A.M. Executive Briefing - May 5
This Morning's Headlines:
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Pacer in Talks to Buy Hub Group
Pacer International, which bought APL Stacktrain in 1999 and changed its name to Pacer Stacktrain, is in discussions about a possible acquisition of top intermodal marketing firm Hub Group, but the companies deny that they are on the verge of signing such a deal.Pacer chief Donald P. Orris is widely recognized as the container-doublestacking pioneer, having arranged a deal with Union Pacific during the early 1980s, when he worked at American President Lines, for transcontinental operation of APL trains.
If Pacer buys Hub, it would become the second-biggest intermodal rail customer, behind United Parcel Service.
According to a source, Pacer began considering a Hub purchase because J.B. Hunt Transportation's intermodal unit was too expensive. Among the issues Pacer and Hub are discussing is the future position of Hub Vice Chairman and CEO David P. Yeager, the son of founder and Chairman Phillip C. Yeager, sources say. Journal of Commerce (05/05/00) P. 1; Kaufman, Lawrence H.
Highway Blitz Traps Truckers
Ontario Provincial Police in the Ottawa area cracked down on commercial vehicles along Highway 417 Thursday, stopping over 20 vehicles and performing thorough inspections on 12 of them. Seven charges were laid, and two vehicles were detained - one for an unsecured load of wooden planks and another for bad brakes in its trailer. Ottawa Sun (05/05/00) P. 24; McQueen, Ann MarieFedEx Announces New E-Commerce Division
The logistics-services unit of FedEx has started a new e-commerce department called FedEx eLogistics, to begin testing services during the June-to-September fiscal first quarter.The group has hired Doug Witte, e-commerce chief for an electronics firm, to serve as the new department's vice president and general manager. Journal of Commerce (05/05/00) P. 6
Speed Limit Near Springfield Interchange Reduced Amid Safety Concerns
Citing safety concerns, the Virginia Department of Transportation has reduced the speed limit on Interstate 95 to 50 mph around the interchange near Springfield called the "Mixing Bowl."The speed limit is already 45 mph when construction crews working on the overhaul of the interchange are present, and the state could lower the speed further and make the reduced-speed zone larger if the measure does not affect traffic.
The interchange has been named the Washington, D.C., area's number-two bottleneck by the American Highway Users Alliance. Associated Press (05/04/00); Holly, Derrill
American Lung Association, Clean Air Trust Unveil Radio Spots Urging Diesel Truck Cleanup
The American Lung Association and Clean Air Trust are running commercials during the morning drive time on three radio stations in Washington, D.C., asking listeners to tell President Clinton to move forward with steps for cutting pollution from diesel fuel and heavy trucks.The commercials say that particulate emissions from diesel are connected to lung cancer and other diseases and that large trucks are one of the country's "last big uncontrolled sources of air pollution."
The spots also say that "big oil companies are fighting the cleanup" and "they'd rather fight clean air than produce clean fuel." U.S. Newswire (05/04/00)
License Tester Gets a Year, Trucker Ordered Locked Up
Donna Carter, a onetime official at Illinois' driver-licensing facility in Elk Grove Village, has been given the minimum sentence of one year in federal prison for fixing CDL exams in exchange for bribes.U.S. District Judge Suzanne Conlon prescribed the minimum sentence even though she rejected defense attorneys' arguments that addiction to drugs and alcohol had reduced Carter's mental capacity.
Another federal judge has asked that trucker Nikola Blagojevic, who violated a home-confinement order imposed for his involvement in the state's bribes-for-licenses scandal, be incarcerated for the four days each week that he is not permitted to operate his truck. Associated Press (05/04/00) ; Robinson, Mike
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