Traffic World articles from September 2008

Traffic World archives from September 2008

Hub's Phil Yeager Dies.(death of Phillip C. Yeager)(Obituary)
September 30, 2008... Phillip C. Yeager, 80, the founder and chairman of one of the nation's largest freight transportation companies, died on September 29, 2008 from complications from a heart attack. Mr. Yeager, an intermodal industry pioneer, founded Hub Group...

House Ignores Short Line Tax Credit.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter A tax credit for short line railroads passed in the Senate has been passed over by the House. The U.S. House of Representatives recessed without taking up the so-called "tax extenders" bill, which includes a 50...

International Air Freight Slides 2.7 Percent.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... International air freight traffic dropped 2.7 percent in August as a slowdown in air shipping deepened around the world, according to the International Air Transportation Association. Weaker demand in the Asia-Pacific region led the...

STB Approves DM&E Purchase.(Surface Transportation Board)(Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Corp.)(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... The Surface Transportation Board gave conditional approval Tuesday to Canadian Pacific Railway's purchase of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern railroad, giving the go-ahead to the largest rail industry merger in a decade. The three-member...

Votorantim Selects GT Nexus.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The Votorantim Group, a Brazilian industrial conglomerate, selected the trade and logistics portal provided by GT Nexus to centralize its ocean and air freight management. The Web-based on-demand...

NC Trucking Association Elects Chairman.(appointment of Tommy West at North Carolina Trucking Association )(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The North Carolina Trucking Association elected Tommy West as chairman. West, an owner of transportation and logistics provider West Brothers' Companies, was chosen by the general membership of NCTA and will...

Germany Enters 'e-Freight Age'.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Lufthansa Cargo with the cooperation of its partner DB Schenker on Sept. 24 carried the first paperless airfreight shipment from the German market. Lufthansa Passage's flight LH712 left Frankfurt at 5:55...

Expeditors Names CFO.(Bradley S. Powell appointed at Expeditors International of Washington Inc.)(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... Expeditors International of Washington named Bradley S. Powell as its chief financial officer, effective Oct. 1. Powell comes to Expeditors from Eden BioScience, where he served as president, CFO and secretary. He relieves Expeditors...

Consumer Confidence Edged Up in September.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Consumer confidence increased slightly in September, according to a survey conducted before the banking crisis which this week sent the stock market into a steep dive. The Conference Board Consumer...

July Surface Trade Surged 15.9 Percent.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Surface transportation surged in July for trade between the United States and Canada and Mexico. Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement...

Radiant Net Improves.(Radiant Logistics Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Radiant Logistics earned $1.4 million in the year ended June 30, 2008, nearly eight times as much as net income of $163,000 in the previous year. The improvement in Radiant's annual bottom line resulted...

Truckers from CiCi's Pizza's Distribution Company Hit the Road for Special Olympics.
September 30, 2008... Truck drivers from JMC Distribution became part of The World's Largest Truck Convoy Coppell, Texas (Sept. 28, 2008) - Ten truckers from JMC Restaurant Distribution donated time, money and precious gas on Sept. 20, for an 8-mile trek...

Highway Traffic Declines.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Americans drove 3.6 percent less, or 9.6 billion miles fewer, in July 2008 than July 2007, according to a report released Sept. 30 by the Department of Transportation. Since last November, Americans have...

Ex-BA Official Guilty in Price-Fixing.(Keith Packer v. United States. Department of Justice)(British Airways)(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... Keith Packer, the former commercial general manager of British Airways World Cargo, became the highest-ranking executive convicted of charges in the cargo industry's global price-fixing investigation when he pleaded guilty on Monday to...

People.
September 29, 2008... Jacksonville, Fla.-based Crowley Maritime Corporation said that Michael Roberts has rejoined the company as senior vice president and general counsel. Roberts has more than 20 years of experience as an attorney specializing in legislative and...

Expressing Rate Hopes.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page FedEx officials say it's unfair to peg the company's announced rate hike for 2009 at 6.9 percent, but the company may be happy if shippers agree to a price increase at all. Click to Enlarge Along with a...

September 29, 2008.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Banked. One rail expert we know just can't seem to get his mind away from the rail yard as he looks at the financial industry disarray. Clearly, he says of Wall Street, "the piggyback is empty." NFC East. With FedEx chief Fred Smith...

Packaging an Interpretation.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Colin Barrett Q: In the July 14, 2008, issue ("Does Co-mingling Equal Contamination?"), you wrote that "there are no 'rules' as to what hazmats can, or cannot, be properly co-loaded with foodstuffs." How about the Code of...

Transportation's Essential Questions.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Jeffrey Shane We are entering what I think will almost certainly emerge as one of the most interesting and challenging periods for the transportation sector in a long time - probably since transportation was deregulated three...

The 'R' Word.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page Was it just a coincidence last week that while much of Washington was overtaken by a headlong rush toward regulation of battered financial markets, the most comprehensive railroad industry regulatory legislation in many...

A Rocky Global Highway.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher The financial crisis that's putting a new squeeze on freight transportation is also shining harsh light on overseas investment by U.S.-based trucking companies, pushing companies to take a new look at how and where...

Public-Private About-Face.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Perhaps spurred by a dramatic drop in gas tax receipts, some of Congress' staunchest opponents to public-private partnerships for transportation infrastructure are softening their stance. "I believe public-private...

Collaboration on the Menu.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Most logistics companies offer their customers a simple proposition: pay us, and we will route, optimize, warehouse or manage your freight at a lower total cost than you could do yourself. But the Steak n Shake...

Capacity Heads East.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo East Coast ports are looking past a general downturn in shipping demand by pressing ahead with plans to build and expand terminals and capitalize on expected growth in Asian trade, shipper dissatisfaction with...

CN Goes to Court.(Canadian National Railway Co.)
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Canadian National Railway is seeking an express track around the Surface Transportation Board by asking a federal court to approve its purchase of a Chicago-area short line. The railroad wants the U.S. Court of...

Containing the Future.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd Related Story:* Baltimore's Growing Pains As North America's intermodal industry limps through a second year of declining volume, many businesses are planning for the growth that will come once the economy...

Keeping Pace with Price.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher Volatile fuel prices are providing relief for some carriers and causing havoc for others as the trucking industry continues to receive mixed signals on the prospects for stronger freight demand. Shortages of...

Senate Approves Marad Authorization.(Maritime Administration)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... The Senate approved the spending authorization for the Maritime Administration as lawmakers rushed to the end of a fall session with the massive economic bailout and the political campaigns overshadowing legislative work in Congress. The...

STB Review Bill Fails.(Surface Transportation Board)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Legislation changing the way the Surface Transportation Board reviews rail mergers and acquisitions failed in the House last week. Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., the chairman of the House Transportation and...

House Passes Stimulus Package.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter A $60.8 billion economic stimulus package that includes billions of dollars for highway, bridge and other infrastructure construction passed in the House Friday. "This is infrastructure that, too often, we take for...

JAL Drops NY Freighters.(Japan Airlines Company Ltd.)(New York )(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Japan Airlines will drop New York from its freighter schedule next year as it scales back all-cargo service to the United States because of what it calls a "gloomy" economic outlook. JAL also will cut its freighter flights between Tokyo...

Velocity Express Losses Mount.(Financial report)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Losses mounted at Velocity Express in the quarter ending June 28, the company reported last week. Although the time definite regional delivery firm eked out a $700,000 operating income after years of...

Asia Air Freight Dives 6 Percent.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Freight traffic for Asia's airlines fell 6 percent in August as a sharp pullback in capacity triggered the sharpest decline in Asia air cargo business in nearly seven years. Asian carriers scaled back capacity a combined 7.1 percent in...

Con-way Freight's David May is 2008 ATA National Driver of the Year.(American Trucking Associations)
September 29, 2008... Driver Recognized for Dedication to Safety ARLINGTON, Va. - David May, a West Seneca, N.Y., based relay and city driver for Con-way Freight, has been named the American Trucking Associations 2008 National Truck Driver of the Year. The...

Crowley Extends Puerto Rico lease.(Crowley Maritime Corp.)(Puerto Rico. Ports Authority)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Crowley Maritime Corp. announced that its liner services group and the Puerto Rico Port Authority have signed a new lease that will keep Crowley at its Isla Grande terminal for up to 20 years and allow for multimillion-dollar investment by...

NOL Confirms Hapag Bid.
September 29, 2008... Neptune Orient Lines today confirmed it has submitted a binding bid to acquire the Hapag-Lloyd container shipping business. Singapore-based NOL said it submitted its bid to acquire Hapag-Lloyd to parent TUI AG on Sept. 26, the deadline...

Standard Forwarding Company Wins Schneider Logistics "Carrier of the Year Award".(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Green Bay, WI - September, 18 2008 - Standard Forwarding Company has received the prestigious Schneider Logistics Carrier of the Year Award for an unprecedented fifth time! The award is based upon on time service, ease of doing business,...

Congress OKs Fuel Surcharge Pass-Through.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Surcharge pass-through legislation for Department of Defense freight contracts cleared Congress Saturday and is expected to be signed into law by President Bush. The provision, contained in the Department of...

Martinair Adds SA-Europe Capacity.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Beginning in January, Martinair will expand its cargo capacity from Bogota and Quito to Europe. The airline plans one additional weekly flight from each city to meet the increasing needs of the flower export...

Agility Acquires Baisui Logistics.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher Global logistics provider Agility signed an agreement to acquire Baisui United Logistics (Shanghai). The Shanghai-based domestic logistics company expands Agility's domestic network in China with a focus...

Second Bill Proposes National Container Fee.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Cargo interests would pay a national fee of $25 per TEU on containerized imports under legislation introduced by Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Calif. Revenue from the fee would be used to develop freight transportation infrastructure, improve...

Diesel Slips to $3.959.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Thomas L. Gallagher The retail average price for a gallon of diesel fuel dipped one-tenth of a cent this week to $3.959, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Mild damage from hurricanes in...

Transport Stocks in Reverse.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Transportation stocks were hammered on Wall Street's day of decline Monday, with the Dow Jones Transportation Average plunging 247 points, or 5.2 percent. The sharp drop took down airline, trucking, railroad and logistics stocks as...

The ''R'' Word.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page Was it just a coincidence last week that while much of Washington was overtaken by a headlong rush toward regulation of battered financial markets, the most comprehensive railroad industry regulatory legislation in many...

Transportation''s Essential Questions.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Jeffrey Shane We are entering what I think will almost certainly emerge as one of the most interesting and challenging periods for the transportation sector in a long time - probably since transportation was deregulated three...

Congress Agrees on Rail Safety.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter House and Senate negotiators struck a deal last week that could send what some call the most comprehensive rail safety bill in decades to the White House as early as this week. Full details of the bill were not...

Truckers Protest Fuel Costs.
September 29, 2008... High fuel prices cut convoy short, but trucking industry delivers a message on burden of costs Independent truckers organizing a protest against high fuel prices hoped pain at the gas pump would drive 200 or more truckers to Washington...

Legislation On-Board.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Electronic on-board recorders and other potentially costly safety technology may soon be on the docket for the trucking industry. Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate would require EOBRs for all...

Emitting Uncertainty.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Global shippers are increasingly convinced that stricter government regulation of greenhouse gases and other emissions is coming, and would rather have clear rules than the current paralyzing uncertainty about...

RFID''s Promise: Loss Prevention.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Theft and loss prevention and price markdown management are two of the most promising uses for radio frequency identification technologies deployed at the item level in retail environments, according to research recently completed at the...

Baltimore''s Growing Pains.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd The Port of Baltimore faces challenges to develop itself and build business, said Maryland Port Administration spokesman Richard Scher. Its priority list include finding more land for facilities and freight...

Shedding Assets to Gain Freight.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher Carriers starving for freight are looking to make money any way they can, and the companies that specialize in brokering their loads are suddenly competing with them for business. One of the new competitors for...

Teamsters Strike Oak Harbor.(International Brotherhood of Teamsters)(Oak Harbor Freight Lines Inc.)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Teamsters at Pacific Northwestern LTL Oak Harbor Freight Lines called a strike Sept. 22 in the midst of tense labor negotiations as the Auburn, Wash.-based carrier prepares for a surge in fall peak shipping business. The strike affects...

YRC Names Wicks CFO.(YRC Worldwide Inc.)(Timothy A. Wicks, chief financial officer)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... YRC Worldwide named Timothy A. Wicks executive vice president and chief financial officer effective October 13, 2008. Wicks replaces Stephen L. Bruffett, who left YRC to become CFO at Con-way Freight in August. Wicks was most recently...

Hurricanes Hinder Freight.
September 29, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd It''s been weeks since hurricanes Gustav and Ike pummeled the Gulf Coast, battering rail systems around New Orleans and Houston. Now, it''s clear that rail freight volumes won''t make a recovery for many more weeks....

UP Hikes 3Q Earnings Outlook.(Union Pacific Corp.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... The sudden drop in diesel prices lately, along with "strong operating efficiency" means that Union Pacific Railroad will deliver stronger earnings than it first expected in the third quarter. The company said the advantage from the fuel...

London Freight Shifts to Heathrow.(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Air cargo traffic through London is undergoing a major restructuring as airport owners BAA prepare to sell one of London''s three major airports. Under pressure to address its large debt load, BAA said last week it would put London...

World in New Freighter Deal.(World Airways Inc.)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... World Airways has its third significant outsourced freighter deal in the past month, a contract to operate an MD-11 all-cargo aircraft between Europe and Africa for Allied Air. The agreement with Nigeria-based Allied follows a contract...

Developing Votes.
September 29, 2008... The Port of San Diego has "exhausted its legal avenues" to fight a ballot initiative that would change the footprint of the port. San Diego-area voters in November will be asked whether the port''s busy 10th Avenue Marine Terminal should be...

The Back Page.(briefs)(Brief article)
September 29, 2008... Banked. One rail expert we know just can''t seem to get his mind away from the rail yard as he looks at the financial industry disarray. Clearly, he says of Wall Street, "the piggyback is empty." NFC East. With FedEx chief Fred Smith...

Senators: DOJ Should Stop Deal.(Department of Justice)(Brief article)
September 26, 2008... BYLINE: Penelope Brown A pair of Democratic senators has said the Department of Justice should prohibit a proposed deal between UPS and DHL because it violates antitrust laws, the Associated Press reported. Sens. Herb Kohl, D-Wis.,...

GDP Revised Downward.(Gross domestic product)(Brief article)
September 26, 2008... BYLINE: Penelope Brown Economic growth in the second quarter was less robust than previously thought, according to the Commerce Department. The report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows real GDP, a measure of goods and...

Agility Expands in China.(Baisui United Logistics)(Brief article)
September 26, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman Kuwait-based Agility's second major acquisition in China this year further extends the logistics provider's domestic reach in that country's long-haul transportation for the chemical, automotive and fast moving...

Surcharge Legislation Added to Defense Bill.(Brief article)
September 26, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Language that would require fuel surcharges be passed to the party actually buying the fuel has been added to the Senate's Defense authorization bill, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association....

Stimulus Package Stalls in Senate.(Brief article)
September 26, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter An economic stimulus package in the Senate that included billions for transportation infrastructure has stalled, throwing doubt on the fate a similar package being considered in the House. Both chambers' packages,...

Jet Fuel Prices Sink.(Brief article)
September 26, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page Jet fuel prices fell to their lowest point in seven months in major world markets in the week ending Sept. 19, although the impact of major storms kept prices stubbornly high in parts of the United States. The...

Panel Approves DOT Nominee.(United States. Department of Transportation)(John P. Hewko)(Brief article)
September 26, 2008... BYLINE: Paul Page A Senate panel on Friday approved the nomination of John P. Hewko to become assistant secretary of transportation for aviation and international affairs, pushing forward a nomination to a key senior post that had been...

Rail Legislation Could See Vote.(Brief article)
September 26, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., plans to bring rail safety legislation to the Senate floor sometime Friday, he said. The bill's fate was brought into question after it was reported that Sen. Tom Coburn,...

BirdDog Starts Brokerage Unit.(BirdDog Logistics Services)(Brief article)
September 25, 2008... Freight management business BirdDog Solutions is expanding into brokerage with a transportation management subsidiary, BirdDog Logistics Services. Andover, Mass.-based BirdDog says the division will provide services for shippers looking...

Durable Goods Orders Plummet.(Brief article)
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: Penelope Brown New orders for manufactured durable goods dropped to a seven-month low in August, falling 4.5 percent from July, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Year-over-year, orders are down 1.6 percent. Even...

Port Trucking Weathers Legal Challenge.
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have weathered initial legal challenges to their clean-trucks programs and are poised to implement the plans on Oct. 1. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on...

ATA Forecasts Recession.(American Trucking Associations)(Brief article)
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher The American Trucking Associations this week forecast "a mild recession" in the United States as truck tonnage took a sharp turn downward in August. "We are forecasting a mild recession later this year and...

Rail Traffic Brakes Sharply.
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd At least the rail industry could blame the weather. "Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was off sharply" from a year ago in the week ended Sept. 20, said the Association of American Railroads. "Much of the decline...

Schnenker Makes Bid for Romtrans.(DB Schenker)(S.C. Romtrans)
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: William Hoffman DB Schenker launched a bid to acquire S.C. Romtrans, Romania's largest freight forwarding company, to extend its trans-European logistics network in one of the continent's fastest growing economies. The price...

Rail Safety Bill Passes House.(Brief article)
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter The House of Representatives easily approved rail safety legislation Wednesday, but its fate in the Senate isn't as certain. "In the Senate, you never know," said Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., the...

LA Delays Truck Fee.(Port of Los Angeles )(Brief article)
September 25, 2008... The Port of Los Angeles on Wednesday announced that it will delay collection of the $35 per-TEU clean-truck fee to give programmers more time to set up the computer system for the collection of fees. The neighboring Port of Long Beach on...

ATA Supports Bailout.(American Trucking Associations)(Brief article)
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher American Trucking Associations President and CEO William Graves said legislation giving the Treasury Department $700 billion to rescue the financial markets would inject stability into the trucking industry as...

CSX Wraps June Election.
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: John D. Boyd After waging a long, bitter fight against dissident investors led by two activist hedge funds, CSX this week finally concluded its June 25 shareholders election that put four minority directors on its 12-person...

Senate Reveals Second Stimulus Plan.(Brief article)
September 25, 2008... BYLINE: Ari Natter Senate leaders on Thursday unveiled a $56 billion economic stimulus package that includes $10.8 billion to be spent on highways, bridges, airports and other essential components of the nation's transportation system....

Trucker Protest Runs Out of Gas.(Truckers and Citizens United)
September 24, 2008... BYLINE: William B. Cassidy Independent truckers organizing a protest against high fuel prices hoped pain at the gas pump would drive 200 or more truckers to Washington Sept. 23. Instead, fewer than 20 truckers showed up for the rally and...

Teamsters Strike Oak Harbor.(Oak Harbor Freight Lines Inc.)(International Brotherhood of Teamsters)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... BYLINE: John Gallagher Teamsters at Oak Harbor Freight Lines called a strike on Sept. 22 in the midst of tense labor negotiations as the Auburn, Wash.-based carrier prepares for a surge in fall peak shipping business. The strike...

Long Beach Delays Truck Fee.
September 24, 2008... BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo The Port of Long Beach will delay for several weeks the collection of a $35 per-TEU clean-trucks fee that was scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1. In a statement Tuesday, the port explained that it is still...

FedEx Increases Vietnam Capacity.
September 24, 2008... BYLINE: Penelope Brown FedEx is putting more muscle into one of its international routes, adding service in Vietnam that the company says will mean a fivefold increase in daily capacity to and from that country. FedEx said that...

Zollars: YRC 'In Pretty Good Shape'.(YRC Worldwide Inc.)(Brief article)
September 24, 2008... BYLINE: Penelope Brown Despite some analyst concerns that YRC Worldwide might be in danger in light of the current financial crisis, the company's CEO told the Associated Press that there is enough liquidity to maintain operations. ...