Executive Briefing - May 30
- Indiana Town Tries to Ease Truck Congestion
- Ryder Launches Used Truck Sales Program
- Runge May Be Nominated As NHTSA Head
- Volvo to Develop New Heavy Diesel Engine
- Roadway Forms Holding Company
- Yellow Opens New Distribution Center in Calif.
- Pioneer, CN Increase Intermodal Services
- Despite Strong Opposition, N.J. Tolls Still in Place
- Virginia Finding Rumble Strips Prevent Accidents
- BNSF Auctions Coal Transport Contracts
- McLean, Container Pioneer, Dies at 87
- Ryder Launches Used Truck Sales Program
Indiana Town Tries to Ease Truck Congestion
More than 3,000 trucks pass through route Ind. 9 in Greenfield, Indiana, as a shortcut between I-69 and I-74. That number rises dramatically when there is excessive traffic on I-70, which goes through nearby Indianapolis.However, Greenfield officials are exploring whether to whether to make a bypass taking the traffic out of their downtown, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Although many local merchants have singled out truck congestion as a factor keeping people away from their businesses, they also have said a bypass could hurt their business by keeping these same trucks and other visitors out of there town.
Another option being considered is resetting traffic lights along Ind. 9 to discourage the road being used as a shortcut. Transport Topics
Ryder Launches Used Truck Sales Program
Ryder System (R) has launched a used truck sales program for truck fleet operators and international export sales market segments.
Ryder's "Road Ready" used vehicles are single-owner trucks that have been road-tested and performance-monitored within Ryder's fleet of more than 175,000 vehicles. All of these vehicles also come with complete maintenance and inspection records.
The used fleet and export sales initiative will be led by Todd Hays, Ryder's Senior Manager of International/Fleet Vehicle Sales.
Based in Miami, Ryder is a leader in supply chain and transportation management solutions, and North America's largest seller of used trucks. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Runge May Be Nominated As NHTSA Head
The Bush administration is considering naming Jeffrey Runge as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The agency, which investigates vehicle defects and sets safety standards, has been without a political appointee since late January.
Although the Senate usually holds confirmation hearings, they could be avoided if Runge is nominated to serve in acting capacity.
Dr. Runge is currently the assistant chairman of emergency medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center. Transport Topics
Volvo to Develop New Heavy Diesel Engine
Volvo AB (VOLVY) is investing $132 million in a drive to develop a new, reduced emission, high fuel mileage 16-liter truck engine, Bloomberg reported.
Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Volvo is parent company to Volvo Trucks North America, as well as Renault VI, which owns Mack Truck in the United States.
According to Bloomberg, the acquisition of Renault VI/Mack doubled Volvo’s total volume of diesel engines to about 200,000 annually, and made Volvo one of the world’s largest manufacturers of heavy diesel engines.
The new engine will be developed by a team of engineers from Mack and Renault, as well as Volvo.
The company said it expects the engine to meet all currently known emission legislation. Transport Topics
Roadway Forms Holding Company
Roadway Express (ROAD) said Wednesday it has formed Roadway Corporation, which will act as a holding company to identify acquisition, merger, and partnership candidates.
It will also provide strategic, financial and legal services to Roadway’s other businesses.
Also Wednesday, Roadway announced it will participate as a partner in Integres Global Logistics. It said Roadway Corporation will be a minority shareholder while Roadway Express will serve as Integres' primary North American ground carrier.
Roadway is ranked number No. 6 in the Transport Topics 100 list of U.S. trucking companies, based on 1999 data. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Yellow Opens New Distribution Center in Calif.
Yellow Freight System (YELL) said it has opened a new 192-door distribution center adjacent to a Burlington Northern Santa Fe intermodal facility in San Bernardino, Calif.
The new center enables Yellow to improve service inbound to and outbound from the Los Angeles area.
It will have about 500 employees, mostly drivers and dock professionals, who have transferred from Yellow Freight terminals in Barstow and Fontana, Calif.
Yellow Corp. is ranked number No. 4 in the Transport Topics 100 list of U.S. trucking companies, based on 1999 data. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Pioneer, CN Increase Intermodal Services
Pioneer Railcorp (PRRR) said it has commenced operations of Pioneer Logistics, a third-party intermodal logistics company, as a result of its purchase of Hudson Railway Services.It also said it is expanding its marketing department as it tries to increase its rail-to-truck business with offline shippers.
Earlier this week, Canadian National Railway (CNI) said that it agreed with CSX Intermodal to introduce a range of intermodal services connecting major Canadian and U.S. markets, Reuters reported.
The deal offers shippers five-day service for intermodal traffic between Vancouver, British Columbia, and New York. Other routes include four-day service between Toronto and Florida and two-day service between Toronto and New York. Transport Topics
(Click here for a press release from Pioneer.)
Despite Strong Opposition, N.J. Tolls Still in Place
More than 25,000 people have signed an online petition against Garden State Parkway toll collections, calling them unsafe as well as economically and environmentally unsound, the Trenton Times reported.Several gubernatorial candidates have made tolls a political issue and have given some support to plans aimed at least eliminating tolls during weekends and holidays, and possibly phasing them out totally.
Another reason for the growing anti-toll movement is the fact that vehicles stalled at toll barriers produce more fumes than those driving at highway speeds.
However, while environmentalists are supportive, they are worried funding these roads without tolls could come at the expense of mass transit.
And while everyone is in agreement that something must be done be reduce congestion on this busy road, factors including recent fiscal mismanagement and the federal government's current transportation funding formula are making it difficult for any reasonable progress to be made. Transport Topics
Virginia Finding Rumble Strips Prevent Accidents
The state of Virginia has placed some of the loudest and bumpiest rumble strips on the shoulder of 1,750 miles of rural highway over the last few years as a way to prevent accidents, the Daily Press newspaper reported.The strips reduced the number of run-off-the-road crashes by more than 51% and related fatalities by 48%, according to a six-year study by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Run-off-the-road crashes cause more than 30% of all highway fatalities and 500,000 injuries every year, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Truck driver Gary Cooper of Hampton, Va., agreed the strips help to alert drivers they are running off the road before it is too late.
Rumble strips are not used much in urban areas because many areas have street lighting and residents often complain about the noise. Transport Topics
BNSF Auctions Coal Transport Contracts
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNI) has held a first-ever coal transportation option auction, selling 48 of 70 available contracts over the Internet.Under the option concept, utilities, mines and others buy the right to lock in a specified amount of transportation capacity at a specified rate up to 18 months in advance.
Although there is little competition between rail and trucks for coal transportation, the option concept could be applied to other kinds of traffic, like chemicals or intermodal, where there is significant rail-truck competition.
In this case, each option contract gives a purchaser the right to move a trainload of coal via BNSF from one of three groups of Powder River Basin mines to one of 11 rail-water terminals at a specified price. Transport Topics
(Click here for the press release.)
McLean, Container Pioneer, Dies at 87
Malcolm P. McLean, 87, often called the father of containerizaton, died May 25 from complications related to heart failure.According to the Associated Press, McLean was the only person to have founded three companies that were later listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He also founded two other companies later listed on the Nasdaq stock market.
In his early years as a trucker, McLean developed the idea of stowing cargo in containers for international trade.
Although his trucking operation, McLean Trucking became second largest in the U.S., he achieved his greatest success running companies like Sea-Land, U.S. Lines and Trailer Bridge. Transport Topics
