News Briefs - Jan. 9
- Rumors Fly About MAN Breakup
- Truck Restrictions Near U.N. Building Lifted
- Mail Volumes Down By 2.8 Billion Items
- One-Day Strike Hits Caterpillar Plant in England
- British Military Updating Fleet With 8,500 New Trucks
- Scania Wins $29 Million Contract in France
- Army Developing Anti-Terror Truck
- USPS to Use British Post Office Unit in Europe
- Truck Restrictions Near U.N. Building Lifted
Rumors Fly About MAN Breakup
Analysts and European traders are speculating about a possible breakup of German truck maker MAN AG, Bloomberg reported.The company, which is Germany's No. 2 manufacturer of heavy trucks, also has interests in printing presses.
The breakup could happen because Allianz AG, which owns 36% of the company, is looking to sell its interest in MAN. A new German law exempting such sales from capital gains levies has given Allianz reason to look for a buyer, Bloomberg said.
Analysts said that the company's various elements could be worth more separately than as a group, Bloomberg reported. Transport Topics
Truck Restrictions Near U.N. Building Lifted
New York City on Monday scaled back security around the United Nations building, lifting a ban on car and truck traffic that had been in place since Sept. 11 along part of First Avenue, the New York Times reported.After the terrorist attacks, sanitation trucks filled with sand were used as barricades to protect the building along 42nd Street and on First and Second Avenues. Most of the trucks left the area on Monday.
A scaling back of security is also taking place in other areas of the city, the New York Times said, including the area around Gracie Mansion and the Manhattan Bridge. Transport Topics
Mail Volumes Down By 2.8 Billion Items
Fears of terrorism and a weakening economy combined to induce the largest drop in postal volumes in more than 30 years, the U.S. Postal Service said Tuesday.The USPS saw a 2.8 billion drop-off in mailings between Sept. 8 and Nov. 30 over 2000 levels, the Associated Press reported. The disclosure came as the Service is negotiating with major mailers on a price increase on first-class stamps of 3 cents.
The Service, which has been in financial dire straits, said that it may cut as many as 15,000 jobs in 2002.
The reduction in mailings has put the already cash strapped Service in a bind, the AP said. In 2001, the U.S. Postal Service lost $1.68 billion and expenses are mounting as the agency now must spend billions to protect customers from bioterrorism.
The increase in stamp prices was announced as part of a compromise with bulk mailers over rates. The increase, which would take effect in June, is subject to the approval of the independent Postal Rate Commission, which is expected to vote in the spring. Transport Topics
One-Day Strike Hits Caterpillar Plant in England
Hundreds of employees at a truck plant owned by Caterpillar Inc. in Peterlee, England, walked out for one day Tuesday in the first strike to affect the plant in 20 years, the Associated Press reported.Company spokesmen to AP that some of the plant's 750 workers had reported for duty, that an unknown number had joined in the action, which was it protest over a pay freeze. Transport Topics
British Military Updating Fleet With 8,500 New Trucks
The Defense Ministry of Great Britain announced Wednesday that it has tendered $2 billion for a new fleet of 8,500 new trucks, its largest single vehicle purchase in more than 20 years, Reuters reported.The Ministry has chosen five companies to enter the tender, with the prime contractor to be named late in 2002, Reuters said. The companies are U.S.-based Oshkosh Truck Corp. and Stewart & Stevenson, and European truck makers MAN AG, Leyland Trucks and the British division of DaimlerChrysler AG.
The first vehicles are to be delivered for trials in 2005, Reuters reported. Transport Topics
Scania Wins $29 Million Contract in France
Scania AB announced Wednesday that its French subsidiary Scania France has won a contract for 350 trucks from French hauling company, Transalliance.Under the contract, which is worth $29 million, Scania will deliver the trucks before the end of 2002. In 2001, Transalliance ordered 170 trucks from Scania, which is the No. 4 truck maker in Europe.
"This is the biggest contract ever received by Scania France," MD Marc Haezenberghe said in a statement. "We have had a long-standing business relationship with Transalliance and the total of 520 new trucks which they have now ordered will make Scania a highly visible part of their expanding fleet.” Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Army Developing Anti-Terror Truck
The U.S. Army's vehicle research and development unit is developing a multipurpose military vehicle that could evolve into a heavy-duty pickup truck for citizens, the Associated Press reported.he vehicle looks like a customized Ford F-350 pickup, but features bulletproof armor and James Bond-like gadgets such as the ability to toss out dozens of tire-popping tacks.
People inside the vehicle would also be protected from a nuclear, biological or chemical attack, AP said. Transport Topics
USPS to Use British Post Office Unit in Europe
The U.S. Postal Service will utilize a division of the British postal office, General Logistics System, to make Express Mail and air deliveries in Europe, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.The deal applies to packages earmarked for delivery in four or six days to 23 countries in Europe, a USPS spokesperson told the AP. The Service is hoping that using a single carrier will bring more consistency to its package delivery offerings.
The arrangement does not apply to the Postal Service's letter mail delivery. For letters, the USPS will continue to use DHL as its carrier, the AP said.
GLS is a division of Consignia, which was recently adopted as the new name of the British post office. GLS currently delivers parcels to Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Denmark and Austria with 17 new countries being added in the next three months. Transport Topics
