News Briefs - Feb. 26
The Latest Headlines:
- New Home Sales Fall 1.7% in January
- Jobless Claims Rise by 6,000 in Latest Week
- Mississippi River Reopens to One-Way Traffic
- Some Shippers Turn to Trucks as CN Strike Continues
- Road Construction in Michigan to Begin Soon
- USF Logistics Opens Canadian Distribution Center
- Jobless Claims Rise by 6,000 in Latest Week
New Home Sales Fall 1.7% in January
The Commerce Department said Thursday sales of new U.S. homes fell 1.7% in January to a seasonally adjusted 1.106 million annual rate from an upwardly revised 1.125 million rate in December.New home sales are currently at the lowest level since May, Commerce said.
Falling home sales likely means less business for flatbed trucking companies that haul building materials and dry van freight could that haul household appliances and furniture.
Jobless Claims Rise by 6,000 in Latest Week
The number of Americans filing for initial jobless benefits rose 6,000 to 350,000 in the week ended Feb. 21, the Labor Department said Thursday.The four-week moving average of initial claims, which irons out weekly fluctuations, rose to 354,750 from 352,000 the prior week. The rise was the fourth consecutive weekly gain in that measure and brought it to its highest level since the week ended Dec. 27, 2003.
In addition, the number of people continuing to draw a week of benefits dropped 62,000 to 3.10 million in the week ended Feb. 14, the latest week for which the continued claims data are available, after rising 83,000 the week before. Transport Topics
Mississippi River Reopens to One-Way Traffic
The Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River reopened to one-way traffic Wednesday afternoon, five days after it was closed do to the sinking of a supply boat, news services reported.The pass connect the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. More than 100 ships were waiting to enter or exit the channel, Reuters said.
The ships have been arranged in line by "priority," meaning that a tanker carrying oil was placed in line ahead of an empty container ship, the Times-Picayune of New Orleans reported.
After the priority ships have passed, the remaining ships will be lined up according to time of arrival, said Michael Lorino, president of the Associated Branch Pilots. Transport Topics
Some Shippers Turn to Trucks as CN Strike Continues
A five-day old strike at Canadian National Railway Co., Canada's biggest railroad, is slowing grain and auto shipments, Reuters reported.Some customers have turned to trucking companies to keep their shipments flowing, Reuters said. There are no formal talks planned between CN management and the 5,000 mechanics, clerks and intermodal yard workers.
Ford Motor Co. of Canada sent 3,700 workers home at three Ontario plants after some members of the Canadian Auto Workers union refused to unload rail shipments, Reuters said. Transport Topics
Road Construction in Michigan to Begin Soon
Work to repair a major highway interchange in Detroit was expected to begin soon, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation told Transport Topics.The interchange joining Interstate 75 with the eastbound lanes of I-94 was closed Oct. 6 when a tanker truck crashed and exploded there, causing severe structural damage.
MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi said Feb. 17 the department was waiting for a shipment of steel to arrive. Once the steel is at the site, Morosi said, the contractor would begin replacing the interchange, a process expected to keep the highway closed until early April.
I-75 runs north and south from the Canadian border to Florida, while I-94 runs east-west between the border and the upper Midwest and northern Rocky Mountain states before merging with I-90 in Montana.
Traffic studies showed about 150,000 vehicles used the interchange daily before the accident, with commercial trucks accounting for 20% to 30% of those. Walter Heinritzi, executive director of the Michigan Trucking Association, said carriers had not reported any significant disruption from the interchange closure. Transport Topics
This story appeared in the Feb. 23 print edition of Transport Topics.
USF Logistics Opens Canadian Distribution Center
USF Corp. said Wedneday its logistics unit has opened a Canadian distribution center and began transportation management operations in Canada for Samsung Electronics Co.The company said in a relase Samsung has been a U.S. distribution customer of USF Logistics since 2002.
USF, ranked No. 10 on the Transport Topics 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian trucking companies, said its new facility is located in Milton, Ontario, and has about 135,000 square feet. Transport Topics
