Executive Briefing - March 1
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NHTSA Investigates Ford, DaimlerChrysler SUVs
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it is investigating more than 525,000 Ford and 364,000 DaimlerChrysler sport-utility vehicles and pickupn trucks for safety problems, Bloomberg reported.Several utility fleets use the pickup trucks and sports-utility vehicles that are under investigation. The probes could lead to recalls, the article said.
he probe involves possible brake malfunctions on Ford's 1999 F-250 and F-350 pickups and 2000 Excursion sport-utility vehicles. NHTSA officials are also examining DaimlerChrysler's 1993 to 1995 Jeep Cherokee models for broken door hinges. Transport Topics
CF Expands Mexico Division Management
Consolidated Freightways (CFWY), a major hauler of less-than-truckload freight shipments, said Thursday that it was expanding its Mexico division management team, naming Eduardo Garrido to head new business activities and oversee sales activities throughout Mexico.CF said the move was designed "to support rapid growth spurred by capital improvements and enhanced services on both sides of the border."
Garrido, who will work from his base in the major northeastern Mexico city of Monterrey, is the first CF sales manager dedicated to new business exclusively in Mexico. His U.S. counterpart, Larry Mohr, manages CF Mexico division sales in the U.S. Southwest.
CF's Mexico division now operates 22 terminals -- 10 within Mexico and 13 in the U.S. southwestern states along the border -- and provides direct service to more than 100 Mexican destinations. It will open a super hub at a 16-acre site in Mexico City later this year.
CF, based in Palo Alto, Calif., is ranked No. 7 on the Transport Topics 100 list of largest U.S. trucking companies, based on 1999 data. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Corning, Good Guys Slash Jobs
Two companies, manufacturer Corning Inc. and retailer Good Guys Inc. said Thursday that they would each cut hundreds of jobs to cope with a weakening economy, according to wire reports.Layoffs in manufacturing means less production and less shipments for trucks, while cutbacks in retailing curb shipments from manufacturers to store shelves.
Corning, a diversifed manufacturer based in Corning, N.Y., said it would slash 825 jobs from its optical components plants in both Corning and Scranton, Pa. in the wake of slumping orders from telecommunications customers.
San Francisco-based Good Guys, which operates consumer electronics stores, said it would layoff 450 workers, including employees in its distribution center. Transport Topics
DaimlerChrysler to Supply FedEx with Vans
DaimlerChrysler (DCX) said Thursday that it will supply delivery company FedEx Corp. (FDX) with 1,900 Freightliner Sprinter vans, according to Bloomberg.
The transaction helps DaimlerChrysler expand further into the U.S. commercial delivery industry, Bloomberg noted.
The contract has a potential value of $38 million, since each van costs $20,000.
Freightliner Trucks recently announced that it would start building Sprinter vans in the United States in the spring of 2001. Transport Topics
Qualcomm Buys FleetAdvisor
Qualcomm Wireless Business Solutions (QCOM) said it has bought FleetAdvisor, a transportation logistics management system, from truck and automotive parts manufacturer Eaton Corp.
Qualcomm did not disclose the purchase amount in its Thursday announcement. The FleetAdvisor system has both hardware and software elements, including an in-vehicle computer for automated driver logs and state fuel tax calculations.Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Earthquake in U.S. Northwest Closed Roads, Ports
Parts of major highways and two major ports were closed by the earthquake that took place Wednesday morning in the U.S., and some facilities remained closed as the region was recovering Thursday.The Seattle Times reported that Seattle's Holgate Street overpass on Interstate Highway 5 would be closed to morning traffic. I-5 runs north-south along the West Coast coast states, but inland from the coast.
The paper also said Highway 101, another major north-south route that runs along the coast, was closed Wednesday to all northbound traffic near Olympia, the state capital of Washington. A major landslide hit this highway.
Additionally, the ports of Seattle and Tacoma shut down on Wednesday, the Journal of Commerce Online reported. However, the Port of Tacoma later announced that it had resumed services, since there was only minor damage.
However, Washington's Department of Transportation said there was no major bridge damage, according to an Associated Press report. Transport Topics
Mo. Mistake Shows Truck Stop Tax Impact
The western Missouri town of Oak Grove recently got a lesson in the importance of sales tax revenue from one trucking facility, when a mistake diverted its money to the wrong town, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.Sales tax revenue from that Travel Centers of America truck stop usually came to $50,000 to $100,000 a year, for a municipality that counts on a total of about $390,000 annually in sales tax revenue, according to AP.
Formally known as the City of Oak Grove, the town in Jackson County is about 20 miles east of Kansas City along Interstate 70 and has 5,000 residents.
However, its money wound up in the account of the 421-resident Village of Oak Grove, which is located on the eastern side of the state along I-44 near Sullivan.Transport Topics
Peapod Gets $30M Credit Infusion
Home grocery delivery company Peapod said Wednesday that it got a $30 million credit facility increase it had sought from majority owner Royal Ahold, parent of Giant Food.
Chicago-based Peapod said it now has more than $60 million in cash for operations, and that its top priority is reaching profitability in Chicago and an unspecified market on the East Coast. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
UPS: FedEx Suit Won't Stall Fritz Merger
United Parcel Service said a legal dispute with FedEx (FDX) would not delay its merger with giant freight forwarder Fritz Cos. (FRTZ), Bloomberg News reported.Fritz handles customs brokerage service for FedEx, which sued Fritz claiming that the freight forwarder was disclosing trade secrets and other confidential information to UPS.
UPS characterized the clash with its chief rival as a contractual disupte with a single customer, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
A local court in Memphis, Tenn., where FedEx is headquartered, extended until March 7 a temporary restraining order blocking Fritz from giving confidential FedEx information to UPS.Transport Topics
http://www.truckline.newsalert.com/bin/headlines?Query=Fritz
