Transport Topics back issues from August 2007:
House Bill Would Tax New Tolls on Interstates; Aimed at Pa., Measure Would Apply Nationally
Aug 06, 2007; ... Lawmakers introduced a bill last week they said would discourage state governments from tolling interstate highways by requiring them to pay a federal excise tax. The bill, introduced by Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) and Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) July 30, was aimed at stopping a ...
Intermodal Planning Hampered By Bureaucracy, GAO Finds
Aug 06, 2007; ... Report Says DOT Focuses on Single Transport Modes The seamless national intermodal transportation system Congress envisioned in 1991 has failed to materialize because funding and bureaucratic barriers have hindered the planning and implementation of many projects, according to a ...
Bridge Collapse Points to Need For Road Funds, Officials Say
Aug 06, 2007; ... The catastrophic collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis last week underscores the need for increased funding for U.S. infrastructure, several transportation officials said. The bridge - part of a major freight route over the Mississippi River - crumbled during rush hour on ...
Private Fleets Track Driver Performance to Raise Productivity
Aug 06, 2007; ... More shipper-owned fleets are tracking driver performance in an effort to boost productivity and mitigate the rising cost of fuel, equipment and labor, said managers of some of the largest private fleets in the United States and Canada in the 2007 edition of the Transport Topics Top 100 Private ...
Panel Approves Barrett's DOT Nomination
Aug 06, 2007; ... The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee voted to approve Thomas Barrett's presidential nomination as deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation on July ...
Correction
Aug 06, 2007; ... The news story "FedEx Freight Cuts Fuel Fees" (7-30, p. 3), should have said the ...
Rail Machinists Reach Tentative Accord
Aug 06, 2007; ... The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reached a tentative agreement with the National Carriers Conference Committee for a contract covering 7,800 railroad machinists, the organization said. The IAM negotiated as part of a union coalition including the ...
Patriot's 2Q Profits, Revenue Rise
Aug 06, 2007; ... Patriot Transportation Holding, Jacksonville, Fla., said its second-quarter net income rose to $2.4 million, or 77 cents a share, from $1.8 million, or 59 cents, a year ago. Patriot is the parent of ...
BMW Picks Penske for Supply Chain Contracts
Aug 06, 2007; ... Penske Logistics said it has secured multiyear logistics contracts with BMW Manufacturing Co. and BMW of North America. Under the contracts, Penske Logistics will manage inbound supply-chain services for production parts from Mexico and select U.S. suppliers into BMWs Spartanburg County, ...
Wabash National's Quarterly Profit Rises
Aug 06, 2007; ... Trailer manufacturer Wabash National Corp., Lafayette, Ind., said its net income rose to $5.9 million, or 18 cents a share, in the second quarter, up from $5 million, or 15 cents, a year earlier. Revenue fell to $294.8 million from $333.5 million a year ago, ...
Weber Distribution Hires New CFO
Aug 06, 2007; ... Weber Distribution, a Santa Fe Springs, Calif., third-party logistics provider, has hired Craig Smith as chief financial officer. Before he joined Weber, Smith was ...
Senate Panel Gives EPA October Deadline To Rule on Calif. Carbon Emissions Request
Aug 06, 2007; ... Just weeks after Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson said he would delay ruling on California's nearly 2-year-old request for approval to limit vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases until the end of the year, a Senate committee passed a bill directing him to decide by ...
UPS, BNSF Cooperate to Speed Shipments By Loading Trailers on Flatcars Near Chicago
Aug 06, 2007; ... HODGKINS, Ill. More than a million packages a day in metropolitan Chicago have an ideal commute. They roll through the back gate of the UPS Inc. facility here and into the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail yard next door - without traveling on a public street - so they can catch a train ...
Freight Railroads Post Mixed 2Q Results
Aug 06, 2007; ... Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., the second-largest U.S. railroad, said its second-quarter earnings fell to $433 million, or $1.20 a share, from $471 million, or $1.27, last year. It is the second consecutive decline in quarterly profit for the company and only the second time since ...
Truck Makers' Income Softened By Sales Declines in N. America
Aug 06, 2007; ... Two global truck manufacturers reported a drop in income in the second quarter of 2007, and a third posted a meager gain, which all three attributed to sharp sales drops in North America. The Volvo Truck Group, Paccar Inc. and DaimlerChrysler Truck Group each reported that robust sales ...
Parts Makers' Profit Drop Tied to Weak Class 8 Sales
Aug 06, 2007; ... Two manufacturers of heavyduty truck components said weak sales to Class 8 builders contributed to lower quarterly profits and that they were diversifying their operations in an effort to insulate themselves from continuing softness in the North American truck market. ArvinMeritor, Troy, ...
ATA Seeks Creation of Database Of Truckers Who Fail Drug Tests
Aug 06, 2007; ... WASHINGTON - Bill Graves, president of American Trucking Associations, urged Congress last week to authorize and fund a centralized national clearinghouse for commercial truck drivers who fail drug and alcohol tests. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would run ...
YRC's Profit, Revenue Fall As Regional Unit Struggles
Aug 06, 2007; ... YRC Worldwide said its second-quarter profit fell 40% from a year earlier, which the largest less-than-truckload carrier attributed to a weak domestic shipping market and difficulties in reorganizing its regional operations. "The quarter was heavily impacted by the weak U.S. shipping ...
Repairing the HOS Rule
Aug 06, 2007; ... It's unfortunate that the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted to vacate portions of the newest hours-of-service rule put forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. But, we believe that FMCSA can meet the court's objections without much hassle or delay. In a letter ...
WASHINGTON: Road Fatalities Drop
Aug 06, 2007; ... BRIEFS OLYMPIA - Highway fatalities in Washington state dropped in all jurisdictions during trie first six months of 2007, the State Patrol reported. Through June 30, 262 people died in traffic collisions, down from 274 during the same period in 2006, die patrol said in a news ...
At Least Nine States Eye Proposals For Truck-Only Highway Lanes
Aug 06, 2007; ... DAYTON, Ohio - With truck traffic rising, at least nine states are considering proposals to separate big rigs from cars on interstate highways, hoping to reduce congestion, improve safety and increase commerce by moving goods faster. The highways are heavily traveled and are being used ...
Letters & Comments
Aug 06, 2007; ... Fifth Wheels Allow me to begin by expressing our appreciation for including information about JOST International in the July 9 edition of TRANSPORT TOPICS' EQUIPMENT & Maintenance Update supplement in an article titled, "On the Care and Feeding of the Humble Fifth Wheel" (E&MU, ...
Delaware to Raise Rt. 1 Tolls, Registration Fees in October
Aug 06, 2007; ... Truckers will pay more to travel on State Route 1 in Delaware, and in-state truckers will pay more to register their trucks in the state after a series of tax and toll increases takes effect in October. The Delaware Department of Transportation said the additional taxes and tolls will ...
Survey Confirms Value of Private Fleets
Aug 06, 2007; ... In a turbulent business environment and coping with mounting corporate expectations, private fleets continue to provide cost-effective transportation and pre-eminent customer service, according to the 2007 Private Fleet Benchmarking Survey just released by the National Private Truck ...
Con-way Freight Promotes Labrie To President
Aug 06, 2007; ... John Labrie was appointed president of less-than-truckload carrier Con-way Freight, the company said July 27. Labrie was previously the company's senior vice president of strategy and enterprise operations. He now will be responsible for strategic initiatives aimed at expansion and ...
Continental Tire, Goodyear, EGL Honored by EPA
Aug 06, 2007; ... Continental Tire, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and air freight forwarder EGL Inc. have been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency's S mart Way program. Tire makers Continental and Goodyear received the agency's SmartWay equipment certification for their respective ...
TEXAS: Toll Roads
Aug 06, 2007; ... Texas should build more toll roads with higher fees to keep up with transportation infrastructure demand, according to an external audit of the Texas Department of Transportation. The audit, which cost more than $3.5 million, was presented to the Texas Transportation Commission July ...
Report Suggests More Driver Training Can Help Reduce Tank Truck Rollovers
Aug 06, 2007; ... A new report has found the majority of tank truck rollover crashes are caused by driver error, but they could be reduced through increased training, the installation of safety technology and improved vehicle design. Prepared for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration by research ...
Online Transport Acquires Assets Of TL Carrier
Aug 06, 2007; ... Online Transport, a Greenfield, Ind., truckload carrier, said it acquired the assets of truckload carrier Lexington Cartage Co., Lexington, Ky. The acquisition added 137 tractors and 542 trailers to Online. The company now has 360 tractors and about 1,200 trailers, said Jim Henry, ...
UPS Offers Simplified Time-Sensitive Deliveries
Aug 06, 2007; ... UPS Inc. has introduced a new service offering time-sensitive deliveries of both small packages and less-than-truckload freight that the company said will simplify urgent deliveries. Customers using the new UPS Express Critical service will have a single point of contact with the ...
McMahon Truck Group Shuffles Management
Aug 06, 2007; ... Patrick McMahon, founder of the McMahon Truck Group, recently resigned from his operating positions in the group s companies. This action is among the final steps in the implementation of a succession plan several years in the making, the company said. Mike McMahon has been elected chief ...
UPS Lawyer Is Appointed Legal Aid Fellow
Aug 06, 2007; ... The Atlanta Legal Aid Society Inc. has announced that Ryan Swift, a lawyer for UPS Inc., has begun a four-month assignment with the Legal Aid Fellowship Program. Swift, who joined UPS as a paralegal in 1997, is based at its Atlanta headquarters. The program's first corporate-sponsored ...
PEOPLE: BRIEFS
Aug 06, 2007; ... Carriers Robert Rambone was recently promoted to vice president of maintenance at the Shevell Group. Rambone will oversee equipment maintenance, equipment purchasing and related functions for all the companies in the Shevell Group. Rambone began his career with the Shevell Group's ...
Private Fleet Managers: Technology Can Help Driver Productivity
Aug 06, 2007; ... Private fleet managers are looking at new ways to increase driver productivity to offset rising transportation costs and meet customer demand for more precise, on-time product deliveries. The focus on drivers is one of the key issues that surfaced in interviews with private fleet ...
Key Reason Shippers Operate Private Fleets Is Customer Service, NPTC Survey Finds
Aug 06, 2007; ... Customer service is increasingly important to shippers that operate their own fleet of trucks, a new survey by the National Private Truck Council finds. NPTC President Gary Petty said nearly three out of four companies surveyed (72%) said the primary reason for operating a private fleet ...
List Reflects Growth In Size and Scope Of Trucking Fleets
Aug 06, 2007; ... The companies listed in this year's edition of TRANSPORT TOPICS' Top 1OO private carriers once again reflect a broad cross-section of American business and a growing market for heavy-duty trucks and trailers. Sysco Corp., Houston, held onto its status as owner of the nation's largest ...
Fleets Weed Out Drivers Likely to Cause Accidents
Aug 06, 2007; ... Trucking fleets - both private and for-hire - said they are taking different steps to weed out the small percentage of bad drivers that studies have shown are responsible for up to 50% of truck-involved accidents. "Within almost any group of commercial drivers, you have a large number of ...
Escapes End Truck-Driving For Inmates
Aug 06, 2007; ... Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Plans for a prison truck-driving school to train state prisoners to drive big rigs have been dropped for now. Arkansas Department of Correction officials still have concerns with the proposal after escapes last year by work-release van ...
Grocery Chains Expand Formats to Entice Shoppers Seeking Choices
Aug 06, 2007; ... CINCINNATI - When Roberta Mand needs groceries, she has a world of choices in her own backyard. For regular shopping, she goes to her neighborhood Kroger Co. store. But for steaks, she prefers the Costco Wholesale Corp. store. For a pecan-encrusted tilapia to take home for dinner, she's ...
Grocery Stores Make Efforts To Get Greener
Aug 06, 2007; ... Kroger Co., Cincinnati, the nations largest traditional grocer, says it has cut energy use by 20% since 2000. Here are some of the steps Kroger and other grocery businesses have taken to get greener: * Each Kroger store has an "energy champion" to lead employee education efforts and look ...
Wal-Mart Stores on Track To Cut Fuel Use by 25%
Aug 06, 2007; ... BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Chief Executive Officer Lee Scott laid out ambitious environmental goals in late 2005 as the world's largest retailer sought to burnish its reputation against mounting criticism. Nearing the two-year mark, Wal-Mart is still compiling a major report on ...
Preventive Maintenance Is Priority for Fleet Service
Aug 06, 2007; ... A survey conducted in conjunction with the TRANSPORT TOPICS 100 provides a peek into the maintenance practices and technology used by private carriers. Out of 42 responses, preventive maintenance was the most common service provided by in-house shops, mentioned by 26 fleets. Next was ...
Wellness Programs Gain Favor With Truck Drivers, Companies
Aug 06, 2007; ... GREEN BAY, Wis. - Truck drivers - the people who deliver Americans' food, cars and clothing - have one of die most dangerous jobs; they were victims of nearly 15% of U.S. work-related fatalities in 2005. And that is counting only the accidents. They are also more at risk than average ...
Technology Makes It Easier To Track Driver Performance
Aug 06, 2007; ... Technology gives private fleet managers data they can use to boost driver productivity. It's also changing the relationship between companies and drivers. "How long a driver takes to make a delivery is very important to us," said Bernie Cassetori, vice president of fleet management for ...
UPS Freight's Fain Promoted To Global Marketing Position
Aug 06, 2007; ... UPS Freight executive John Fain is now taking on global responsibilities tor marketing and sales for the company. Most recently, Fain directed UPS Freight's sales and marketing initiatives in the United States and played a key role in the development and growth of UPS Freight's current ...
Decker's Wrecker Gains Prize in Contest
Aug 06, 2007; ... Decker Truck Line Inc. took home first place in the Super Truck Beauty Contest at the lowa 80 Truckstop's Annual Truckers Jamboree, held July 12-13 in Walcott, Iowa. Decker beat out 15 other entries in the "Lights at Night" category with its 1979 "359" Peterbilt Extended Hood Wrecker, nicknamed ...
General Mills Picks Firms To Be Carriers of the Year
Aug 06, 2007; ... Stevens Transport, Sharkey Transportation and Commercial Carrier Logistics recently received 2007 Carrier of the Year awards from General Mills. General Mills selected the winners for achieving excellent ratings in several areas, including on-time delivery, flexibility and price ...
FLEETS: BRIEFS
Aug 06, 2007; ... Carriers Less-than-truckload carrier Conway Freight recently opened its expanded freight assembly center in Montgomery, N. Y., the company announced. The 67,000-square-foot facility now has 149 dock doors to accommodate the more than 163 trailers and 65 tractors that arrive at the center ...
Truck Fleets Say Retraining After Ruling Disruptive
Aug 06, 2007; ... Officials of truckload and less-than-truckload carriers expressed differing opinions about which industry sector would be more drastically affected by the recent court ruling that overturned key portions of the driver hours-of-service rule. However, they agreed that uncertainty about how ...
Oil Exec Sees Limited Value Of Controlling 'Hot' Fuel
Aug 06, 2007; ... Installing technology on fuel pumps to regulate energy content based on temperature would not guarantee every gallon sold would be equal, an oil executive told a House panel. The "notion that [automatic temperature compensation] would guarantee the same energy content in every gallon is ...
June Tonnage Falls 3.4%
Aug 06, 2007; ... Freight Drop Is 11th in 12 Months, ATA Says Freight volumes fell in June from year-ago levels for the 11th time in 12 months, American Trucking Associations reported last week, even though second-quarter U.S. economic activity rebounded nicely over the disappointing first ...
Diesel Fuel Average Dips 0.3¢ to $2.886; Gasoline Dives 8.2¢; Crude Hits New High
Aug 06, 2007; ... The U.S. average price of diesel fell 0.3 cent to $2.886 a gallon, while the retail gasoline average dropped 8.2 cents to $2.876, the Department of Energy said. The latest prices, reported by DOE after its July 30 survey of fueling stations, marked the first time diesel was more ...
Opponents Spar Over Impact Of Appeals Court's HOS Ruling
Aug 06, 2007; ... Officials on both sides of the debate over revising work rules for commercial drivers presented markedly different interpretations of a recent federal appeals court's ruling striking down portions of the new plan. Trucking industry representatives last week said the hours-of-service ...
UPS Promotes Holmes to President Of Less-Than-Truckload Unit
Aug 06, 2007; ... UPS Inc. said Jack Holmes has been promoted to president of UPS Freight, the company's less-than-truckload arm. Holmes, who has been ...
Oberstar Proposes Bridge Repair Fund, Says Fuel Tax Hike an Option to Pay for It
Aug 13, 2007; ... By Transport Topics Staff The chairman of the House Transportation Committee last week called for a special bridge-repair fund, following the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, and said a temporary federal fuel tax increase was among the options to pay for it. Rep ....
UPS Seeks to Change Union Pension Fund
Aug 13, 2007; ... UPS Inc., the nation's largest single employer of Teamsters, said it is proceeding in talks with a union-related pension plan that could result in the parcel giant's withdrawing from the multi-employer funds that cover current and retired union members. The union reported to its members ...
'Soft' Market Trims 2Q LTL Profits
Aug 13, 2007; ... Less-than-truckload carriers struggled during the second quarter to strike abalance between soft pricing and declining tonnage, with most large publicly traded carriers reporting lower profits than a year earlier. Companies frequently used the words "soft" and "softness" in describing ...
Parcel Giant Switching to Containers on Flatcars To Increase Capacity With Double-Stacking
Aug 13, 2007; ... INTERMODAL CONTAINERS UPS Inc., in order to reduce costs and improve its scheduling, is switching to sending containers on flatcars by rail and moving away from shipping trailers on flatcars. The company made the transition earlier this year on the Union Pacific line running from ...
NTDC to Conduct Blood Drive, Food Donations in Minneapolis
Aug 13, 2007; ... Organizers of the National Truck Driving Championships said they plan to conduct a blood drive and collect donations for America's Second Harvest during the five-day competition in Minneapolis that begins Aug. 21. Nearly 400 drivers from all 50 states are expected to participate in the ...
ATA to Revive Information Tech Council; After Seven Years, Group to Meet at MCE
Aug 13, 2007; ... American Trucking Associations said it is bringing back its Information Technology and Logistics Council to meet a growing demand by ATA carrier members seeking technical and educational opportunities for their IT, logistics and operations managers. The ITLC was shut down in a 2000 ATA ...
Finance Officers to Discuss Efficiency, Management Styles at NAFC Forum
Aug 13, 2007; ... Trucking company finance officers trying to squeeze die last drops of profit out of die dry freight environment will gadier Aug. 15-17 outside of Denver to share tips on management techniques at a forum sponsored by die National Accounting & Finance Council. American Trucking ...
Profit Dips at Quality Distribution
Aug 13, 2007; ... Tank-truck carrier Quality Distribution, Tampa. FIa., said Aug. 8 it earned $2.2 million, or 12 cents a share, in the second quarter, compared with $5.5 million, or 28 cents, a year ago. Revenue rose to $194.6 million from $190.3 million. Also last year, Canadian transportation firm ...
FMCSA, CVSA Focus on Cabotage Enforcement
Aug 13, 2007; ... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Commercial Vehicle Alliance said they are working to enlist state troopers, local police forces and other law enforcement agencies to recognize and enforce truck cabotage rules, CVSA spokesman Steve Keppler said. Under current ...
ATA Voices Its Concerns on SafeStat Data
Aug 13, 2007; ... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration should not post SafeStat scores until the completion of crash reporting studies for all states by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, American Trucking Associations said in a written statement to the House Transportation ...
Rail Traffic Rises, Intermodal Falls, AAR Says
Aug 13, 2007; ... Hail carload traffic rose 1.2% to 338,386 for the week ended Aug. 4, compared with a year earlier, the Association of American Railroads said. AAR also said rail intermodal volume slipped 1 .6% to 237,850 trailers and containers. Container volume gained 1.7%, but trailer Milli ...