A.M. Executive Briefing - Dec. 28
This Morning's Headlines:
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Forbes Delivers Praise to UPS: It's Named 'Company of the Year'
United Parcel Service has been chosen as the "company of the year" in Forbes magazine, which cited UPS' place in handling e-commerce shipments and the ability of UPS technology to deliver shipment monitoring and trust.The Forbes article said UPS has changed from "a trucking company with technology" to "a technology company with trucks."
harge. Atlanta Journal-Constitution (12/28/99) P. 1D; Walker, Tom
Gannon to Head Allied Worldwide
Allied Worldwide interim CEO Jim Rogers will be replaced Jan. 5 by Jeffrey P. Gannon , former president and CEO at Zenith Electronics.Among the companies owned by Allied Worldwide are North American Van Lines and Allied Pickfords.
Rogers, principal at a New York equity firm with a roughly 73 percent stake in Allied Worldwide, will remain Allied Worldwide's chairman of the board. Journal of Commerce (12/28/99) P. 15
Jake for Detroit Diesel Series 60 Engines Debuts
The Jacobs Vehicle Systems Model 790 Engine Brake is now a factory option on Detroit Diesel Series 60 Engines.The engine brake, developed by Jacobs and Detroit Diesel, cuts the amount of parts and the weight of the unit while increasing retarding power. Heavy Duty Trucking Online (12/28/99)
MPP Pressing Province on 401 Policing Pledge
Ontario provincial legislator Pat Hoy, a member of the Liberal party, is pressing the province's Conservative government to add photo radar on the Chatham-Kent stretch of Highway 401 if the government cannot maintain its pledge to add police.Transportation Minister David Turnbull said in September that patrols along the highway between Windsor and London would be increased by 22 officers.
The Windsor-London stretch has seen 28 crash deaths in 1999, and a number of deaths have taken place in the 66-kilometer Chatham-Kent portion, where the highway has no median barrier.
Hoy said some of his constituents are also wondering why, as some of the shoulder on the outside of the highway near Chatham is being paved with rumble strips installed, the shoulder along the median is not also being paved.
Added safety features and police patrols for the highway were announced by Turnbull after an 80-vehicle crash in September that caused eight deaths, but they did not go far enough for critics and the Canadian Automobile Association. Critics believe the four-lane highway should be increased to six lanes and median barriers should be installed. London (Ontario) Free Press (12/28/99) P. A4; Teahen, Kelley
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Greyhound Dogged by Parcels
Greyhound parcel customers in Calgary, Alberta, were complaining Sunday about Christmas presents arriving late; one man said parcels from Toronto did not show up until Sunday despite being sent Dec. 10.A manager turned down a reporter's interview, and three company locations could not be reached for comment. But a Greyhound clerk said to a customer that the company has been swamped by the number of parcels sent this year -- 60,000 or more parcels and three truckloads had shown up at the depot, said the clerk. Calgary Herald (12/27/99) P. B2; Thompson, Wendy-Anne
Chicken Trucks Under Investigation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking into complaints from farmers alleging that Perdue Farms reported trucks used for carrying chickens to be heavier than they really were.If the trucks are claimed to be heavier, then the company could pay farmers less than they deserve, because the chickens and trucks are weighed at the same time.
The department's estimate is that certain Perdue trucks have been claimed to be up to 3,500 pounds more than they really weighed. Land Line Magazine Online (12/28/99) ; Carlson, Donna
Trailers That Unload From Either Side Grow in Popularity
Greg Smith started SmithCo Manufacturing in 1994 to build side-dump trailers after an extended search for a way to haul rip rap for his trucking and excavation company without the tipovers he experienced with end-dump trailers.His search turned up a side-dump trailer from a California manufacturer, and he altered that trailer by giving it a frame and modifying it to use an ordinary kingpin to connect to the tractor.
SmithCo sales grew slowly at first, but eventually they were selling so many trailers that the company had to move to a 70,000-square-foot complex adjacent to its original facility south of Le Mars, Iowa.
The company has been getting more and more orders for trailers customized to customers' specific needs. Most customers still use the trailers to haul aggregate materials, but others have used them to haul apple waste, heavy boulders, fish waste, and even contaminated soil from 1950s and '60s nuclear tests in Nevada.
The SmithCo trailers were appropriate for such toxic waste because they are welded to eliminate leaks. Associated Press (12/27/99) ; Dreeszen, Dave
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