P.M. Executive Briefing - Aug. 9
This Afternoon's Headlines:
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Mexican Tequila Manufacturers Find Ways to Avoid Cargo Theft
The risk of cargo theft is rising along with the demand for premium tequila.The tequila company 1912 tries to fill containers before shipping because shipping on pallets raises the risk of theft. But European shipments are smaller in volume and often have to go on pallets.
Ordinarily, crossing at Laredo takes about 24 hours but sometimes it has taken four or five times as long. The company has not suffered any theft of trucks.
Like larger tequila companies Cuervo and Sauza, 1912 uses satellite freight tracking and armored-truck escorts. General manager Beat Aerne of 1912 also says the company is mulling over the possibility of shipping freight by rail. Journal of Commerce (08/09/99) P. 15; McCosh, Daniel J.
Truck Drivers Want Access to I-80
U.S. Route 322 in Centre County, Pa., is dense with large trucks making their way to Interstate 80, where the truckers can avoid the tolls of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Truckers would like to see a four-lane route to I-80.Ohio independent trucker David Strock points out that "you've got school buses, cars stopping, people backing out of their driveways" on the two-lane roads.
In May, the South Central Centre County Transportation Study began collecting data on car and truck traffic on U.S. 322 as well as state routes 144 and 45 and Brush Valley Road. The new study will reflect the rise in truck traffic since May 1994, when an earlier survey found that more than 70% of trucks atop Seven Mountains were bound for I-80.
Area residents want to keep truck traffic from extending to more small rural routes in the area.
Paul Weener of the local Valley Partnership for Transportation Alternatives says, "If we simply close the gap by putting in four lanes on 322, State College will be a hub of major interstate truck routes."
[In a related story in the same day's Centre Daily Times, Weener was quoted as saying making State College a truck hub will "promote urban sprawl and create blight." The story also noted the planned construction of four-lane I-99 and the beginning of construction of a four-lane Route 26 realignment, as well as a proposed four-lane link between I-99 and I-80.]
Joe Wydra of the industry group Pennsylvania Truck Transportation Alliance says his group supports truckers using the turnpike instead of smaller roads. Wydra adds that consumer prices will reflect any decision made. Centre (Pa.) Daily Times Online (08/08/99); Hopkins, Margaret
Rolling Through Town: Truck Traffic from Canada on the Rise
The newly-opened Simonson Travel Center at Interstate 29 and U.S. Route 2 in Grand Forks, N.D., reflects the rise in Canadian truck traffic coming into the state.Truck border crossings at Pembina, N.D., rose from 148,000 to 175,301 vehicles between 1996 and 1998, with compiled figures from 24 North Dakota and Minnesota crossings showing similar gains.
Arch Simonson, who owns the new travel center in addition to some Grand Forks service stations, attributes the rising Canadian traffic to North American Free Trade Agreement reforms as well as Winnipeg's rise as an important freight hub. Many of the trucks from Winnipeg use I-29, which hits many important interstates and federal routes in the United States.
Other North Dakota truck plazas opening or enlarging in the last few years are the Big Sioux Travel Plaza in Grand Forks, the Joliette Truck Stop near Pembina, and a number of Fargo locations including the Flying J Travel Plaza and the Petro Pumper. Interstates 29 and 94 come together near Fargo.
Grand Forks truck-related businesses, including parts and service providers, are helping the town gain from the trucking boom. Truckers might otherwise wait until they get to Fargo to stop, says Big Sioux general manager Dave Burris. Grand Forks Herald Online (08/07/99); Cory, Matt
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