Logistics Management (Highlands Ranch, CO) articles from March 2005

Logistics Management (Highlands Ranch, CO) archives from March 2005

The ranks of independent LTLs are thinner.(Management update: an executive summary of industry news)
March 1, 2005... The ranks of independent LTLs are thinner now that Yellow Roadway Corp. has purchased USF Corp. for $1.37 billion. Both companies are union outfits, primarily represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. USF, however, has had...

Congestion at the Port of Los Angeles could improve.(Management update: an executive summary of industry news)
March 1, 2005... Congestion at the Port of Los Angeles could improve if discussions about a new intermodal facility bear fruit. The port has begun talks with BNSF Railway Co. about construction of an intermodal container-transfer yard about five miles north of...

Hazmat shipments will have to take the scenic route.(Management update: an executive summary of industry news)
March 1, 2005... Hazmat shipments will have to take the scenic route around the nation's capital for a while. Last month, the District of Columbia's city council adopted an ordinance barring the rail or truck movement of many hazardous materials, including...

The European Union will implement its own hours-of-service rules.(Management update: an executive summary of industry news)
March 1, 2005... The European Union will implement its own hours-of-service rules later this month. The so-called "working time directive" for road transport will take effect on March 23. Under the pending rules, company-employed drivers may not operate...

Wal-Mart will roll out its RFID program to 600 stores.(Management update: an executive summary of industry news)
March 1, 2005... Wal-Mart will roll out its RFID program to 600 stores and 12 distribution centers by December 2005, Chief Information Officer Linda Dillman said at the RFID World conference and exhibition in Dallas earlier this month. The retail giant's RFID...

And the winner is ...(Management update: an executive summary of industry news)
March 1, 2005... And the winner is... DanielWeiss, senior logistics manager for San Francisco-based Gap Inc., is the winner of our "Test Your Logistics IQ" contest. Weiss' name was picked at random from among the 54 logistics professionals who earned perfect...

Are brighter days really here?(Viewpoint)
March 1, 2005... I WOULD LIKE TO THANK the logistics professionals who took part in Logistics Management's 21st Annual Salary Survey. By moving the survey completely online in 2005, we were able to more than double the response rate compared to last year, when...

The trucking industry.(Trucking)
March 1, 2005... The trucking industry pushed through a 0.8% average price hike from December 2004 to January 2005.Truckload carriers drove the hardest bargain, with average prices up 1% over the same time period. Less-than-truckload rates, meanwhile, increased...

After a surprisingly sharp take-off.(Air)
March 1, 2005... After a surprisingly sharp take-off in December, average price inflation for shipping freight on scheduled flights leveled off at a more comfortable cruising altitude in January. Recall that in December the price index for scheduled airfreight...

A U.S. economic recovery.(Water)
March 1, 2005... A U.S. economic recovery is helping fuel a cyclical upturn in prices charged for shipping freight on inland waterways. In January the average price index for those services increased 3.2% from the previous month and 11.9% from the same month a...

The pulp and paper industry.(Rail)
March 1, 2005... The pulp and paper industry leads the way on the inflationary front when it comes to price hikes for shipping via rail. From December 2004 to January 2005, prices for hauling pulp and paper products increased 8.2%.That was the highest monthly...

Highway spending bill on track passage this year: house overwhelmingly votes its support for $284 billion funding authorization. Now it's on to the Senate.(News & Analysis)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Prospects appear brighter for passage of a bill appropriating money to construct, expand, and repave the nation's roadways. Last year, differences between the White House and the Congress over funding stalled the...

Bill would grant truck drivers a break.(Hours Of Service)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Several industry groups are rallying behind proposed legislation that would let truck drivers once again take their rest periods "off the clock." Last month, Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.) sponsored a bill that would allowing...

DOJ probes two railroads' pricing practices.(Regulation)
March 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into how BNSF Railway Co. and the Union Pacific Corp. price their western coal shipments. A DOJ spokesperson confirmed the existence of a probe but would not...

Record rise in truck tonnage.(News Capsule)
March 1, 2005... On a seasonally-adjusted basis, the American Trucking Associations' truck-tonnage index hit a record high after surging by 3.4 percent between December and January. Growing demand for raw materials used in manufacturing is behind the rise, says...

Colorado private fleet offers innovative driver-pay plan.(Driver Retention)
March 1, 2005... DENVER, Colo. -- A private fleet operator is starting to attract national attention for a groundbreaking program that offers drivers incentives for timely, damage-free deliveries. Denver-based American Furniture Warehouse, which owns 65 box...

For the record.(News & Analysis)(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2005... IN THE FEBRUARY 2005 ARTICLE, "The Do's and Don'ts of Third-Party Contracts," author William J. Augello's e-mail address was incorrect. The correct address is williamaugello@comcast.net. IN THE FEBRUARY 2005 BYRNE ON EXCELLENCE column, the...

BNSF Railway and CN have reached a routing protocol agreement that will streamline their exchange of rail traffic at major gateways to improve transit times and asset utilization for customers.(New Services)
March 1, 2005... BNSF Railway and CN have reached a routing protocol agreement that will streamline their exchange of rail traffic at major gateways to improve transit times and asset utilization for customers. The major interchange points for traffic moving...

Matson Navigation Company.(New Services)
March 1, 2005... Matson Navigation Company will launch a new integrated Hawaii-Guam-China service early next year, following the expiration of its current operating alliance. Planned routing for the new service includes Honolulu, Guam, two ports in China, and...

Mainstreet Delivery.(New Services)
March 1, 2005... Mainstreet Delivery, a new full-service delivery company, will handle large household items that typically require specialized handling and on-site setup. The company will deliver to homes and businesses as well as to retailers, distributors,...

Air France and KLM will create a unified management body for their cargo businesses, called "Cargo European House.".(New Services)
March 1, 2005... Air France and KLM will create a unified management body for their cargo businesses, called "Cargo European House. "The goals of this initiative are to create a single commercial offer for optimum customer benefits, consolidate the position of...

XTRA Lease.(New Services)
March 1, 2005... XTRA Lease has purchased the trailer rental business formerly owned by CitiCapital's Transportation Financial Service Group. XTRA Lease will equip the newly acquired over-the-road trailers with FleetView trailer tracking devices, expanding the...

Datebook.(Logistics Briefing)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... April 3-6. COSTHA 2005 Annual Forum. San Diego. Council on Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles. 703-451-4031 or www.costha.com April 4-6. Supply-Chain World North America 2005 Conference. Anaheim, Calif. Supply-Chain Council....

You have a choice of bills of lading for LTL shipments.(Bohman on Pricing)
March 1, 2005... If you're shipping via any of the more than 1,200 less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers that are parties to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC), you'll notice at the end of the NMFC's Rules Section that there are two pro-forma copies...

Cross-border trade: redefining high performance.(Byrne on Excellence)
March 1, 2005... From a supply chain perspective, the promise of cross-border trade is immense. For many companies, international trade represents an opportunity to more cost-effectively source goods and services, enter new markets, and implement higher-margin,...

Pay's up! Salaries finally growing: after a couple of lean years, salaries are riding the wave of a stronger economy.(21st Annual Salary Survey)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... The average annual compensation for logistics professionals who participated in Logistics Management's 2004 Salary Survey was 6.6 percent higher than the previous years average. That pay hike was just one of several indications that the job...

Player, coach or both? It's hard to know how much control to give up when outsourcing logistics operations. Shippers tell what works and what doesn't.(Transportation Trends)
March 1, 2005... Smith & Nephew is in the trauma business, but it doesn't want any emergencies in its distribution system. Like a lot of companies, the $5.7 billion manufacturer of medical supplies prefers to concentrate on its core competency, not on...

3 strategies for tech training: how you train employees to use new technology can determine the success or failure of a project. Here's what works best.(Supply Chain Technology)
March 1, 2005... Effectively training more than 100 warehouse workers to use new technology is no small feat, as CooperVision Inc. discovered last year when it installed a voice-directed picking system in its Rochester, N.Y., distribution center. To...

Buy or borrow? Some carriers and freight forwarders are offering import/export software to their customers. Should you use it, or buy your own?(Global Logistics)
March 1, 2005... Anyone who's involved in international trade knows how complicated it can be. Depending on the countries and commodities involved, importing and exporting can involve hundreds of steps, dozens of documents, and multiple government regulatory...

OSHA's new approach to warehousing: the federal agency is choosing collaboration over confrontation when it comes to improving warehouse ergonomics.(Warehouse & DC: ergonomics)
March 1, 2005... If you mention "OSHA" to a warehouse manager, you're likely to get a frown in response. That's because relations between warehouse operators and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the government's watchdog on industrial safety...

Continental drift: warehousing moves east in the new Europe: the next decade will see European logistics operations shifting eastward but where will the new distribution hubs be, and which players will take the lead?
March 1, 2005... The expansion of the European Union (EU) to include eight Central and Eastern European nations presents logistics challenges for companies that do business in Europe. One of the biggest challenges involves warehousing. The growth of the EU...

Record growth drives expansion at Europe's top ports.
March 1, 2005... All the major ports from Le Havre to Hamburg have profited from the growth in world trade and increased their cargo volumes in 2004. At times, volumes grew so quickly that handling capacities became tight, leading to bottlenecks in import and...

Sharing intelligence: thinking outside the Port: a new strategic program called SHARE encourages ports to think and act collectively to advance the interests of stakeholders.
March 1, 2005... Midway through the first decade of the 21st century, the ports of the Western Hemisphere are facing an unprecedented combination of problems, challenges, and opportunities. It is estimated that total cargo tonnage passing through U.S. ports...

Layer picker stores more in less space.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... An automatic layer-picking system provides an industry first: the ability to store and retrieve layers of cases in a multiple, deep configuration without needing a slave pallet to store and move unit loads at the laver level. Storing and...

New and improved motor carriers' atlas.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The 2005 edition of the Rand McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas features thousands of map and trucking information updates, Maps show the national network of truck-routable highways and additional routes designated by states. Three print...

New lift truck line is built to order.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... The new Veracitor VX series of internal combustion engine lift trucks from Yale offers simplified maintenance, improved ergonomics, and easier customization. Solid-state parts and component commonality minimize downtime and streamline...

Coil lifter eliminates manual lifting.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Eliminate manual lifting of coils with a strap-coil lifter designed to load steel and plastic strap coils onto dispensers for transportation through workspaces. An added benefit of using the lifter is a reduction in damage resulting from...

Easier RFID and bar code print management.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... X.LM (Xtended Label Manager) software from ClearOrbit manages bar code and RFID label compliance using any warehouse management system (WMS) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Using an open architecture, X.LM offers connectivity from...

Touch-screen control for stretch wrappers.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... Touch-screen control is now available for all of Lantech's automated stretch-wrap systems. Special features include five pre-programmed wrap patterns that can be changed by the user and switched on the fly. The control readily accommodates...

We need more shippers' voices in Washington.(Parting Shot)
March 1, 2005... During the 1980s, shippers' interests were well represented in the nation's capital by a host of groups and individuals. They played a significant role in prodding Congress and the president to make transportation deregulation a part of the...