News Briefs - May 28
The Latest Headlines:
- US 1 Expands Intermodal Services
- TRALA Opposing N.Y. Bill Aimed at Rented and Leased Trucks
- China Airlines Scratches Cargo Flights After Crash
- Russian Production Pledge Holds Oil Prices Down
- Hazmat Derailment Threatens Mich. City
- Concern About New Engines Boosts Truck Orders, WSJ Says
- ODOT Issues Official Detours After Bridge Collapse
- TRALA Opposing N.Y. Bill Aimed at Rented and Leased Trucks
US 1 Expands Intermodal Services
US 1 Industries Inc. said Tuesday that it is expanding the intermodal segment of its business with the addition of Harbor Bridge Intermodal Inc. as a new subsidiary.Harbor Bridges has long-term contracts with Whelan and Assoc. of Chicago and Bruin Transport Services of Bell, Calif., to operate and expand their intermodal drayage operations. John Whelan has been named president of the new subsidiary. Harbor Bridge operates in Chicago; Louisville, Ky.; Columbus, Ohio, and Bell, Calif.
Harbor Bridge is expected to generate more than $10 million in revenue each year, the company said. US 1 Industries’ annual intermodal revenue is expected to exceed $60 million in 2002.
(Click here for the full press release.)
TRALA Opposing N.Y. Bill Aimed at Rented and Leased Trucks
The Truck Renting and Leasing Association has begun mounting opposition to a New York state bill aimed at requiring all rented or leased trucks to have an approved warning device or back-up bell, TRALA’s weekly newsletter said Friday.In a letter to Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin (D-Queens), TRALA said the bill unfairly singles out rented and leased trucks and could hurt the industry.
"Not only would targeting truck renting and leasing alone for the new requirement have little consequence on safety improvement, it would place our industry at a competitive disadvantage in relationship to purchased vehicles," the group said in a letter to Assemblyman McLaughlin.
In 2000, TRALA succeeded in securing a veto by Gov. George Pataki of similar legislation, the association said. Transport Topics
China Airlines Scratches Cargo Flights After Crash
China Airlines canceled 12 cargo flights per week, including four flights to the United States, just days after one of its planes crashed into the Taiwan Strait, the Associated Press reported.Cargo is often carried from airports in trucks and cancellations are likely to disrupt delivery schedules.
China Airlines, Taiwan's largest air carrier, said Monday that it would temporarily cancel four flights each to the U.S., Europe and Asia.
On Sunday, the government ordered all China Airlines planes grounded until it can be determined they are safe. The company expects the cancellations will be short-term and should not generate a serious impact, the AP said. Transport Topics
Russian Production Pledge Holds Oil Prices Down
The price of crude oil remained steady last week despite the threat of a war between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.Crude oil is distilled into gasoline and diesel fuel, on which trucks run. Oil production figures are always of interest to truckers.
Analysts told Bloomberg that Russia's pledge to increase production outweighed other factors in influencing oil prices.
In the U.S., crude oil for July settlement fell to $25.55 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Brent crude oil for July delivery was down as much as 3 cents or 0.1% to $24.91 on the International Petroleum Exchange in London, Bloomberg reported. Transport Topics
Hazmat Derailment Threatens Mich. City
The city of Potterville, Mich., was evacuated Tuesday after a freight train carrying explosive material derailed, the Associated Press reported.Trucks and trains compete for the carriage of many kinds of hazardous materials. An accident involving either is potentially disastrous, although railcars typically carry greater volumes.
The AP said 35 of the Grand Trunk Western train's 58 cars derailed Monday. Nine of the derailed cars were carrying propane and two others sulfuric acid.
No injuries were reported. However, two of the propane cars, each carrying 34,000 gallons of the gas, were leaking, AP said. A third was believed punctured.
The Potterville sheriff told AP any spark or surge of electricity could ignite the cars. Potterville's population is 2,200. Transport Topics
Concern About New Engines Boosts Truck Orders, WSJ Says
The Wall Street Journal Tuesday reported a 70% increase in orders for Class 8 trucks during the first quarter of 2002, reflecting, the Journal said, a rush by trucking fleets to beat a new environmental rule aimed at big diesel engines.A consent decree signed by major engine makers and the Environmental Protection Agency in 1998 committed the manufacturers to the production of engines that would produce lower emissions by October 2002.
However, fleet operators told the WSJ they are accelerating their orders because they fear the new technology will make engines less fuel efficient, costlier to maintain and possibly more prone to breakdowns on the road.
The EPA launched an inquiry in early May into whether engine makers were encouraging purchases of trucks before the October deadline.(Click here for earlier coverage.)
The WSJ said that trucking companies that are either "pre-buying" or holding on to older trucks included Schneider National Inc., Celadon Group Inc., and US Xpress Enterprises Inc. Transport Topics
ODOT Issues Official Detours After Bridge Collapse
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation issued official alternate routes for motorists and truckers to avoid Interstate 40 after a bridge collapsed Sunday.Interstate 40 is a major truck route that runs direct from the Atlantic Ocean to the West Coast through the southern United States.
A 600-foot section of the bridge collapsed after a barge collided with the structure, news services reported. As many as 15 vehicles were thrown into the water in the collapse, Oklahoma officials said. Nine persons were reported killed in the accident, but the search for bodies continues Tuesday.
To route around the collapsed bridge, ODOT gave the following directions:
- For westbound vehicles:
li>Take Exit 297 and travel north on highway 10
li>Travel west on US 64
li>Head south on highway 100 to I-40
For eastbound vehicles:
li>Take Exit 278 and travel south from Warner on highway 2
li>Take highway 9 east to exit 307
li>Travel on US 59 north to I-40.
