P.M. Executive Briefing - July 28
This Afternoon's Headlines:
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USFreightways Up on Preston Closure
The announced shutdown of Preston Trucking caused the stock of its competitor USFreightways to jump $3.8125 to $50.5 on July 27, topping its price for the last 52 weeks. William Blair & Co. analyst Jeff Medford says Preston’s niche was "next-day and two-day delivery, which fits in the network of USFreightways." Reuters (07/27/99)Con-Way Regional Carriers Qualify 46 Drivers to Compete in National Truck Driving Championships
The 62nd National Truck Driving Championships will feature 46 drivers employed by regional less-than-truckload divisions of Con-Way Transportation Services, the most drivers sent by any company.
Keep Out
Fearing competition from agencies conducting criminal investigations into intentional crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board wants Congress to affirm that the board has priority and leadership over other government agencies when investigating accidents.Board Chairman Jim Hall said the board will work with agencies that want "special care in the handling of evidence at the scene, in the manner of witness interviews and in the release of information to the public."
The NTSB also wants to ensure that the Federal Railroad Administration and the Coast Guard do not interfere with recording devices the board wants to put in trains and some ships. In addition, the agency wants marine investigation authority up to 12 miles out to sea instead of the current three. Traffic World (07/26/99) Vol. 4, No. 259, P. 16; Wilner, Frank N.
Why the EPA's Wheezing a Bit
Citing the rarely-used "nondelegation doctrine," two Reagan appointees on a three-judge panel at the federal District of Columbia Circuit Appeals Court cast the majority votes to overturn 1997 Environmental Protection Agency regulations on ozone and soot pollution.he judges ruled in the lawsuit, which was led by American Trucking Associations, that the EPA overstepped its legislative bounds, in a ruling that could affect other executive agencies that have been granted broad discretion.
Many observers say the ruling flies in the face of more than 50 years of federal administrative operations, including 10 rulings by the same circuit court on the EPA authority to mandate air-pollution standards.
EPA Administrator Carol Browner says the regulations are scientifically legitimate. She further argues that environmental protection needs an agency’s unanimity rather than a fractious Congress.
However, many industry advocates applaud the ruling, sensing that the EPA will no longer hamper their businesses with too much regulations. Roger Pilon of the Cato Institute says the ruling will force Congress to detail the missions of executive agencies.
Some people, particularly environmentalists, claim the ruling was a deliberate -- a specific attack on the EPA rather than bureaucrats in general. Now, industry lawyers are scrambling to challenge EPA regulations using the revived nondelegation principle.
The Justice Department has already asked that the full circuit court rule in the case.
Observers are unsure whether the Supreme Court would uphold the ruling. Some say the change in the federal government would be too radical, while others point to a conservative track record of high-court rulings on property rights and states' rights. National Journal (07/24/99) Vol. 31, No. 30, P. 2166; Kriz, Margaret
Shell Fleet Services Introduces Shell Vehicle Minder
Shell VehicleMinder, a new Windows software program from Shell Fleet Services, helps track maintenance and expenditures for entire fleets of vehicles. Squarerigger, a longtime developer of computer fleet-maintenance programs, assisted Shell Fleet Services in creating the program. Fleet Equipment (07/99) Vol. 25, No. 7, P. 66copyright 1999 INFORMATION, INC. Terms of Service
