A.M. Executive Briefing - Nov. 29
This Morning's Headlines:
ul>
National Transportation Exchange Announces Investment by FDX Corporation
FDX Corp. is investing in the National Transportation Exchange (www.nte.net), which brings shippers and carriers together online. The NTE board of directors will be joined by Robert J. Quinn, FDX Staff Vice President, Operations Analysis. Deals have also been struck joining the Exchange to logistics software from mySAP.com and Manugistics. PR Newswire (11/29/99)Trucker Blasts Demon Drivers
The Ontario Provincial Police needs to enforce laws against truckers tailgating and exceeding the speed limit, said Peter Hodge, owner of the trucking company Peter Hodge Transport. Hodge was ashamed of his industry after truck crashes in the Toronto region led to five deaths last week. The 70 trucks in Hodge's fleet have 100 km/h (62 mph) speed governors, and his company gives a bonus to truckers who go slowly. Toronto Sun (11/27/99) P. 5; Granatstein, Rob
CPR's New Expressway Already Profitable
Canadian Pacific Railway CEO Robert Ritchie, at the opening of a Montreal terminal for the Expressway intermodal service, said the new service is turning a profit already.Expressway allows trailers to be loaded onto railroad cars without the use of cranes. The service now runs between Montreal and Toronto, with an under-construction Detroit terminal set for a March opening and service to Chicago planned for 2000.
"The key is partnership with the truckers," said Ritchie. "They have the contacts with the customers." The Quebec trucking firm Groupe Mirald circumvents the trucker-shortage problem by using Expressway, according to dispatcher Claude Forgues.
CPR set a freight record in October, with November set to come in second, he said. London (Ontario) Free Press (11/27/99) P. D2; Swift, Allan
Most Fatal Car-Truck Accidents Not Trucker's Fault
A report by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute's Dr. Daniel F. Blower says 70% of deadly truck-passenger vehicle accidents are the fault of the passenger-vehicle driver only, while the trucker and other driver share responsibility in 16% of the accidents.The report, in the current UMTRI Research Review, said the driver of the passenger vehicle is at fault in 92.5% of the head-on crashes in the study, 76% of the crashes where the truck struck the side of the other vehicle, and 76% of the crashes where the truck was hit from the rear.
The study looked only at deadly accidents between a single truck-meaning a freight vehicle rated at more than 10,000 pounds-and a single passenger vehicle-meaning a light truck, car, or utility vehicle. Reuters Health Information Services (11/26/99)
18-Wheeler Drivers May Have To Pay La. More To Use Roads
In the first part of 2000, Louisiana Gov. Foster's task force on road damage caused by trucks could recommend that lawmakers increase the state's truck registration fee to two or even three times the current $514 annual level, said Kam Movassaghi, secretary of Transportation and Development.The state's current fee is the country's 45th lowest; Movassaghi said he "will ask the task force to come up with a recommendation to increase the truck registration fee to make it commensurate with the national average." But lawmakers are unable to pass such a large
ncrease, said House Committee on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works chairman Rep. Juba Diez (D-Gonzales). New Orleans Times-Picayune (11/25/99) P. 4A; Anderson, Ed
Truck Pull-Off Area To Be Ready Around Dec. 1
The West Virginia Division of Highways said a required truck stop on westbound Interstate 68 in the vicinity of Coopers Rock will open Dec. 1. Commissioner Sam Beverage said the stop will allow truckers "to check their brakes and equipment so they can descend the mountain at or below the posted truck speed limit." Many accidents occur on the grade. Associated Press (11/25/99)Joint Government-Industry Study Confirms That Michigan Single Business Tax is Double Taxation on Canadian Trucking Companies
According to a study commissioned by Canadian federal and provincial government departments and trucking-industry associations, trucking firms from Canada will be hit with double taxation by the Michigan Single Business Tax when that tax begins affecting Canadian trucking Jan. 1.The study by consultants Deloitte & Touche finds that Canadian carriers will not be protected from double taxation by apportionment, treaty, or tax credits. A law firm in Michigan has been hired Canadian Trucking Alliance, Ontario Trucking Association, and Quebec Trucking Association for their state lobbying effort, and the groups will be joined by the governments as well as the Detroit Canadian consulate. Canadian Corporate Newswire (11/25/99)
© copyright 1999 INFORMATION, INC. Terms of Service
