Brief article)
October 3, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher YRC Worldwide, nervous about the potential for a lockdown in the credit markets meltdown, drew $325 million from $725 million in credit lines to pay off senior debts. "Given the unrest in the credit markets, we...

Unwarranted.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page Transportation deregulation has gotten more attention in the past month than it had in the previous 28 years, but it isn''t the sort of attention that anyone interested in the movement of goods should want. That''s...

DC Demand Caving In.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman The doors are slamming on the decade-long boom in commercial real estate, including warehouses and distribution centers. The weakening economy, falling imports, rising materials costs and the spreading credit crisis...

CP-DM&E Deal Approved.(Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. contract with Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Corp.)
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Canadian Pacific Railway got all it wanted when the Surface Transportation Board approved its $1.5 billion purchase of U.S. regional Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad. It is the largest rail merger in a decade...

Safety Bill on Track.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter The rail industry will have to spend billions of dollars on rail safety projects under a bill expected to become law, and not everyone believes it can - or will - meet its deadlines. The bill would bring broad...

OOIDA''s Surcharge Charge.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Legislation that for the first time requires fuel surcharges be passed through to owner-operators and other drivers who purchase fuel is on its way to the president''s desk. The scope of the legislation is limited -...

House Passes Infrastructure Package.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Suddenly, $60.8 billion doesn''t seem like so much. Dwarfed by a proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout package, a $60.8 billion economic stimulus package that includes billions for highways, bridges and other infrastructure passed in...

Name Game.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: Bill DiBenedetto Supply chain experts have been trying to define "3PL" since the birth of third-party logistics. A new law takes a stab at it, but not everyone agrees with the result. Buried in Section 235 of the Consumer...

Schenker Seeks Romanian Expansion.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman DB Schenker launched a bid to acquire Romania''s largest freight forwarding company to extend its trans-European logistics network in one of the continent''s fastest growing economies. Schenker has operated its...

Marks & Spencer Contracts With ProLogis.
October 6, 2008... U.K.-based fashion, food and home products retailer Marks & Spencer contracted with commercial real estate developer ProLogis to build a 1.1 million square foot distribution center in northern England. The value of the project was not...

Agility Adds in China.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Agility''s second major acquisition in China this year extends the logistics provider''s domestic reach in that country''s long-haul transportation for the chemical, automotive and fast moving consumer goods sectors. Baisui United...

Sold on Innovation.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Retailers faced with their most challenging holiday season in a decade may look to technology or new distribution channels to bolster sales and profits, but their surest route might be simply taking better control...

Gloomy Highways.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher The financial disaster barreling down Wall Street could sideswipe shippers and carriers slogging through a two-year long downturn in the trucking industry. Carriers are already bracing for an even tougher road...

Clean Trucks Hit the Ports.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher As the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach prepared to start their Clean Trucks Program last week, a federal agency launched an investigation into whether the program breaks federal law. The Federal Maritime...

YRC Cuts Jobs, Closes Administrative Center.(YRC Worldwide Inc.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... YRC Worldwide is eliminating an administration center in Topeka, Kan., as the company struggles to align costs with weak business volume. Approximately 50 of the 90 jobs at the center will be transferred to the company''s Overland Park,...

Velocity Posts $45 Million Loss.(Financial report)
October 6, 2008... Velocity Express lost $45.2 million in the fiscal quarter ending June 28 as a result of weak demand and increasing pressure on rates. In a delayed Securities and Exchange Commission filing released Sept. 26, the regional express carrier...

Hub''s Yeager Dies.(death of Phillip C. Yeager)
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd As a boy in Bellevue, Ky., Phillip C. Yeager lived through the Great Depression and sometimes earned a nickel or a doughnut for delivering meat from his family''s butcher shop. It was the start of a life in...

STB Slows NS-Pan Am Deal.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Norfolk Southern Railway''s bid to unite with Pan Am Railways in a New England joint venture network will go slower than first expected, after the Surface Transportation Board decided to conduct a limited environmental...

CSX Dissidents Take a Seat.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd After waging a long, bitter fight against dissident investors led by two activist hedge funds, CSX late last month finally concluded its shareholders election from June that put four minority directors on its 12-person...

Storms Stop, Damage Continues.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Hurricane Ike might have missed landing its hardest punch to the nation''s rail system, but even the storm''s near-miss was powerful enough to knock U.S. rail traffic into one of its largest losses of the past decade....

Asia''s Capacity for Cuts.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page Air capacity is shifting away from weakening Asia markets and U.S. shippers and forwarders are starting to feel the impact. Japan Airlines, one of the largest operators in trans-Pacific air trade, last week made the...

New Price-Fixing Plea.
October 6, 2008... The global probe of price-fixing allegations in the air cargo industry has its highest-ranking executive yet heading to jail and the investigation may be far from over. Keith Packer, whose position as commercial general manager of British...

Mail Volume in Sharp Drop.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... The shipping downturn is in the mail. The U.S. Postal Service is freezing hiring and cutting back other spending as it copes with a dramatic decline in mail volume, including sharp drops in its expedited services. Overall mail volume...

Shippers'' Antitrust Attack.
October 6, 2008... Organizations representing shippers in North America, Europe and Asia have called for a further reduction in ability of ocean carriers to collectively discuss rates and services. The Global Shippers Forum, in a joint declaration after its...

Ship Orders Collapse.
October 6, 2008... Orders for new container ships are drying up as vessel charter rates and ocean freight rates tumble and volume growth slows on key liner trade routes. Enquiries to shipbuilders about new tonnage have "hit the floor," said London-based...

People.(appointments)(briefs)
October 6, 2008... Transplace, Frisco, Texas, named Bill Hale vice president for marketing and business development at the third-party logistics company. A 15-year industry veteran, Hale had been director of sales and marketing at Daylight Transport and worked...

Rail Cars in a ''Constructive'' Place.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q: We are a grain shipper and have a large export elevator in the Gulf coast area. The elevator is a 100-car train receiver. We can unload a 100-car train in 12-16 hours. We have a grain train program with a...

The Back Page.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Hidden. The Transportation Security Administration says it found two "artfully concealed prohibited items" at airport checkpoints. Artfully concealed? It sounds like TSA had some grudging respect for those concealment efforts. Commerce. We...

Asia's Capacity for Cuts.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page Air capacity is shifting away from weakening Asia markets and U.S. shippers and forwarders are starting to feel the impact. Japan Airlines, one of the largest operators in trans-Pacific air trade, last week made the...

October 6, 2008.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Hidden. The Transportation Security Administration says it found two "artfully concealed prohibited items" at airport checkpoints. Artfully concealed? It sounds like TSA had some grudging respect for those concealment efforts. Commerce. We...

Rail Cars in a 'Constructive' Place.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q:We are a grain shipper and have a large export elevator in the Gulf coast area. The elevator is a 100-car train receiver. We can unload a 100-car train in 12-16 hours. We have a grain train program with a major...

DC Demand Caving In.
October 6, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman The doors are slamming on the decade-long boom in commercial real estate, including warehouses and distribution centers. The weakening economy, falling imports, rising materials costs and the spreading credit crisis...

Shippers' Antitrust Attack.
October 6, 2008... Organizations representing shippers in North America, Europe and Asia have called for a further reduction in ability of ocean carriers to collectively discuss rates and services. The Global Shippers Forum, in a joint declaration after its...