Technology Briefs - July 11 - July 16
The Latest Headlines:
- EPA Joins California Fuel Cell Partnership
- G-Log to Release New Transportation Software
- Global 2-Way to Create New GPS System
- Effort to Simplify State Sales Tax Hits Snag
- N.J. to Add E-ZPass Charges
- Phillips Announces Plans for Fuel Cleaning Plant
- Pacer Wins AEP Industries Contract
- TransTech Unveils Document Scanning Service
- G-Log to Release New Transportation Software
EPA Joins California Fuel Cell Partnership
The California Fuel Cell Partnership said Friday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has joined its venture to promote fuel cell vehicles.Many industry observers believe that fuel cells are the key to the trucking industry's effort to meet tougher clean air standards.
The EPA plans to make its testing facilities available to the partnership and provide assessments of the emissions performance and fuel efficiency of the fuel cell vehicles.
(Click here for the full press release.)
G-Log to Release New Transportation Software
G-Log, a supplier of software for managing transportation, is set to release the version 3.5 of its Global Command and Control Center software, InternetWeek reported Friday.This product allows companies to book transportation for shipments, manage communications with freight forwarders and monitor events taking place in the supply chain. It also allows customers to view information in their native languages and currencies.
The story noted that if something goes wrong during shipping, the software can help develop a revised plan for getting the goods as needed. Transport Topics
Global 2-Way to Create New GPS System
Global 2-Way, a provider of land mobile and wireless communication systems, said Monday it reached a deal, pending court approval, with Terion Inc. to buy the assets of their DHF network and create a new product called Global T-Fleet.If the deal is approved by the courts, Global 2-Way will use global positioning system technology to create a network that allows for nationwide two-way text messaging and location on demand. It will be able to effectively communicate with and track the location of nearly any type of vehicle.
The system also will offer new driver safeguards and efficient ways to find vehicles that have been stolen or abandoned, the company said in a release. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Effort to Simplify State Sales Tax Hits Snag
Delegates of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project were not able to agree on a modernized sales tax after two years of discussions, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.The project, which is aimed at providing a simpler, uniform sales tax for all states, hoped to get a tax code enacted so they could press Congress to approve an Internet sales tax, the Journal said.
A tax on the sale of goods over the Internet could affect the number of orders placed at online e-tailers. These goods purchased online are often delivered by trucking companies.
Without a simplified tax system, Congress is nearly certain to reject Internet taxation proposals, the Journal said. State officials said they expect to search for compromise language and to finish a draft by September. Transport Topics
N.J. to Add E-ZPass Charges
In an effort to reduce the $500 million in debt accumulated by the E-ZPass program, the state of New Jersey is instituting some new charges, the Bergen Record reported Friday.The automated toll collection system, which has saddled the state with a tremendous amount of debt, will now be accessible to New Jersey motorists for a fee of $1 per month, the paper said.
Also, the state will repeal a 3- to 5-cent discount for using the E-ZPass on the Garden State Parkway, and ask customers to purchase replacement tags as the batteries in their current ones fail. New tags will cost $23 for the interior mounted model and $28 for a bumper-mounted tag.
In making the announcement, Gov. James McGreevey said the E-ZPass the state inherited was dysfunctional and these changes were part of a plan to make it work for New Jersey residents, the paper reported. Transport Topics
Phillips Announces Plans for Fuel Cleaning Plant
Phillips Petroleum Co. plans to build a sulfur-removal plant for diesel fuel in Texas, technology which the Daily Oklahoman reported would put it ahead of the competition as the industry faces new federal low-sulfur regulations later this decade.The first commercial plant will be an S Zorb-Diesel unit capable of handling 15,000 barrels per day. It will be built at the Sweeny, Texas refinery, and will be complete by 2003, the Oklahoman said.
Phillips currently has a 6,000-barrel-per-day S Zorb-gasoline unit operating in Borger, Texas, and it plans to build a larger, 25,000-barrel-per-day gasoline unit in Ferndale, Wash., the story said.
The company has licensed its S Zorb cleaning technology to six other plants as companies prepare to meet a June 2006 Environmental Protection Agency deadline requiring diesel fuel to have a sulfur content of 15 parts per million or lower, the Oklahoman reported. Transport Topics
Pacer Wins AEP Industries Contract
Pacer Global Logistics announced Thursday that it has won a multi-year contract with AEP Industries Inc. to provide third-party logistics services to its seven U.S. manufacturing plants.Pacer will provide load optimization and Internet-based track-and-trace capabilities, it said. AEP produces, markets and distributes plastic packaging products, which Pacer will also transport as an addition to AEP’s existing carrier base.
"PGL's technological capabilities, along with their processes, emphasis on continuous improvement, and the skill set of its personnel -- all contributed to making this a sound decision for us," said Lee Petragila, vice president, zupply chain, for AEP Industries.
Dublin, Ohio-based Pacer Logistics is the retail division of Pacer International, a third-party logistics provider. It offers logistics services such as trucking, intermodal marketing, freight consolidation and handling, international freight forwarding and supply-chain management services. Transport Topics
(Click here for full press release.)
TransTech Unveils Document Scanning Service
Pegasus TransTech has launched its new Transflo Express document scanning service at 150 truck stops, the company announced in a press release.Fuel desk attendants at truck stops equipped with Transflo scan a driver’s documents and then send them electronically to the fleet for immediate billing and payroll processing, TransTech said.
Bob Helms, chairman of Pegasus TransTech, said the advantage of the service is that it gives fleets the paperwork they need to close out a load the same day it was delivered, improving cash flow. Transport Topics
