Executive Briefing - Feb. 5
- DHL Refutes Claims by UPS, FedEx
- Old Dominion Expanding Through Purchase
- Crude Oil Prices Remain Stable
- Daylight Expanding to Washington, Oregon
- U.S. Exports Across Atlantic Face Rate Hike
- San Francisco Truck Ban Assailed
- Truck Sales Move on Internet
- American Freightways Merger Value Calculated
- Dangerous Florida Bridge Being Revamped
- Canada's Clarke Inc. Gets CFO
DHL Refutes Claims by UPS, FedEx
The dispute pitting United Parcel Service and FedEx against DHL International escalated Monday, as DHL Worldwide Express told the U.S. Department of Transportation the two American companies are trying to drive it out of the U.S. marketplace.FedEx, UPS and their allies have charged that DHL Airways is operating illegally in this country by posing as a U.S. company even though it has more than 25% foreign ownership.
Not so, DHL told the DOT, asserting that FedEx and UPS are engaged in "a legally groundless effort" to get DOT to cancel its airfreight forwarder registration "on the basis of a totally unsupported legal theory and plainly erroneous claims."
DHL told DOT in a 22-page filing that accepting the position of UPS and FedEx would reduce competition in the air freight market, drive up prices for American consumers, eliminate jobs held by U.S. citizens, invite retaliation by other countries and violate U.S. agreements under international trade accords.
"These latest complaints are just part of FedEx's and UPS's predatory efforts to maintain their market dominance within the U.S. and stifle all competition." Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Old Dominion Expanding Through Purchase
With the announcement Monday that it is purchasing "selected assets" of Carter & Son Freightways, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. (ODFL) will expand into Texas and Oklahoma for the first time.
Old Dominion, based in High Point, N.C., said the transaction will also enhance its regional transportation business in Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico.
Carter, a regional less-than-truckload carrier based in Carrollton, Tex., operates 23 service centers focused on full-state coverage in Texas and selected major Midwest cities.
Old Dominion, a regional and interregional LTL carrier, is No. 37 on the Transport Topics 100 list.Transport Topics
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Crude Oil Prices Remain Stable
Crude oil prices remained in the $30 range early Monday, Bloomberg reported.Prices had recently spiked as members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which exports 40% of the world's oil supply, reduced oil exports beginning Feb. 1. However, prices have since eased some.
Monday's Brent crude oil prices in London fell 9 cents to $29.10 per barrel. In New York, the main grade of crude oil trading there was up 1 cent at $31.20. Transport Topics
Daylight Expanding to Washington, Oregon
Daylight Transport has announced faster, expedited, less-than-truckload and truck-load service into Washington and Oregon by adding direct routes and using sleeper teams.
"For example, if freight is picked up on a Friday in Chicago, it will arrive in Portland on Tuesday, or Wednesday, at the latest," the carrier said in its announcement.
"A pickup in New York on a Thursday would also arrive in the Northwest on Tues-day."
Daylight, founded in 1977, is a privately owned company based in Long Beach, Calif. Transport Topics
U.S. Exports Across Atlantic Face Rate Hike
The Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement (TACA) of ocean ship lines plans to raise freight rates for U.S. exporters, The Journal of Commerce Online reports.The group on Friday announced a general rate increase on eastbound freight shipments effective April 1, on both containers and breakbulk loads. That affect shipments hauled by trucks to and from ports.
Charges from and by way of U.S. ports on the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts will rise by $80 for 20-foot containers, and $100 for 40- and 45- foot boxes, JOC said. Rates for breakbulk cargo will go up $5 a ton.
This applies to exports to the United Kingdom, Ireland, continental Europe and nations along the Baltic Sea such as Russia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
The Atlantic trade increase in ocean freight rates follows a bigger hike in charges to haul containers to Asian locations from U.S. West Coast ports, which took effect Jan. 1. The newspaper said rates from the East Coast and Gulf ports have not had a general increase since last April. Transport Topics
San Francisco Truck Ban Assailed
Trucking and Teamsters officials have been joined by local business owners in blasting a plan by the San Francisco Parking and Traffic Department to impose a daytime ban on most commercial trucks in the heart of downtown, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.The proposal is to bar trucks of 25 feet or longer between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. week-days, in an area bounded by Bush and Clay streets on the north, Drumm and Main streets on the east, Folsom Street to the south and Jones Street on the west, the newspaper said.
Representing the California Trucking Association at a hearing last week on this plan, Robert Ramarino of Bob Rich Schroeder Trucking in Hayward, Calif., said he did not see the daytime ban, by itself, as solving a problem of double parking in the busy downtown.
The owner of a bar and restaurant in the affected area told the hearing that he uses fresh beer rather than canned, so the proposal could injure his business operations. Transport Topics
Truck Sales Move on Internet
B2B Internet marketplace TradeOut reported Monday that it sold more than $20 million in trucks, tractors, trailers and containers in the fourth quarter of 2000.TradeOut, a privately held company based in Valhalla, N.Y., began operations last July.
"We have created the only online marketplace that allows (buyers) access to the excess inventories of many of the key truck and trailer-leasing companies in the Un-tied States," said Henry Popplewell, vice president of commercial transportation. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
American Freightways Merger Value Calculated
The exchange ratio for the merger of American Freightways (AFWY) as a subsidiary of FedEx (FDX) has been calculated at 0.6639, FedEx announced Monday.
As a result of the merger -- which is expected to win AMF shareholder approval at a Feb. 9 meeting -- each share of AMF common stock will be converted into 0.6639 shares of FedEx common stock, FedEx said.
Shares owned by FedEx and AMF or dissenting shareholders will not be included in the conversion.
Harrison, Ark.-based AMF is a regional and inter-regional less-than-truckload and expedited carrier, and is No. 15 on the Transport Topics 100 list of the largest trucking firms.Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Dangerous Florida Bridge Being Revamped
Work began Sunday to improve safety on the Panasoffkee Creek Bridge on north-south I-75, about 30 miles south of Ocala in central Florida's Sumter County. The bridge has been the scene of several major crashes in recent years.But until work is completed by the target date of September 2002, truckers have been warned by the contractor to be prepared for lane closures, lane shifts and congestion.
"The proposed improvements will upgrade the existing bridges from four lanes to six . . . As a result, shoulder widths will be increased from three feet to 10 feet," said Andrew Clark, executive vice president of Leware Construction. Transport Topics
Canada's Clarke Inc. Gets CFO
Canadian trucking and logistics company Clarke Inc. has a new chief financial officer, James G. Lawn.Lawn joins Clarke from the Ventra Group, for which he has been CFO.
Clarke offers expedited service for truckload and less-than-truckload shippers, intermodal full load and LTL service throughout Canada and between Canada and the United States, and freight marketing and logistics services.
It is headquartered in Etobicoke, Ontario.Transport Topics
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