P.M. Executive Briefing - Dec. 19
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FMCSA Proposes Tighter Load-Securement Rules
Truckers will need to change the way they secure cargo if a proposed regulation from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration goes into effect.Consistency with Canadian and Mexican standards is one of FMCSA's aims. A requirement for drivers to inspect the load within the first 50 miles, load ratings for anchor points and prohibition on use of devices with visible damage are included in the proposal.
Also, specific rules are being proposed for metal coils, intermodal containers, logs, dressed lumber, concrete pipe, automobiles, light trucks and vans; heavy vehicles and equipment, roll-on/roll-off containers and large boulders.
Intrenet Names New Chairman
Trucking company Intrenet Inc. (INET) appointed Thomas J. Noonan, Jr., as the chairman of the board Tuesday, the company said. Noonan, who is already a board member, will replace the current chairman, Eric Jackson, who plans to pursue other business interests.The Milford, Ohio-based company has a fleet of 2,300 tractors and an annual revenue of $285 million. The company's subsidiaries include Roadrunner Trucking, Eck Miller Transportation, Advanced Distribution System, Roadrunner Distribution Services and INET Logistics. Transport Topics
Firestone Tells of Tire Design, Manufacturing Problems
Bridgestone/Firestone said Tuesday that the way its tires were designed and made -- along with vehicle design and customer abuse -- contributed to failure of its ATX and Wilderness tires on Ford Motor Co. (F) sport utility vehicles, USA Today's online news reported. Tread separations on these particular tires have been linked to 148 deaths in the United States, mostly from vehicle rollovers.Bridgestone/Firestone listed a number of problems with the tires made at its Decatur, Ill., plant. For example, the shoulder pocket - a feature on the edge of the tread meant to provide traction in snow and mud - was too steeply angled and too deep, leaving the steel belts vulnerable and risking cracking, the paper reported.
The company also said manufacturing standards were inconsistent. The belts in tires made at Decatur didn't stick together as well as belts in tires made elsewhere, USA Today said.
Bridgestone/Firestone also reiterated its disagreement with Ford over tire-inflation standards, with Ford recommending 26 pounds of air per square inch and Firestone recommending 30.
ustomer abuse, such as failing to properly patch punctures, contributed to some failures, the New York Times reported.
The companies have been briefing congressional investigators as well as officials of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Transport Topics
Bush Seen Naming Evans to Top Commerce Post
President-elect Bush on Wednesday will name Don Evans, his campaign chairman and longtime friend, to head the Commerce Department in his administration, the Associated Press reported Tuesday afternoon.That would put Evans in a Cabinet job that is often seen as a booster for U.S. business interests to foreign markets and can, by extension, have an impact on international freight shipment activity for trucking.
In addition, the Commerce secretary sometimes participates in trade negotiations and other high-level talks with foreign governments that can affect trucking interests.
Commerce is also one of the most important departments for economic statistics. Those it produces include the trade deficit, economic growth measurements, and reports on key indicators such as housing starts and orders for factory goods.
AP said Evans is chief executive officer of Tom Brown Inc., an oil and gas company in Midland, Texas, and was instrumental in helping Bush raise $100 million for his presidential race. He was also mentioned for other possible administration jobs, but the story cited Republican officials saying Bush had offered Evans the Commerce position and that the announcement on Wednesday could come with other Cabinet selections as well. Transport Topics
Dow Chemical to Raise Freight Fuel Charge
Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) said this week that it will charge customers an extra 6% to 8% when transporting products to cover rising fuel costs, Bloomberg reported.The premium goes into effect Jan. 1. The increase also covers premiums charged by truckers to pay for rising diesel costs.
Dow develops chemicals, plastics and agricultural products. Transport Topics
Ballot-Carrying Ryder Truck Sells for $67K
The Ryder TRS truck that carried Florida's disputed presidential was sold Tuesday for $67,100, Budget Group said.An anonymous person bought the truck from an Internet auction. As planned, Budget will donate the proceeds to the American Red Cross.
Budget said the truck, a 1999 Ford F350 with 31,297 miles, was worth $17,051 under normal circumstances. Budget bought the truck-rental unit from Ryder System Inc. (R) in 1998. Transport Topics
Minn. Ramp-Meter Study Expected Soon
Results of a Minnesota study on ramp meters are expected within weeks, and could boost or bash the chances of the stop lights being installed on other highways, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.The lights allow only one vehicle to enter a highway at a time in an effort to ease congestion near the ramps. In a Twin Cities study, some meters were adjusted and others were permanently turned off.
A report to the Minnesota legislature on the ramp meters is due by Feb. 1.
Kansas City, Mo., plans to add ramp meters in 2002 to 2003, according to AP. Transport Topics
Indian Mail Carriers End Strike
Mail carriers in India ended their 14-day strike late Monday, Bloomberg reported. The strike had severely disrupted the world's largest postal network, boosting business for parcel companies like DHL and FedEx Corp. (FDX) partner Blue Dart Express.The postal network provides a major form of communication, since some Indian towns have only three telephones per 100 people, the article said.
The workers ended the strike based on the assurance that the government will consider their requests for better pension and higher wages. The wire story noted that the Indian government has formed a commission to examine postal employee issues. Transport Topics
Headlines From Today's A.M. Briefing
- U.S. Average Diesel Price Falls Another 3.2 Cents
- Simon Transportation To Acquire Westway Express
- Cummins Expects 4Q Loss on Weak Sales
- Crude Oil Prices Up Slightly Amid Cold Weather Forecasts
- Weather Continues to Sock U.S. Transportation
- Fed Decision Could Set U.S. Economic Pace
- Hino Said to Eye Construction of U.S. Truck Plant
- ShipChem Names Chief Financial Officer
- Bush May Name Alcoa Chair as Treasury Secretary
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