Transport Topics back issues from March 2008:
Jan. Tonnage Grows 5.3%; Third Consecutive Increase
Mar 03, 2008; ... Truck tonnage in January posted its biggest gain since the beginning of 2005, climbing 5.3% above year-ago levels and marking the third consecutive increase for the monthly index, American Trucking Associations reported Feb. 26. However, the encouraging report on tonnage coincided with a ...
Diesel Hits Record $3.552
Mar 03, 2008; ... Fuel Is $1 Above Year Ago After 15.6¢ Gain The average retail price of diesel fuel jumped 15.6 cents a gallon to a new record of $3.552 last week, more than 10 cents above the previous record, which was set Nov. 26. Analysts cited high demand for heating oil and the surge of ...
B.C. Proposes Carbon Tax To Spur Emissions Reductions
Mar 03, 2008; ... The British Columbia government is planning to impose a carbon tax on fossil fuels beginning on July 1, the most comprehensive tax of its kind in North America. The tax is scheduled to apply to diesel, gasoline, natural gas, coal, propane and home-heating fuel. The diesel tax would be ...
Fleets Search for Savings Through Strategic Equipment Purchases
Mar 03, 2008; ... TRUCKLOAD CARRIERS/BEST PRACTICES With fuel prices at a record and the economy teetering at the brink of a recession that could cut into carrier revenue, some truckload carriers are pushing harder for savings by using lighter trailers, limiting idling to save fuel and shortening trade-in ...
Avon Mountain Truck Ramp Opens; Conn. Lifts Truck Ban on Route 44
Mar 03, 2008; ... The Connecticut Department of Transportation opened a 700-foot runaway truck ramp on Route 44 in Avon, Conn, on Feb. 21, ending a five-month truck ban in the area. "We're glad they built it, glad it's there, and we hope we never have to use it," said Michael Riley, president of the Motor ...
Movers, Forwarders File Protest With GAO, Claiming DOD Plan Lacks Information
Mar 03, 2008; ... A group of 62 movers and household goods freight forwarders seeks to delay a Department of Defense program called Families First that is designed to help members of the U.S. military move household belongings and baggage throughout the world. In a protest filed with the Government ...
Ariz. Panel Backs Road-Partnership Bills But Rejects Giving DOT Wider Authority
Mar 03, 2008; ... An Arizona Senate panel approved several bills last month that would lead to the creation of certain public-private partnerships, but it rejected other measures that would have given the state's Department of Transportation wider authority to seek additional partnerships. The state's ...
Volvo, UAW to Resume Talks Aimed at Ending VTNA Strike
Mar 03, 2008; ... Volvo Tracks North America and the United Auto Workers said they have agreed to resume talks aimed at ending a strike that has shuttered Volvo's sole North American heavy-duty assembly plant in Dublin, Va., since Feb. 1. "The strike is still on, but the UAW International has contacted us ...
European Truck Sales Surge in January
Mar 03, 2008; ... European truck sales jumped 23% in January over a year earlier, led by gains in France and the United Kingdom, as transport firms expanded their fleets and replaced aging vehicles. Sales totaled 30,299 vehicles in January, up from ...
Navistar Refiles Engine Suit Against Ford
Mar 03, 2008; ... Navistar International Corp. said it refiled a lawsuit against Ford Motor seeking "hundreds of millions of dollars" over an alleged contract breech to make thesel engines for Ford medium-duty trucks. A Chicago judge dismissed the suit last year, advising botii sides to mediate their ...
Jan. Container Imports Decline in So. Calif.
Mar 03, 2008; ... Container imports at the Southem California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach declined nearly 9% to 663,535 in January, compared with a year ago, according to Merrill Lynch Transport Tracker. The latest statistics ...
EPA to Hold Workshop on Test Protocol
Mar 03, 2008; ... The Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled a workshop for March 19-20 in Washington, D.C., to discuss a draft proposal to measure greenhouse gas emissions and fuel ...
Clarification
Mar 03, 2008; ... The news article "FMCSA to Test Updated Oversight Program Aimed at Early Identification of Problems" (2-25, p. 2) should have said the agency's new program ...
RoadLink Acquires West Coast Trucking
Mar 03, 2008; ... Intermodal trucking firm RoadLink, Atlanta, said it purchased West Coast Trucking in Seattle in a move to expand its services in die Pacific Northwest and Canada. Terms were not announced. WCT operates with a fleet of ...
L.A. Port May Choose O-O Ban In Emissions Plan, Official Says
Mar 03, 2008; ... Program Would Require Drivers to Be Employees A commissioner with the Port of Los Angeles said last week the nation's Dusiest port was leaning toward adopting a clean trucks plan that would require drayage operators to be employees of registered motor carriers. "We share the same ...
Oregon's New Safety Plan Focuses on Truck Drivers
Mar 03, 2008; ... The Oregon Department of Transportation has debuted a new truck safety plan in conjunction with the state's trucking industry that will include increased driver inspection events. "In Oregon, we recognize that the driver is key," said Gregg Dal Ponte, administrator of the motor carrier ...
Dem. Governors Confront Peters On Federal Aid for Infrastructure
Mar 03, 2008; ... WASHINGTON - Transportation secretary Mary Peters found new sparring partners last week, as several Democratic state governors lashed out at her proposals to increase the use of private funding, tolling and congestion pricing while cutting back on federal financing of transportation ...
DHL, Teamsters Reach Tentative Agreement On National Labor Contract for Its Workers
Mar 03, 2008; ... DHL Worldwide Express and die Teamsters union reached a tentative agreement Feb. 27 on a national labor contract for about 10,500 DHL employees in the United States. "This agreement is truly historic," said Brad Slawson Sr., chairman of the Teamsters negotiating committee. "It is the ...
Overlapping Security Hurting Truckers At U.S. Border, Canadian Officials Say
Mar 03, 2008; ... The Canadian Trucking Alliance told a parliamentary committee the Canadian tracking industry is being disproportionately hurt by overlapEing security programs at the U.S. order, a weak U.S. dollar and high fuel prices. "The big picture - an appropriate balance between security and trade ...
Day & Ross Purchases Wesbell Logistics
Mar 03, 2008; ... Wesbell Logistics, Mississauga, Ontario, a company that provides trucking and distribution services in central and eastern Canada, has been sold to Day & Ross Transportation Group, a division of McCain Foods Limited. Wesbell specializes in dedicated contract carriage and automotive ...
Haldex Plans to Restructure; Concentric Deal Is First Step
Mar 03, 2008; ... Haldex Group, a global supplier of brake and engine components for trucks basedin Sweden, said its purchase last month of Concentric, a supplier of oil, water and fuel pumps for diesel engines, is the first step in a plan to restructure its business. Haldex will "actively evaluate ...
Skyrocketing Fuel Prices Add Pain
Mar 03, 2008; ... As if a slowing economy, depressed housing and auto markets and sharply rising consumer prices aren't bad enough news for trucking, fuel prices are skyrocketing again. Retail diesel prices have risen 27.2 cents a gallon over the past two weeks, according to the Department of Energy, and ...
Letters & Comments
Mar 03, 2008; ... Port Restrictions This is in response to the Port of Long Beach's idea to restrict trucks at the port. It sounds like they are trying to eliminate owner-operators by forcing them to upgrade their trucks when they can barely survive with the cost of fuel and insurance, among other things, ...
Be Ready to Explain Your SAFER Scores
Mar 03, 2008; ... Look closely at the tractors traveling down the road today and see if you can spot the real-time digital readout of the unit's Safety and Fitness Electronic Becord System scores. They're like the display on your bathroom scale, with numbers that glow bright red and fluctuate with every move you ...
LTL Executives Advised on Budgeting, Coping With Fuel Prices Staying High
Mar 03, 2008; ... SAN DIEGO - Less-than-truckload carrier executives, hemmed in by high fuel prices, met here and searched for ways to make their diesel and gasoline budgets go farther. While the members of the Distribution & LTL Carriers Association did gather a number of suggestions for their ...
Minn. Legislature Overrides Veto By Governor of Transport Bill
Mar 03, 2008; ... ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Legislature voted Feb. 25 to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty's (R) veto of a $6.6 billion bill, paving the way for higher fuel taxes and other fees to bring in more money for roads, bridges and transit. The critical vote was recorded in the House, where six ...
Senator Proposes Plan to Repeal Tolls, Lease Pennsylvania Turnpike in Sections
Mar 03, 2008; ... A Pennsylvania state senator has introduced a bill proposing the repeal of a law allowing tolling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and leasing the road in sections to raise funds for transportation projects. Sen. John Gordner (B) introduced legislation late last month that he said would ...
IDAHO: Tolls Rejected
Mar 03, 2008; ... BRIEFS BOISE - The Senate Transportation Committee has killed a measure to let local highway authorities erect toll roads in Idaho, which is a phenomenon that harkens back to Idaho's territorial days but that has long since fallen out of favor. State Sen. Tim Corder (B), a ...
KENTUCKY: Repair Funds
Mar 03, 2008; ... Kentuckys emergency road and bridge funds are low for the second half of the fiscal year. According to accounts, Gov. Ernie Fletcher (B) spent about $65 million from the Highway Construction Contingency Account during the first half of the fiscal year. After four years in office, he was ...
MAINE: Interstate 295
Mar 03, 2008; ... AUGUSTA - Highway officials are considering shutting down the southbound lanes of a 22-mile section of Interstate 295 this summer to rebuild the highway from Gardiner to Topsham. Joyce Taylor of the Maine Department of Transportation said closing the road and rerouting traffic onto die ...
MINNESOTA: Road Audit
Mar 03, 2008; ... An independent audit of the Minnesota road system found the roads need almost twice as much funding. About $672 million per year would be needed, compared with the current $350 million, to meet the stated preservation goals for its roads and bridges, said Auditor James ...
VIRGINIA: Rail Project
Mar 03, 2008; ... A Virginia rail project will reduce congestion on portions of Interstate 81 in western Virginia, said state and railroad officials. Virginia will spend $40 million and Norfolk Soudiern, Norfolk, Va., will spend $17 million on new track and signal equipment. Work on the track ...
WEST VIRGINIA: Cell Phone Bill
Mar 03, 2008; ... West Virginia's House of Delegates is considering a bill that would oudaw talking or text-messaging on a cell phone while driving. The bill limits cellphone use to hands-free ...
Washington House OKs Transport Budget; Includes Funds for Road, Bridge Projects
Mar 03, 2008; ... OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington House approved a bare-bones state transportation budget that would plug some big spending gaps, pay for new ferries and set the stage for construction of a new floating bridge across Lake Washington. The measure cleared the House on a largely party-line ...
Market Trends
Mar 03, 2008; ... * Feb. 20 - Covenant Transportation Group was rated "market perform" in new coverage by Donald Broughton at Avondale Partners. * Feb. 20 - J.B. Hunt Transport Services was rated "market perform" in new coverage by Donald Broughton at Avondale Partners. * Feb. 20 - Knight ...
Market Insiders
Mar 03, 2008; ... * Feb. 20 - Earl Wayne Garrison, chairman of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, sold 1,002,591 shares for $28.25 each, leaving him with 6,366,468 ...
Horizon Lines Joins SmartWay Program
Mar 03, 2008; ... Container firm Horizon Lines Inc. said it has joined the SmartWay Transport Partnership, a voluntary venture between the Environmental Protection Agency and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency and reduce air pollution. Horizon, Charlotte, ...
TMW's Revenue Rose in '07
Mar 03, 2008; ... Trucking software supplier TMW Systems said revenue from its core businesses grew 21% in 2007 over the previous year. The company garnered 127 new clients during the year, including USA Truck Inc., Tidewater Transit Co., Leonard's Express, Fairrington ...
Global Logistics Acquires Clark Group
Mar 03, 2008; ... Acquisition specialist Global Logistics Acquisition Corp. said it has purchased the Clark Group Inc., a logistics supplier to the print industry, and renamed itself Clark Holdings Inc. Clark Holdings said Feb. 13 it will still trade initially under its previous ticker symbol, GLA. Clark ...
FleetPride Acquires Assets of Oklahoma Truck Supply
Mar 03, 2008; ... FleetPride Inc., an aftermarket distributor of heavy-duty truck and trailer parts, said it has purchased assets of Oklahoma Truck Supply. "We are now strategically positioned to quickly service our national accounts as well as our existing customers across Oklahoma and Arkansas," Todd ...
CMV Set to Update Cadec's Customers
Mar 03, 2008; ... Cadec Global, provider of fleet management software, and CMV Safety Consulting Inc. said they formed a partnership to keep Cadec customers up-to-date on North American tracking regulation changes. The two companies said ...
Delphi Sells Wheel Bearings Business To Hephaestus
Mar 03, 2008; ... Parts-maker Hephaestus Holdings Inc. emergedas the winning bidder at an auction for the wheel bearing business belonging to Delphi Corp. Hephaestus agreed to pay $18.7 million for the unit, Delphi lawyer John Butler Jr. said at a court earing. Another hearing to approve the sale ...
Michelin Raises Prices in Europe
Mar 03, 2008; ... Michelin & Cie., the world's second-biggest tire manufacturer, said it is raising prices in Europe on all of its tires for heavy-duty trucks and other vehicles because of sharp increases in the price of raw materials. Heavy-truck tire prices will rise 3.9% in Western Europe and 8.7% ...
Force Protection Wins MRAP Pact
Mar 03, 2008; ... Force Protection Inc., the largest supplier of blast-resistant tracks to the U.S. Marine Corps, won a contract modification worth as much as $115.2 million to supply 174 blast-resistant trucks to the United ...
Volvo Invests in Anti-Theft System Based on Radio Technology
Mar 03, 2008; ... Volvo AB, parent company of Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks Inc., said it was working on a new tractor-trailer anti-theft system based on intelligent radio technology and sensors. Volvo said Feb. 20 that it had bought an undisclosed interest in the Swedish company Datachassi, ...
More Than Half of New Cars Sold in Europe Run on Diesel as Gas Prices Rise, Group Finds
Mar 03, 2008; ... BRUSSELS, Belgium - More than half of all new cars sold in Europe last year had a fuel-saving diesel engine, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, or ACEA, said. Higher gas pump prices and diesel engine improvements helped boost sales of diesel-equipped cars to 53% of the ...
Newgistics Inc. Buys Parcel Delivery Firm
Mar 03, 2008; ... Logistics provider Newgistics Inc., Austin, Texas, said it has purchased parcel delivery company Cornerstone Shipping Solutions. Cornerstone, Milan, 111., provides parcel consolidation services through the U.S. Postal Service, mixing loads from several customers to create single ...
Maverick Chooses Herd As Driver of Year for '07
Mar 03, 2008; ... Doug Herd was awarded 2007 Driver of the Year for flatbed carrier Maverick Transportation. Herd, a 12-year driver, has been with Maverick for more than three years. Cited for his positive reputation throughout the fleet, he also has earned a safety ...
PEOPLE: BRIEFS
Mar 03, 2008; ... Associations David O'Reilly received the Triangle Award from the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association. O'Reilly is chairman of O'Reilly Automotive Inc., Springfield, Mo., and received the association's automotive industry award during the O'Reilly Auto Parts National Sales ...
FLEETS: BRIEFS
Mar 03, 2008; ... Carriers Trucking firm Freightmasters, Eagan, Minn., said it donated a daylong ride in one of its tractor-trailers to the 'Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People" auction in Bloomington, Minn. Dennis Maetzold, former mayor of Edina, Minn., and VEAP volunteer Richard Peacha visited the ...
Agents Raid Driving Schools Run by Swift; Firm Not Target
Mar 03, 2008; ... Law enforcement agents last week raided the offices of two track-driving training schools and a Tennessee licensing office in an investigation of possible illegalities in connection with the issuance of commercial driver licenses. The two schools are located in Memphis and in nearby ...
Govs. Seek More Federal Funds To Improve Nation's Infrastructure
Mar 03, 2008; ... Governors from around the country called on the federal government to increase funding for improving the nation's infrastructure, with some pushing for its inclusion in a second economic stimulus package. In a news conference on Feb. 24, a bipartisan coalition of governors chaired by ...
Agencies to Cooperate on Transportation
Mar 03, 2008; ... The U.S. Transportation Command, Defense Logistics Agency and General Services Administration said they have agreed to work together to improve the way goods are distributed to U.S. armed forces. Under the partnership agreement, a new Executive Steering Committee will oversee ...
Coca-Cola Buys 120 Eaton Hybrid Trucks
Mar 03, 2008; ... Component manufacturer Eaton Corp. said diat Coca-Cola Enterprises has purchased 120 new trucks for 2008 delivery, powered by Eaton's hybrid electric drivetrain system. Eaton, Kalamazoo, Mich., said it was die largest order ever ...
Canadian Firms Report Lower Earnings
Mar 03, 2008; ... Three Canadian firms and a U.S. intermodal company all reported lower fourth-quarter earnings last week. * Mullen Group Income Fund said it lost C$231.6 million, or $2.85 a share, in the fourth quarter because of a C$300 million goodwill charge. In the 2006 quarter, the company earned ...
University to Study So. Calif. Port Pollution
Mar 03, 2008; ... Researchers at the University of California-Irvine have been awarded a $220,000 research grant to study the environmental impact of operations at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The combined state and federal grant will allow researchers with die university's Institute of ...
Dynamex Replaces Chief Operating Officer
Mar 03, 2008; ... Same-day delivery and logistics provider Dynamex Inc. said it had terminated the contract of Maurice Levy, the company's chief operating officer. Richard McClelland, Dynamex's chief executive officer, will ...
Coalition Presses Congress for Action On Safety Technology Tax Incentives
Mar 03, 2008; ... WASHINGTON - A coalition of law enforcement and equipment manufacturers pressed Congress to act on a bill that would give fleets a tax incentive for purchasing safety technology. "By providing a tax credit to motor carriers to make it easier for them to purchase safety technology .. . we ...
Trucking Firms Focus on Efficiency To Combat High Prices at the Pump
Mar 03, 2008; ... CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It's 6 a.m. and UPS engineer Julian Robinson navigates steel catwalks through a maze of conveyor belts carrying packages to hundreds of trucks. It's not a free-for-all: Each package has a label and color code to determine its loading area. Bar codes tell sorters in which space ...
Wash. State Truckers Exempted From Filing Emissions Report
Mar 03, 2008; ... The Washington state House of Representatives approved an amended version of Gov. Christine Gregoire's (D) proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that exempts most transportation firms from filing an emissions report with the state, but the head of the state's trucking association said he ...
VW Buys Control of Scania; MAN Merger Could Follow
Mar 10, 2008; ... Volkswagen AG last week bought a controlling share in Swedish truck maker Scania AB, possibly clearing the way for a three-way merger with German truck maker MAN AG, a combination that would create Europe's largest heavy-truck producer. Volkswagen, the largest shareholder in MAN, with ...
Diesel Again Hits Record
Mar 10, 2008; ... 10.6-Cent Gain Puts Fuel Average at $3.658 Retail diesel prices jumped another 10.6 cents a gallon last week to a new record national average of $3.658; diesel has now risen 37.8 cents a gallon over the past three weeks, according to the Department of Energy. Meanwhile, the ...
TCA Chiefs Report Little Sign Of Freight Tonnage Recovery
Mar 10, 2008; ... NASSAU, Bahamas - Leaders of the Truckload Carriers Association said their members have seen no improvement in the thin freight market, despite reports that tonnage has increased in the past three months, and that their other great worry was sharply rising fuel prices. "After more ...
Upcoming Changes in White House, Congress Cloud Picture for Trucking Industry's Future
Mar 10, 2008; ... TRANSPORTATION WHO'S WHO While politicians and pollsters count up votes and delegates in the long, slow march to the presidential election this November, trucking industry officials said the upcoming change in power clouds the industry's outlook for 2009 and beyond. "It's an ...
Senators: DOT's '09 Budget Plan Spends Too Little on Highways
Mar 10, 2008; ... Republican and Democratic senators criticized the Transportation Department s 2009 budget proposal for spending too little on highways and took shots at DOT secretary Mary Peters' call for reducing the federal role in highway financing. Later, Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee ...