P.M. Executive Briefing - May 10
This Afternoon's Headlines:
ul>
Truck Inspectors Hit Highways
The Minnesota State Patrol's annual surprise inspections of commercial vehicles are concentrating on the Northland area of the state this year.Throughout Minnesota, deaths in crashes involving trucks fell from 105 in 1997 to 97 in 1998, still outpacing the average 87 per year between 1990 and 1997.
One truck from Billmans Construction was taken out of service for repairs to brakes and lights and for new tires. The truck's load - a Bobcat Skidloader - was not secured properly. Billmans Construction owner Gregg Billman said he understands the point of the surprise inspections, but he would rather inspections be scheduled so shipments will not be held up by a truck being taken out of service. Duluth News Tribune Online (05/09/00); Passi, Peter
Former PSC Inspector Sentenced For Extortion
A federal court has sentenced onetime West Virginia Public Service Commission truck inspector Sonny Ray Massey to a year in prison for offering passing inspections to truckers who would give him money.An 11-count indictment accused him of extorting close to $700 in cash from several drivers in 1999; in a February plea deal, he entered a guilty plea to one of the counts and the remaining counts were dropped. Associated Press (05/09/00)
Interchange Work Will Close I-96 Rest Stop Near Novi
The Michigan Department of Transportation will be shutting down the rest area on Interstate 96 near Novi permanently due to the reconstruction of a nearby interchange. The reconstruction is set to begin in 2002 or 2003, but MDOT's Robin Pannecouk was unable to give a date for the shutdown of the rest stop. Crain's Detroit Business (05/07/00) Vol. 16, No. 18; P. 54; Lane, AmyPort Tries Shoring Up Employment as NY Shipping Volume Crests
The New York Shipping Association and International Longshoremen's Association want to hire 481 more unionized dock employees at the Port of New York and New Jersey, where containerization has caused employment to fall to 2,700 from its 1960s height of 26,000. The payroll there has not had a sizable expansion since 1979, and the port has not had a general opening of the register since ten years before that.East Coast ports are getting more Asian trade due to tie-ups at ports on the West Coast, and a pair of Chinese shipping groups lately said they will begin direct Asia-East Coast service. Although the Asian economic crisis caused this growth to stagnate two years ago, it is once again surging.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey believes its volume will continue to grow between 3% and 6% a year for the next decade. Rising volume has driven up dockworkers' earnings and given them plenty of overtime. A Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor hearing on the hiring request was set for May 4. Crain's New York Business (05/07/00) Vol. 16, No. 18; P. 12; Lipowicz, Alice
Roadway Expands Mexican Operations
Roadway Express has added a terminal at the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, to serve Mexican terminals, including new Chihuahua and Torreon terminals. Crain's Cleveland Business (05/07/00) Vol. 21, No. 19; P. 1; Stacklin, JeffCreform Logistics Signs Lease
Just-in-time logistics equipment provider Creform Logistics is leasing a 50,000-square-foot building at the Wixom West Technology Centre in Wixom, Mich. The Nissan Trading subsidiary is set to move into the new building in September. Crain's Detroit Business (05/07/00) Vol. 16, No. 18; P. 32; Smith, JennetteLinings Provide Added Measure of Safety for Many Storage Tanks Now in Service
As more aboveground storage tanks are installed, there has been a comparable rise in demand for their linings. The three most common kinds of aboveground storage tanks at present are fixed-roof tanks (FRTs), external floating roof tanks (EFRTs), and internal floating roof tanks (IFRTs).Floating roof tanks go up and down with the level of the liquid inside, cutting down on the losses from evaporation that often took place in FRTs. Since EFRTs' floating roofs are exposed to weather and rub against the tank when they move, these tanks often experienced corrosion, so the IFRT was designed with an outer covering above the floating roof.
Another way to fight the abrasion and corrosion common in EFRTs is by using linings. The most effective of the many materials used for linings are waterbased inorganic zinc-rich coatings and fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) materials.
FRP linings are popular for many reasons: they can take the place of repairing the tank bottom, they stop leaks that are caused by corrosion of tank bottoms, and they are speedily installed. There are some problems, however, such as the fact that bottom-side corrosion cannot be detected when a pigmented gel coat is used. Modern Bulk Transporter (04/00) Vol. 62, No. 10; P. 60
© copyright 2000 INFORMATION, INC. Terms of Service
