News Briefs - June 6
The Latest Headlines:
- Wabash Adds Line of Flatbed Trailers
- Colorado Governor Signs Household Goods Law
- Report: OPEC Will Not Cut Production Quotas
- Senate Passes Ethanol Measure
- Truck Speed Limit May Increase in Ohio
- Intermodal Loadings Up 4.9% in May
- Colorado Governor Signs Household Goods Law
Wabash Adds Line of Flatbed Trailers
Truck trailer maker Wabash National Corp. said late Thursday it was adding a series of flatbed and drop deck trailers.The eight models would be available in various all-steel or steel-aluminum compositions, and are being distributed through the company's factory-owned branch network, Wabash National Trailer Centers.
The company said in a release the trailers would be marketed under the Wabash brand name. Transcraft Corp. will manufacture the trailers.
(Click here for the full press release.)
Colorado Governor Signs Household Goods Law
The Colorado Motor Carriers Association said Thursday that the signing of legislation by Gov. Bill Owens provides greater protection for consumers who are having their household goods moved within the state.The bill requires a consumer receive written documentation of services and costs before the move, prevents a mover from withholding delivery of goods if the consumer pays the fee, requires a mover to tell consumers where their goods are being stored and forces movers to relinquish medical supplies and children’s clothing and toys, regardless of the circumstance.
Movers are also required to carry adequate levels of insurance and register with the Public Utilities Commission, CMCA said in a release.
It also said more than 500 complaints concerning movers were logged in the state last year. Transport Topics
Report: OPEC Will Not Cut Production Quotas
OPEC has abandoned plans to cut oil output when the cartel meets next week, a decision that could help stabilize global markets, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.Crude oil is distilled down to motor fuels like diesel and gasoline, both of which are used to power the trucking industry.
Until recently, OPEC had hinted it would reduce its targeted production level again. However, with worldwide oil prices rising again and Iraq still struggling to increase its production, the cartel is expected to keep oil output unchanged, the Journal said.
The cartel's official production quota is currently 25.4 million barrels a day, a level agreed upon in April and implemented on June 1. That represents about a third of worldwide oil consumption. Transport Topics
Senate Passes Ethanol Measure
The Senate on Thursday voted to require oil refiners to increase the 2.5 billion gallons of ethanol that are blended with gasoline to 5 billion gallons in the next ten years, news services reported.In addition, the measure would ban use of MTBE, a gasoline additive that is made from methanol, a derivative of natural gas, and that is found to contaminate drinking water supplies, the Associated Press said.
The entire measure was inserted in a broad energy bill that the Senate hopes to approve soon.
The ethanol additive is made mainly in the Midwest from corn, although it can come from other grains and biomass. Under the new mandate, it would have to be used by refiners in every state except Alaska and Hawaii.
The House called for a similar expansion of ethanol production in an energy bill it passed in April. But the House rejected a ban on the petroleum-based MTBE, AP said. Transport Topics
Truck Speed Limit May Increase in Ohio
The Ohio Legislature is considering a bill that would raise the highway speed limit for all motor vehicles regardless of weight to 65 mph, a Cincinnati television station reported.WLWT-TV said on its Web site that although Senate Bill 94 would not affect any of the 55 mph zones near large cities such as Cincinnati, it would raise the maximum speed outside city limits, where it is 55 mph for trucks but 65 mph for cars.
The Senate Highways and Transportation Committee is currently reviewing the bill.
In nearby Kentucky, truckers can drive 65 mph, while the speed limit is 60 mph for truckers in Indiana, the report said. Transport Topics
Intermodal Loadings Up 4.9% in May
Intermodal loadings on the nation's railroads were up 4.9% in May compared with May 2002, the Association of American Railroads reported late Thursday.Intermodal is the segment of the railroad business most directly competitive with long-haul trucking.
Through the first five months of the year, intermodal traffic totaled 4,046,784 trailers and containers, up 7.1% from last year's pace. Total volume was estimated at 623.7 billion ton-miles, up 0.9% from last year.
For only the week ended May 31, AAR said intermodal volume up 4.1%, compared with the corresponding week a year ago. Transport Topics
