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The Latest Headlines:
- Canadian Border Work Stoppage Expensive to Trucking
- FedEx Stocking Up on Tamiflu
- New Orleans Port Scrambling for Truck Drivers
- Oregon Checking Trucks for Snow Chains
- FedEx Stocking Up on Tamiflu
Canadian Border Work Stoppage Expensive to Trucking
A work stoppage by customs inspectors at Windsor, Ontario, border crossings cost Canadian industry up to $850,000 an hour, according to representatives of the trucking and auto parts industries, the Windsor Star newspaper reported Wednesday.Ontario Trucking Association President David Bradley said Canada cannot afford work stoppages like the one by 108 customs officers Thursday, which held up traffic at the Ambassador Bridge and the Windsor-Detroit tunnel for up to two-and-a-half hours, the Star reported.
Bradley said inspectors have walked off the job at the Peace Bridge at Niagara Falls five times over the past five months in the union's ongoing campaign to carry guns, the paper said. Transport Topics
FedEx Stocking Up on Tamiflu
Package carrier FedEx Corp. said it has bought a large supply of Tamiflu to protect its employees in high-risk areas against possible outbreaks of the Asian bird flu."We’re advising all of our employees who work in critical areas, like Asia, in countries where they have had outbreaks amongst their birds, to see their doctors and if their physician recommends it, get a prescription for Tamiflu,” said spokeswoman Sandra Munoz.
Munoz said she did not know the exact number of doses FedEx has bought, but said it was “much, much less” than the reported 10,000 doses purchased by Virgin Airlines.
Munoz said the doses FedEx has purchased will be made available to employees who have prescriptions, but have been unable to locate Tamiflu on their own.
FedEx has long advocated that its employees get standard flu shots and for the first time will send medical crews to offer the shots at its highest-populated work sites this year, Munoz said. Daniel W. Guido
New Orleans Port Scrambling for Truck Drivers
The Port of New Orleans, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, has returned to about 40% of its normal operating capacity, the Associated Press reported.Two of the port’s three container terminals still are not receiving ships, dock workers are having problems getting enough business and truck service, which moves 70% of the cargo in and out of the port, is still sporadic, AP said.
The port is in competition with other cities and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for truck drivers, AP reported.
Before Katrina, about 1,000 truck drivers hauled 1,500 truck loads on a busy day at the port. That has fallen to about 150 drivers handling 450 loads per day, AP said, citing port officials.
The port said it would offer free housing aboard military ships to drivers who work its cargoes, AP reported. Transport Topics
Oregon Checking Trucks for Snow Chains
Oregon state troopers Tuesday began enforcement of a state law that requires semi-truck drivers to carry snow chains, the Associated Press reported.A police official said law enforcement wants to get the attention of truckers before heavy snows fall. A similar crackdown last year found that about 20% of drivers were without proper chains, AP said.
Officers begain enforcement at five of the state's mountain passes, and drivers without snow chains could be hit with tickets ranging from $111 to $141, AP reported.
When snows fall and all vehicles are required to carry chains, truckers caught ignoring that requirement can face a fine of up to $493, AP said. Transport Topics
