News Briefs - Feb. 25
The Latest Headlines:
- Bottlenecks Increase as Mississippi River Remains Closed
- P.A.M.'s 4Q Profits Fall
- Accused Shooter in Watkins Incident Wants to Plead Guilty
- Kuehne & Nagel Unit Takes New Name
- P.A.M.'s 4Q Profits Fall
Bottlenecks Increase as Mississippi River Remains Closed
The Mississippi River remained closed for a fourth day Tuesday, forcing more cargo and cruise ships into bottlenecks around the Port of New Orleans, the Times-Picayune of New Orleans reported.By Tuesday evening, there were 51 vessels waiting to go upriver and 52 waiting to head south on the river, the Coast Guard said. It would not predict when the river would open.
Although a couple cargo ships have been diverted to other cities, Port of Houston spokeswoman Felicia Griffin said it is unlikely the ships stuck will go to other ports because it would be an "extensive and expensive" administrative process to change all the paperwork documenting the transportation of goods, the article said. Transport Topics
P.A.M.'s 4Q Profits Fall
Truckload carrier P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc. said Wednesday its net income for the fourth quarter was $1.8 million or 16 cents per share, compared with $4 million or 35 cents a year earlier.Operating revenues rose 14.5% to $74.2 million, the company said in a release. For the full year, profits were $11.6 million or $1.02 per share, compared with $16.6 million or $1.55.
P.A.M. is ranked No. 63 on the Transport Topics 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian trucking companies. Transport Topics
Accused Shooter in Watkins Incident Wants to Plead Guilty
The man accused of fatally shooting two employees last fall at Watkins Motor Lines in the Cincinnati suburb of West Chester wants to change his plea to guilty, the Associated Press reported.Tom West, a former employee of the less-than-truckload company, is also accused of injuring four other people in the attack in November.
In a letter to his attorney, West said he does not want to undergo a court-ordered psychological evaluation, the article said.
Last month, West withdrew a plea of innocent by reason of insanity, saying his former lawyer entered the plea without his permission. However, his new lawyer said he would not let West enter a guilty plea, AP said. Transport Topics
Kuehne & Nagel Unit Takes New Name
Logistics services provider Kuehne & Nagel International AG said Feb. 16 it changed the named of its wholly owned subsidiary from USCO Logistics to Kuehne & Nagel Logistics Inc. in a move to further integrate the company that it bought in 2001.The renamed entity is one of the largest warehouse-based logistics service providers in the United States, operating some 12 million square feet in 40 facilities across the country, the parent company said.
Kuehne & Nagel International has 19,000 employees at 600 locations in 96 countries. Transport Topics
This story appeared in the Feb. 23 print edition of Transport Topics.
