News Briefs - Feb. 25
The Latest Headlines:
- Oil Rises Slightly, Remains Over $51
- FedEx, Pilots Union Reportedly at Odds Over Recorders
- Western Europe Heavy-Duty Truck Sales Rise
- Intermodal Volume Grows 22.8% for Week
- Ryder to Provide Fleet Services to Owens Corning
- FedEx, Pilots Union Reportedly at Odds Over Recorders
Oil Rises Slightly, Remains Over $51
Light sweet crude oil prices rose 10 cents to close at $51.49 Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, Bloomberg reported.The push was in part due to forecasts for increased consumption this year by the United States and China, Bloomberg said.
Claude Mandil, executive director of the International Energy Agency, warned OPEC not to underestimate U.S. demand this year, Bloomberg said.
FedEx, Pilots Union Reportedly at Odds Over Recorders
FedEx Corp. and the largest U.S. pilots union disagree on the use of cockpit voice recordings in employment disputes, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.The union has accused FedEx of misusing some recordings in disciplinary matters, the paper reported.
The arguments between FedEx and the Air Line Pilots Association are heating up as federal regulators proposed regulations on gradual installation of longer-lasting recorders, the Journal said.
The result of the dispute could make pilots less willing to provide information on future incidents or potential flight hazards, the Journal said. Transport Topics
Western Europe Heavy-Duty Truck Sales Rise
Heavy-duty truck sales in Western Europe rose 9.3% in January to 22,682 vehicles, the European Automobile Manufacturers told Bloomberg News.Comparable U.S. January Class 8 sales truck sales rose 61.9% to 18,257, a record for the month of January.
Swedish firm Volvo AB and Germany-based DaimlerChrysler benefited from higher used truck sales in Eastern Europe, which raised new truck sales in Western Europe, Bloomberg said.
Volvo is the parent of Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks Inc., and DaimlerChrysler is the parent of parent of Freightliner Trucks. Transport Topics
Intermodal Volume Grows 22.8% for Week
The Association of American Railroads said Thursday that intermodal volume grew 22.8% for the week ended Feb. 19 over the previous year.Rail intermodal volume totaled 222,937 trailers or containers for the week, AAR said. Trailers were up 6.1% and containers grew by 29.5%.
Railroad volume is considered an important economic indicator. Intermodal traffic, which tends to be higher-valued merchandise than bulk commodities, uses trains for the long haul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.
Total rail carload freight shipments grew 4.9% over last year, to 350,225 loads, the rail trade group said. Transport Topics
Ryder to Provide Fleet Services to Owens Corning
Ryder System Inc. said late Thursday it has expanded its relationship with building-materials firm Owens Corning to include dedicated contract carriage services.Ryder said that in addition to an existing lease contract, it will provide Owens Corning with drivers, fleet management and vehicle maintenance services.
“Our partnership with Ryder continues to expand as a direct result of our enhanced performance capabilities and quality service we deliver to our customers,” said Mike Cramer, director of global logistics for Owens Corning.
Ryder is ranked No. 5 on the Transport Topics 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian trucking companies. Transport Topics
