Transport Topics back issues from January 2009:
Economic Woes Top Concerns As a Year of Challenges Begins
Jan 05, 2009; ... 2009 PREVIEW Trucking's difficulties are expected to continue this year, as many carriers struggle for survival while freight volumes fall, financial market turmoil continues and a new political landscape takes shape. To counter a severe downturn in business activity, the Obama ...
Nov. Tonnage Falls 1.8%
Jan 05, 2009; ... Recession Leads to 2nd Monthly Contraction November truck tonnage declined 1.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis from year-earlier levels and 15.4% on an unadjusted basis, delivering the latest evidence that the economic downturn is putting ever more pressure on fleets. American ...
Diesel Price Declines to $2.327, Lowest Level Since June 2005
Jan 05, 2009; ... The U.S. diesel average fell a combined 9.5 cents over the final two weeks of 2008 to $2.327 a gallon, ending the year at its lowest level since June 2005, the Department of Energy reported. Diesel dropped 3.9 cents a gallon in DOE's Dec. 29 weekly survey of fueling stations, after ...
A Less-Than-Truckload Life More Than a Bit Unusual
Jan 05, 2009; ... PEOPLE IN TRUCKING THOMASVILLE, N.C. But for the vagaries of history, Earl Congdon s family business could have been Florida motels rather than less-than-truckload transportation. As Old Dominion Freight Line's chairman tells it in his office here, personal incidents in ...
Groups Split Over Stimulus Package, Debate Funding for Transit or Highways
Jan 05, 2009; ... With possibly $850 billion in federal economic stimulus funds at stake early this year, groups are divided over whether the portion allocated to transportation would be better spent on highways or public transit. Also at issue is whether the money should be sent directly to the states ...
ATRI Study Details Trucking Industry Costs
Jan 05, 2009; ... The American Transportation Research Institute has completed a study of updated trucking industry costs, which the group said should aid fleets and policymakers alike. ATRI said the study, released on Dec. 19, is meant to underscore the key role trucking plays in the U.S. economy. The ...
Environment, Energy Issues Dominate Agenda At Transportation Research Board's Meeting
Jan 05, 2009; ... Environment and energy issues dominate the agenda at the Transportation Research Board's 88th annual meeting, scheduled for Jan. 11-15 in Washington, D.C. The meeting is expected to draw an estimated 10,000 attendees from government, industry and academic institutions from around the ...
Navistar Restates Profits Higher For First Nine Months of Fiscal '08
Jan 05, 2009; ... Truck maker Navistar International Corp. said it restated earnings for the first nine months of its 2008 fiscal year, which increased profits by $50 million to $70 million. In September, Navistar reported profits for the nine months ended July 31 of $434 million, or $5.92 a share. The ...
Durable Goods Orders Fall 1% in November
Jan 05, 2009; ... Durable goods orders fell 1% in November, the Commerce Department reported. The decline followed an 8.4% tumble in October - the biggest drop in eight years. Excluding transportation equipment ...
So. Calif. Ports to Suspend Saturday Shifts
Jan 05, 2009; ... Terminal operators at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., said they will suspend Saturday off-peak shifts because of declining cargo volume. The last Saturday shift will be Jan. 10, with a new weekly schedule taking effect Jan. 17, according to PierPASS. Container ...
ATA Files Reply in California Ports Appeal
Jan 05, 2009; ... American Trucking Associations filed a reply brief Dec. 19 in its effort to block the concession plans of the Clean Truck Program at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The reply completes the briefing process in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In the reply, ATA ...
Deal Boosts Size of Bimbo Bakeries' Fleet
Jan 05, 2009; ... George Weston Ltd., Toronto, agreed to sell its fresh bread and baked goods business in the Unitea States to Grupo Bimbo in Mexico City for about $2.5 billion in cash and assets that include the Arnold, Brownberry, Entenmann's, Freihofer, Stroehmann and Thomas brand names. The deal will ...
LaHood Says He's Prepared For Infrastructure Challenge
Jan 05, 2009; ... Rep. Ray LaHood, Barack Obama's choice for secretary of transportation, said he and the president-elect "share the same philosophy on infrastructure." "We have a task before us to rebuild America. As a nation, we need to continue to be the world leader in infrastructure development . . ....
IANA Elects Steffire as New Chairman
Jan 05, 2009; ... The Intermodal Association of North America's board has elected Greg Stefflre as its 2009 chairman. Stefflre, chief executive officer of Rail Delivery Services, Fontana, Calif., succeeds Theodore ...
Ohio Truckers Oppose Plan to Increase Tolls On Turnpike as Part of E-ZPass Transition
Jan 05, 2009; ... Ohio truckers are mounting an effort against toll increases and the end of mileage discounts that could take effect late this year after the state fully implements the E-ZPass system on its turnpike. The E-ZPass change requires the Ohio Turnpike Commission to switch to axle-based tolling ...
Flying J Inc. Files to Reorganize, Cites Refinery, Pipeline Troubles
Jan 05, 2009; ... Tumbling petroleum prices forced Flying J Inc., the nation's second-largest truck stop chain, into reorganization bankruptcy. The Ogden, Utah, company filed Chapter 11 on Dec. 22 in federal court in Wilmington, Del. Flying J emphasized it is not going out of business and will continue to ...
YRC Talks With Bankers; Union Extends Wages Vote
Jan 05, 2009; ... The vote by YRC Worldwide Teamsters on a proposed 10% wage-cut package that would grant the union 15% ownership was extended until Jan. 6 after the carrier announced it was in talks with its bankers to rework the terms of its credit arrangements. YRC said it turned to its bankers after ...
An Interesting New Year
Jan 05, 2009; ... Having passed through one of the toughest, most volatile economic years that trucking has experienced could make one antsy about the future. We may look ahead with deep trepidation, or we can greet the journey as a thrilling adventure. Whichever emotion the arrival of 2009 may stir, one ...
Letters & Comments
Jan 05, 2009; ... California Filters We have to stop going to California; that's the bottom line. First, they (the ports) put emission standards on who could go into the ports in the Los Angeles area. Now, the California Air Resources Board has passed emission standards that force you to ...
Where Are the University Logistics Programs?
Jan 05, 2009; ... The transportation and logistics business is of vital importance to the U.S. economy, yet educational programs to prepare students for careers in this work are severely lacking. In 2007, the cost of transportation and logistics represented more than 10% of gross domestic product, but the ...
APM to Use TWIC as Credential For Workers at Virginia Facility
Jan 05, 2009; ... APM Terminals 'Virginia will discontinue use of company identification cards at its Portsmouth, Va., facility and rely solely on the federal Transportation Workers Identification Credential, or TWIC, a port executive said. Beginning April 15, when the TWIC mandate goes into effect, ...
Federal Appeals Court Sides With Alabama In Tax Lawsuit Filed by Norfolk Southern
Jan 05, 2009; ... MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A federal appeals court has sided with Alabama in a lawsuit filed by Norfolk Southern Railway Co. that could have wiped out several million dollars in taxes. Norfolk Southern claimed the state's 4% sales and use tax on diesel fuel used by railroads is discriminatory ...
Exxon Boosts Diesel Output As Other Firms Scale Back
Jan 05, 2009; ... Associated Press HOUSTON - Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's biggest oil refiner, will spend more than $1 billion in the next couple of years to increase its global production of cleaner-burning diesel by about 10%, the company said. The company made the announcement as many oil ...
Drivers to Face Multiple Disruptions Because of Road Projects in Seattle Area
Jan 05, 2009; ... Associated Press SEATTLE - Lane closures, detours and other disruptions from highway construction projects await Seattle motorists in 2009, virtually certain to be the worst year for drivers in the Puget Sound area in two decades. Road projects costing more than $279 million have ...
HAWAII: Highway Bonds
Jan 05, 2009; ... BRIEFS HONOLULU - The state has completed the sale of $125 million worth of highway revenue bonds. The money will be used to fund various ...
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Historic Bridge
Jan 05, 2009; ... PORTSMOUTH - The Portsmouth Historical Society is fighting to save one of the bridges that connect New Hampshire to Maine. Transportation officials from both states want to study whether it makes more sense to install one new bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine, or upgrade the ...
Hard Work Through Hard Times: A Hallmark of Lillian and Earl Sr.
Jan 05, 2009; ... THOMASVILLE, N.C. The first Congdons came to America in 1659, landing in New England. "My dad was from Providence [R.I.], and I was born there, too," Earl Congdon Jr. said. Earl Sr. enjoyed motorcycles, his son said, and he went on a long-distance trip in the 1920s with a friend ...
Caterpillar to Cut Executive Pay
Jan 05, 2009; ... CATERPILLAR Caterpillar Inc. will cut executive pay by as much as 50% and sus- pend merit increases for manage- ment and support staff to trim costs. Executive compensation will be reduced by as much as half for 2009, and pay for senior managers will be cut 5% to 35%, the company ...
CEO of Pilgrim's Pride Resigns
Jan 05, 2009; ... Pilgrim's Pride Corp., which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, said its Chief Executive Officer Clint Rivers has resigned. The chicken producer said Rivers will be succeeded by Don Jackson, subject to approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of ...
FedEx Delays Aircraft Purchases; Cites Effects of Recession
Jan 05, 2009; ... Parcel carrier FedEx Corp. said on Dec. 18 it will delay delivery of some Boeing Co. 777 Freighter airplanes by as long as 17 months. The revised purchase schedule will defer commitments of $275 million from 2009 to future periods, FedEx said in a regulatory filing. FedEx, Memphis, ...
Australian Court Fines Airlines for Price-Fixing
Jan 05, 2009; ... Qantas Airways and British Airways were fined by an Australian court for their involvement in a price-fixing cartel in the global air freight industry. The Federal Court in Sydney ordered Qantas to pay 20 million Australian dollars ($13 million), a fine the airline had agreed to when the ...
Cummins Sheds 2,600 More Workers
Jan 05, 2009; ... Engine maker Cummins Inc. cut an additional 620 full-time work- ers and 2,000 temporary employ- ees worldwide, adding to the reduction of 500 employees announced earlier in December, spokeswoman Cindy Nycz told Transport Topics on Dec. 19. About 100 job cuts took place at Cummins' ...
Trailer Bridge CEO McCown Resigns
Jan 05, 2009; ... John McCown has resigned as ief executive officer of intermodal transportation company Trailer Bridge Inc., the company said in a regulatory filing. McCown, who had held the position since 1995, will remain chairman of the Trailer Bridge board, the company said in a Dec. 15 filing with ...
Market Trends
Jan 05, 2009; ... * Dec. 12 - Heartland Express Inc. was cut to "sell" from "neutral" at UBS. * Dec. 15 - Covenant Transportation Group Inc. Was raised to "hold" from "underweight" by John Barnes at BB&T Capital Markets. * Dec. 15 - FedEx ...
Market Insiders
Jan 05, 2009; ... * Dec. 9-16 - Archon Capital Management, a significant owner of Express-1 Expedited Solutions, purchased 93,800 shares for 85 cents to 87 cents each, bringing its total holdings to 3.56 million indirectly held shares. * Dec. 10 - Leroy Hallman, a director of Frozen Food Express ...
Motorists Criticize Vt. Plan To Close Four Rest Areas
Jan 05, 2009; ... SHARON, Vt. - Vermont's plan to close four highway rest areas in a cost-cutting move is getting a chilly reception from motorists. "They definitely should be kept open," said truck driver Wayne Thomas of Charlestown, N. H., who pulled into the Interstate 89 rest stop in Sharon, Vt., to ...
OHIO: Road Salt
Jan 05, 2009; ... COLUMBUS - A state investigation concludes inflexible contracts and restrictive bidding have contributed to road salt shortages and high prices. A report from the Ohio Department of Transportation also notes that 2007's snowy winter in the Midwest depressed salt supplies. The ...
RHODE ISLAND: Highway Panel
Jan 05, 2009; ... A panel created by Gov. Don Carcieri (R) has suggested creating tolls and raising taxes and other fees to fund major repairs to Rhode Island's transportation infrastructure. In a draft report, the panel suggested raising gas taxes, increasing registration fees for cars and trucks and ...
SOUTH DAKOTA: Meridian Bridge
Jan 05, 2009; ... YANKTON - A committee will be formed at Yankton to explore options for the future of the Meridian Bridge, which has been replaced and may be turned into a walking and biking bridge. The state Transportation Department said recently that future use is in limbo until further testing is ...
TEXAS: Transport Board
Jan 05, 2009; ... AUSTIN - Legislators scrutinizing the Texas Department of Transportation voted to recommend replacing the existing five-member appointed transportation commission with a single commissioner. The Sunset Advisory Commission voted 7-5 for the recommendation, which would have to win approval ...
VIRGINIA: Winter Weather
Jan 05, 2009; ... RICHMOND - The Virginia Department of Transportation is getting ready for winter weather. Before snow or ice has a chance to reach pavement this season, VDOT will apply salt, chemicals and a liquid brine solution to roads up to 48 hours before storms. The goal is to treat roads ...
WASHINGTON: Road Projects
Jan 05, 2009; ... SEATTLE - Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said it's crunch time in planning for two costly highway projects in Seattle. Planners and local officials have to complete reports and make recommendations the Washington State Legislature will take up when it convenes Jan. 12 in ...
PEOPLE: BRIEFS
Jan 05, 2009; ... Association The Forest Resources Association has presented Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) with its 2008 Legislative Leadership Award to honor the congressman's advocacy for improving safety, transportation efficiency and infrastructure conservation on the nations roads through an ...
FLEETS: BRIEFS
Jan 05, 2009; ... Carrier MHF Logistical Solutions Trucking and Drayage Division has opened a terminal in Worcester, Mass. MHF Trucking and Drayage 's partner company, MHF Logistical Solutions, has operated a successful truck-torail transload facility in Worcester since 1998. The new trucking and drayage ...
EVENTS
Jan 05, 2009; ... Special Event Online registration for American Truck Dealers' 2009 Convention and Expo at the Gaylord National Hotel and Conference Center, April 18-20 in Washington, is now available. Dealers will have the opportunity to attend educational workshops, including "The Credit ...
Calendar
Jan 05, 2009; ... Jan. 11-14 - National Conference of State Transportation Specialists, Winter Meeting, Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown, Austin, Texas, (www.naruc.org/nc8t8/) Jan. 11-15 - Transportation Research Board, Annual Meeting, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel» Omni S h ore ham Hotel, the Hilton ...
States Using Less Salt on Roads
Jan 05, 2009; ... Snow, ice - and omelets - have a lot in common, winter road crews would agree, because more of them treat roads and bridges before storms, just as cooks treat their pans before preparing meals for much easier cleanup and, on the roads, much safer driving. State and municipal crews around ...
New Highway Map Takes Shape for Bicyclists
Jan 05, 2009; ... WASHINGTON - At first glance, everything seems out of place on the map of a new interstate road system taking shape across the nation. Interstate 95 runs down the stunning sweep of die Pacific Coast, not the congested blandness of the Eastern Seaboard. Route 1 meanders along country ...
Alabama Officers Team With Truckers To Catch Risky Drivers on Roadways
Jan 05, 2009; ... BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Two nurses on their way home to Walker County one morning got more than a surprise on Interstate 65. The driver got a ticket for going 80 miles per hour and a second ticket for failing to signal a lane change. The tickets were a courtesy of Alabama's latest twist to ...
West Virginia Tops Listing Of Worst Places to Be Sued
Jan 05, 2009; ... West Virginia, South Florida and Cook County, 111. continue to be die worst places in the United States to face a civil lawsuit, according to a new report from the American Tort Reform Foundation. West Virginia again topped the list because of its "near-perfect storm of anti-business ...
Truck Manufacturers Name Blubaugh President
Jan 05, 2009; ... The Truck Manufacturers Association said it had appointed Timothy Blubaugh as its president. Blubaugh, who succeeds Robert Clark, is a 20-year veteran of the ...
Love's, Pegasus Extend Scanning Agreement
Jan 05, 2009; ... TransTech will remain the exclusive provider of document scanning services at Love's Travel Stops for another 10 years, according to an agreement announced Dec. 19. In the agreement, Love's will offer Pegasus' Transflo Express document scanning service at all 200 of its U.S. travel ...
Bendix to Acquire SmarTire Systems
Jan 05, 2009; ... Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Elyria, Ohio, said it has signed an agreement to acquire wireless tire monitoring company SmarTire Systems Inc. for an undisclosed amount. SmarTire, Vancouver, British Columbia, develops and markets wireless tire monitoring and control systems for ...
Accuride to Close Ohio Wheel Factory
Jan 05, 2009; ... Heavy-duty wheel and component maker Accuride Corp., Evansville, Ind., said it will shutter an aluminum wheel manufacturing facility in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. "As a means to eliminate significant fixed overhead costs ... we have made the decision to close our Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, ...
TMW Updates iSeries Dispatch Software
Jan 05, 2009; ... Trucking software developer TMW Systems, Beachwood, Ohio, said it launched version 8.0 of TL2000, its dispatch operations software that runs on IBM's System i platform. The latest version of TL2000 offers error-checking for data entered by drivers on mobile communications units, improved ...
Trimac Acquires Fertilizer Hauler Canamera
Jan 05, 2009; ... Canadian transportation firm Trimac Income Fund said it acquired Canadian fertilizer hauler Canamera Carriers Inc. Trimac paid C$2.9 million ($2.3 million) for Canamera. The deal includes Canameras fleet of 19 tractors and 24 trailers. Canamera, ...
Teamsters Ratify YRC Wage Cut, Take 15% Stake in Company
Jan 12, 2009; ... YRC Worldwide The Teamsters union said employees at YRC Worldwide Inc. have approved a landmark 10% wage cut to help reduce costs as the largest less-than-truckload carrier struggles with falling tonnage in a weak economy. By an approximately 3-to-l margin, drivers, dockworkers ...
Panel Urges Fuel Tax Hikes
Jan 12, 2009; ... Federal Commission Eyes Shift to Mileage Levy WASHINGTON - A national commission studying transportation infrastructure funding is set to recommend that Congress raise fuel taxes now but eventually replace them with levies based on miles traveled. "We concluded that there's ...
EPA Warns of Possible Dioxins In Cummins' 2010 SCR System
Jan 12, 2009; ... The Environmental Protection Agency said it is concerned that emissions systems using a copper compound that engine maker Cummins Inc. will use in 2010 models could generate "likely human carcinogen" dioxins, in which case it would "likely not certify" the systems. In a Dec. 11 letter, ...
Ore. Gov. Wants Additional Funds to Study Implementation of Vehicle Mileage Tax
Jan 12, 2009; ... Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) is asking the state legislature to fund additional studies on how to replace the traditional gasoline tax with a mileage tax. Kulongoski wants $5 million to continue funding a task force that determined as part of a pilot program the state could ...
State DOT Scales Back Plans For Trans-Texas Corridor
Jan 12, 2009; ... The Texas Department of Transportation, facing strong opposition to its proposed 4,000-mile TransTexas Corridor, last week scaled back plans for the multimodal transportation network. Proposed in 2003, the 1,200-footwide Trans-Texas Corridor was to have included highway lanes, truck-only ...
Stimulus Seen Providing Boost To Freight Volume, Truck Sales
Jan 12, 2009; ... The economic stimulus package congressional leaders and President-elect Obama are planning is likely to include business tax breaks, which industry officials said could boost trucking by increasing freight volumes and making trucks easier to buy. Last week, an unidentified Obama aide ...
Diesel Price Dips for 14th Straight Week, but Gasoline Rises
Jan 12, 2009; ... The U.S. retail diesel average declined 3.6 cents to $2.291 a gallon last week, the 14th consecutive drop, but analysts warned that fleets' fuel costs are poised to start rising again. Last week's decline, reported by the U.S. Department of Energy, represents the lowest price in 21A ...
Navistar Reports 2008 Profit; Sees Gains in Coming Years
Jan 12, 2009; ... Truck, engine and bus maker Navistar International Corp. reported a profit of $134 million for its 2008 fiscal year ending Oct. 31, reversing a loss of $120 million for fiscal 2007. The company predicted profits would increase this year and next year. "We do believe that 2010, instead of ...
Maryland Proposes Toll Hike That Targets Trucking Sector
Jan 12, 2009; ... MMTA Says Industry to Pay Biggest Share of Increase Proposed toll increases on Maryland roads, bridges and tunnels would target trueles over autos, raising truck tolls by $2 to $13 depending on the number of axles and where the toll is paid. The toll for a 6-axle truck on the ...