A.M. Executive Briefing - Sept. 23
This Morning's Headlines:
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FedEx Plans European Expansion
Federal Express says it will add to its schedule of flights in Europe and also create an overnight service within the continent called Euro One. FedEx's European distribution network could increase 100 percent in a year, and it will add to the competition with DHL Worldwide, TNT Post Group, and United Parcel Service of America.When FedEx tried to add European service in the 1980s, the company ended up battling with local competitors over prices, lost a lot of money, and ended up shuttering a great deal of its operations in the continent. This time, FedEx will seek business from intercontinental shippers and the top rank of intracontinental shippers rather than compete with post offices and companies that deliver within countries.
City Gets 20G For Truck Checks
The Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation jointly announced Wednesday that PennDOT is granting $20,000 to combat unsafe trucking on I-95 and the Schuylkill Expressway. Police will be at work both earlier and later than usual turning up the heat on truckers. In a 5½-hour crackdown Wednesday, police issued 48 tickets and took eight trucks off the road.The program funded by the grant combines safety and education and is to last a year and a half. The transportation department has to drum up additional funding for warning signs — such as "tipover" signs — geared toward truckers. Police Commissioner John Timoney cited "the sheer inconvenience to commuters" following truck crashes as an important reason for the initiative. Philadelphia Daily News Online (09/23/99) ; Heimer, Scott
Pact May Lead to Battle for Software Market
FDX Corp. and the German software company SAP have partnered to put together a logistics package that would operate over the Web, and other transportation and software companies may begin to put together similar deals. The FDX and SAP partnership would be competitive with companies already in the logistics-software market, such as Celarix.com and Syntra Technologies, says AMR Research supply-chain execution research director John Fontanella. "If FDX is successful in this, I can't see the other package carriers staying out," he says.United Parcel Service of America is working with Oracle Corp. on an online logistics system, and DHL Worldwide Express is thinking about joining with either Syntra, Vastera Inc., or Nextlinx Corp. Journal of Commerce (09/23/99) P. 16; Atkinson, Helen
Port of Tacoma Addresses Efficiency of Truck Gates
The Port of Tacoma began meeting with trucking firms and port terminals Sept. 17 in an effort to tackle problems with efficiency at the trucking terminals. The Port of Seattle has also met with the trucking companies and terminals regarding the problems, which were brought up by independent port truckers in August. Business Wire (09/22/99)Review's Findings of Trucking Weight Limits Expected Today
As of Wednesday morning, it was anticipated that the Alberta Ministry of Human Resources and Employment would announce that afternoon that a public-private task force would recommend cutting back enforcement of an Occupational Health and Safety rule prohibiting the use of equipment in excess of manufacturer's specs.As the task force studied the issue, Alberta Transportation was allowed to keep weight limits on log trucks higher in winter than in summer. In August, a businessman from Alberta said scuttling the winter weight limit program would be costly for businesses and that the task force had not found exceeding the ratings to be a problem.
The task force gave its report to the minister of Infrastructure and the minister of Human Resources and Employment in May. In December 1997, two log truckers from Peace River complained of the winter weight limits, saying it could strain equipment and increase the possibility of accidents. On Monday, one of the two truckers, Lawrence Guglich, said, "Lots of guys agree it is not a safe practice, but they're scared for their jobs — that's the truth of it." Daily Herald-Tribune (Grande Prairie, Alberta) Online (09/22/99); Guerette, Deb
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