News Briefs - Feb. 21
The Latest Headlines:
- TravelCenters of America Purchases First Canadian Center
- Graves Hits USA Today Truck Slam
- Airborne Boosts Fuel Surcharge
- Teamsters Set March 5 Vote on NMFA
- Intermodal Traffic Increases Again
- CPI Rises 0.3% in January, ‘Core’ Up 0.1%
- Graves Hits USA Today Truck Slam
TravelCenters of America Purchases First Canadian Center
TravelCenters of America said Friday that it has purchased its first travel center in Canada.Financial terms of the deal for the 25,000-square-foot facility on Provincial Highway 401 in Woodstock, Ontario were not disclosed.
Based in Westlake, Ohio, TravelCenters of America now owns and operates 152 facilities in the United States and Canada, the company said. Transport Topics
Graves Hits USA Today Truck Slam
American Trucking Associations' President Bill Graves wrote a letter to USA Today, blasting a chart that appeared in the paper called “Truck Crashes Injure, Kill Thousands.”The Feb. 13 front-page item pictured a truck rear-ending a car, which, Graves wrote, “leaves readers with the false impression that large trucks are mainly at fault in all fatal car-truck crashes.” The newspaper printed his letter Feb. 19.
Graves said that a June 1998 study sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found up to 70% of fatal car-truck crashes began with an error on the part of the car driver.
Also, he said, a July 2002 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found auto drivers caused up to 75% of fatal two-vehicle car-truck crashes. Transport Topics
Airborne Boosts Fuel Surcharge
Airborne Inc. said Friday that it will increase its fuel surcharge to 5.1% from 4.3% for all express shipments, effective March 3.The surcharge applies to all domestic, Canadian and International express shipments. Airborne said that the surcharge on Airborne Ground and airborne@home shipments will be increased to 1.8% from 1.3% on the same date.
"Volatility in the Middle East and the threat of war has caused a sharp rise in fuel prices, one that is not expected to be short-lived," said Carl Donaway, chairman and chief executive officer. "Our company consumes significant quantities of jet fuel, gasoline and diesel fuel each year. As fuel prices rise in the marketplace, it causes a considerable increase in our operating expenses. We will continue to monitor fuel trends carefully, and make changes to the fuel surcharge as warranted."
Airborne Inc. is the parent company of Airborne Express – the No. 3 express delivery company behind United Parcel Service Inc, and FedEx Corp. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Teamsters Set March 5 Vote on NMFA
Members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters will get their chance to weigh in on the union’s tentative agreement with the Motor Freight Carriers Association on March 5, Bloomberg reported.The agreement on a new National Master Freight Agreement was reached on Feb. 6.
The pact avoided a potential work stoppage. The old NMFA is set to expire March 31.
The NMFA, and related contracts cover more than 85,000 workers at 65 companies nationwide. Transport Topics
Intermodal Traffic Increases Again
The number of intermodal loadings on America’s railroads rose 8.6% during the week ended Feb. 15 when compared to the same week in 2002, the Association of American Railroads reported Thursday.Intermodal is the segment of the rail industry that competes most directly with long-haul trucking.
Container loadings rose 14.1% last week to 142,505, while loadings of trailers fell 5.8% to 44,995, AAR reported.
For the year, overall intermodal loadings are running 10.5% higher than the same period last year, AAR said. Transport Topics
CPI Rises 0.3% in January, 'Core' Up 0.1%
Consumer prices rose 0.3% in January, the Labor Department said Friday, prompting analysts to say there continues to be little or no inflationary pressure on the economy.The “core” CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose only 0.1%, Labor reported.
Analysts told Bloomberg News that there is little inflationary pressure, as a result of “lethargic” economic growth.
The report said that energy prices jumped 4% during January.
In December, the CPI rose 0.1% and the core rate increased 0.2%, Labor said. Transport Topics
