News Briefs - Dec. 23
The Latest Headlines:
- Senate GOP Selects Frist as Leader
- Connecticut Board Seeks More Truck Parking
- Postal Workers Approve 2-Year Extension
- Chrysler Looking to Trim 20% from Transportation Costs
- Oil Prices Push Higher on Strike, War Fears
- Lundberg Survey Shows Spike in Gas Prices
- Connecticut Board Seeks More Truck Parking
Senate GOP Selects Frist as Leader
Senate Republicans elected Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist as their new leader, the Associated Press reported Monday.Frist will formally become majority leader when Republicans take control of the new Congress that convenes Jan. 7, AP said.
He replaces Trent Lott, who resigned as party leader after upsetting people with segregation-related remarks. (Click here for the related story.)
Frist, 50, is a wealthy heart surgeon and is considered an authority on health issues in the Senate, AP said. Transport Topics
Connecticut Board Seeks More Truck Parking
The Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board has called for spending $25 million to increase the number of overnight truck parking spaces, the Associated Press reported Monday.A study conducted by the state Department of Transportation last year found an average of 1,200 trucks cannot find adequate parking in Connecticut each night.
The state Department of Transportation is considering reconfiguring parking lots at the 13 public service areas in Connecticut, including the two in Darien, to squeeze in an additional 600 truck spaces statewide.
SB's recommendations will be submitted to the governor and Legislature next month, AP said. Transport Topics
Postal Workers Approve 2-Year Extension
The American Postal Workers Union ratified a two-year extension of their current contract with the U.S. Postal Service, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.The union said that 88% of its members voted in favor of the deal, which covers more than 300,000 postal employees, the Journal reported.
The deal calls for 1.3% pay increases in 2003 and 2004 and four cost-of-living increases by late 2005, the Journal reported. Transport Topics
Chrysler Looking to Trim 20% from Transportation Costs
Automaker DaimlerChysler AG said that its U.S.-based Chrysler division is looking to trim 20% from its transportation costs by sharing trucks and train cars with other Daimler units, Bloomberg reported.The company will also re-design some parts and deliver vehicles to dealers faster, officials told Bloomberg.
Chrysler is looking to trim costs and said that by sharing shipping costs, it can reduce its transportation expenses by one-fifth, Bloomberg said.
The cost-cutting program is part of plan by the automaker to remain competitive in the North American market, Bloomberg said. Transport Topics
Oil Prices Push Higher on Strike, War Fears
The price of crude oil rose to a 10-week high in trading early Monday as continued strikes in Venezuela and the threat of war in Iraq raised the specter of a possible oil shortage, Bloomberg reported.A general strike in Venezuela dragged into its fourth week, preventing the world’s No. 5 oil supplier from exporting oil, Bloomberg reported. President Hugo Chavez reiterated his intention to fire striking workers if they do not return to work. Workers in his country walked out in hopes of forcing Chavez out of office.
United Nations weapons inspectors continued to search Iraq for weapons of mass destruction while the United States and Iraq traded accusations and denials, moving closer to a military conflict, Bloomberg reported.
In electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the price of crude rose 67 cents a barrel to $30.97, Bloomberg said. Transport Topics
Lundberg Survey Shows Spike in Gas Prices
Gasoline prices have risen nearly three cents a gallon over the past two weeks, the latest survey by industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said.The national average price of gasoline, including all grades and taxes, is $1.45 a gallon, the survey said.
Lundberg said that the strike in Venezuela and its effect on producers, refiners and shippers in the No. 4 supplier of oil to the United States – coupled with the increasing tension in the Middle East – have worked to push prices higher in recent weeks.
Gasoline, while not the primary fuel of trucking, is widely used in some segments of the industry. Transport Topics
