A.M. Executive Briefing - Oct. 14
This Morning's Headlines:
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Truck Hits School Bus on I-630
Thirty-three middle-school students ended up in a hospital after a Wednesday afternoon crash in which a tractor-trailer jackknifed and struck a school bus on I-630 in Little Rock, Ark. On Wednesday night, officials at Children's hospital reported five of the students in serious condition, and trucker Roy Dollarhide was in guarded condition with a large wound to the chest at another hospital. The bus driver was also hospitalized.A roughly 50-gallon diesel leak brought out the fire department hazmat unit, and rush-hour traffic in both directions was slowed down. State police think the truck cut off the bus after swerving away from a pickup truck. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Online (10/14/99) ; Frank, Ariel R.
Truckers Protest Injunctions
Roughly 200 people took part in a truckers' protest outside the office of Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard Wednesday. There were 1,100 truckers demonstrating all over the province last week for unionization rights and against high fuel costs.According to Confederation of National Trade Unions President Marc Laviolette, the truckers' movement is declining due to the six arrests of truckers. "It's not illegal not to respect an injunction," he said, referring to a Friday injunction, which was to last 10 days, against truckers blockading roads in the province.
On Friday, the provincial court of appeals is to hear the trucker unions' appeal of the court orders. Should the unions lose, they will try to keep the injunction from being renewed, according to Laviolette. Vancouver Sun Online (10/14/99) ; Wyatt, Nelson
City, County Officials Target Port Trucks to Protest Land Deal
Officials in Elizabeth and Union County, N.J., held up truckers leaving Port Newark by having city and county police look for safety infractions as a means of protesting a deal by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.The port authority paid $1 for land owned by Continental Airlines, which then began leasing the property from the port authority. The local governments are upset that they will no longer get tax revenue from the land, which can also no longer be developed. The port authority says it wanted to keep the land from being condemned by Elizabeth.
ew Jersey Motor Truck Association Director Sam Cunninghame called the inspections unlawful because safety checkpoints can be performed only by state police, but Lt. Edward Baginski of the Elizabeth police says that since the police searched for problems at red lights there was no checkpoint. In an effort to bring a halt to the action, the motor truck association is going for legal measures. Associated Press (10/13/99)
$2.5 Million Grant to Va. To Make I-81 Safer
The new federal transportation spending bill includes $2.5 million to be given to Virginia for safety upgrades on I-81. Prior to a widening, a task force established by two Republican U.S. Representatives, Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke and Frank Wolf of Fairfax County, will study safety and the designs for the highway. Already, electronic warning signs have been installed at exit 152 southbound and exit 136 northbound.Amongthe possibilities the grant opens up are additional signs or safety patrols or a center in the southwestern portion of the state that would handle emergency information and response. Combined safety and service patrols on the Buchanan-Christiansburg stretch will be established thanks to earlier funds. Roanoke Times (10/13/99) P. B1; Caliri, Lois
Dorsey Trailers, Inc. Announces Fourth Consecutive Quarterly Profit
Dorsey Trailers has recorded a profit for the fourth quarter in a row with a third-quarter net income of $2.1 million, a per-share net of 41 cents, compared to a $249,000 net loss, a per-share net loss of 5 cents, in the year-earlier quarter. For the first nine months of 1999, net income was $2.9 million, a per-share net of 55 cents, compared to a net loss of $790,000, a per-share net loss of 16 cents, in the same period of 1998.The 1999 figures include a $1.8 million income-tax credit. The 1999 three- and nine-month periods ended Oct. 3, while the comparable 1998 periods ended Oct. 2, 1998. Third-quarter net sales were to $44.4 million, up 24 percent from the 1998 figure, while the nine months that ended Oct. 12 saw net sales of $133.4 million, up 20 percent from the 1998 figure.
"Several important events, including the United Parcel Service order, the addition of Rush Enterprises as a Dorsey dealer, and the successful implementation of new information systems" helped the business in the third quarter, says Chairman and CEO Marilyn R. Marks. PR Newswire (10/13/99)
Viking Freight Picks Up Eighth Quest for Quality Award
A survey of Logistics Management & Distribution Report readers has given FDX Corp. subsidiary Viking Freight the 1999 Quest for Quality Award in the Western Regional LTL Carriers grouping. It is the eighth time Viking Freight has received that honor. Other FDX Corp. Quest for Quality winners were FedEx and Caliber Logistics. Business Wire (10/13/99)I-78 Crackdown Yields 201 Tickets in 10 Days
The initial 10 days of the Pennsylvania state police safety crackdown on I-78 led to 201 tickets handed out in Lehigh and Northampton counties, including 56 truck citations. The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Team did 25 safety inspections, which led to 11 trucks being taken out of service; out of the 25 trucks, just one had no violations.Troop M Capt. Theodore D. Kohuth thinks the fact that there have been only three accidents and one injury as the crackdown has been going on shows that it has increased safety. The highway has seen many accidents and deaths, including eight 1999 fatalities in the 35-mile Berks County portion of the interstate. Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) Online (10/13/99) P. A1; Hartzell, Dan
BAX Global Appoints New President for Europe Region
BAX Global Inc. has named Kevin Mellor, who will leave behind the post of managing director at TDG Logistics, to the position of president, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. "We needed someone of Kevin's caliber and expertise to lead our European region through a rapid expansion of this important market," says C. Robert Campbell, president and CEO of BAX Global. Mellor has also held posts at Tibbet & Britten and ESSO Petroleum. PR Newswire (10/13/99)© copyright 1999 INFORMATION, INC. Terms of Service
