A.M. Executive Briefing - Sept. 2
This Morning's Headlines:
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Protest Slows Flow of Cargo
Container traffic slowed at Dundalk and Seagirt marine terminals in Baltimore on Wednesday due to boycotts by independent truckers complaining of delays at the port that cause them to make less money.Port officials have said they will work with truckers to keep the protest from getting any bigger. The truckers, who have formed an owner-operator group called Container and Rail Haulers of America, spent a month planning the protest. Truckers have seen waits of three hours and more, they say.
Off the record, some said they might have to divert cargo if the protest goes on. Port managers say delays are the result of, among other things, too few personnel, too few chassis, and lower profit margins in the industry. The Intermodal Council says it will work with the protesting drivers for an end to the job action. Baltimore Sun (09/02/99) P. 1C; Little, Robert
DOT Reviews Gaps in Driver Safety Standards
Transportation Department investigators looking into how 28-year-old Tampa trucker Stacy Weeks, who died along with his children and girlfriend in an Aug. 6 crash, managed to gain employment despite a driving record in nine states.So far, investigators have found that CDLs are not affected by violations committed in personal cars, and data-sharing between states does not always take place. The personal-car loophole would be closed, though, by a bill proposed by U.S. Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.), who chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The bill would also create a National Motor Carrier Administration, ease the ability of state to revoke licenses, and allow the transportation secretary to take away licenses using emergency authority. The bill, backed by the American Trucking Associations, is before the full House. Journal of Commerce Online (09/02/99); Gibson, Linda
Wilbourn Sues Truck Driver, Firm in Crash
Last week, Supervisor Edgar S. Wilbourn III (R-Gainesville) filed a lawsuit against Jones Trucking and driver Marvin Ray Rogers Jr. in Prince William County (Va.) Circuit Court. The $200,000 suit claims Rogers was driving recklessly before he jackknifed and forced Wilbourn's Volvo off the road, injuring him and his adult son Michael.Hazel and Thomas lawyer John Foote is representing Wilbourn, and says the case is primarily intended to finish insurance claims and medical bills for a knee injury and a hearing disorder doctors associate with the accident. Foote also said the suit requests compensation for continuing "pain and suffering" from the accident which occurred about 4 p.m. on South Route 234 on May 1, 1998, not far from where Wilbourn's daughter died in an accident a few years ago.
Wilbourn, who was not wearing his seat belt at the time, says he owes his life to the car's air bags, which had only just been repaired. At the time, Rogers was charged with reckless driving and fined $75 dollars in June 1998, court records indicate. Wilbourn says, "We were very fortunate." Washington Post Online (09/01/99); White, Josh
Mom, Girl Killed as Truck Rams Their Van
A tractor-trailer crash left a nurse and her 10-year-old daughter dead Tuesday in Toledo, Ohio, and a pickup-truck driver was hospitalized after he hit a utility pole while trying to evade the crash. The trucker, 25-year-old L. James Kohler, was also hospitalized.Police say Kohler's log book's last entry was at 3:30 Monday afternoon, and they are also looking for other possible violations. Kohler was heading toward a stretch of road that did not allow trucks as big as the one he was driving. Police Officer Jim Breier says prosecutors may consider various charges, but none have yet been filed. Breier says Kohler said he was lost. Toledo Blade Online (09/02/99); Erb, Robin
RDO Equipment Announces Acquisition of Los Angeles Truck Dealerships
RDO Equipment has taken over two California Volvo truck dealerships and a used-truck dealer, with combined revenues around $20 million. "In addition to these newly acquired dealerships, we operate Volvo truck centers in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota," says company President Paul T. Horn. Business Wire (09/01/99)Unlikely Team
The Federal Highway Administration and the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, have partnered to create the Nuevo Leon Technology Transfer Center. There, people in the Mexican and U.S. transportation industry can learn about highway infrastructure together. Four more Mexican centers and one California center will debut before long. Land Line Magazine Online (09/01/99); Carlson, DonnaManagers Buy Midland Steel
Midland Steel Products Co., which makes frame components for medium and heavy trucks, has been acquired from a Brazilian holding company by five managers based in Cleveland. The $38 million deal was financed in part by Key Equity Capital. Also bought by the managers was Dana Corp.'s minority share of the company.Chairman and CEO Salomao Loschpe says the managers are looking to expand Midland's business through acquisitions. He expects to have 1999 sales exceeding $100 million. Among the companies that buy Midland components are Navistar International, Peterbilt Motors, Kenworth Truck, Freightliner Corp., and General Motors. Crain's Cleveland Business (08/30/99-09/05/99) Vol. 20, No. 35; P. 1; Prizinsky, David
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