A.M. Executive Briefing - May 9
This Morning's Headlines:
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Biodiesel Not As Clean, European Study Finds
A Flemish Institute for Technological Research study says that while a rapeseed oil-based biodiesel produced lower levels of greenhouse gases than regular diesel, the biodiesel was more harmful to health and the environment. The biodiesel generated higher levels of eutrification, waste, particulates, and ozone-promoting emissions, the researchers said. Heavy Duty Trucking Online (05/09/00)Driver Wants His Rig Back After Being Cleared
Canadian trucker Gulvinder S. Sandhu has been acquitted of criminal charges related to a fatal September crash in Pennsylvania; now, he wants his truck released from the impound lot where it has been kept.
Sandhu was cleared of criminal charges, including homicide-by-vehicle, in March when the judge decided it had not been proven that the truck was breaking the speed limit.
Meanwhile, the district attorney wants a federal investigation into whether the trucker broke federal law. Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) Online (05/09/00)
Clyde Hart is New Safety Chief
Sources say President Clinton has picked Maritime Administrator Clyde J. Hart Jr. to serve as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's first administrator.Hart, who has a degree in law from Catholic University of America, has served as an attorney at the Interstate Commerce Commission and for the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Heavy Duty Trucking Online (05/09/00); Patton, Oliver B.
Wireless LAN Cuts Carriers Shipping Time
American President Lines' Seattle port terminal has cut the time it takes truck drivers to pick up containers down to 17 minutes, on average, thanks to a wireless LAN-based container-tracking system recently installed in the facility.The LAN, made by Georgia-based LXE Inc., connects mobile computers on the trucks' dashboards to the terminal managers, pickers, and cranes in the facility. APL decided to accelerate operations with automation – and got the longshore union to go along – to help customers with just-in-time schedules; it also helps independent truckers squeeze in more hauls.
It is now pilot testing a Global Positioning System-based operation with a "mobile inventory vehicle" that runs down the rows of containers using cameras and a chassis tag scanner to map the locations of the containers. This information is then sent to dispatchers' computers through the LAN and displayed in an onscreen terminal map. Computerworld (05/08/00) Vol. 34, No. 19; P. 28; Brewin, Bob
KLLM Board Says Two Proposals Received for Company Buyout
A subcommittee formed by KLLM Transport Services' board to consider buyout offers says it has received bids from Prime Inc. owner Robert Low and the partnership of KLLM chief Jack Liles III and WorldCom head Bernie Ebbers.The subcommittee would not release the values of the bids, saying the bidding process is "ongoing"; the initial Liles-Ebbers and Low bids were below the company's book value. The value of the offers also cannot be disclosed by Low or Liles due to confidentiality agreements. Associated Press (05/08/00); Moore, Matt
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