News Briefs - Aug. 31
The Latest Headlines:
- Tropical Storm Causes Flooding in Central Virginia
- Business Activity in Chicago Area Expands at Slower Pace
- Court: Company, Not Driver, Responsible for Overweight Truck Fines
- RailRunner, Trailer Bridge Start Short-Haul
- Teamsters to Protest Actions by Maersk at Danish Embassy
- Business Activity in Chicago Area Expands at Slower Pace
Tropical Storm Causes Flooding in Central Virginia
At least five people were killed in Virginia and about 20 blocks of its capital city of Richmond were declared uninhabitable on Tuesday after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston flooded the city with a foot of rain, news services reported.Gov. Mark R. Warner declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, making state resources available and putting the National Guard on standby. Many roads in central Virginia were closed due to high water.
Gaston surprised meteorologists, who had expected the storm to move through more quickly as it came north from the Carolinas and predicted no more than 4 inches of rain, the Associated Press reported.
Business Activity in Chicago Area Expands at Slower Pace
The National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said Tuesday its index of business activity fell to 57.3 in August from 64.7 in July.The manufacturing Readings greater than 50 signal growth. The factory sector is one of trucking's largest and most important customers.
The Chicago purchasers' employment index rose to 51.1 from 45.6 in July, which was the lowest in a year. A reading above 50 means more companies said they were hiring than firing.
The index of new orders fell to 58.0 this month from 68.7 in July. A gauge of production dropped to 61.8 from 69.5. The measure of order backlogs fell to 51.6 in August from 60.2, which was the highest in a decade. The inventories index rose to 61.3 from 55.3.
Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said its regional manufacturing index fell to 28.5 in August from 36.1 in July. The New York Fed's Empire State index dropped to 12.6, the lowest this year, from 35.8. Transport Topics
Court: Company, Not Driver, Responsible for Overweight Truck Fines
The South Dakota Supreme Court ruled last week that trucking companies, not just their drivers, could be liable for civil and criminal penalties on overweight trucks, the Associated Press reported.The Supreme Court also decided that enhanced penalties for overweight offenses do not amount to unlawful double jeopardy, AP said.
The decision came in an appeal by Myrl & Roy's Paving, which was charged with overweight truck violations after a driver was caught Aug. 17, 2001, hauling asphalt mix that exceeded weight limits.
Charges initially were brought against the driver but were dropped when Myrl and Roy's Paving was charged. The firm was convicted on six overweight counts and assessed $720 in criminal fines and a civil fine of $3,750, AP said.
The company appealed but the Supreme Court said companies that own those trucks also may be charged. Transport Topics
RailRunner, Trailer Bridge Start Short-Haul
Intermodal equipment lessor RailRunner N.A. Inc. said Aug. 23 that it launched its first-ever short-haul intermodal service, RailReach, through an agreement with Trailer Bridge Inc., a trucking and marine freight service provider.The RailReach service connects Jacksonville, Fla., a major container terminal serving Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, with Fort Wayne, Ind., a major manufacturing center, which does not have container-handling equipment, RailRunner said.
Trailer Bridge will move the containerized freight using RailRunner’s proprietary 53-foot flatbed trailers that shift from road to rail and back without the need for cranes to lift the container from one carrier to another, RailRunner said.
The trailers are attached to the train using RailRunner’s patented linkages, or bogies, that turn a chassis into a temporary railcar, a RailRunner spokesman said, adding that the service would use the Norfolk Southern Railway to carry the cargo between the two cities.
The spokesman declined to provide financial details of the contract with Trailer Bridge.
Charles Foskett, chief executive officer of RailRunner, said in a statement, “There is substantial containerized traffic through the Port of Jacksonville, but the lack of container facilities in Fort Wayne leaves the area around it underserved by the existing rail intermodal system.”
RailRunner said it sells, leases and licenses products for intermodal transportation based on its patented technology. Transport Topics
This story appeared in the Aug. 30 print edition of Transport Topics.
Teamsters to Protest Actions by Maersk at Danish Embassy
The Teamsters said it planned to picket the Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C., and 22 Danish Consulates on Friday to protest what President James Hoffa said were "an outrageous record of threatening, imtimidating and terminiating port truck drivers in the United States and third world" by the Maersk Sealand steampship company."Maersk treats their Danish workers with respect," Hoffa said in a statement. "THey should use the same labor relations standard in the other countries where they do business."
Following the pickets, the Teamsters said union leaders planned to meet with Danish officials. Transport Topics
