A.M. Executive Briefing - Jan. 4
This Morning's Headlines:
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Navistar Poised to Lay Off Up to 500
Navistar International has warned of a possible March layoff of up to 500 workers at its plant in Chatham, Ontario, due to falling heavy truck demand. By the middle of next month, the company will decide what its production schedule will be.Joe McCabe of the Canadian Auto Workers union said the announcement merely reflects caution on Navistar's part and it is not probable that 500 workers will be laid off. The decline in truck orders might be Y2K related and could turn around easily, he said.
Stolen Trailer Contained 180 Drums of Toxic Chemical
According to the FBI, a trailer stolen Sunday in East Point, Ga., was carrying 180 drums of the poisonous chemical sodium hydrosulfite. The gray OOCL trailer had the Tennessee tag number 250368. The bureau and East Point police are accepting any information about the stolen trailer. Associated Press (01/03/00)DaimlerChrysler's Schrempp to Visit Japan on Nissan Diesel
According to Der Spiegel, DaimlerChrysler co-chairman Juergen Schrempp is set to go to Japan for acquisition talks on Nissan Diesel Motor. DaimlerChrysler is waiting for a Nissan Diesel bankruptcy filing or for creditors to forgive most loans to the Japanese truckmaker, the German weekly magazine reported Monday. Should the Japanese company declare bankruptcy, DaimlerChrysler plans to acquire its factories and dealer networks, the report said. Japan Economic Newswire (01/03/00)Charlotte Keeps An Eye on Fort Worth Intermodal Hub
With an eye to the success of the Alliance Intermodal Terminal in Texas, officials in Charlotte, N.C., are in talks with Norfolk Southern on a possible intermodal complex in the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport vicinity."For every dollar generated by railroads," said economist Ray Perryman, the Fort Worth terminal "generates $3 of total activity." Several of the tenants at the Alliance business park, where the terminal is located, use the rail terminal in everyday business. J.C. Penney built a new distribution center, handling 100 containers weekly with the potential for four times that amount, in the area between Alliance and the airport.
The Alliance terminal is served by the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads and sees some 900 trailers and containers daily. Most of those are from such clients as Yellow Freight System, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Hyundai, Stevens Transport, and Maersk. The Alliance switchyard's Saginaw and Fort Worth "subyards" mostly handle Mexico-bound shipments and local shipments, respectively. Charlotte Observer (01/03/00) P. 9D; Hornaday, Bill
Norfolk "Smart" Roads Get Command Center
In the first part of this year, Norfolk, Va.'s Smart Traffic Center will be fully operational, allowing capacity increases on city roadways. Technicians use TV monitors to check up on major intersections and can change traffic signals or call emergency services in the event of an accident.Thanks to the state Transportation Department, in the future the $6.2 million center will be able to cover all interstate highways in the Hampton Roads area. The city and state smart-road operations are also connected for information sharing. Other smart road systems have allowed road capacity to go up between 15% and 20%.
Norfolk currently has roughly 200 detectors checking up on traffic speed and volume, and when the second phase of the system is complete it will boast 50 cameras, two dozen variable-message signs and 280 "smart" traffic signals. Norfolk Virginian-Pilot (01/03/00) P. B1; Messina, Debbie
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