P.M. Executive Briefing - Aug. 1
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Peterbilt Layoffs Move Up To Management At Tennessee Plant
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Almost 400 of the 1,000-plus assembly line employees were let go Friday, a result of a major slump in the North American new-truck market, the report said.
This is the latest in what is a ripple effect of the market's downturn. Peterbilt's parent company, Paccar Corp., announced earlier that union members voted to cut their workweek at the Quebec plant to avoid layoffs. And Western Star, recently acquired by DaimlerChrysler subsidiary Freightliner, enacted a three-week plant shutdown in South Carolina. Transport Topics
Diesel Prices Continue Fall In Most Of The Nation
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American Trucking Associations analysts said the energy markets have been highly volatile, with the ever-changing news from OPEC causing prices to go up or down. ATA's weekly Fuel Line report said crude oil and distillate inventories both rose last week. Transport Topics
OPEC President To Tour Member Countries, Will Urge Quota Compliance
OPEC President, Venezuelan oil minister Ali Rodriguez, will tour member countries next week and urge them to comply with production quotas, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.Rodriguez stressed compliance with the OPEC accord to reporters during the announcement, and said this weekend that OPEC members are producing about 700,000 barrels of oil over the quota each day, the report said.
Earlier reports said that oil prices have been falling closer to OPEC's target range of $25-$28 a barrel since OPEC member Saudi Arabia announced intentions to increase production. Transport Topics
Hoffa Makes First Stop On Convention Tour
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Both Republicans and Democrats are courting the union leader in hopes of landing the Teamsters' endorsement in this fall's presidential campaign between Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore. Reuters reported Tuesday that Hoffa said that endorsement will be decided sometime near Labor Day, which is in September.
From this week's GOP Convention in the "City of Brotherly Love," Hoffa will go west to the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. Hoffa will not only be there as the leader of the Teamsters, but also as a delegate from Michigan. Transport Topics
USF Worldwide Logistics Will Acquire London-Based Logistics Company
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Ultimex Global Logistics is a top British provider of ground transportation, logistics solutions, and international air and ocean services. It will be added to USF Worldwide Logistics' current offerings of domestic and international transportation and logistics services. Transport Topics
Illinois State Police Will Crack Down on Careless Trucking
A special Illinois State Police detail will more strictly enforce safe driving by truckers this week, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.Five Illinois counties, which had the greatest number of commercial vehicle crashes in the state for 1999, will be part of the special enforcement program Tuesday and Friday, the article said.
The police will be watching for problem driving such as improper lane usage, tailgating, speeding and inattention, and car drivers will also be scrutinized, the article warned. Transport Topics
New GoLogistics Venture Will Link Freight With LTL Carriers
GoLogistics, Inc., has launched its new on-line less-than-truckload freight business-to-business exchange, GoLogistics.com.GoLogistics.com, company officials said this week, benefits both shippers and LTL carriers by connecting them via the Internet. Shippers will be able to place freight on LTL loads without paying full truckload off-route miles. Carriers will be able to reduce their amount of empty line haul miles by posting their availability on the site, the company said.
GoLogistics.com is a partner of USCO Logistics, a Connecticut-based global third-party logistics provider. Transport Topics
D.C.-Area Wilson Bridge Project Moves Forward
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a permit last week giving permission for construction of a new Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.Federal and state transportation agencies must next sign off on the permit, which includes 44 environmental protection conditions, the article said.
The Post also reported over the weekend that the financing process for the bridge is moving forward, as the Maryland, Virginia and governments are nearing agreement on a financial plan.
The projected cost of the project has jumped from $1.9 billion to approximately $2.5 billion. Under the proposed deal, Maryland and Virginia would cover any cost overruns for the construction. Twenty percent would come from state revenues and the remaining 80% from their annual federal highway allocations, the article said.
While Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening and Virginia Gov. James Gilmore III have endorsed the plan, it may meet with resistance in Congress if representatives from other states prefer to push money towards their own home projects, according to the Post.
The Wilson Bridge, dedicated in 1961, spans the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia and is a primary link along the heavily traveled Capital Beltway. Transport Topics
Central Florida Truckers, Officials Join Forces To Study Freight Mobility
Orlando, Fla.-area officials and area truckers have started a two-year study to find a better transportation plan for the region, the Orlando Sentinel reported Tuesday.Concerned with the rising costs to deliver goods in central Florida – which has nearly quadrupled in the past 15 years – and growing traffic snarls on the roads, this group will examine different ways to move cargo between the region's distribution points and businesses, the article said. The group will include representatives from Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Brevard and Lake counties,
A local trucking executive told the Sentinel he felt the study was necessary because trucks carry central Florida's economy. Transport Topics
Former Truck Driver Turns to Gridiron
On his road to the NFL, Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver Michael Lewis took a different means of transportation – he drove a truck for six years.Lewis graduated from high school in 1991 and immediately began driving a Budweiser truck to support his newborn daughter, a USA Today article reported this week. When he could fit it in between deliveries, he would play flag or touch football.
In 1998, he joined the Professional Indoor Football League's Louisiana Bayou Beasts, then played this season for the New Jersey Red Dogs in the Arena League, scoring 15 touchdowns, the article said.
An agent saw Lewis, arranged some NFL workouts for him and he signed a one-year contract with the Eagles. He's now a 28-year-old rookie in the team's training camp at Lehigh Uni-versity in Bethlehem, Pa. Transport Topics
