A.M. Executive Briefing - July 10
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DOT's IG Report Says Unsafe Truck Drivers Not Being Disqualified
A new report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General says states are allowing unsafe truck drivers to stay on the road, CNN television network reported over the weekend. A CNN.com version said the IG report faults DOT's oversight of enforcement of a 1986 federal law that put states at risk of losing federal highway funds unless they kept commercial truck drivers from getting licenses if they pose a safety risk.An Associated Press report said the IG audit found that six of nine states the IG office visited failed to suspend licenses of truck drivers convicted in other states of such things as leaving the scene of an accident or drunk driving. Transport Topics
Trucking Magazine Publisher Hutchinson Dies at 73
Robert N. Hutchinson, the owner of the Newport Publication Group, the producer of several trucking industry publications, died at the age of 73 from complications following a fall, the Associated Press reported Monday.
Mr. Hutchinson is survived by his second wife Rosemary Hutchinson, two daughters, three sons and six grandchildren. Transport Topics
Mexican Trucking Companies Want U.S. Carriers Penalized
Critical of the United States' performance in the North American Free Trade Agreement, the National Chamber of Road Transport in Mexico has requested the new government to penalize foreign road transport companies, El Economista/Infolatina reported recently.The chamber, also known as Canacar, told Mexico's Trade and Industry Ministry and President-elect Vincente Fox that the government should take a harsh stance due to the United States placing restrictions on Mexican trucks crossing the border. Canacar, which represents 4,000 trucking companies, feels the United States has fallen short on its commitment under NAFTA. Transport Topics
TMM And Triple Crown Form Intermodal Alliance In Mexico
Mexico's Transportacion Maritima Mexicana has formed an alliance with Triple Crown in the operation of an intermodal service called RoadRailer in an effort to cut cargo transportation costs between Canada, the United States and Mexico by up to 15%, a Mexico news service reported. TMM Logistic will manage RoadRailer. Company director Julio Maza said the alliance should result in delivery time being reduced by up to 34 hours. Transport TopicsWebTransport Makes Stock Pledge to University Logistics Center
Dallas-based WebTransport, an Internet-based load matching company, today said it is donating 10,000 shares of its stock to the Texas Logistics Education Foundation Center for Logistics Education and Research at the University of North Texas.Since WebTransport is privately held, the donation is a future commitment to give the logistics program the funds. WebTransport is already giving students hands-on experience such as internships, career-shadow days and mentoring.
UNT is the only school in Texas to offer an undergraduate degree in logistics. The faculty also recently approved an MBA in logistics. Transport Topics
Air Canada, Pilots Keep Talking So No Air Freight Disruption Yet
Canada's largest airline, Air Canada, and its pilots' union kept negotiating over the weekend, putting off further the threat that a pilots strike could throw large volumes of U.S.-Canadian air freight into disruption. The talks over wages, pensions and crewing requirements for international flights resumed Friday after a two-day recess, Reuters reported, but by Sunday evening both sides were quiet about what progress was made in the last three days.The union has already voted to authorize its leadership to call a strike if it deems one to be warranted, but the union must give a 72-hour notice if its members intend to walk out. If it happened, that could disrupt air freight for other air carriers as well as Air Canada, but would also put more onto over-the-road trucks. Transport Topics
Trucker Blames Doughnut for I-65 Crash in Indiana
A tractor-trailer accident that forced part of Interstate 65 in Indiana to close for more than three hours was blamed on a doughnut, the Associated Press reported.It happened near Columbus, Ind. along the north-south interstate highway south of Indianapolis. Citing a Bartholomew County sheriff's department account, the story said a trucker heading south near Walesboro, Ind., early Friday had a piece of a doughnut to lodge in his throat. As he tried to dislodge it, the account went on, he went off the road and crashed into a guardrail. Then the truck ripped out about 120 feet of guardrail, went down an embankment and wedged between two trees.
The driver was not injured, but the impact breached the truck's fuel tanks, spilling more than 150 gallons of diesel fuel and closing the road. Transport Topics
