Transport Topics back issues from January 2008:
Fuel Costs, Union Contracts, Economy Loom as Major Concerns in New Year
Jan 07, 2008; ... 2008 PREVIEW Don't be surprised if the year ahead looks a lot like the year just ended, with some additional worries for freight carriers. A year ago, many trucking executives and industry analysts expressed concern about the effects of housing and auto production on the demand ...
IRS Assesses FedEx $319 Million In Driver Classification Dispute
Jan 07, 2008; ... The Internal Revenue Service has struck another blow to FedEx Ground's independent contractor business model, assessing the package delivery company back taxes and penalties of $319 million for 2002 after an audit determined that company drivers should have been classified as employees, the ...
TRB Forum May Spark 'Significant Clash' In Discussion of Critical Transport Issues
Jan 07, 2008; ... The Transportation Research Board, which meets next week in Washington, D.C., is expected to provide a forum for discussion of critical transportation issues under the theme "Partnerships for Progress," but participants also face a "significant clash" of objectives, one transport researcher ...
Schneider Retires as Company Chairman; Led Carrier's Growth After Deregulation
Jan 07, 2008; ... Donald Schneider stepped down as chairman of Schneider National Inc. in November after reaching its mandatory retirement age of 72, a company spokeswoman said last week. A new chairman was not announced, although one member of Schneider's board of directors will assume responsibility as ...
Security Procedures to Tighten For Drivers on Military Bases
Jan 07, 2008; ... Congress has passed legislation requiring the Department of Defense to tighten security requirements for the unescorted drivers of thousands of trucks entering military installations to deliver freight each day. A provision in the 2008 defense authorization bill conference report ...
Nov. Tonnage Rises 3.3%
Jan 07, 2008; ... Freight Outlook Remains Weak, Officials Say November truck tonnage increased by 3.3% over the same month a year ago, just the third increase in the past 17 months, according to the latest survey by American Trucking Associations, whose chief economist said the gain was probably not the ...
Texas Transportation Official Williamson Dies of Heart Attack
Jan 07, 2008; ... Texas Transportation Commission Chairman and former state lawmaker Ric Williamson died Dec. 30 of an apparent heart attack. He was 55. Gov. Rick Perry (R) named Williamson to the commission in 2001, and he became its chairman in 2004. The five-member commission oversees the Texas ...
Volvo to Recall 125,000 Class 8 Trucks
Jan 07, 2008; ... Volvo Trucks North America is recalling 125,000 heavy-duty trucks to replace faulty circuit breakers that cause cab fires, according to a notice the company filed with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. Volvo said in the filing that the recall affects its VHD, VNL ...
Sun Capital Acquires Mark IV Industries
Jan 07, 2008; ... Private equity firm Sun Capital Partners said Jan. 2 it acquired Mark IV Industries, a manufacturer of automotive and truck components, mobile communications equipment and small gasoline engines ...
Pa. Rep. Peterson, Tolls Foe, to Retire
Jan 07, 2008; ... Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) said Jan. 3 he would not seek reelection this year. In a statement, Peterson cited "a few chronic, nonthreatening health issues" as the reason for his ...
Smart Move to Acquire Star Alliance
Jan 07, 2008; ... Smart Move Inc. said Jan. 2 it entered into a letter of agreement to acquire the assets of Star Alliance, a privately owned operating division of Arpin Group. Smart Move could acquire assets relating to Star Alliance's real estate brokerage and dura-party relocation ...
Textainer Re-Enters Refrigerated Market
Jan 07, 2008; ... Textainer Group Holdings, San Francisco, said it re-entered the refrigerated container market segment and ordered reefers for delivery this month. Textainer exited the market ...
California Files Lawsuit Against EPA Over Waiver
Jan 07, 2008; ... California has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, seeking to overturn the agency's deniaTof a waiver that would have allowed the state to impose greenhousegas emission limits on automobiles and light trucks beginning in 2009. The petition, filed Jan. 2 in the U.S. Court of ...
FMCSA Revises Training Regulation; To Require Time Behind the Wheel
Jan 07, 2008; ... More than two years after a federal court ordered the agency to issue a new rule on driver training, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration proposed a new rule requiring behind-the-wheel training for the first time. In a rule published Dec. 26, FMCSA also would significantly ...
YRC to Cut 4th-Qtr. Earnings By Up to $750 Mln. After Taxes
Jan 07, 2008; ... Lower Values for USF, Roadway Triggered Drop YRC Worldwide, North America's largest less-than-truckload carrier, said it would cut fourth-quarter earnings by $650 million to $750 million after taxes, reflecting a new, lower valuation of its USF Corp. and Roadway Corp ....
LTLs Drop Joint Pricing As Rate Bureaus Lose Status
Jan 07, 2008; ... The end of collective rate-making is changing the way motor carrier rate bureaus operate and could lead to new pricing strategies by less-than-truckload and household goods carriers. "Carriers are now free to create their own tariff," said Linda Bauer Darr, president of American Moving ...
FedEx Plans to Raise Its Rates For Regional and Longhaul LTL
Jan 07, 2008; ... FedEx Corp., Memphis, Tenn., announced a general rate increase of 5.48% for FedEx Freight, its regional less-than-truckload unit. The increase, which goes into effect Jan. 14, will allow FedEx Freight to continue making "sustained investments in our employees, technology, equipment and ...
Berkshire Hathaway Agrees to Buy 60% Share Of Trucking Supplier Marmon Holdings for $4.5 Bln.
Jan 07, 2008; ... Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said it will purchase 60% of Marmon Holdings Inc. from the Pritzker family for $4.5 billion. Marmon operates more than 125 manufacturing and service businesses, including Union Tank Car, Fontaine Trailer Co. and several other firms that make components for ...
Con-way Makes $415 Mln. Bond Sale; Its CFI Unit to Use Cummins Engines
Jan 07, 2008; ... Con-way Inc., San Mateo, Calif., said it has completed a $415 million bond offering to replace the temporary "bridge" financing the company used to fund its August acquisition of truckload carrier Contract Freighters Inc. "This permanent financing loan was put in place to replace that ...
MAN AG Increases Its Voting Rights In Scania AB
Jan 07, 2008; ... MAN AG, the German truck maker that last summer failed in a takeover attempt of Scania AB, raised its voting rights in its Swedish competitor after switching between two classes of Scania shares. MAN's voting rights in Scania increased to 15.57%, said Cecilia Edstroem, a ...
Even the Good News Isn't Really
Jan 07, 2008; ... These have not been trucking's best days. Even the good news, it seems, is tinged with sourness. For example, for the first time in quite a while, American Trucking Associations' monthly freight tonnage index showed a notable jump in November, compared with the same month from the previous year ....
Letters & Comments
Jan 07, 2008; ... GARB Reefer Rules The op-ed by the California Air Resource Board's enforcement division chief, James Ryden, about the new refrigerated carrier rules (12-10, p. 7) is as expected with CARB: "Ready, FIRE, aim!" How in the world does California expect to enforce railroad operations? ...
Clearing Away the Oil and Energy Fog
Jan 07, 2008; ... Panic is never pretty - and $100 barrels of oil are exhibit "A." While I don't think the "Robber Barons" of OPEC will be any more effective at price fixing over time than any other cartel historically has been - they all fall prey to human psychology - I do think there is a long-term ...
January Gives Business Owners Time for Financial Planning
Jan 07, 2008; ... NEW YORK - Small business owners who expect to hit the ground running when 2008 arrives might want to think about sitting back for a just a bit and doing some strategic and financial planning for the new year. Assessing how you did in 2007 and setting goals for the coming year will ...
High-Tech Wave Makes Products Available to Smaller Carriers
Jan 07, 2008; ... Mobile communications systems have become more attractive and affordable tools for smaller motor carriers, with increasing use of ground-based communications networks and an industry shift to Web-based data management. Those trends were recently embraced by Qualcomm Inc., which in ...
Web-Based Software Is Appealing to Fleets
Jan 07, 2008; ... For some fleet managers and maintenance supervisors today, a routine part of their job is accessing a secure Web site to view, say, fuel expenses for last month or a report on which trucks need servicing in the coming week. They can check that information, thanks to the convergence of ...
Fenway Partners Completes Acquisition Of Fastfrate Inc.
Jan 07, 2008; ... Private equity firm Fenway Partners, New York, said it has completed its acquisition of Fastfrate Inc., a Canadian transportation and logistics firm. Fastfrate's operations include truckload, less-than-truckload and intermodal hauling, plus warehousing, ...
Tolls Rise on Mackinac Bridge To Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Jan 07, 2008; ... Staff and Wire Reports Michigan's Mackinac Bridge Authority approved a series of fare increases for crossing the five-mile span of Interstate 75 in Michigan that links state's upper and lower peninsulas. The first toll increase - to $3.50 an axle from $3 for trucks and to $3 from ...
Health-Care Chains Open New Clinics For Commercial Drivers, Plan to Expand
Jan 07, 2008; ... Two health-care chains - Professional Drivers Medical Depots and Roadside Medical - opened new clinics designed specifically for professional drivers in December and January, respectively, and said they planned to expand in 2008. Roadside Medical, Scottsdale, Ariz., said it would open ...
Washington State Closes Two Bridges
Jan 07, 2008; ... Washington state transportation officials have closed two bridges, one spanning the Columbia River and the other over Salmon Creek. The bridge that carries U.S. Highway 97 over the Columbia south of Goldendale, Wash., closed Jan. 2 for repairs, state transportation officials ...
Diesel Average Increases 3.7¢; Crude Briefly Tops $100 a Barrel
Jan 07, 2008; ... The average price of diesel fuel rose 3.7 cents to $3,345 a gallon last week while the price of crude oil pushed past $100 a barrel for the first time, which analysts said would soon lead to higher fuel prices. Regular gasoline also rose last week, the Energy Department said Dec. 31, ...
ARIZONA: Highway Bypass
Jan 07, 2008; ... BRIEFS ORO VALLEY - The state Transportation Board has been updated on the concept of building bypasses routing long-distance Interstate 10 traffic around Tucson and Phoenix, but decisions on whether to pursue the idea appear months off. The board on Dec. 21 heard a briefing from ...
CALIFORNIA: Bridge Closure
Jan 07, 2008; ... SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has declared a state of emergency in Humboldt County, where transportation officials ordered an unsafe bridge immediately closed. The Martins Ferry Bridge is on a road that links State Highways 101 and 169 and is often the only access from the ...
International Names Bruford Vice President
Jan 07, 2008; ... International Truck and Engine Corp. announced the appointment of Steve Bruford to vice president of global product creation for its truck group. Bruford will provide engineering and product development for parent company Navistar's truck product lines, working at the company's truck ...
Daimler Financial Services Anticipates 'Slow Year,' CEO Says
Jan 07, 2008; ... Daimler Financial Services Americas may make fewer loans to finance purchases of commercial trucks in 2008 as a weakening U.S. economy crimps orders, the unit's chief executive officer said. This year "will be "a slow year," said Klaus Entenmann, who leads the $30 billion lending arm of ...
Quality Completes Boasso Acquisition, Secures Financing
Jan 07, 2008; ... Bulk chemical and tanker hauler Quality Distribution Inc., Tampa, Fla., said it has completed its $58.9 million acquisition of Boasso America Corp., a Chalmette, La., intermodal services company. Quality also announced that it has secured new financing, including a $195 million revolving ...
Larson Cos. in Deal To Distribute OPS-1
Jan 07, 2008; ... Freightliner dealer Larson Cos., Bloomington, Minn., agreed to distribute the OPS-1, an oil refining system manufactured by oil Purification Systems, which is based in ...
Heavy-Duty Purchases Drop More Than 40% From '06
Jan 07, 2008; ... Drought followed flooding in 2007 heavy-duty truck sales as demand for new vehicles fell more than 40% after the record level the year before. Although final annual numbers for U.S. retail sales will not be released until mid-January, volumes appeared to be headed for the lowest level ...
Hours Battle Continued in '07 As Adversaries Went to Court
Jan 07, 2008; ... The eyes of the trucking industry were firmly fixed on Washington for much of 2007, first watching a federal court deliberate over the fate of the hours-of-service rule, then looking to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to see how it would address the court's ruling. In ...
IT Firms Court Smaller Fleets, Continue Consolidation
Jan 07, 2008; ... Information technology vendors took aim at smaller fleets in 2007, offering software and tracking options that don't require carriers to invest in full onboard computer systems. Software company TMW Systems in March unveiled a new software offering known as OnRoute, which allows dispatch ...
Calif. Gov. Pushes CARB to Implement Strict Emission Standards for Fleets
Jan 07, 2008; ... California, a state known for its firsts, was true to its reputation in 2007, staying in the forefront of environmental issues bound to have a major effect on the trucking industry. Only a few weeks after the state rang in the New Year, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) announced ...
Notable Deaths in 2007
Jan 07, 2008; ... Obituaries The trucking industry lost bright entrepreneurs, respected company founders and other prominent figures during 2007. Jack Keller was founder of the Neenah, Wis., firm J.J. Keller & Associates; Gary King created the Jefferson, Ga.-based Trucker Buddy pen-pal ...
'Big Dig,' Nation's Costliest Road Project, Comes to an End
Jan 07, 2008; ... BOSTON - When the clock ran out on 2007, Boston quietly marked the end of one of the most tumultuous eras in the city's history: The "Big Dig," the nation's most complex and costliest highway project, came to an end. But after a history marked by engineering triumphs, tunnel leaks, epic ...
Railroads and Ships Join Trucking as Target for EPA Emission Standards
Jan 07, 2008; ... In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency gave notice that trucking would not be the only industry facing new tougher engine emission standards. EPA In March, the federal government's environmental watchdog agency proposed for the first time sharp cuts in exhaust emissions ...
Pomicter Chosen Dec. Trucker Buddy
Jan 07, 2008; ... Andrew Pomicter, an owner-operator for Dragon & Feline Trucking, Weirsdale, Fla., was selected as Trucker Buddy International's December Driver of the Month. He has been a Trucker Buddy since 2006. Trucker Buddies exchange pen-pal correspondence with schoolchildren. Pomicter has been ...
Eaton Corp. Promotes Bennett, Kazarinoff, Coll in Truck Group
Jan 07, 2008; ... Eaton Corp., manufacturer of drivetrain components for heavy-duty trucks, announced three leadership appointments in the company's Truck Group. Eaton appointed Dave Bennett vice president and general manager for the Truck Group's new Asia-Pacific division, where he will be responsible ...
FLEETS: BRIEFS
Jan 07, 2008; ... Association American Trucking Associations said that members of its America's Road Team delivered a trailer to aid the rebuilding efforts of Greensburg, Kan. The trailer was donated by GE Trailer Fleet Services and will house library books. Road Team captain Steve Fields of Yellow ...
O'Hare Truck Wins Award
Jan 07, 2008; ... O'Hare Truck Service Inc., Northlake, Ill., won the 2007 Zip's Owners Club Heavy-Duty Truck of the Year award. The winning truck was O'Hare's 2006 Kenworth Century 1060S 60-ton Rotator. Finalists were selected from 22 heavy-duty trucks, and the Wisconsin Towing ...
EVENTS
Jan 07, 2008; ... Special Events The American Truck Dealers said Joe Castelli, director of commercial truck sales and marketing for Ford Motor Co., will be the keynote speaker at its annual convention and exposition, which is scheduled for April 26-28 in Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas. The theme of the ...
Toll Lanes Planned for Capital Beltway
Jan 07, 2008; ... The Virginia Department of Transportation has signed agreements with federal and private organizations to establish high-occupancy toll lanes on the Interstate 495 Capital Beltway, VDOT said. Construction of the planned hot lanes on 14 miles of the highway that rings Washington, D.C., ...
Rail, Intermodal Traffic Drop, AAR Says
Jan 07, 2008; ... Rail carload and intermodal traffic fell sharply for the last week of 2007, compared with the same week a year earlier, the Association of American Railroads said Jan. 3. Intermodal traffic fell 8.2% to 158,726 trailers and ...
Fleet Services Firm PHH Scraps Buyout
Jan 07, 2008; ... PHH Corp., the parent of fleet services provider PHH Arval, said Jan. 1 it had abandoned a $1.8 billion buyout offer from General Electric Capital Corp. and private equity firm Blackstone Group because Blackstone could not secure financing. GE Capital, General Electric Co.'s consumer and ...
Velocity Maintains NASDAQ Listing
Jan 07, 2008; ... Parcel carrier Velocity Express Corp., Westport, Conn., said Jan. 3 that it has regained compliance for continued listing on the NASDAQ Stock Market after the company completed a 1-for-15 reverse stock split that pushed the company's shares above the exchange's minimum per-share price of ...
Mass. Turnpike Truck Tolls Increase
Jan 07, 2008; ... Truck tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike at the Route 128 and the Allston-Brighton interchanges, as well as at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels, increased on Jan. 1. Two-axle trucks or buses now pay $1.25 at the interchanges and $5.25 at the tunnels; three-axle vehicles will pay $2 ...
TIA Publishes Compensation Survey
Jan 07, 2008; ... The Transportation Intermediaries Association has published a survey of salary and compensation levels among third-party logistics firms. The survey also provides information on how 3PLs are organized and types of incentives ...
Safety-Kleen Buys Oil Recycler
Jan 07, 2008; ... Safety-Kleen Systems, Piano, Texas, a privately held oil collection, parts cleaner and industrial waste management services company, acquired Advanced Liquid Recycling, Meriden, Conn., Safety-Kleen said. Advanced collects and recycles used oil, oil filters and antifreeze. The company's ...
Noncommerce Drivers Cited More Than Truck Operators, CVSA Says
Jan 07, 2008; ... Noncommercial drivers are nearly three times more likely to be ticketed than are truck drivers, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance said during its weeklong Operation Safe Driver project. For the project, which took place Oct. 21-28, CVSA officers had contact with more than 23,000 ...
Border Program Will Proceed Despite Congress, FMCSA Says
Jan 07, 2008; ... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration intends to move forward with its cross-border trucking pilot project despite a provision in its 2008 budget aimed at killing the program. Before adjourning for 2007, Congress included a provision in a massive $555 billion spending bill that ...
ATA, FMCSA Urge U.S. Court To Reject HOS Rule Appeal
Jan 14, 2008; ... American Trucking Associations and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week asked a federal court to reject the latest attempt to roll back key provisions of the federal driver-hours rule, the latest step in several years of litigation that observers predicted would keep the ...
Panel to Back Fuel Tax Hike
Jan 14, 2008; ... Sources Say Commission Split on Funding Issues The commission charged with examining the future of the national transportation system is set to recommend a significant increase in federal fuel taxes to Congress, according to wire service reports and other sources. However, the ...
Diesel Rises Again; DOE Sees $3.40 Average Into Spring
Jan 14, 2008; ... Diesel fuel prices rose again last week, gaining 3.1 cents to $3.376 a gallon in the Department of Energy's weekly average of filling stations. DOE said average gasoline prices increased 5.6 cents to $3.109. In a separate report, the agency said diesel prices are likely to continue at ...
Sandberg Prepares NITL for Successor; Sees Permanent Head Named by May
Jan 14, 2008; ... Annette Sandberg, the former chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration who is now serving as interim president of the National Industrial Transportation League, said she wants to help the shippers' group select a permanent head by May and prepare an agenda for her successor while ...
Global Supply Chain to Be Focal Point Of SMC^sup 3^ Winter Meeting in Atlanta
Jan 14, 2008; ... The global supply chain and its complexities and risks - including compliance, geopolitics, visibility, inventory management and financing - will be the focal point of SMC^sup 3^'s winter meeting Jan. 22-23 in Atlanta. The conference is SMC^sup 3^'s first since a decision by the Surface ...
Con-way Announces Name Change: CFI to Become Con-way Truckload
Jan 14, 2008; ... Con-way Inc. announced last week it will change the name of Contract Freighters Inc., which it acquired last summer, to Con-way Truckload. The new Con-way Truckload unit, which includes Con-way's existing truckload operations, will have more than 2,800 tractors and 8,000 trailers and is ...
Data Firm Says Holiday Sales Up by 4.5%
Jan 14, 2008; ... Holiday sales in the United States climbed 4.5%, as retailers lured customers with discounts on clothing and electronics, ShopperTrak RCT Corp. said. However, customer visits dropped 2.7% during November and December from a year earlier, the Chicago-based research firm said. This ...