trucks world news: October 2006

31.10.06

Border News - China & North Korea - Business as usual

Despite UN sanctions, everything from instant noodles to industrial machinery is flowing without controls into the rogue state

DANDONG,CHINA -The Globe and Mail (Canada), by GEOFFREY YORK -31 Oct 2006: -- Mr. Li, a veteran 60-year-old Chinese businessman, sells $2-million to $3-million in goods to North Korea every year. And, despite sanctions that the White House describes as a tough new measure, he is confident he can keep selling the same amount of goods to the newly nuclear state next year... Here on the North Korean border, the cross-border trade is still flourishing. Dozens of trucks and trains continue to rumble across the Friendship Bridge from China into North Korea every day... “There are just as many trucks as there were before the sanctions,” Mr. Li says...

PRODUCTS * USA - Kenworth introduces K360 cabover model for urban delivery companies

KIRKLAND, Wash,USA -Truck News (CAN), byAdam Ledlow -31 Oct 2006: -- Kenworth is introducing the new K360 Class 7 cabover model for urban delivery companies... The Kenworth K360 is designed for companies that deliver goods in urban areas and require a highly maneuverable truck with 22- to 26-ft body size, the company says...

Market - USA - Cummins reports highest third quarter profits in company history

COLUMBUS,Ind,USA -Truck News, by Adam Ledlow -31 Oct 2006: -- Cummins has continued its strong performance in the third quarter, reporting an 18% increase in net earnings on a 14% increase in sales, compared to the same period in 2005...

Truck Sales - Canada - Orders drop sharply as 2006 winds down

TORONTO, Ont,Canada -Truck News, by James Menzies -30 Oct 2006: -- Orders for heavy-duty trucks have plunged by 30% since March, according to a global auto report from Scotia Economics... The slump has been predicted by industry observers, thanks to the increasing cost of equipment set to roll out in 2007 that meets stringent new emissions rules. Most trucking companies pre-bought their equipment in early 2006 to delay their investment in the costly new 2007 engines...

Oakland To Sacramento Cargo - USA - Plan To Swap Trucks For Barges

The idea will require taxpayer support

San Francisco,CA,USA -abc7news.com -Oct. 30, 2006: -- There is a plan afloat to cut down on traffic congestion and pollution by using huge barges instead of trucks to transport goods between the port of Oakland and Sacramento... A barge trip from the port of Oakland to Sacramento may take about 10 hours, far longer than the two-hour truck journey, but this could be the wave of the future for transporting goods, especially if it rings in the projected benefits... The report says to be profitable, these barges need to operate at capacity. When full, they would take more than 400 trucks off Interstate-80, helping reduce diesel pollution and traffic congestion...

T & L COMMENT * Asia Pacific express/logistics investment continues apace

UK -Transport Intelligence -30 Oct 2006: -- In line with the continuing heavy investment in China and S.E. Asia, two of the leading global express players appear to be making major additions to their infrastructure in the region... Last week DHL announced that it was to develop an air cargo hub at Shanghai (Pudong) International Airport, specifically for its express parcel operations. This is part of its joint-venture with Sinotrans, which is based out of Shanghai but covers the whole of China. The DHL –Sinotrans Express parcels business is the largest in China with an estimated 40% of the market. In addition to the air cargo hub, the DHL-Sinotrans Express parcels business is building a corporate HQ in Shanghai and expanding its branch network to 72 offices throughout China... Whilst China is a fragmented market, with major differences between the Pearl River Delta, Shanghai and Beijing, the fact that companies such as DHL and UPS are investing in more than one hub in the region illustrates the size of their growth expectations. If expansion continues at this pace the China air-hub infrastructure of the two companies could shortly be larger than DHL has in the US or UPS has in Europe...

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC WORLDWIDE

* Germany - DHL foresees double digit growth in Americas
Germany -DHL (Press Release) -30 Oct 2006: -- DHL Express International Americas has announced that it is aiming for double-digit growth for its business volumes in 2007, based on forecasts of continued economic growth in the region...

* Germany - DHL wins new US express client
Germany -DHL (Press Release) -30 Oct 2006: -- DHL has been selected by U.S. Recordings as its exclusive U.S. express delivery provider. U.S. Recordings, the industry leader in real estate document recording solutions, will use DHL for transportation of real estate document filings to and from lenders and mortgage companies...

* Germany - DHL launches new online Import Express product
Germany -DHL (Press Release) -30 Oct 2006: -- Global express company DHL has launched DHL Import Express Online, its latest web-based tool designed to give customers more control over their imports or third-party (country-to-country) shipments...

* USA - UPS partners with IT provider to drive lean supply chains
Atlanta,GA,USA -UPS (PR) -30 Oct 2006: -- Pelion Systems, a market leader in Manufacturing Operating Systems based on Lean principles, and UPS have announced a new relationship designed to help manufacturers drive lean supply chains...

* USA - ProLogis exploits strong market conditions
Denver,COL,USA -ProLogis (PR) -23 Oct 2006: -- In its quarterly results ProLogis, one of the world's largest owners, managers and developers of distribution facilities, has reported strong markets with rents growing at their highest level for more than four years...

* Swiss - K+N continues to expand across all sectors
Schindellegi,Switzerland -Press Release -30 Oct 2006: -- Logistics group Kuehne + Nagel has released its results for the first nine months of 2006. Sea, air, road and contract logistics businesses all grew strongly as a result of organic development in the market and acquisitions...

* Swiss - K+N Belgian logistics centre to serve Lexmark
Schindellegi,Switzerland -Press Release -30 Oct 2006: -- Kuehne + Nagel has opened a new logistics centre in the Belgian town of Geel. For the key customer at the location, Lexmark, one of the world's leading providers of printing solutions, the logistics terminal serves as European import, warehousing and distribution centre...

* UK - Wincanton wins new 'relief' contract from Sainsbury's
UK -Press Release -30 Oct 2006: -- Building on its existing relationship with Sainsbury's, European logistics provider Wincanton, has secured a contract to handle the grocery retailer's UK Northern seasonal relief operation...

* UK - UTL/Vodaphone invest in new facility
UK -Press Release -30 Oct 2006: -- Vodafone UK and Unipart Technology Logistics (UTL) have announced joint investment in a new facility to manage all of Vodafone UK's handset and accessory storage plus distribution...

* Holland - TNT Logistics wins automotive contract with Chrysler
Hoofddorp, the Netherlands -Press Release -30 Oct 2006: -- TNT Logistics North America has been awarded a multi-year contract by the Chrysler Group in the US. TNT Logistics will provide lead logistics services and inbound transportation for stamped parts and components to KUKA Toledo Production Operations LLC (KTPO)...

* France - Geodis continues to see strong sales
France -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Geodis group continued to show increased revenue in the third quarter of 2006. Sales remained strong in France as well as in Eastern Europe, Germany and Asia despite the weakness in volume from major customers in the high-tech sector...

* France - Norbert Dentressangle revenues leap 15%
France -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Norbert Dentressangle Group has posted sustained revenue growth of over 15% for the first 9 months of 2006, in line with its forecasts. The logistics business increased 18.2% over the period...

* USA - JDF Distribution opens new Texas warehouse
Coppell,TX,USA -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- US logistics company JDF Distribution has announced the opening of a 155,000 square-foot addition to its Coppell, Texas warehouse outside Dallas...

* Japan - K Line receives Japan's largest container ship
Kobe,Japan -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Shipping line Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. ("K" Line) has announced that it has taken delivery of a new 8000TEU container vessel "HUMBER BRIDGE" at the Kure Shipyard...

* Hong Kong/China - Grand Alliance adds ship to AsPac - Europe trades
HK/CHI -PR - 30 Oct 2006: -- The Grand Alliance member lines, Hapag-Lloyd (HL), MISC Berhad. (MISC), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) have announced the restructuring of the Asia/North Europe EU2 service from early 2007...

* China - COSCON launches new US services
Shanghai,China -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Largest shipping line COSCON has announced that it will launch two new Asia -America Services in November 2006...

* Hong Kong/China - Dragonair takes delivery of new freighter
Hong Kong,CH -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Airline Dragonair has taken delivery of the first of five new 747-400 Boeing Converted Freighters, taking the number of all-cargo aircraft it operates to seven...

* Hong Kong/China - Cathay adds Beijing to freighter network
Hong Kong,CH -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Cathay Pacific Airways has announced that it will add Beijing to its freighter network in November after gaining approval from the Chinese Government to launch a new twice-weekly service...

* Japan - ANA obtains two new freighters for JP Express JV
Tokyo,Japan -PR - 30 Oct 2006: -- Boeing and ANA (All Nippon Airways) have announced that the airline exercised options for two additional 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighters as part of its joint venture cargo operation called ANA & JP Express, with partners Japan Post, Nippon Express, and Mitsui O.S.K Lines...

* USA - Trucking index down year-on-year in September
Alexandria,Va,USA -TTN -30 Oct 2006: -- The American Trucking Associations' seasonally adjusted for-hire Truck Tonnage Index gained in September. Year-to-date, the truck tonnage index was down 1.9 percent, compared with the same period in 2005...

* USA - Private equity company supports Arnold Logistics MBO
Stamford,CT,USA -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Oak Hill Capital Partners has announced that it, in partnership with management, has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Arnold Logistics, a leading US outsourced warehouse and transportation logistics provider...

* UK - RH Freight forms Swiss/Austrian partnerships
Nottingham,UK -PR -30 Oct 206: -- International freight company RH Freight has recently formed partnerships with the Swiss business - M&R Spedag and the Austrian based transport company Transdanubia...

* USA - Swift revenues fall although yield improves
Phoenix,AR,USA -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Trucking company Swift Transportation Co., Inc. has reported its latest financial results. Revenues fell due to a reduction in operating tractors and management complained about a 'softer freight environment'...

* USA - YRC Worldwide announces record revenues
Overland Park,KS,USA -PR - 30 Oct 2006: -- Logistics company YRC Worldwide Inc. has announced record third quarter 2006 quarterly operating revenue of $2.57 billion and operating income increased by 11%...

* USA - C.H.Robinson continues strong growth
North Dakota,USA -PR - 30 Oct 2006: -- Forwarder C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. has reported financial results for its last financial quarter. All its business lines show strong growth...

* Japan - Mitsui OSK Lines establishes China ocean consolidation subsidiary
Osaka,Japon -PR - 30 Oct 2006: -- Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. has announced the start of operations by MOL Consolidation Service Ltd., a new subsidiary handling ocean consolidation business (OCB) in China...

* Germany - Schenker to takeover BAX activities in Indonesia
Essen,Germany -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Schenker and BAX Global Logistik (BAX Indonesia) have reached an agreement which will mean PT Schenker Petrolog Utama will take over the operations and activities of BAX Indonesia...

* USA - Forward Air releases record results
Greeneville,TN,USA -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Forward Air Corporation has reported record results for its third quarter. This is the seventeenth consecutive quarter that the company has improved its year-over-year operating revenue...

* UK - Target Express provides 'cut-to-fit' service
UK -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Target Express, a leading UK independent express delivery company, is providing a 'cut-to-fit' delivery service for one of the UK's most successful fashion retailers, Jane Norman...

* Jordan - Aramex revenues jump in third quarter
Amman,Jordan -PR - 30 Oct 2006: -- ARAMEX, the Middle East based transportation solutions provider, has announced a third-quarter revenue jump of 65 per cent. This was largely due to the acquisition of an Irish forwarding company earlier in the year...

* India - Four Soft to buy assets of FWL Technologies
Hyderabad,India -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Four Soft Limited (4S), a global provider of software solutions for the transportation and logistics sector, has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of the freight and shipping software business of FWL Technologies...

* France - GEFCO to rollout information system to entire network
Courbevoie Cedex,France -PR -30 Oct 2006: -- Logistics provider GEFCO is to extend the use of the NOMAD information system to its entire network for movements of finished vehicles...

30.10.06

Healthy - USA - A Study Links Trucks’ Exhaust to Bronx Schoolchildren’s Asthma

NY.USA -The New York Timnes, by MANNY FERNANDEZ -Oct 29, 2006: -- In New York City, air pollution levels have typically been monitored by inanimate objects, at more than a dozen locations around town. But in the South Bronx, from 2002 to 2005, air pollution monitors went mobile. They went to the playground, to the gritty sidewalks, even... A group of schoolchildren carried the monitors everywhere they went. The instruments, attached to the backpacks of children with asthma, allowed researchers at New York University to measure the pollution the children were exposed to, morning to night... The N.Y.U. study found that the students were exposed to high levels of air pollutants in their neighborhoods and that children in the South Bronx were twice as likely to attend a school near a highway as were children in other parts of the city...Four Bronx organizations that supported the study — including the Point, a Hunts Point community group — have asked pro bono lawyers to look into their legal options to get the E.P.A. and the state to improve air quality in the South Bronx...

Market - Japan - Hino Motors Shares Fall After Truckmaker Cuts Profit Forecast

Tokyo,Japan -Bloomberg, by Naoko Fujimura -Oct. 30, 2006: -- Shares of Hino Motors Ltd., Japan's largest maker of heavy-duty trucks, fell as much as 5.2 percent after the company trimmed its annual profit forecast... Hino on Oct. 27 said its net income will probably total 18.6 billion yen ($158 million) for the year ending March 31, 16 percent less than its previous estimate of 22 billion yen. Domestic truck sales will be weaker than earlier expected in the second half, Tokyo-based Hino said... The company, half owned by Toyota Motor Corp., expects profit to drop for the first time in two years due to a lack of one-time gains...

The Trailer Past Our Car - Singapore - Are drivers of big vehicles going too fast on expressways?

Hey are big..! intimidating..! and thunder down the expressway at breakneck speed!!! ...

Singapore,Singapore -Electric New Paper -Oct 30, 2006: -- Ask motorists and they are likely to recount the fury of the many trailers, lorries and buses that cross their paths every day - some kicking up sand in their vehicles' faces, literally... And the most common observation is that these heavyweights on wheels break the speed limit regularly... Take the recent experience of 38-year-old motorist Martin Lim. He was driving along West Coast Highway near Pasir Panjang on 16 Oct, close to a lorry that he estimated was going at 100kmh. That's 40kmh above the stipulated speed limit displayed at the back of the lorry... Furthermore, the lorry was in the extreme right lane, which is supposed to be for cars travelling at higher speeds and overtaking... (Picture by Jonathan Choo - Tight fit: Heavy vehicles take up all three lanes of the West Coast Highway and put the squeeze on other road suers. The extreme right lane is for cars going at higher speeds and overtaking)

DRIVERS' Hours Of Service

* Canada - CTA offers new HoS reference book
TORONTO, Ont.,CAN -Truck News, by Adam Ledlow -30 Oct 2006: -- The Canadian Trucking Alliance has prepared an Hours of Service reference book to assist drivers, trainers and managers understand the new Canadian rules, which come into affect Jan. 1... The book incorporates the interpretation guidelines that will be used by enforcement officers, and also includes explanations of the US rules and tips for fatigue management together with the detailed regulations for both Canada and t

* Australia - Discrimination: One rule for govt, another for drivers...
Australia -ATN -27 Oct 2006: -- The reaction of state governments to doctors complaining of long working hours is in total contrast to their policy for truck drivers... The Australian Medical Association has raised the issue of doctor working hours, showing doctors working up to 20 hours straight, and 50 hours across three days... It has asked government owned and operated hospitals to cut back hours for doctors to reduce fatigue. Many of the extra hours worked by doctors are unpaid. Doctors also complain that regardless of the extra hours worked on one shift (a 12 hour shift that runs to 19 or 20 hours, they are still expected to turn up for the next shift, even if it is just 3 to 5 hours later). Doctors are also expected to sleep at hospitals without rest facilities to stay 'on call' although they are out of hours. Doctors also complained of working excessive night hours... As an example, the longest hours recorded in the AMA survey was a Tasmanian doctor who worked 113 hours in a week while a quarter of doctors worked more than 80 hours a week with most not having a full day off in the week. One doctor reported working 34 hours straight - in intensive care surgery! The average doctor in NSW hospitals worked 70 hours a week plus one weekend in six... When the same situation applies to truck drivers, albeit at lesser hours than worked by doctors, the governments have reacted by applying a 12 hour limit per 24 in working hours - and huge fines on drivers and employers for working one minute over legal times... Is it a fact that government feel free to legislate impractical working arrangemnents where a private sector employers (in trucking) have to pay, but are unwilling to change even worse or more dangerous working hours where government has to pay?... Is a shortage of skilled workers a good enough excuse for not introducing reasonable working and rest hours? If so, why doesn't it apply to the private sector like the government employers?...

New Heavy Vehicle Charges - Australia - Six months for fourth determination

Australia -ATN -30 Oct 2006: -- The National Transport Commission (NTC) has until April next year to develop a new heavy vehicle charges determination... State and Federal Transport Ministers at the Australian Transport Council (ATC) voted to direct the NTC to go back to the pricing drawing board, after rejecting the third determination... Industry groups are concerned at the short period of time given to the NTC to develop a fourth determination...

COMMENTS & OPINIONS

* USA - “Innovation is key,” speakers tell trucking executives at Carrier Logistics Inc. executive summit
Tarrytown, N.Y.,USA -Truck News (Canada), by Lou Smyrlis -30 Oct 2006: -- Innovation holds the key to survival and growth, top executives from leading LTL companies learned at the annual Executive Summit sponsored by Carrier Logistics Inc... The industry conference, produced and underwritten by CLI, provided transportation execs with valuable tools to help them achieve success now and in coming years. The event was open to top LTL and parcel delivery trucking executives...

28.10.06

WORLDWIDE TRUCKS' NEWS

* USA - Volvo Trucks laying off 600 at powertrain plant in Hagerstown
Baltimore,MAR,USA -Examiner.com/AP, by DAVID DISHNEAU -Oct 27, 2006: -- Heavy truck maker AB Volvo said Friday it will lay off 600 workers next year at its Hagerstown engine-and-transmission plant... The Swedish company said the layoffs reflect expectations for an industrywide decline in demand for heavy-duty trucks...

* Russia - KAMAZ to Increase Plastic Filling of Its Trucks
NABEREZHNIYE CHELNY,Russia -Financial Information Service (Novosibirsk,Rus) -Oct 27, 2006: -- By 2010 the volume of plastic structures in 'KAMAZ' trucks will double to 200-250 kg per vehicle. This opens additional opportunities for small- and medium-sized enterprises of Tatarstan engaged in processing of oil and chemical products...

* India - Tata Motors introduces trucks, tippers, pick-ups for S Africa
New Delhi,India -Zee News (Noida,Ind) -Oct 27, 2006: -- Tata Motors on Friday said it will strengthen its product offerings in South Africa by introducing more commercial and passenger vehicle models, including trucks, tippers and Suv Safari...

Diesel Shortages - USA - Minn. trucking companies cope with

Rochester,Minn,USA -Twin Cities/Associated Press -Oct. 26, 2006: -- Minnesota trucking companies were coping with spot fuel shortages on Thursday, with diesel supplies out or nearly out in Rochester, Mankato and Winona, the president of a trucking trade group said... John Hausladen, president the Minnesota Trucking Association, said the shortage was discussed during a board of directors meeting on Thursday in Rochester. He said there was still fuel in the state, it just wasn't evenly distributed... Hausladen said the shortages were brought on by increased demand by farm equipment during the harvest, the ongoing transition to ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and a changing mix of products coming out of refineries...

Females in Trucking - USA - New organization aims to increase number of women in trucking

USA -eTrucker, by Brittani Tingle -26 Oct 2006: -- A new organization called Females in Trucking is attempting to solve the shortage of over-the-road drivers “one woman at a time”... According to the group’s Web site, www.femalesintrucking.org, its mission is to come up with a profile for female OTR drivers, identify women who match that profile and connect those potential drivers to trucking executives...

Trucking dangerous - UK - EU lorries

London,UK -The Sun (UK), by GRANT ROLLINGS -October 26, 2006: -- Foreign lorry drivers are flouting the rules of Britain’s roads — leaving a trail of carnage and misery behind them... And expansion of the European Union is making the problem worse with truckers from overseas putting lives at risk by overworking and using vehicles with serious faults... Chief Superintendent Geraint Anwyl, a spokesman on traffic issues for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “This is a very serious issue and lives are at risk here... As we’ve seen accession countries coming into the EU, the offending rate is getting greater and greater”... On a typical day there are 12,000 foreign lorries and 95,000 British ones on the country's roads, according to the Department of Transport... Romanian drivers were the worst offenders, with more than 40 per cent driving for too long... Dianne Ferreira, a spokeswoman for road safety charity Brake, warned: “In order to drive in the UK, foreign drivers do not need to undergo any additional training or testing on how to drive safely on our roads..."

Ending Transport Strike - Uruguay

Montevideo,Uruguay -Prensa Latina (Cuba) -Oct 25, 2006: -- The government of Uruguay took control of national freight transportation to end a strike that caused severe shortage of basic supplies... The Transportation and Public Works Ministry announced a decree approved by President Tabare Vazquez Wednesday at 3:00 am after negotiations between the union and the executive failed... Diego Valverde, president of the Inter-Union of Land Transport Professionals told Victor Rossi, minister of Transportation and Public Works at 2:30 am on telephone that the strike will go on... The Transportation Union Board called out Monday some 25,000 drivers, causing a shortage of diesel, naphtha, meat, raw material and other staple supplies...

TRUCKERS' WELFARE * USA - Schneider offers drivers over-the-road health perks

Green Bay,Wis,USA -Today¡s Trucking -26 Oct 2006: -- Schneider National drivers in North America will get a full range of health and wellness services at no charge, the giant truckload carrier announced... Schneider has signed a multi-year agreement with Atlas Ergonomics to provide drivers health services at in-house Operating Centers (company-owned truck stops) across North America, including a facility in Guelph, Ont... The centers offer services such as physical therapy, blood pressure monitoring, diet and nutrition counseling and exercise education...

TECHNONEWS * USA - Bendix stability control standard on Mack trucks

Lehigh Valley,Pa,USA -Today's Trucking -25 Oct 2006: -- Mack Trucks is making its Road Stability Advantage by Bendix system standard on its highway vehicles... Mack RSA is a full electronic stability system designed to reduce rollover and accident risk. It uses the existing ABS wheel speed sensors, along with steering, yaw and lateral acceleration inputs, to deactivate the throttle and selectively apply the brakes in sharp curves, sudden lane changes, or obstacle avoidance maneuvers...

Drivers' Shortage - Australia - Truckies campaign against foreign drivers

Sydney,New South Wales,Australia -The Sunday Telegraph -Oct 26, 2006: -- NSW truckers launched a campaign against plans to import foreign drivers, which they say will turn the nation's roads into a "killing field"... The truck drivers will today start lobbying state and federal politicians to block plans by the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) to fill labour shortages with drivers from overseas... The Transport Workers Union (TWU) described the plans as nothing but a means to provide trucking companies with cheap labour... “At the moment what we have is a plan to cripple the industry and put the livelihood of Australian truck drivers, their families and the public at risk”...

TRUCKINGS' BUSINESS AFFAIRS

* USA - Creo Capital Partners buys Volunteer Trucking
USA -eTrucker -25 Oct 2006: -- Creo Capital Partners of Los Angeles has entered the logistics industry with the acquisition of Volunteer Trucking of Dayton, Tenn... The transaction, terms of which were not disclosed, is the first in a series of logistics investments that Creo expects to make...

* USA - Knight buys Roads West for $15.6 million
USA -eTrucker -25 Oct 2006: -- Knight Transportation announced Monday, Oct. 23, that it has completed a $15.6 million purchase of most of the trucking assets of another Phoenix-based carrier, Roads West Transportation...

* USA - IJS Global Acquires Dutch Logistics Company
Stamford,CT,USA -TNN (UK) -25 Oct 2006: -- IJS Global, Inc., the fast-growing multi-modal freight forwarder, customs broker and non-vessel operating common carrier, said yesterday that it had acquired Transfairways BV, a Dutch logistics provider specializing in project forwarding, for an undisclosed sum...

* China - Schneider National to enter China trucking market
Beijing,China -XFN (Asia)/Forbes/ Wall Street Journal -26 Oct 2006: -- Schneider National Inc plans to enter China's trucking market, saying the country's road network has developed sufficiently to make operations there feasible, there... Schneider is likely to make investments worth tens of millions of dollars in China within a year, chief executive, Chris Lofgren said, adding that its preferred method is to acquire companies rather than form joint ventures...

* USA - Tri-State launches truckload division
USA -eTrucker, by Brittani Tingle -26 Oct 2006: -- Tri-State Expedited, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, has formed a new truckload division to add to its expedited transportation services... The new division will offer drivers dedicated lanes, 100 percent of fuel surcharge, no trailer usage fee, paid tolls, no charge for base plates, weekly settlements and advances on each load...

* USA - Detroit troubles slowing Upper Midwest
Chicago,Ill,USA -Reuters, by Nick Carey -Oct 27, 2006: -- Trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. is seeing greater softness in the Upper Midwest than in the rest of the U.S. economy due to the woes of car makers in Detroit, the company's top executive said on Friday... Chief Executive Officer Bill Zollars told Reuters the day after YRC reported third-quarter results that came in below market expectations and warned that a slowing economy would hurt the company's fourth-quarter profits...

* USA - Ryder Reports Higher Profits, Revenue
USA -TTNews Express -25 Oct 2006: -- Ryder System said Wednesday its third-quarter net income rose to $65.3 million or $1.06 cents a share, from $63.3 million or 98 cents a year earlier...

* USA - Saia’s Third-Quarter Earnings Improve
USA -TTNews Express -25 Oct 2006: -- Saia Inc., parent of less-than-truckload carrier Saia Motor Freight Line, reported late Tuesday third-quarter net income of $7.7 million or 52 cents a share, up from $7 million or 43 cents a year ago...

* USA - U.S. Xpress' Earnings, Revenue Rise in 3Q
USA -TTNews Express -25 Oct 2006: -- Truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises said late Monday its third-quarter income rose to $7.72 million or 47 cents a share, compared with $4 million or 25 cents a share in the previous year...

Research: Trucking Hinges - USA - On cloudy economic forecast

Nashville,Ind,USA -Today's Trucking -25 Oct 2006: -- The 2007 forecast of the U.S. transportation economy is being clouded by several factors, reports a leading American transportation research firm... Weighing on growth, says Nashville, Ind.-based FTR Associates, is the declining housing market and cuts in production by domestic auto producers. These industries are now laying off workers and are responsible for the lackluster employment gains the economy has seen recently. So far, job gains outside of housing and manufacturing remain steadfast, but this bears close scrutiny, the firm says... FTR Associates now believes that the chances of recession, most likely in the first half of 2007, is one in three -- uncomfortably high, but not certain. Even if the country avoids recession, growth rates will seem weak compared to past years, and there may be a bump or two in the road in 2007...

Logistic experts' goal - USA - Make Indy the 'rail deal'

Some pieces are in place, but adding a central freight yard could be the groundwork for new job growth

Indianapolis,IN,USA -The Indianapolis Star, by Ted Evanoff -Oct 24, 2006: -- Buy a winter coat made in China, and chances are good it was shipped on a freighter to Los Angeles, loaded on a train for Chicago, then trucked to Indianapolis... Now Indianapolis' logistic experts are trying to figure out how to get those coats and plenty of other railroad freight to come directly here instead of passing through Chicago... Hundreds and possibly thousands of new logistics jobs could emerge if they succeed... (Photo by Charlie Nye / The Star - Freight rest stop: Cargo containers cramp the CSX Avon railyard, an intermodal terminal. Experts say demand could prompt Indianapolis to get its own intermodal train from a West Coast port. Such an addition would nurture a new avenue of logistics growth for Indy)

Driving Danger - UK - From Common Medicines: Study

Millions of drivers could be at risk of accidents this winter due to the symptoms of common colds and the medication taken to relieve them
UK -Transport News Network -25 Oct 2006: -- According to new research, Kate Syred, Marketing and Commercial Director of Privilege Insurance, commented: "Medicines are clearly labelled for a reason, and those drivers who aren't taking the time to check for side effects could be putting themselves and other road users at risk. On the plus side, it seems that the majority of drivers do take heed of warnings once they are aware of them"... With more than half (54 per cent) of British motorists likely to take to the roads while feeling under the weather or on medication, nearly a fifth (18 per cent) admitted their driving had been negatively affected as a result during the past 12 months... One in ten, the equivalent of 3.3 million drivers, lost concentration at the wheel due to an impaired reaction caused by illness or medication... Conversely, eight in ten drivers would amend their behaviour if they discovered a medicine they were about to take might affect their driving, with a third (36 per cent) holding off taking the medicine until after having driven, and a quarter (24 per cent) not driving at all...

Survey - USA - Reveals various issues continue to concern the trucking industry

Danbury,Conn,USA -Logistics Management, by Jeff Berman -Oct 25, 2006: -- Fuel prices, the ongoing truck driver shortage, and excessive regulation—not surprisingly—are among the biggest concerns for trucking companies, according to a recently-released survey from GE Capital Solutions, a provider of commercial trucking industry financial services... GE conducted the survey in conjunction with Dun and Bradstreet. Data was based on phone interviews conducted with approximately 1,200 trucking executives, including owners, partners, managing directors, finance directors, and truck operating business managers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and France... Ways of off-setting current and future fuel expenses, aside from passing costs to shippers through surcharges, included:
* Tightening supplier management, 41 percent overall/43 percent in the U.S.;
* Seeking alternative green initiatives, 36 percent overall/34 percent in the U.S.; or
* Leasing trucks to free cash flow, 18 percent overall/14 percent in the U.S.
And more than one-fifth of respondents (22 percent) said the * Driver shortage will continue to hamper their delivery operations for getting goods to existing customers. In the U.S., the findings revealed that 20 percent of additional freight opportunities have the potential to be affected...

Truck Test - USA - ORNL launches nationwide U.S. one

Oak Ridge,TN,USA -UPI/Monsters and Critics.com (Glasgow,UK) -Oct 24, 2006: -- A U.S. truck test involving special monitoring equipment on six instrumented tractors and nine instrumented trailers started Tuesday... The project was launched by the National Transportation Research Center -- a joint transportation research facility involving the U.S. Department of Energy`s, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the University of Tennessee... During the year, the specially equipped tractor-trailers owned by the Schrader Trucking Co. of Jefferson City, Tenn., will be hauling freight across the United States on regular truck runs... Data acquisition systems will be on board to measure each vehicle`s performance, including vehicle and engine speed, engine torque and fuel consumption. Performance data will also take into consideration such physical factors as wind speed, precipitation and other conditions... Data collected will support modeling efforts for trucks of the future, and will be made available to automotive engineers in the trucking industry...

TRUCKS' BUSINESS AFFAIRS

* Germany - VW plans MAN stake rise in Scania power game
Duesseldorf,Germany -Reuters/Automotive News -Oct 27, 2006: -- Volkswagen plans to raise its stake in German truck maker MAN above 25 percent, the automaker said today, upping pressure on MAN to strike a friendly takeover deal with Scania... Europe's biggest carmaker has informed Germany's Federal Cartel Office that it plans to raise its minority stake in MAN above one-quarte.r,, a Volkswagen spokesman said... The agency earlier said VW had filed plans to increase its stake as high as 30 percent from 15.1 percent now...

* USA - PACCAR Surges to Record Revenue and Profits - Strong Growth in Financial Services and European Operations
Bellevue,Wash.,USA -Business Wire -24 Oct 2006: -- “PACCAR Inc., achieved record revenues and net income for the third quarter and first nine months of 2006,” said Mark C. Pigott, chairman and chief executive officer... “PACCAR’s balanced global diversification, complemented by steady GDP growth, successful new truck model introductions and double-digit revenue increases in the company’s finance and aftermarket parts businesses, contributed to excellent operating performance”...

* Sweden - Volvo Q3 tops forecasts, sees U.S. market fall
Stockholm,SWE -Reuters -24 Oct 2006: -- Truck maker Volvo posted a smaller-than-expected drop in third-quarter pretax profit on Tuesday and said key markets would be at the top end of its forecasts this year, but predicted a sharp downturn in North America in 2007... The Sweden-based firm, the world's second-largest truck maker, said pretax earnings fell to 3.14 billion crowns ($428 million) from 4.02 billion a year ago, ahead of the mean forecast of 2.96 billion in a Reuters poll of 17 analysts...

* Germany - DaimlerChrysler Q3 beats forecasts; strong Mercedes, trucks offset weak Chrysler
Stuttgart,Germany -AFX/Forbes -25 Oct 2006: -- DaimlerChrysler AG posted third quarter profits well ahead of forecasts, as strength at the company's Mercedes and truck businesses more than offset steep losses at Chrysler. Third quarter operating profits slid to 892 mln eur from 1.838 bln for the same period last year, but the figure was well ahead of the 591.2 mln eur forecast made by analysts...

* USA - Stoneridge Reports Third-Quarter 2006 Results
Warren,OH,USA -PRNewswire-FirstCall -27 Oct 2006: -- Stoneridge, Inc., today announced net sales of $172.4 million and net income of $4.4 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006... Stoneridge Inc., is a leading independent designer and manufacturer of highly engineered electrical and electronic components, modules and systems principally for the automotive, medium- and heavy-duty truck, agricultural and off-highway vehicle markets...

AUTOS' COMMENTS & OPINIONS

* USA - Big Three carrying excessive inventory - Head of AutoNation claims fleet sales give automakers unreliable count of vehicle supply
Detroit,Mich,USA -Dow Jones Newswires/The Detroit News, by John D. Stoll -Oct 27, 2006: -- The head of the largest U.S. auto-dealer group said Thursday that U.S. automakers and sales analysts need to "move into the real world" and recalculate vehicle inventory estimates in a way that better reflects how deep a hole Detroit's Big Three are in.
AutoNation Inc. CEO Mike Jackson said the current practice of calculating days' supply of unsold vehicles is "outdated" and "dramatically understates" how much excess inventory is being carried by dealers selling vehicles from General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group... He said that automakers and certain analysts currently calculate days' supply based on both the pace of retail sales to actual consumers and fleet sales, such as deliveries to rental car firms and government agencies... Jackson said fleet sales should be removed and automakers should only calculate days' supply inventory based on retail demand. The Big Three rely on fleet sales for at least 25 percent of total light-vehicle sales...

* USA - Analysts: Big 3 will fall further - By 2009, foreign automakers will lead U.S. market share; experts say better products needed to survive
Dearborn,Mich,USA - The Detroit News, by Sharon Terlep -Oct 26, 2006: -- Fewer than half of all vehicles sold in the United States will be made by Detroit's Big Three by 2009, when foreign carmakers will outpace American companies in market share, a top industry analyst said Wednesday at a conference focused on carmakers' restructuring... Not only will the Big Three's market share erode, but by 2011 foreign automakers will build more cars in the United States than American manufacturers, said Sean McAlinden, chief economist and vice president of research for the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research... "They won't be the Big Three anymore, they'll be the Detroit Three," McAlinden said of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DailmerChrysler AG... "You've got to shrink to survive and shrink to be profitable in Detroit today"...

* USA - Efficient cars a tough sell with U.S. buyers
Boston,MAS,USA -Reuters/Automotive News -Oct 27, 2006: -- Designing a more fuel efficient car can be less of a challenge than selling one... But with the number of autos on the world's roads expected to triple over the next half-century and fuel prices expected to rise, automakers need to focus on both problems... That was the message from a panel of automotive experts at The World Oil Conference today... "Most people want horsepower. They don't want fuel economy," said Bill Reinert, national manager of advanced technology for the U.S. arm of Toyota Motor Corp...

* USA - Analysts sound note of caution on GM cash burn
Detroit,Mich,USA -Reuters/Automotive News -Oct 26, 2006: -- General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner has been riding high with Wall Street this year: GM stock is up almost 80 percent and talk of bankruptcy has receded after billions of dollars in cost cuts... But analysts caution that the automaker's recovery is still stalled by one important measure: cash burn...

* USA - Trying To Recapture The Magic
USA -Forbes, by Jerry Flint -24 Oct 2006: -- Chrysler puts out the word that it will post a $1.5 billion loss in the third quarter and a loss for the entire year. The biggest problem is a massive overhang of inventory, which could wreck the introduction of a flock of new Chrysler models. Chrysler was in a similar jam six years ago, and it ended with the removal of the American head of Chrysler and the arrival of Dieter Zetsche, now known as Dr. Z, from the German parent, to take command... Add it up, and Chrysler has a parking lot full of new models. We will not be able to measure success or failure of this strategy until the first half of next year at the earliest... This rollout of so many new models is one reason for the big loss predicted by the company for the third quarter. Another problem is the glut of unsold 2006 vehicles, making it difficult to sell 2007 models... Incentive offers are as high as $8,000 off the price of a 2006 Dodge Durango. When the downturn began early in the year, Chrysler did not cut production, but kept rolling out vehicles, stacking them in parking lots (which Detroit calls the “sales bank”). Chrysler tells me the sales bank--those excess inventories--will be gone by the end of the year... Chrysler has a tough job ahead of it, but do not count it out. The company rides like a roller coaster--but it rides...

OIL BUSINESS NEWS - Weekly Digest

* USA - Exxon Mobil third-quarter net tops $10 billion
Houston,TX,USA -MarketWatch, by Jasmina Kelemen -Oct 26, 2006: -- Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's biggest company by market capitalization, turned in a third-quarter profit Thursday that topped $10 billion, or nearly $117 million a day... The staggeringly high earnings build on near record-high oil prices and continued growth in Exxon Mobil's worldwide production, adding up to 270,000 barrels of oil a day to the company's overall output, up 7% from a year ago... For the three months ended Sept. 30, Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil reported net earnings of $10.49 billion, or $1.77 per share, up from a year-ago profit of $9.92 billion or $1.58 per share... It was the company's second best quarter, coming in just behind the record fourth quarter it had in 2005, when the oil market was still reeling -- and prices soaring -- the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina...

* UK - BP profit falls 4% on flat production, taxes - Oil major's profit hurt by problems at Texas City and in Alaska
London,UK -MarketWatch, by Steve Goldstein -Oct 24, 2006: -- BP PLC reported a 4% third-quarter profit decline Tuesday, hurt by the fallout from a broken pipeline in Alaska, an explosion at a Texas refinery and rising taxes in Britain... BP, Europe's largest oil producer, said its profit fell to $6.23 billion from $6.46 billion, while revenue rose 4% to $70.73 billion... It's paying a quarterly dividend of 58.95 cents per U.S.-listed share. BP has bought back shares valued at $12 billion during the first nine months of the year... The company recorded more than $2 billion in profit during the quarter by selling off various assets, and it also posted a benefit of $354 million on tax and accounting gains...

* USA - Gasoline prices hold steady, but oil prices climb
USA -Automotive News, by Kim Scherer -Oct 27, 2006: -- Gasoline prices have held steady over the past few days, while the price of a barrel of crude oil is climbing again... The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.20 today, unchanged from the national average Tuesday, Oct. 24, according to AAA, of Hawthorne, Fla... Midgrade gasoline stands at an average of $2.34 a gallon and premium at $2.42, both unchanged from the nation's average three days ago... Diesel fuel averages $2.61 a gallon, also unchanged from three days ago...

* USA - Chevron's net up 40%, eclipsing targets
Houston,TX,USA -MarketWatch, by Jasmina Kelemen -Oct 27, 2006: -- Chevron Corp., the nation's second biggest oil company, said Friday its third-quarter net income jumped 40% from last year, breezing past Wall Street's expectations... Buoyed by higher oil production and energy prices, Chevron easily eclipsed results from a year ago, when much of its U.S. Gulf Coast operations -- including its biggest refinery -- were struggling to get back on their feet in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina... The San Ramon, Calif.-based company reported earnings of $5.02 billion, or $2.29 a share, up from $3.59 billion, or $1.64 a share, generated in the year-ago quarter...

AUTOS' NEWS WORLWIDE - Weekly Digest

* USA - Ford reports $5.8B loss and will restate results - New president, chief executive calls results "clearly unacceptable"
New York,NY,USA -MarketWatch, by Shawn Langlois & Steve Gelsi -Oct 23, 2006: -- Ford Motor Co., toiling to overhaul its struggling car business and return to profitability, reported Monday a $5.8 billion third-quarter loss and said the current quarter's operating results are shaping up to be even worse... The troubled automaker also said it will restate earnings going back five years for derivatives accounting... Ford shares sat out the broad market advance, falling as much as 2.5% to $7.81 following the report, which showed the company's biggest loss since 1992. The stock closed down 11 cents, or 1.4%, at $7.90...

* UK - DaimlerChrysler profit drops less-than-forecast 37% - Strong performance from Mercedes helps limit expected Chrysler loss
London,UK -MarketWatch, by Simon Kennedy -Oct 25, 2006: -- DaimlerChrysler AG on Wednesday reported a 37% drop in third-quarter profit, but comfortably beat market expectations as a strong performance from its Mercedes unit limited the damage from an expected $1.46 billion loss at Chrysler... DaimlerChrysler, the world's fifth-biggest car maker by sales, posted net income of 541 million euros ($681 million), down from 855 million euros a year ago... Revenue for the period fell 7.9% to 35.18 billion euros... Operating profit fell 51.5% to 892 million euros, which was sharply ahead of the consensus forecast of around 530 million euros...

* USA - Chrysler turns to turnaround pros

Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Christine Tierney & Josee Valcourt -Oct 28, 2006: -- In an effort to get Chrysler back on track after an alarming $1.5 billion third-quarter loss, DaimlerChrysler AG has retained its longtime consultants McKinsey & Co. to help Chrysler's management draft a recovery program... Careers and reputations on both sides of the Atlantic -- possibly even Chrysler's future -- ride on the success of the plan, which DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche expects on his desk before the end of the year... Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda is leading the teams drafting the plan, but parent DaimlerChrysler brought in reinforcements last month from Mercedes-Benz and this month from McKinsey, one of the most prestigious management consulting firms...

* Japan - Honda bumps up outlook; quarter disappoints
Tokyo,Japan -MarketWatch (Hong Kong,China), by Chris Oliver -Oct 25, 2006: -- Honda Motor Co. reported Wednesday second-quarter net profit fell 4.3% from a year earlier, as weaker vehicle sales in Japan offset gains from higher unit sales overseas and a weaker yen... The automaker also boosted its earnings outlook for the full fiscal year... Japan's No. 3 automaker by volume, Honda posted profit for the three months through September of 127.9 billion yen ($1.09 billion), down from 133.71 billion yen a year earlier... Net revenue for the quarter rose 12.5% to 2.63 trillion yen from a year earlier...

* USA - GM technology going 'green' to challenge Toyota - Automaker will make hydrogen-powered fuel cell and hybrid-electric vehicles in near future
Detroit,Mich,USA -Bloomberg News/The Detroit News, by Jeff Green -Oct 28, 2006: -- General Motors Corp., losing sales to Toyota Motor Corp., will use some of the $9 billion in savings from cost cuts this year to make vehicles that match the Japanese automaker in technology and fuel efficiency, according to people familiar with the strategy... GM's plans include a hybrid-electric vehicle with a battery that recharges at any outlet, improved gasoline engines, hybrid versions of its Silverado pickup trucks and hydrogen-powered fuel cell models that emit only water vapor, according to sources, who didn't want to be identified because the plan isn't public...

* USA - S&P may still cut GM's ratings
New York,NY,USA -Reuters/Automotive News -Oct 26, 2006: -- Standard & Poor's today said it may still cut its ratings on General Motors after GM reported third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, Oct. 25... S&P said GM's long-term "B" rating, or five levels below investment grade, will remain on negative watch "until we are able to ascertain the financial effect on GM of its exposure to bankrupt former unit Delphi Corp.," S&P said in a statement... The rating company also is waiting for the sale of a 51 percent stake in GMAC, GM's profitable finance unit, S&P said...

* Japan - Nissan Motor Profit Surges 31 Percent
Tokyo,Japan -Associated Press -Oct 25, 2006: -- Nissan Motor Co., which drew the limelight earlier this year for discussing a possible alliance with General Motors, said Thursday that profit rose 31 percent to in the July-September quarter, thanks partly to special gains that offset sliding sales... Net income surged to 164 billion yen ($1.38 billion) in the period from 125 billion yen a year earlier, the Japanese automaker said In a release. But sales slid 0.9 percent to 2.324 trillion yen ($19.5 billion)...

* France - Nissan to add $627 million to Renault's second half earnings
Paris,France -Reuters/Automotive News -Oct 26, 2006: -- Renault SA said today that Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s fiscal first half earnings would contribute $627.8 million (496 million euros) to the French carmaker's second half earnings... Nissan, which is 44 percent-owned by Renault, today posted a smaller-than-expected 4.9 percent drop in quarterly operating profit on as an ageing product line hit global sales...

* USA - Audi A4s being recalled for ignition work
USA -Big News Network.com-southafricanews.net/UPI -27 Oct, 2006: -- Volkswagen of America Inc. is recalling more than 28,000 Audi A4 vehicles to fix an ignition problem that could break headlights or windshield wipers... The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday on its Web site that dealers would install a new ignition switch during the recall, which begins Nov. 27... The recall affects 1996-97 vehicles...

26.10.06

AUTOS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* USA - Shifting fortunes - Operating gains take Wall Street by surprise
DETROIT,MI,USA -The Detroit News, by Bill Vlasic -Oct 26, 2006: -- General Motors Corp. took another step toward returning to profitability Wednesday by posting a $115 million third-quarter loss -- better results than Wall Street was expecting... While its critical North American auto business continues to lose money, GM showed significant progress in reducing labor and health care costs and resolving its portion of the problems confronting bankrupt Delphi Corp... With both Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group dragged down by deep losses in the third quarter, GM now appears to have the healthiest outlook of Detroit's Big Three...

* France - Peugeot on the rack as sales, profits slide
Detroit,MI,USA -The Detroit News, by Neil Winton -Oct 26, 2006: -- France's Peugeot, which wrote the book about being a successful mass-producer of small cars, finds itself leaderless, with sales under pressure, profits evaporating, and facing tough decisions on more factory closures... Investors are wondering if the company can ride out the storm and regain its former glory. Some are speculating that the family-controlled company will revert to private status...

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS WORLDWIDE

* Germany - BLG opens new BMW operation
Germany -BLG Logistics Automobile (PR) -23 Oct 2006: -- BLG Logistics Automobile has opened a new parking deck at the Auto Terminal Bremerhaven. The new parking deck will be used exclusively for export vehicles of the BMW Group...

* USA - Integration problems hit UPS results
Atlanta,GA,USA -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- UPS third quarter figures show strong underlying growth in its core business and fairly healthy profits, but problems have emerged from its Menlo Forwarding acquisition. Its CEO, Mike Eskew, has blamed this on difficulties with the integration including the loss of customers...

* USA - UPS announces deal with Poste Italiane
Atlanta,GA,USA -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- UPS and Poste Italiane have announced the completion of an agreement for UPS to carry the Italian postal service's international express shipments...

* South Korea - Move on Hanjin suggests big rationalisation in container shipping
S. Korea -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- Further consolidation in the container shipping market is overdue. The Asia Pacific market in particular has numerous shipping lines which if combined could rival the largest players in an industry where scale matters. An investment by the owner of Israeli line ZIM in Hanjin could be the catalyst for such rationalisation...

* USA - Velocity Express launches US pharma service centre
Westport,CT,USA -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- Velocity Express Corporation has announced the launch of a Pharmaceutical Operations Support Service Center (POSSC) in the US that will provide the single operating point of contact for its pharmaceutical industry customers...

* Germany - GO! General Overnight expands to Hungary
Germany -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- GO! General Overnight, a leading European courier and express logistics network, has expanded into Hungary by establishing an agreement with a local express carrier...

* USA - ProLogis expands footprint in Japan
Denver, Col,USA -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- ProLogis, a leading global provider of distribution facilities and services, has announced that it has signed leases and letters of intent for new facilities it is developing in Japan...

* France - CMA CGM upgrades North China Express
France -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- Global shipping line CMA CGM has announced the upgrading of its North China Express service with a new direct call to Lebanon at the Port of Beirut and a weekly additional direct call to Le Havre in France..

* USA - Ryder opens new US service facility
Miami, FL,USA -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- Ryder System, Inc. has announced the opening of its new service facility located in Buford, Georgia. The facility will service a fleet of more than 400 vehicles...

* USA - Ryder posts 8% higher profit, lifts full-year outlook
SAN FRANCISCO,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Jim Jelter -Oct 25, 2006: -- Trucking and transportation giant Ryder System, Inc. reported Wednesday an 8% increase in its third-quarter profit, helped by strong demand for the company's supply chain services that offset a dull quarter for its managed trucking fleet...

* USA - Werner reports third quarter results
Omaha,NE,USA -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- Werner Enterprises, Inc., one of the USA's largest truckload transportation and logistics companies, reported operating revenues and earnings for the third quarter. Its performance gives an indication of the state of the US trucking sector...

* USA - Landstar delivers growth in core businesses
Jacksonville, Fl,USA -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- US trucking company, Landstar System, Inc., has reported net income for the 2006 third quarter of $30.6 million on revenue of $649 million. This includes services provided primarily under a contract between Landstar Express America and the United States Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration...

* Hong Kong/China - Kerry Logistics expands into India
Kwai Chung,HK,China -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- Following the expansion in Central Europe in September, Kerry Logistics (KL) has acquired 51% share of Reliable Freight Forwarders Pvt Ltd (RFF) in India...

* Germany - DHL opens new logistics centre in Shanghai
Germany -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- DHL has inaugurated its new facility at the Waigaoqiao Bonded Logistics Zone (WBLZ) in Shanghai. The new Logistics Center in WBLZ brings DHL Global Forwarding's current investment in China to US$30 million...

* Germany - DPWN to focus on 'acquiring and developing talent'
Germany -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- In a speech at the BVL Congress in Germany John Allan, Board Member of DPWN and CEO of DHL Logistics has stated that DHL Logistics is striving to become the most desirable employer in the industry...

* Germany - Schenker opens Korean hub
Essen,Germany -Transport Intelligence (UK) -23 Oct 2006: -- Schenker's Korea Logistics Center (KLC) located in the Free Trade Zone of Incheon International Airport has started operations. The Schenker KLC serves as a regional airfreight hub and also as a logistics hub for North Asia...

* Germany - Schenker to take over Philippines operation
Essen,Germany -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- Schenker and CPI Transport, Inc. have signed an agreement that Schenker will take over the operations of CPI as of January 2007. In parallel, the activities of BAX Global in the Philippines will be integrated into Schenker...

* Holland - TNT Logistics signs new Brazilian deal
Hoofddorp, the Netherlands -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- TNT Logistics Brazil has signed a 5-year contract with Infoglobo, a Globo corporation company, and the first one in Brazil in the publishing & media industry...

* Finland - Nokia to out-source US short lead time logistics
Finland -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- High tech manufacturer Nokia has announced that it plans to discontinue operations at its Alliance facility in Ft. Worth, Texas, USA, and outsource its short lead time logistics business to third-party providers...

* United Arab Emirates - P&O Ferrymasters renews European rail pact
Dubai,UAE -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- European freight management company P&O Ferrymasters and ERS (European Rail Shuttle) have renewed a strategic pact that will see increased rail consignments travelling between the UK and southern Europe from January 2007...

* United Arab Emirates - DP World announces re-branding strategy for P&O
Dubai,UAE -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- DP World is to rebrand P&O Ports and update the branding of the rest of its marine terminal business. Management said that this was to underline its global network and connection with local communities...

* Germany - Railion and DFDS commission new ferry
Mainz,Germany -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- Railion Deutschland AG and the Danish shipping company DFDS A/S have reached an agreement to commission a rail ferry between Sassnitz-Mukran on the island of Rügen and the new major port of Baltijsk in Russia, not far from Kaliningrad...

* USA - BNSF to develop third logistics park
Fort Worth,TX,USA -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- US rail company BNSF has announced that it has reached an agreement with The Allen Group to develop a new Logistics Park near Gardner, Kansas. This will become the third logistics park on BNSF's network...

* China - CH. Southern buys six freighters
Guangzhou,China -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- Boeing has signed a purchase agreement with China Southern Airlines for six Boeing 777 Freighters, with first delivery anticipated in fourth quarter 2008...

* USA - Boeing sells four more freighters to Guggenheim
Chicago,IL,USA -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- Boeing has announced that Guggenheim Aviation Partners, LLC (GAP), the U.S.-based aviation investment firm, acting on behalf of one of its investment funds, has ordered four 747-8 Freighters, with an option to order an additional two airplanes...

* USA - Boeing profit off as charge offsets plane sales jump - Shares hit by outlook, spending on 787 and 747-8 programs
NEW YORK,NY,USA -MarketWatch, by Padraic Cassidy -Oct 25, 2006: -- Boeing Co. said Wednesday its quarterly profit fell by 31% because of a charge to shut down its Internet operations that partly offset strong performance at its commercial aircraft unit. The company also issued a disappointing 2007 outlook, and its shares dropped 3%...

* Japan - JAL increases China air cargo frequencies
Tokyo,Japan -Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- JAL has announced that it will increase international passenger, and cargo flight frequency between Tokyo, Japan and Shanghai, China...

* Hong Kong/China - BALtrans completes integration in China
HK,CH - Transport Intelligence -23 Oct 2006: -- BALtrans, a leading freight forwarding and logistics group in Asia Pacific, announced that it has completed the integration of its two key entities in China into a single unified logistics platform...

* Italy - Alitalia: Shocking revelation: 'The more it flies, the more it loses' - On a wing and a prayer
LONDON,UK -MarketWatch, by Aude Lagorce -Oct 25, 2006: -- Another year, another business plan... Less than 12 months after a vital, 1 billion euro ($1.25 billion) equity issue revived its ailing balance sheet, Italian flagship carrier Alitalia is back in the red...

* USA - AIRLINE STOCKS - Airlines hit by rise in crude-oil prices
NEW YORK,NY,USA -MarketWatch, by Padraic Cassidy -Oct 25, 2006: -- Airlines' shares dropped sharply in afternoon trading as crude-oil futures rallied 3% on the latest petroleum inventory data... The Amex Airline Index fell 1.8% to 53.85. The Dow Jones Wilshire Airline Index also fell 2% to 1,288.68...

* USA - Norfolk Southern net up on coal, general shipments
NEW YORK,NY,USA -MarketWatch, by Padraic Cassidy -Oct 25, 2006: -- Norfolk Southern Corp. shares soared 10% Wednesday after the railroad reported a sharp increase in third-quarter earnings as strong freight demand for coal and merchandise offset the impact of higher diesel fuel costs...

* USA - Pacer International quarterly income rises; revenue gains
SAN FRANCISCO,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Ruth Mantell -Oct 25, 2006: -- Pacer International Inc. Wednesday's closing bell said third-quarter net income rose, as revenue gained, to $18.3 million, or 48 cents a share, from $14.6 million, or 38 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year. The logistics and freight transportation provider said quarterly revenue rose to $458.2 million from $441.6 million in the prior year...

* USA - Swift Transportation quarterly earnings rise
SAN FRANCISCO,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Ana Campoy -Oct 25, 2006: -- Swift Transportation Co. after Wednesday's closing bell said third-quarter net earnings rose to $33.5 million, or 44 cents a share, compared with $12.6 million, or 17 cents a share, in the same period last year, as the company benefited from operational improvements and cost control...

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC STUDIES WORLDWIDE

* UK - Exploding shipping demand threatens global supply chains
London,UK -Drewry's Annual Report (subscription) -23 Oct 2006: -- Exploding demand in the container shipping sector is threatening to put a break on the globalisation of supply chains as marine transport infrastructure fails to keep pace. This is the suggestion of a new report from the respected shipping consultants Drewry's, in their annual report on the world's container ports published last week...

* UK - Systemic security failures threat to express industry
London,UK -Transport Intelligence (subscription) -18 Oct 2006: -- Evidence emerging from a recent criminal drug smuggling investigation has raised concerns over the 'known shipper system' used by express parcel carriers to expedite packages from identified customers through customs. If the scam can be used for drugs, it could also be used for bombs. ..

* USA - New survey finds logistics supplier base rationalisation continues
Georgia,USA -Transport Intelligence -25 Oct 2006: -- Georgia Institute of Technology, collaborating with the Cap-Gemini SAP and DHL, have published their annual survey of the '3PL' sector... The survey is quite global in its reach, with big inputs from China but also areas such as the Middle-East. But the survey does suffer from being rather over exposed to sectors such as the chemical and automotive sectors and under-exposed to retail. The former sectors now look quite old fashioned with frequently comparatively parochial supply chains and rigid logistics operations. Their importance in the economy has also declined... One further point. The survey has observed a continuing growth in the globalisation of supply chains with – unsurprisingly – China being the most salient. The report notes that logistics activities within and to China tend to concentrate on transportation and customs brokerage rather than the more sophisticated services such as cross docking and IT. The report also notes that the "lack of continual improvement in China is considered a bigger problem than elsewhere"...

* USA - Collaboration key to China supply chain efficiency, says executive
San Antonio,TX,USA -Transport Intelligence -26 Oct 2006 : -- Companies moving cargo from China to the US must adopt a more collaborative approach to improving the efficiency of their supply chains, according to Brian Lutt, President of global supply chain leader, APL Logistics... He identified a number of key issues US companies face when adding the China link to their supply chains. These included cultural issues, congestion (particularly in inland transportation), connectivity between coastal and inland areas, shipment security, securing sufficient ocean and air transportation (particularly in periods of high demand) and the complexity of managing multiple currencies... He said companies must first understand the current realities of managing a China-linked supply chain, and work with all stakeholders involved, including their overseas vendors, government agencies, and 3PLs in a collaborative framework to improve China's logistics capabilities and ensure their own supply chain success... "The need for partnership is made more urgent by the steady shift in the commodity mix in imports from China towards higher value segments, and imports from China continue to grow at a rapid pace," added Mr Lutt...

24.10.06

Recalls - * Australia - Recall issued on some Mack Midlum 4x4 models

Australia - Australasian Bus and Coach -19 Oct 2006: -- A recall has been issued for Mack Midlum 4x4 vehicles chassis numbers 965, 401, 494, 400, 493, 551and 479 have been identified with a possible fault... The problem is a possible movement between hub and brake disc assemblies on the front drive axles of Midlum 4x4 vehicles...

GREEN NEWS - * Cleaner trucks = cleaner air

Long Beach,CA,USA -Long Beach Press-Telegram, by Kristopher Hanson -23 Oct 2006: -- Each day, an estimated 12,000 heavy-duty diesel trucks rumble in and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles carrying toys, clothing, furniture, petroleum, chemicals and countless other products that form the backbone of the nation's consumer economy... The majority of these trucks are old, high-mileage and emission-heavy - spewing several thousand tons of poisonous gases and tiny diesel particles into the region's air annually... Cheap to operate and maintain, these haulers cut costs for drivers, retailers and ultimately, consumers, but present a health risk for port workers and people living in surrounding communities... If the ports hope to reach their goal of reducing dangerous emissions from all port-related commerce by 50 percent in the next few years, they'll need a mix of technologies, including exhaust filters, shore-side electricity for cargo vessels, use of ultra-low sulfur fuel and cleaner trains, cranes, forklifts and other off-road equipment... (Jeff Gritchen / Press-Telegram - This truck, on display at the Port of Long Beach's recent "Green Port Open House," is outfitted with a Cleaire diesel exhaust filter)

Security Analysis - USA - Terror goes beyond cargo ships

Washington,DC,USA -UPI, by JACOB RUSSELL -Oct. 23, 2006: -- Cruise ships could prove softer, more attractive targets for terrorists than container cargo vessels, U.S. experts warn... There is a definite risk that must be dealt with by policymakers. Several factors include the proliferation of companies specializing in maritime equipment or sport, such as scuba diving, which makes sea operations more accessible at affordable costs... "The public needs to understand that homeland security extends beyond the TSA security to which it is mostly exposed, and that there is terrorist risk in other areas that needs to be addressed," Isaac Maya, director of research at the Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events said...

PRODUCTION - * India - Mini trucks in focus

NEW DELHI,India -Times of India, by Byas Anand -24 Oct 2006: -- Move over mini cars, the mini-trucks are here to steal your show! Mini-trucks — or the one-tonne load-carrying minivans — seem to be fast emerging as the hottest new target segment for a host of desi and global auto majors with at least four new vehicles set to take on the might of Tata Ace in this market over the next 12-15 months...

TRUCKS PURCHASE PROSPECTS

* Canada - Fuel, no drivers worry truckers around the world: Report - Identifying Additional Cost Savings

Montreal,Quebec,CAN -Todays Trucking -23 Oct 2006: -- No doubt there are many differences between trucking in Miramichi and Montpellier, but a new survey of 1,200 trucking industry execs in several countries shows an all-too-common link: A uniform concern over rising fuel costs... One in four trucking leaders in Canada cite maintenance as the best areas for cost savings, followed by insurance costs (12 percent) and salaries, tires and repairs/spare parts (all 7 percent), according to the survey... Nearly half (47 percent) of international trucking businesses claim that purchasing new trucks could greatly reduce business costs and save management time... In fact, more than half (54 percent) of international trucking businesses overall intend to acquire new trucks in the next year. Of Canadian trucking businesses in particular, more than half (53 percent) intend to acquire new units in the next twelve months...

Shrinking Ranks - USA - Men, women fill trucking industry's

Oshkosh,Wisconsin,USA -The Oshkosh Northwestern/Fox Valley Inc., by Arlen Boardman -Oct 22, 2006: -- As recently as the 1980s, a long-distance trucker still was considered a modern-day cowboy, the equivalent of the cowpuncher who spent lonely months in the 1800s on a cattle drive... He was most likely white, willing to forego the comforts of home for weeks at a time, and had gotten comfortable with motorized equipment as a farm boy... Then, as now, the trucking industry had drivers who made short-hauls, perhaps a day or two, but the trucker who captured the public's imagination was the tough character who could handle trouble-makers at truck stops and the discomfort of long, kidney-rattling drives in yesterday's rough-riding vehicles... That has changed in the last 10 years. Today, drivers come from a mixture of colors, sexes and backgrounds, and the creature comforts in truck tractors are a bit more like home... (Post-Crescent photo by Kirk Wagner - Wayne gerdts and his wife, Zella, of Hortonville, are part of a growing national trend of older couples entering the trucking industry. The two say they enjoy the schedule that allows them three weeks on and three weeks off driving for Schneider National Inc. )

TRUCK SALES

* Iran - Saipa Diesel soon to begin exports of €130m Volvo trucks to Africa
Tehran,Iran -Mehrnews/MNA -Oct. 22, 2006: -- Iran’s Saipa Diesel Co. will in the next month begin exports of its homemade Volvo trucks abroad. The trucks are valued at around €130 million, an official with one of the nation’s major auto makers noted... Based on an earlier agreement reached with the parent company, Iran’s truck manufacturer is planning to export 2,000 FM12, FM9, FH12 and NH12 Volvo trucks to the African markets within a period of one year, quoted him as saying here on Sunday...

* Japan - Isuzu, GM to sell trucks in SAfrica
Tokyo,JAP -XFN ASIA/AFX News Limited/Forbes -23 Oct 2006: -- Isuzu Motors Ltd said it and General Motors Corp have agreed to establish a joint venture to sell commercial trucks in South Africa. Isuzu Truck South Africa (Pty) will be established next month, with sales operations beginning in 2007... The new company will initially sell N and F series commercial trucks, made by Isuzu and introduce eventually C and E series as well, targeting immediate sales of 3,500 units in 2007 and 5,600 units in 2010...

Railroads Could Remove Trucks - USA - Freight hauler, state team up on I-81 study

Norfolk,Va,USA -Daily Press/Newport News (VA)/AP -October 22, 2006: -- The state and Norfolk-Southern are teaming up to determine how rail can ease truck traffic on crowded Interstate 81... A Virginia Department of Transportation study counted 4.4 million trucks traveling through the Shenandoah Valley each year. A 2003 study, also by the state, concluded that investing about $2.7 billion in railroads could remove up to 720,000 of those trucks...

Border bureaucracy and bribery blight trucking - Switzerland - International Labour Organisation

Geneva,SWISS -Kuwait Times (Kuwait)/AFP -21 Oct 2006: -- Overbearing bureaucracy and corrupt border guards are damaging the economic viability of road transport, the International Labour Organisation said in a report yesterday... "Many officers responsible for inspections consider the road to be a prime source of additional personal income and enrichment, often as a result of their low moral and financial appreciation by state administrations," the report said Corruption can become "deeply rooted" in official institutions, the ILO warned... In some African countries, minor officials reportedly pay their superiors 500,000 CFA francs (763 euros) to be appointed road traffic inspectors. "Such payment is considered an investment that will have good financial returns. In turn, their superiors are entitled to a percentage of the money extorted from road users," the report said... The findings are due to be discussed a meeting of the UN's labour agency in Geneva next week. The ILO is a tripartite organisation grouping employers, trade unions and governments from 177 countries...

* Finland - Finnish Haulers Complain About Illegal Fees at Russian Border Crossing
Moscow,Russia -MosNews/Helsingin Sanomat newspaper -23 Oct 2006: -- Russian customs officials are collecting illegal fees from haulers for crossings, at least at the Svetogorsk Customs Station across the from Imatra. According to transport operators, the fee is EUR 10 to EUR 80 per crossing. The highest charges are collected from car-transporter trucks, reports...

"A threat to our security" - Canada - Trucks skipping customs checks

Toronto,ONT,CAN -The Toronto Sun, by TOM GODFREY -21 Oct 2006: -- More than three big rigs a week fail to report for secondary customs checks at the Windsor border before disappearing into Canada, officials say... "This is a threat to our security," said Ron Moran, president of the Customs Excise Union. "These trucks can be hauling anything from people to explosives."... The rigs are suspected of having contraband or improper paperwork when pulled over after entering from the U.S., Moran said yesterday...

"Pay as you Go" System - UK - 'Make foreign trucks pay to use our roads'

Preston,England,UK -Lancashire Evening Post -21 Oct 2006: -- Britain should run a "pay as you go" system for foreign lorry drivers to make them contribute to the upkeep of the nation's roads, a Lancashire MP said... Lindsay Hoyle said truckers from abroad should pay for the wear and tear they contribute to Britain's roads, just like British drivers contribute to through road taxes... And he also wants to see spot checks specifically targeting lorries from the Continent to ensure they are roadworthy... Mr Hoyle's motion, which has been signed by Nigel Evans, MP for Ribble Valley, says that around one in seven of the heaviest lorries on UK roads come from overseas and action needs to be taken to make sure they contribute and that they are roadworthy...

TRUCKS PURCHASES - * UK - Marshall's lands big trucks contract

Cambridge,England,UK -Cambridge Evening News -20 Oct 2006: -- A Cambridge company has won an MoD contract to build 6,500 army trucks netting it millions of pounds and creating about 50 jobs in the process... The trucks will soon be rumbling off a production line in Mildenhall after Marshall of Cambridge announced it had bought a new site in the town... About 50 new jobs will now be created at the former Galaxy site in the town thanks to Marshall SV's acquisition of the old factory which has been empty for nearly three years...

Market Shares

* USA - Caterpillar Reports Record Third Quarter = Sales and Revenues up 17 Percent; Profit Per Share Up 21 Percent

USA -Earthtimes.org -20 Oct 206: -- Sales and revenues increased $1.540 billion -- $1.063 billion from higher sales volume, $290 million from improved price realization, $97 million from the effects of currency and $90 million from higher Financial Products revenues...

* USA - Caterpillar's engine fortunes tied to emissions - New federal standards spell lower production levels
New York,NY,USA -MarketWatch, by Padraic Cassidy -Oct 20, 2006: -- New emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks scheduled to take effect in 2007, combined with slowing freight traffic, will cause a 40% drop in production of highway vehicles, machinery maker Caterpillar forecast Friday...

* USA - Knight buys Phoenix trucking operation for $15.6 million
Phoenix,AR,USA -The Business Journal of Phoenix -21 Oct 2006: -- Knight Transportation Inc. Monday announced that it has completed its $15.6 million purchase of most of the trucking assets of Roads West Transportation Inc...

* USA - Furniture LTL trucking lines acquired
Anlenoir,NC,USA -Furniture Today (Greensboro,NC) -23 Oct 2006: -- An Alabama-based private equity firm has acquired majority interest in CF Holding Co., parent company of Caldwell Freight Lines and two other furniture transport companies...

Rest Stop Study - USA - N.J. turnpike agency launches

Newark,NJ,USA -The Trucker -20 Oct 2006: -- The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) has launched a Truck Rest Stop Study to analyze truck movements and the possible need for rest/service stops, the agency has announced... The result of this study will be recommendations for new candidate sites or expanding existing sites...

Market Downturn - USA - Mack to cut 450 positions at assembly plant

Lehigh Valley,Pa,USA -The Trucker -20 Oct 2006: -- In response to an anticipated market downturn caused by reduced industry-wide demand for vehicles compliant with the stringent U.S. EPA emissions standards taking effect on January 1, 2007, Mack Trucks on Oct. 20 announced plans to reduce employment over the next six months by about 450 positions at its Macungie, Pa., truck assembly plant...

Cuting accidents - USA - Sleep apnea screening & treatment program saves costs

Schneider National white paper reveals it
Green Bay,Wis,USA --The Trucker -20 Oct 2006: -- Schneider National has published a white paper that reveals its sleep apnea screening and treatment program has generated a return on investment in the form of savings on medical costs, accident reduction, reduced turnover and increased productivity... According to the newsletter of the Truckload Carriers Association, the report drew the following conclusions: ... ... Wendy Sullivan, Schneider's occupational health manager, said that Schneider had long been investigating ways to cost-effectively diagnose and treat sleep apnea. In the past three years, the truckload giant has "recognized a trend in those medical records that sleep apnea had a lot to do with fatigue and hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. With 15,000 drivers, we're scaling this effort and learning as we go. With this sort of return on investment we decided that we're going to pay for the cost of this study and CPAP," the TCA report noted...

Market - USA - Trucking Pricing Softer, Capacity Looser

NEW YORK,NY,USA -The Chron (Houston,TX)/AP -Oct. 20, 2006: -- Reinforcing initial earnings reports from trucking companies this week, shippers said pricing softened and capacity was much easier to find in the third quarter... And as for the hotly awaited peak season, a majority of shippers said volumes would be flat or down on both the truckload and less-than-truckload side. Even among those shippers who said they would increase volumes in the second half, Seidl expects that the totals are probably falling short of what would be considered peak season...

‘Trojan horse’ - USA - Call for speed limiters on trucks

Grain Valley,Mo,USA -The Trucker -20 Oct 2006: -- Proposals being offered by an association representing the interests of large trucking companies to federal agencies are nothing more than an attempt to limit competition cloaked in safety propaganda, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)... An Oct. 18 news release announced that petitions will be submitted to transportation agencies that will force the federal government to impose mechanical limits on the speeds of privately owned commercial motor vehicles... “These petitions are intended to be a Trojan horse for the true objectives of big trucking companies — doing away with current truck size and weight restrictions as well as increasing their importation of cheap, less qualified foreign drivers,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of OOIDA. “They are aimed at limiting competition from the small trucking companies that make up the vast majority of the industry”...

20.10.06

Rules - Europe - Greece and Cyprus get DigiTach Warning

Brussels,Belgium -Transport News Network (UK) -18 Oct 2006: -- The European Commission has issued formal notifications to Greece and Cyprus urging implementation of measures for the use of digital tachograph in road transport operations... On 1st May 2006, the digital tachograph became mandatory for all new heavy goods vehicles and buses in the European Union. However, Greece and Cyprus have yet to transpose the directive into national law, which leaves them out of sync, with most other member states...

NEIGHBORING TROUBLES * USA - Commercial trucks becoming a nuisance to small towns

Syracuse,NY,USA -News 10 Now, by Bill Carey -19 Oct 2006: -- Skaneateles is a quiet village that offers boutique shops catering to upscale buyers, a place where tourists come to take in the view. But, there is a problem here. More and more, the main street of this quiet village is becoming clogged with large truck traffic... The experts say the problem is that trucks are trying to avoid costly tolls on the Thruway and inspections along the interstate, and truckers have found these shortcuts that can cut time off long haul runs...

"GREEN" NEWS

* USA - Rose Twp. brownfield goes green for energy - DaimlerChrysler is involved in a pilot project to grow biodeisel crops on contaminated land

Auburn Hills,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Sofia Kosmetatos-20 Oct 2006: -- DaimlerChrysler AG is working to turn a brownfield green... A project involving two acres of a 110-acre Superfund site in Oakland County's Rose Township is part of an effort to determine if contaminated lands might be good places to grow crops for biodiesel... Jim Croce, CEO of NextEnergy said, there's tests yet to be done with the Rose Township crops produced, including finding what pollutants are extracted from the soil by the crops, and where these pollutants go once the crops are turned to fuel and burned... (Photo by Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News - Jim Croce of NextEnergy, left, MSU's Kurt Thelen and Deb Morrissett of DaimlerChrysler check crops of soybeans, corn, sunflowers, canola and switch grass grown at a former dumping ground)

* UK - Vauxhall Vans Clean up in Green Fleet Awards
London,UK -Transport News Network -19 Oct 2006: --Yet another award has been added to Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles' bulging trophy cabinet, after the Luton-based manufacturer cleaned up at the recent GreenFleet awards... The prize, which recognises vehicle manufacturers' efforts at offering both alternative fuels and clean, efficient conventional powerplants, was awarded by GreenFleet magazine in association with Global Live Fleet Monitoring Solutions and Transport for London... Vauxhall was praised for its long-term commitment to DualFuel LPG models, while the British-built Vauxhall Vivaro was also recognised for its new range of Euro IV-compliant diesel engines...

* USA - Cut idling by trucks, group asks regulators
Harrisburg,PA,USA -The Patriot-News, by CHARLES THOMPSON -Oct 19, 2006: -- Living in the midstate means co-existing with a lot of trucks. But a Carlisle-based group is aiming to curb the pollutants coming from tractor-trailers... The Clean Air Board of Central Pennsylvania yesterday came to the state Capitol seeking a new statewide regulation to limit the time tractor-trailers can spend idling at rest stops. The group submitted a petition for rules on idling to the state Department of Environmental Protection... The group's proposed regulations, inspired by rules in 12 other states, would restrict truck idling to five minutes per hour -- deemed a sufficient time to heat or cool an occupied truck cabin... For the first few years, trucks would be permitted to idle for prolonged periods when the outside temperature was below 40 degrees or above 80 degrees and no idle-.reduction technology was available...

* UK - Hybrid trucks are picking up commercial speed... ...not least at Paccar
London,UK -Transport News Network -19 Oct 2006: -- Earlier this year Paccar announced that it was creating "an ambitious goal of 30% improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency for selected medium-duty applications over the next seven years utilizing hybrid technology as a key contributor to achieving this objective."... Meanwhile, critics of the US for not taking fuel economy seriously might like to consider Paccar's Kenworth Clean Power and Peterbilt Comfort Class systems which are scheduled for release in 2007 and maintain the vehicle's cabin temperatures at comfortable levels and provide power to operate other cabelectrical systems without running the engine... "Every little helps..."

* USA - O2Diesel to Begin Testing New Ethanol - Biodiesel Blend
USA -Autobloggreen, by Sam Abuelsamid - Oct 20, 2006: -- O2Diesel is a Delaware-based company that's trying a new approach with diesel fuel. One of the drawbacks of diesel fuel is that it tends to solidify at a considerably higher temperature than gasoline. In most northern regions they blend No. 1 and No. 2 diesel during winter months to make the fuel flow better at cold temperatures. Biodiesel gels up at an even higher temperature than petroleum diesel... O2Diesel is a trying a different approach by blending ethanol with B20 biodiesel... The problem is that ethanol doesn't naturally mix with diesel fuel. O2Diesel claims a proprietary process, which combines the ethanol, diesel and a patented co-solvent chemistry, creates a homogeneous, stable fuel to run in modern biodiesel compatible engines without further modifications...

PRODUCTION - China - Cummins' Joint Venture to Produce Engines in China

BEIJING,CH - Inside INdiana Business (PR- Indianapolis,IN,USA) -19 Oct 2006: -- Columbus-based Cummins, Inc. and Beiqi Foton Motor Co. have formed a joint venture to produce two types of Cummins light-duty, high-performance diesel engines in China... The engines will be used in various vehicles including light-duty commercial trucks, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. The two companies will initially invest $126 million into the venture...

19.10.06

AUTOS' COMMENTS & OPINIONS

* USA - The Middle Kingdom Aims For The Top - By Jerry Flint
USA -Forbes -17 Oct 2006: -- It was not that long ago that the annual percentage gains in production of China’s automotive industry did not matter much because the comparisons were with such a low base. In 1995, Chinese companies built only 284,000 passenger cars and light trucks... In the first eight months this year, the Chinese automotive industry sold 2,626,905 passenger cars and SUVs, a 39% increase over the same period a year ago. It is also worth noting that this eight-month total excludes the sales of nearly 2 million commercial vehicles, such big rig trucks and buses... The figures come from Automotive Resources Asia (ARA), a marketing strategy company based in China and Bangkok and recently acquired by J.D. Power and Associates, a McGraw-Hill company...

* USA - Day Of The Diesel - By Dan Lienert
USA - Forbes -16 Oct 2006: -- Diesel cars are few and far between in the U.S.--but is that about to change? ... These are heady days for diesel... On Oct. 15, new federal regulations went into effect mandating that vehicles use "clean" diesel fuel--a new type of diesel with a 97% reduction in sulfur content. And though the old diesel can be used until 2010, the new stuff is now available around the country... This means cleaner air, cleaner engines and advanced emission-control devices are on the way. It also means automakers are planning to bring more diesels to the U.S., finally addressing the biggest problem we have had with diesels: limited availability... Whether you are pro- or anti-diesel, the reality of the situation is that diesel is on the rise in America. Hence, our survey of some of the vehicles currently on the market. Mileage information came from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Diesel Technology Forum. The roster is limited at the moment, perhaps. But the explosion of recent diesel news tells us the list is bound to look sexier and more complete very, very soon...

AUTOS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* USA - Ex-Delphi execs face civil fraud charges
Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson/Bloomberg News -Oct 19, 2006: -- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to file civil fraud charges this month against up to a dozen former Delphi Corp. executives following a 27-month investigation into accounting fraud at the bankrupt Troy auto supplier, people familiar with the situation said... Among those expected to face civil charges are John Blahnik, the former Delphi vice president of treasury, mergers and acquisitions; Laura Marion, who had served as director of financial accounting and reporting; and Paul R. Free, former chief accounting officer, the people said...

* USA - Bankrupt Southfield firm Collins & Aikman ceases parts shipments to Mexico plant; Ford is 'disgusted.'
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bryce G. Hoffman -Oct 19, 2006: -- Bankrupt auto supplier Collins & Aikman Corp. bet its future on an almost unprecedented act of defiance on Friday when it briefly halted delivery of parts to a Ford Motor Co. plant in Mexico... In severe financial trouble, the Southfield-based company concluded it had little choice but to send a blunt message: Ford and other automakers can't expect to return to profit by driving suppliers out of business... Ford response was swift:...

* China - Ford's China partner expects third quarter net profit up 146 percent
SHANGHAI,CH -Reuters -18 Oct 2006: -- Ford Motor Co.'s Chinese partner, Changan Auto Co. Ltd., said today it expected a 146.32 percent jump in third quarter net profit from a year earlier. Net profit for the period is estimated at $67.4 million (533.3 million yuan) compared with 216.52 million yuan a year earlier, Changan Auto said in a statement...

* China - DaimlerChrysler's Asia car sales surge
SHANGHAI,CH -Reuters -18 Oct 2006: -- DaimlerChrysler AG sold 37 percent more cars in northeast Asia in the first nine months of 2006 than a year earlier, it said today. The auto giant sold 28,452 cars in the nine-month period compared with 20,728 a year earlier. Its northeast Asian region comprises mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and South Korea...

* Japan - Suzuki Motor lifts first half outlook on strong sales
TOKYO,JAP -Reuters -17 Oct 2006: -- Suzuki Motor Corp. said today it would post a better-than-expected 18 percent rise in first-half parent profit, helped by strong overseas demand for its small cars as high oil prices push consumers toward more fuel efficient vehicles...

* China - Ford, Hyundai recall more than 151,000 cars in China
SHANGHAI,CH -Reuters -17 Oct 2006: -- The China ventures of Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. will recall a total of 151,397 locally made cars to fix defects, the companies said today...

* China - Honda's China sales growth lags foreign rivals
SHANGHAI,CH -Reuters -17 Oct 2006: -- Honda Motor Co.'s China vehicle sales rose 18.5 percent in the first nine months of this year, underperforming growth of the overall market and of other foreign automakers. Honda, maker of the Accord, Civic and Odyssey models, sold 225,974 vehicles in China during the period, up from 190,651 in the first nine months of 2005...

* China - GM says China sales up 36.7 percent
SHANGHAI,CH -Reuters -17 Oct 2006: -- General Motors said today its vehicle sales in China rose 36.7 percent in the first nine months from a year earlier, and expected sales for all of 2006 to jump 30 percent. GM sold 645,680 vehicles via its two local ventures in the January-September period...

* Japon - Nissan begins recalling SUVs because of ignition key defect
TOKYO,JAP -The Detroit News -19 Oct 2006: -- Nissan Motor Co. has begun recalling about 132,000 vehicles globally -- including 80,000 in North America -- because of an ignition key defect, a company official said Thursday...

* USA - How to sell 50 BMWs in 92 seconds
USA -Autoblog, by Stuart Waterman-19 Oct 2006: -- The BMW M6 convertible may be capable of 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, but luxury retailer Neiman Marcus found out Wednesday that the German drop-top is nearly as quick off the showroom floor, as it sold its entire stock of 50 limited edition M6 convertibles in a record-breaking 92 seconds... At $139,000 each, the ever-so-special BMWs rang the register at a rate of $75,543 per second, if only for a minute and a half...

* Italy - Fiat can't explain stock surge, denies sale of significant asset
ROME,IT -The Detroit News -18 Oct 2006: -- Italian automaker Fiat SpA said that it had no plans to sell assets and could not explain why its stock surged on Wednesday...

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS

* Germany - DHL buys air cargo stake for $150m
Germany -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Atlas Air Worldwide, a leading provider of global air cargo services, has announced that its subsidiary, Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, has executed a letter of intent for DHL to acquire a 49% of the scheduled-service business of Polar Air Cargo, Inc. (Polar), in exchange for $150 million in cash...

* Germany - Deutsche Post to sell Exel's German reverse logistics operation

Germany -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Deutsche Post AG has decided to dispose of its fully-owned subsidiary Vfw AG, reverse logistics specialist it bought when it acquired Exel last year...

* Germany - DHL Exel opens new US distribution centre

Germany -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- DHL Exel has commenced full operations at a new regional distribution centre in Dallas for Lamson & Sessions, a diversified manufacturer in the high tech sector...

* UK - Diageo re-engineers Asia Pacific supply chain
UK -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Diageo, the global drinks conglomerate formerly known as Guinness, has re-engineered its supply chain by creating a new distribution hub in Singapore. The facility is designed to serve the whole of the Asia-Pacific area, including the markets of Australia, Korea and China...

* Sweitzerland - Lamy warns of cost of failure of WTO talks
Genieve,Switzerland-Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal Lamy, has warned of the dangers which would result from a failure in the present round of talks. In his efforts to get the talks back on track, he has stressed to all parties the costs of failure to the global economy and the multilateral system which underpins it...

* UK - Wincanton buys home delivery specialist
UK -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Consolidation in the UK logistics market is continuing. European supply chain provider Wincanton has acquired Lane Group plc, a UK market leader in home delivery. The acquisition will allow Wincanton to strengthen its position within the fast growing home delivery market...

* UK - Wincanton extends contract with M&S

UK -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Leading European supply chain specialist, Wincanton, has been awarded a three year contact extension to manage the warehousing and distribution of UK retailer Marks & Spencer's non-merchandise equipment in the UK...

* UK - Wincanton buys building logistics operator

UK -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- UK based logistics provider Wincanton plc has announced the acquisition of a further privately-owned UK businesses, RDL Holdings Ltd, the UK market leader in the provision of supply chain services to the building products sector...

* Germany - time:matters extends sameday service to Switzerland
Neu-Isenburg,Germany-Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- time:matters, the courier, sameday and emergency logistics subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo, has extended its sameday service between Switzerland and the EU...

* UK - Business Post revenues fall in first half
UK -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Business Post Group plc, the UK parcel and mail delivery group, has provided a pre-close update for the six months to 30 September 2006. Revenues in its express division fell...

* Italy - Grimaldi to bid for Finnlines
Naples,Italy-Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Finnlines Plc, one of the largest European shipping companies, has stated that it has received information which indicates a bid for the company by Grimaldi, a major player in the automotive short sea shipping sector...

* Italy - MSC initiates new West Africa route
Naples,Italy -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Mediterranean Shipping Co has announced the introduction of a new direct service from North Europe to West Africa consolidating its position as one of the premier carriers to the region...

* The Nederlands - New Rotterdam terminal given go-ahead
Rotterdam,The Nederlands -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- The Dutch Parliament has voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of the construction of Maasvlakte 2, the new port district of Rotterdam. This gives the green light to the next phase and construction is likely to begin in 2008...

* South Korea - Hanjin goes it alone in India
S. Korea-Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Hanjin Shipping has established a wholly-owned local company in India in order to take advantage of the fast growing sea freight market...

* Hong Kong/China - Cathay improves load factors; outlook optimistic
HK,CH -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Airways has released traffic figures for September that show Cargo growth continued to exceed capacity increase. Management stated that the outlook was reasonably optimistic...

* Japan - JAL strengthens China coverage through code share
Tokyo,Japan -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced that it will further strengthen its Japan-China network, the largest network between the two countries, by expanding its bilateral code share agreements with China Eastern Airlines (MU), and Xiamen Airlines (MF)...

* Germany - Frankfurt Airport volumes driven by Asia trade
Frankfurt,Germany -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Frankfurt Airport (FRA) has released traffic figures for September 2006. Cargo throughput rose by 9.0 percent largely due an increase in trade with Asia...

* Germany - Lufthansa, Fraport combine to build new animal station
Frankfurt,Germany -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Representatives of Lufthansa Cargo AG, Fraport AG and others have taken part in a groundbreaking ceremony to herald the commencement of construction of a new animal station at Frankfurt Airport...

* UAE - Emirates signs contract for 10 freighters
Dubai,United Arab Emirates -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Emirates Airline has signed a contract for 10 Boeing 747-8Fs, and announced purchase rights for a further 10 747-8Fs. The combined value of these 20 aircraft is worth an estimated US$5.6 billion...

* Hong Kong/China - Air cargo sees 7.3% rise
HK,CH-Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) announced its tonnage throughput for September, the third quarter and for the first nine months of the year...

* Jordan - Middle East airline adds UK frequency
Amman,Jordan -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Starting in late October 2006, Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJA) will add a weekly freighter service to London Stansted Airport...

* USA - Celadon buys US trucking company
Indianapolis,IN,USA -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Celadon Group Inc. has announced that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries purchased the truckload business of Erin Truckways LTD., doing business as Digby Truck Lines Inc...

* USA - Old Dominion increases US service centres
LThomasville,NC,USA -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- US TL provider Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., has announced the opening of new service centres in Rockford, Illinois and Saginaw, Michigan...

* Hong Kong/China - Li & Fung acquires KarstadtQuelle sourcing arm
HK,CH -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Hong Kong-based global consumer goods exporter Li & Fung Limited has announced that through a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group, it has entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement to acquire the sourcing arm of German-listed KarstadtQuelle AG...

* USA - Cat Logistics cuts jobs in the US
Morton, Illinois,USA -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- There are to be more redundancies in the Louisville, Kentucky logistics market. Caterpillar Logistics (CLS) is reported to be shutting an operation there due to a loss of a major customer...

* The Netherlands - TNT sells document management business

Hoofddorp, the Netherlands-Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- TNT N.V. has announced that agreement has been reached to sell the business line Document Management (part of Cendris) in the Netherlands, to Spanish-based Service Point Solutions, S.A...

* The Netherlands - TNT Logistics wins new distribution contract
Hoofddorp, the Netherlands -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- The US provider of mailstream products and services, Pitney Bowes, has awarded a five - year contract to TNT Benelux & Multi Country Logistics to perform a European Distribution Centre (EDC) role...

* France - GEFCO deploys network of 'engineering' offices
Courbevoie Cedex,France -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- French logistics provider GEFCO is introducing a network of design and logistics engineering offices (tender centres) it says in response to its industrial customers' growing demands for supply chain integration...

* Norway - Post acquires Dutch logistics provider
Oslo,Norway-Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- Norway Post has announced it is to buy Scanex B.V. The acquisition will strengthen Nor-Cargo's market position in the Netherlands for goods going to and from Norway and the Nordic region...

* France - Daher expands into the US
France -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- French supply chain management and integrated logistics company, DAHER, has opened a new regional head office and production facility in North America to support its aerospace division...

* USA - IJS Global opens European office
Stamford,CT,USA -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- IJS Global, Inc., a fast-growing US multi-modal freight forwarder, customs broker and non-vessel operating common carrier, has opened its first German office in Bremen...

* Belgium - Warehouse company Eurinpro expands in Germany
Strombeek-Bever,Belgium -Transport Intelligence -16 Oct 2006: -- After having been established for two years in the German market, warehouse property developer Eurinpro has opened two additional offices in Hamburg and Munich. It has split its German market into north, south and central regions...

T&L COMMENTS & OPINIONS

* USA - Port traffic hits new records over summer
WASHINGTON,DC,USA -The Trucker /Port Tracker -18 Oct 2006: -- Traffic at the nation’s major retail container ports hit new records over the summer and is expected to continue to do so as the annual shipping cycle reaches its peak this month, according to the monthly Port Tracker report released Oct. 6 by the National Retail Federation and Global Insight... All ports covered by Port Tracker – Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma and Seattle on the West Coast, and New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast – are currently rated “low” for congestion, the same as last month... Nationwide, the ports surveyed handled 1.44 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of container traffic in August, the most recent month for which actual numbers are available. The figure was up 5 percent from July and 8.4 percent from August 2005...

* UK - Auto logistics sector suffering from manufacturers' squeeze
UK -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- The state of the global automotive industry is causing increasing concern for logistics providers heavily exposed to the sector. The headlines have been largely concerned with the difficulties of Ford and General Motors, however other parts of the sector are also in meltdown. The big US component suppliers are racked with losses and even successful European suppliers are striving to diversify. These challenging market conditions are also being seen amongst automotive logistics providers - none more so than finished vehicle logistics operators... There are important lessons to be learnt from this market which is dominated by the demand side. It seems that few big purchasers have the self-discipline to avoid abusing their power in the short-run, resulting in deteriorating logistics provision. Parallels in this respect could be drawn with other sectors, such as grocery retail, where the buyers have similar powers...

* UK - Systemic security failures threat to express industry
UK -Transport Intelligence -18 Oct 2006: -- Evidence emerging from a recent criminal investigation has raised concerns over the 'known shipper system' used by express parcel carriers to expedite packages from identified customers through customs... The system works by the parcel carrier, working with the customs authorities of a number of countries in Europe and the US, identifying packages originating from shippers who send large quantities of packages across international borders. These key customers are given identifying numbers, which are printed on the package by the client acting both as a billing system and as a means of speeding-up customs operations. The logic of the system is that these 'known' customers are vetted for security purposes and their packages deemed to be free of any contraband. This enables the parcel company to avoid customs scans on these packages...

BORDER NEWS

* USA/Canada - Thousands more companies make the leap to ACE
WASHINGTON,DC,USA -Today's Trucking -18 Oct 2006: -- The number of electronic manifests filed with U.S. Customs has skyrocketed from 1,000 to over 40,000 in five months, reports the agency... Nearly 13,000 filings were sent to CBP in September alone. The number continues to grow as the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and the e-manifest feature become available at more land-border ports of entry... Recently, CBP announced that all of its N.Y.-Canada land crossings were ACE ready. Most major border points between the two countries can also handle ACE, which enables motor carriers and shippers to electronically submit manifests to CBP prior to arrival at U.S. land border crossings...

RECALLS

* USA - ArvinMeritor powertrains recalled
TROY, Mich,USA -Today's Trucking -18 Oct 2006: -- Commercial vehicle component systems supplier ArvinMeritor has recalled about 3,800 power train drivelines because of the potential for parts to separate... According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall affects model No. RPL20, high angle, inter-axle drivelines shipped to Volvo Trucks North America and Freightliner between June 15 and Aug. 28, 2006...

Award - USA - CAT engine wins customer satisfaction award for sixth time

PEORIA, Ill,USA -Truck News, by Adam Ledlow -19 Oct 2006: -- For a sixth time, a heavy-duty truck engine from Caterpillar has received a prestigious award for customer satisfaction in the 2006 Heavy Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction Survey... International marketing information firm J.D. Power and Associates awarded Caterpillar's C-12 clean power engine its highest levels of customer satisfaction, and said CAT has done an excellent job in meeting the challenge of the new emission standards with its own innovative technology...

DANGEROUS DRIVERS

* Australia - Quarry trucking firm says drivers limited to 105kmh
Queensland,Australia -The Sunshine Coast Daily -19 Oct 2006: -- A Caloundra trucking operator says claims made about truck drivers travelling at excessive speeds along the Eumundi-Kenilworth Road are not “entirely true’’... Caloundra Sand and Gravel general manager Ray Francis has up to 15 trucks working along the road, each which can reach maximum speeds of 105 kmh... He said his drivers stuck to the road rules and if they didn't would face dismissal... Speeding truck drivers along the road are being targeted by police and Queensland Transport following outcries from residents about the dangers to motorists... Belli Creek residents have demanded the Queensland Government fast-track upgrading of the road... They claim B-doubles are travelling as fast as 135kmh with drivers tailgating other motorists and refusing to give way at the one-lane No. 2 Crossing of Belli Creek... Mr Francis did not deny some truck drivers might be causing the problems but said it wasn't fair to clump all drivers under an irresponsible label...

PRODUCTS

* USA - Maptuit, GeoLogic partnership around NaviGo
BURLINGTON, Mass.,USA & HERNDON, Va.,USA -The Trucker -18 Oct 2006: -- Maptuit Corp., a provider of truck routing, vehicle tracking and traffic services, and GeoLogic Solutions, a provider of multi-mode communication and tracking systems for the trucking industry, have announced a strategic partnership to offer Maptuit NaviGo over GeoLogic’s new CDU (Color Display Unit), a Windows-based touch screen display featuring a high resolution graphical interface...

TRUCKING'S MARKET SHARES

* USA - Sector Snap: Trucking Stocks Slide

NEW YORK,NY,USA - AP/MSN Money -Oct 17, 2006: -- Shares of trucking companies tumbled on Tuesday, a day after third-quarter earnings from truckload carrier Werner Enterprises Inc. missed Wall Street's expectations because of sluggish freight demand...

* USA - Con-way profit down, beats street EPS view

CHICAGO,Ill.USA -Reuters -Oct 17, 2006: -- Trucking and logistics company Con-way Inc. said on Tuesday its quarterly net profit fell on lower revenue, but earnings per share came in above market expectations.
The company also issued a forecast for fourth-quarter earnings that was below Wall Street analysts' outlook...

* USA - Stock Watch: J.B. Hunt - Of Trucks, Trains and the Economy
Washington,DC,USA -Kiplinger.com -October 17, 2006: -- Investors could look at this transport firm as an indicator of the road ahead for the economy: By Thomas M. Anderson ... If you want to know where the U.S. economy is headed, hitch a ride with J.B. Hunt Transport Services... The trucking and logistics company is a good gauge for the economy because the majority of its business involves transporting goods to retailers’ shelves and to home builders. Helped by lower fuel costs, the company reported third-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street’s. The question for investors now is whether Hunt and, by proxy, the U.S. economy will keep on rolling...

* USA - Knight Transportation 3Q Earnings Rise
PHOENIX,AR,USA -The Houston Chronicle (Houston,TX)/AP -Oct. 18, 2006: -- Trucking company Knight Transportation Inc. on Wednesday said its third-quarter earnings jumped 22 percent as fuel surcharges and sales of used equipment helped offset a softer freight environment, driver issues and higher fuel prices...

* USA - Heartland’s Third-Quarter Profits, Revenue Increase

Coralville,IA,USA -TTNews -18 Oct 2006: -- Truckload carrier Heartland Express on Wednesday reported its third-quarter net income rose to $23 million or 23 cents a share, up from $17.5 million or 18 cents a year ago...

* USA - UPS’ 3Q Profit, Revenue, Gain on Higher Small-Package Volumes

Atlanta,GA,USA -TTNews -18 Oct 2006: -- UPS Inc. said Thursday its third-quarter net income rose 8.9% to $1.04 billion or 96 cents a share, from $953 million or 86 cents a year earlier, aided by a 5% increase in global package volume...

* USA - Landstar 3Q Earnings, Revenue Decline

Jacksonville,Fl,USA - TTNews -18 Oct 2006: -- Truckload carrier Landstar System on Thursday reported its third-quarter net income declined to $30.6 million or 53 cents a share, down from $34.6 million or 58 cents a year earlier...

* Canada - Vitran’s Third-Quarter Income Declines

Toronto,ONT,CAN -TTNews -18 Oct 2006: -- Transportation and logistics firm Vitran Corp. reported its third-quarter profit fell to $4.9 million or 38 cents a share, from $5.4 million or 42 cents a year earlier...

* USA - Marten Reports Higher 3Q Profit, Revenue

Mondovi,WI,USA -TTNews -18 Oct 2006: -- Refrigerated truckload carrier Marten Transport’s third-quarter income rose 5.7% to $6.7 million, or 31 cents a share, from $6.4 million or 29 cents a year earlier, the company said Thursday...

SAFETY

* USA - Trucking Industry Seeks to Limit Speeds
WASHINGTON,DC,USA —AP/The Houston Chronicle (Houston,TX), by BRAD FOSS -Oct. 17, 2006: -- A lobbying group for the largest U.S. trucking companies wants to force big-rig manufacturers to install devices that limit the speed of new vehicles to 68 miles per hour in a bid to reduce crashes and save lives... But critics of the proposal put forth by American Trucking Associations on Tuesday see a veiled attempt to gain a competitive edge over independent drivers, and a public relations effort to curry favor with safety regulators...

* USA - FMCSA to hold listening session on safety performance
WASHINGTON,DC,USA -The Trucker -18 Oct 206: -- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), looking to improve the way it monitors and assesses the safety performance of the rapidly growing commercial vehicle industry, is developing a new approach that focuses on interacting with more carriers on a regular basis through its Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative (CSA 2010). A public listening session to obtain feedback on the latest progress of the initiative will be held in Washington Nov. 16...

* Canada - B.C. exploring futuristic licences
VANCOUVER, B.C.,USA -Truck News (CAN), by Steven Macleod -18 Oct 2006: -- The B.C. government is investigating the possibility of issuing drivers' licences with imprinted fingerprints or other biometric features... The technology could be an important advancement for Canadian officials working towards a solution for stringent new identification requirements at the US border. Originally slated to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2008, legislation passed under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act would require all citizens entering the US at land crossings to carry a passport or secure identification...

DRIVERS' SHORTAGE

* USA - Truckers Dispatch Launches New Truck Driver Recruiting Service
TUCSON,AR,USA -PR Inside (Pressemitteilung - Wien,Austria) -Oct. 15, 2006: -- Truckers Dispatch, the leading online job source for truck drivers, today announced the addition of a new service that connects those people seeking trucking jobs with the most exclusive driving jobs in the trucking industry... The leading Online Recruiter of Both Experienced and Inexperienced Truck Drivers Now Connects Jobseekers with High Quality Driver Jobs...

* USA - Trucking industry looking for solutions to driver shortage
San Antonio,TX,USA -The San Antonio Express, by Meena Thiruvengadam -17 Oct 2006: -- For today's workers, the idea of driving a big rig across the country just isn't as appealing as it was to their parents and grandparents... "They don't see the romance in it," said Richard Metzler, chief commercial officer for Dallas-based Greatwide Logistics Services... "It's a tough lifestyle — eating fried chicken and showering with others. It's not for everyone"... The four-day conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, attracting about 3,000 participants from around the world and covering such topics as global sourcing, transportation trends and supply chain technology, is the largest meeting of its kind in the country. It ends today...

Policy Change - USA - To Keep Trucking, Cleaner Diesel Will Require Natural Gas

USA -" target=_blank>Earthtimes.org/American Chemistry CouncilNews (PR) -17 Oct 2006: -- American Chemistry Council (ACC) President & CEO Jack N. Gerard issued the following statement: "The debut of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel is an exciting and forward- thinking development in the realm of energy, but once again it highlights the pressing need for Congress to change federal policies governing access to America's natural gas supplies... The benefits of access to natural gas extend beyond its role in creating clean and alternative energies. American jobs and national security likewise call for Congress to act immediately. The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate each passed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy legislation this summer that can help make energy more affordable, retain American jobs, enhance security and strengthen the economy. Now we and millions of other Americans who rely on affordable and reliable natural gas are counting on Congress to keep its word, finish the job and enable OCS legislation to become law this year."

HEALTH NEWS

* USA - Soot in diesel trucks exhaust doubles kids asthma risk
Washington,DC,USA -South Asian Women's Forum (New Delhi,India) -17 Oct 2006: -- A study on school students by scientists at the New York University has established a link between soot particles emanating from diesel trucks and asthma... The five-year long study by researchers from the university’s School of Medicine and Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service showed that soot particles spewing from the exhaust of diesel trucks constitute a major contributor to the alarmingly high rates of asthma symptoms among school-aged children in the South Bronx... The researchers observed that over the course of the study, asthma symptoms, particularly wheezing, doubled among elementary school children on high traffic days, as a large number of students attend schools in close proximity to busy truck routes... George Thurston, Sc.D., Associate Professor of Environmental Medicine at NYU School of Medicine said that, the major type of air pollutant that was associated with symptoms of asthma was black soot, which is found in diesel exhaust, and that that type of carbon had been cited as a causal agent in asthma in a number of other controlled-exposure studies in the laboratory...

PRODUCTION

* Sweden - A Good Idea - Volvo managers get the chance to build trucks
Gothenburg, Sweden -Easier (Chester,UK) -17 October 2006: -- Recently, about ten members of the management from Volvo Truck, 3P (Volvo’s Product Planning, Purchasing and Product Development Business Unit) and Powertrain (Volvo’s supplier of engines, transmissions and drive axles) came into Volvo’s Tuve factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, climbed into overalls and started to build trucks, under the watchful guidance of experienced fitters... All are convinced that initiatives such as encouraging managers to take a share in actual production will make co-operation easier in the future. “We are inspired by the immense know-how of the personnel here at the factory,” emphasises Ricard Fritz. “It’s important to reap as much benefit from all the expertise that there is within the company”... (Photo: The idea of allowing managers to build trucks came from Göran Levin and Dieter Nilsson, who work with product changes within Global Manufacturing (GM) and European Manufacturing (EM) respectively)

17.10.06

"Green" News - USA - Portland Requires Green Garbage Trucks

PORTLAND, Ore,USA -The Houston Chronicle (Houston,TX) -17 Oct 2006: -- The city of Portland will require all residential garbage and recycling haulers to use a biodiesel blend fuel beginning in March 2007... The blend of 20 percent biodiesel fuel will reduce carbon dioxide and particulate matter omissions... The move is equivalent to taking 240 cars off the road, according to a news release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

PRODUCTS

* Germany - DAF to start trials of diesel-electric hybrid trucks next year
Germany -AutoIndustry (UK)/Les Echos (France) -16 Oct 2006: -- French business paper reported on 13 October that DAF, the Dutch subsidiary of Paccar, is developing a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain which will begin trials next year... PACCAR announced in March this year that it had targeted a 30% improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency for selected medium-duty applications over the next seven years, using hybrid technology being developed with Eaton Corp’s Hybrid Power Systems division... Operators, promises Paccar, will benefit from lower maintenance costs due to reduced wear on the hybrid trucks’ braking systems, as well as from lower fuel consumption...

* Australia - Reversing with ease — the future for transport
Australia -Australasian Bus & Coach -16 Oct 2006: -- Devices fitted to vehicles that make reversing safer and easier are fast becoming highly popular motor accessories, particularly in situations where vision is obscured, such in larger vehicles and trucks... Reverseasy is becoming a leading supplier of cameras, monitors and sensors which suit a range of vehicles and driving applications. The technology is relatively low-cost to purchase and install when weighed against the reduced risk of potentially causing death or serious injury, according to Reverseasy Director Greg Wharton...

BUSINESS AFFAIRS

* USA - Nashville trucking companies go high tech
Nashville,TN,USA -The Nashville City Paper, by Blake Farmer -Oct 15, 2006: -- In a transaction that perhaps identifies the plight of the mid-size trucking company, industry giant Celadon Group Inc. acquired Nashville-based Digby Truck Line Inc. last week in a deal worth $21 million...

Safe Port Act - USA - Has trucking implications

USA -Fleet Owner, by Terrence Nguyen -Oct 16, 2006: -- The Safe Port Act signed into law by President George W. Bush on Friday contains trucking provisions that tighten guidelines and processes for law enforcement to verify legal commercial vehicle traffic. It also ensures that commercial driver license (CDL) holders have citizenship or legal presence, bolsters antifraud measures for CDL programs and requires that all port truckers undergo a background check... Perhaps the most immediate effect the bill will have on trucking is that it requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement a threat assessment process within 90 days of Oct. 13 for port truckers who don’t have a hazardous materials endorsement. This would include name-based checks against terrorist watch lists and an immigration status check...

DRIVERS' SHORTAGE

* USA - Truck Driver Turnover Rate Slowing
USA -World Trade -Oct 16, 2006: -- The American Trucking Associations (ATA), the national trade association for the trucking industry, says the driver turnover rate among truckload carriers during the second quarter declined, but that the job market for professional drivers remains tight... The long-haul, heavy-duty truck transportation industry is experiencing a national shortage of 20,000 drivers, and this shortage is expected to increase to 111,000 by 2014 if current demographic trends stay their course and if the overall labor force continues to grow at a slower pace...

BORDER NEWS

* China/N.Korea - China steps up inspection of North Korea trade following UN sanctions
DANDONG, China - (UAE)/AP -16 Oct 2006: -- Customs inspectors in China, North Korea’s main trading partner, examined cargo trucks bound for the North more closely on Monday after the UN Security Council approved sanctions on the North for its claimed nuclear test... At a border-crossing post in the Chinese city of Dandong, customs officers opened the back of each truck and looked at its cargo, though they didn’t open individual boxes or bags. By contrast, reporters who visited the border post last week didn’t see inspectors open any trucks...

To ditch agri fees - Canada - Tells Americans on trucks

Rule is a violation of NAFTA trade obligations

OTTAWA,CAN -Today's Trucking -16 Oct 2006: -- USDA's controversial rule to impose new border inspection charges on all Canadian trucks should be scrapped, say Canadian officials, who also question whether the interim rule is a violation of NAFTA trade obligations... "We ask that the formal rulemaking process for this interim rule be withdrawn," says a letter from the Canadian Embassy in Washington to the US Dept of Agriculture. "We would also seek bilateral discussions to identify any legitimate issues that may exist concerning cross-border movement of fruits and vegetables and to collaboratively address them in ways that do not disrupt trade"... The U.S. says it needs to step-up inspections to guard against pests and bio-terror risk in food and agriculture products -- especially those from abroad that are illegally being labeled as Canadian products... (Photo: Canadian officials say the 'needless' inspections could seriously disrupt the flow of traffic at busy border crossings)

Border traffic down - Canada/USA - But delays still linger

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -17 Oct 2006: -- The number of trucks crossing the Ontario-US border between January and September 2006 fell by over 82,000 compared to the same period a year ago... According to the Ontario Trucking Association, this provides further confirmation that province's economy -- which is so dependent upon the export of manufactured goods -- is feeling the effects of the high value of the Canadian dollar compared to the U.S. greenback; competition from low cost manufacturing in China; and a slowing U.S. economy...

Marketing - Canada/USA - The sky won't fall after Jan '07. It'll just be cleaner

Toronto,Ont,CAN -Today's Trucking -16 Oct 2006: -- After a year of speculation that North American heavy-duty truck sales would completely dive after Jan. 1, 2007, the downturn might not slump too far after all -- at least that's what some truck makers and dealers are whispering these days... Class 8 sales this year -- fueled in part by a pre-buy surge from carriers looking to avoid purchasing new, more expensive engines mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -- will reportedly top 300,000 units, perhaps even reaching as high as 320,000 tractors by year's end. Because many carriers excelled their trade cycles purposefully in advance of the low-emission engines rules taking effect next year, total North American retail sales are expected to slide about 30 percent to between 200,000 and 240,000 units... While that's a significant drop, it's still a good year when compared to any other average sales period, says Jim Beiderwieden, president of the popular Inland Kenworth franchise based in Burnaby, B.C... (Photo: AROUND THE BEND: 2007 might be a twisty road for truckers - and the guys they buy their trucks from)

16.10.06

DEATH TRUCKS - UK - Scandal of foreign lorry drivers'

SUNDAY Mirror Investigates: Overloaded, over-tired and over here.. unroadworthy wagons

UK -The Sunday Mirror, by Stephen Hayward-15 Oct 2006: -- The full deadly menace of foreign truckers on British roads can be revealed today... Almost half of overseas drivers stopped in roadside checks over the last month were found to be breaking the law... Many had failed to take adequate rest breaks and were driving dangerously overloaded vehicles with clocked mileages and forged paperwork... And more than a third of the lorries had potentially fatal defects ranging from faulty brakes to bald tyres and missing wheel nuts... However, prosecuting foreign drivers is largely a waste of time, with police powerless to act over unpaid fines... The scale of the problem was exposed when the Sunday Mirror spent a night with government vehicle inspectors last week... Out of 45 foreign-registered HGVs stopped, 27 were breaking the law...

COMMENTS & OPINIONS

* USA - Economy pinches trucking industry
Memphis,TN,USA -commercialappeal.com (subscription), by Jane Roberts -Oct 15, 2006: -- The peak shipping season for truckers is building very slowly this year, a sign, analysts say, that retailers are still trying to gauge how much consumers will spend... "We typically see a seasonal pickup in freight demand in mid- to late August," said Chaz Jones, trucking industry analyst at Morgan Keegan. "We haven't seen it yet. And if we don't see demand in the next week or two, in my mind, we probably won't have much of a peak season this year."... The reality is hitting trucking companies in the pocket. While J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., the first in the sector to announce third-quarter earnings, Friday reported profits up 45 percent, revenue in its traditional trucking business was flat, and income was down 11 percent... Its biggest customer is Wal-Mart.... FedEx Corp. is holding comment on its peak outlook until the end of the month... But some analysts doubt the story is much different at FedEx, which carries its own less-than-truckload company...

PRODUCTION

* India - Russian Ural trucks from Indian JV
KOLKATA,Chennai,India -The Hindu, by Indrani Dutta -15 Oct 2006: -- West Bengal's first auto-sector investment after independence has been flagged off with Russian Ural trucks rolling out from the joint venture assembling facility set up in Haldia. Altogether six trucks have been sent for trials to the mines of private mining companies in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa... Ural India Chairman, J. K. Saraf, told that Ural passenger vehicles assembling would start soon and his group was also planning another Indo-Russian joint venture in the State, for building bodies of heavy duty vehicles. He said necessary approvals had already been received for testing the trucks which were imported in a CKD condition from Russia...

Jury - USA - Awards Mack Trucks $11 million

It is ruled that Ohio distributor gave away trade secrets

Allentown,PA,USA -The Allentown Morning Call, by Jeanne Bonner -Oct 14, 2006: -- An Ohio truck dealership has been ordered to pay $11.3 million to Mack Trucks for divulging trade secrets... The award in favor of Mack Trucks is the result of a lawsuit filed in 2002 by Toledo Mack Sales and Service as an anti-trust case... The Ohio dealership had said that Mack Trucks of Allentown had tried to block it from selling outside its immediate territory. Toledo Mack also said the manufacturer sold it trucks and parts at higher rates than it charged other dealers and customers... Mack countersued that Toledo Mack misappropriated confidential business information, violated a contract and infringed on copyrights...

14.10.06

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS

* USA - UPS to cut jobs in Supply Chain Solutions division
Atlanta,GA,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- UPS is cutting jobs at its Supply Chain Solutions business. UPS has not stated the number of jobs that will go but rumours suggest that there will be a substantial reduction in the head count in the SCS division in North America...

* Holland - All change as European express players forge new partnerships
Amsterdam,Holland -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- GeoPost has signed an agreement with TNT Express for the provision of international services. This follows the termination of a previous agreement with FedEx which has now formed a partnership with GeoPost's French rival Geodis...

* France - Geodis enters LLP relationship with Nestlé
Paris,France -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- As part of a three-year transport outsourcing contract, Geodis has taken over the coordination of both pre- and post-production transport flows for Nestlé France on a Lead Logistic Provider basis...

* USA - ProLogis leases more facilities in UK
Denver, Co,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- ProLogis, a leading global provider of distribution facilities and services, has announced that it has leased facilities in the UK to wholesale distributor Screwfix and also to DTS Logistics...

* Germany - Exel selected by GE in US
Germany -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- DHL Exel has announced that it was selected by GE Consumer & Industrial to operate a new, national distribution centre in Cleveland, Tenn., supporting GE lighting products...

* Germany - DHL merges two express divisions in Americas
Germany -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- DHL has announced its strategy to combine two regions in the Americas. DHL's divisions in Canada and Latin America will come together to form DHL Express International Americas...

* Germany - DHL subsidiary opens new UK mail facility
Germany -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- Hans-Dieter Petram, Deutsche Post World Net's Board Member for Mail, has opened a new mail and document solutions facility for Deutsche Post World Net's UK subsidiary Williams Lea...

* Germany - DHL opens new Israel head office
Germany -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- DHL Israel has inaugurated its new head office and service centre in the new Airport City compound in Tel Aviv, near the International Ben Gurion Airport...

* Russia - RLS to develop Russian logistics facilities
Moscow,Russia -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- The Russian Logistic Service Group of Companies is to increase its warehouse network in key Russian locations including Moscow region and St Petersburg...

* Australia - ING Industrial Fund acquires two Fiege TTS properties
Sydney,NSW,Australia -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- ING Industrial Fund acquires two out of six Fiege TTS properties in Germany with settlement on the other four due in the next month...

* Japan - NYK Logistics opens new US warehouse
Tokyo,Japan -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- It has been revealed that NYK Logistics will open a new 120,000-square-foot distribution facility in the City of Chesapeake, Virginia...

* Japan - NYK Logistics buys in France
Tokyo,Japan -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- NYK Logistics Europe has expanded its logistics services network through the purchase of Lorang France SA by its subsidiary NYK Logistics (France) SAS...

* Belgium - New Zeebrugge terminal opens
Zeebrugge,Belgium -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- APM Terminals, a division of the Maersk group, has opened a new terminal, Albert II dock, in...

* Panama - P. Canal A. sets out plans to expand
Panama -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- Panama Canal Authority (ACP) officials have revealed more information on their expansion proposals for the canal and its benefits. An increase in the size of the canal is required to meet the needs of the giant ships presently being built...

* USA - Further carrier announces USPS contract
Oak Creek,WI,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- Midwest Airlines has been awarded a five-year contract to transport express, first class and priority mail for the U.S. Postal Service...

* USA - Boeing delivers new aircraft to Nippon Cargo Airlines
Chicago,Ill,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- Aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company and Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) have announced the delivery of the airline's newest Boeing 747-400 Freighter...

* USA - Phoenix launches new textile logistics division
Wood Dale,Ill,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- The Global Textile Logistics division has been launched by US forwarder Phoenix International to manage textile supply chains...

* USA - Target Logistics buys US freight forwarder
Baltimore, MAR,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- Target Logistics, Inc., a US domestic and international freight forwarder and logistics provider, has announced that it has acquired certain assets of Capitaland Express, Inc., a freight forwarder based in Albany, New York...

* France - Mory launches recycling logistics product
France - Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- French based logistics provider Mory Group has launched a new product, Ecologistic, aimed at the recycling market ahead of changes in French reverse logistics law...

* South Africa - Trans Global strengthens China presence
South Africa - Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- Trans Global Logistics has opened a new office in Hangzhou, China, to strengthen its service network in Asia. Zhejiang province is one of the fastest in the country...

* Australia - Toll rebrands SembLog 'Toll Asia'
Australia - Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- Toll Group, has expanded its brand into Asia with the launch of Toll Asia, formerly known as SembCorp Logistics...

* Japan - Mitsui OSK Lines taps into Indian growth
Osaka,Japan -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. has announced the start of container service linking the Indian port of Chennai and the Singapore straits to meet rising demand for cargo transport...

* Dubai - GAC expands Asia Pacific ships spares logistics
Jebel Ali,Dubai -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- GAC Marine Logistics (GML) has expanded its Asia base in Singapore to meet rising customer demand for time-definite ship spares delivery to locations around the world...

* Kuwait - PWC Logistics acquired US defence contractor
Safat,Kuwait -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- PWC Logistics Services has acquired Taos Industries, a Madison-based defense contractor. PWC purchased Taos said John Hamilton, president of Taos. Terms of the deal were not disclosed...

* USA - Manhattan helps Alliance Boots reduces inventory levels
Atlanta, GA ,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- IT supply chain solutions provider, Manhattan Associates, Inc., has announced that Alliance Boots plc, a leading European pharmacy-led health and beauty group. Inventory levels have fallen from 14 to 13 days...

* USA - Whirlpool chooses GXS for global supply chain
Benton Harbor,Mich,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- GXS, a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solutions, has announced that Whirlpool Corporation, the manufacturer of home appliances, has chosen it to support its global supply chain, especially in China...

* Netherlands - TNT Logistics wins bakery contract
Amsterdam,Netherlands -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- UK food manufacturer Allied Bakeries has renewed its UK inter-bakery trunking contract with TNT Logistics for a further three years...

* UK - Salvesen 'pleased with progress' in first half
UK -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- European logistics provider Christian Salvesen has issued a close period statement for the first half of its financial year. Management stated that it was pleased with the progress in its first half although margins remain under pressure...

* Iceland - Icelandic group acquires UK chilled logistics operator
Reykjavik,Iceland -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- UK logistics company Innovate Holdings Limited, in which Icelandic Group Avion holds a majority interest via its Eimskip division, has acquired Corby Chilled Distribution...

* USA - Universal Express announces better performance
TBoca Raton,Fl,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- US logistics and transportation provider Universal Express Inc. has announced that its financial performance for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, has substantially improved...

* USA - US 'wine logistics' players wins crystal contract
Napa,CA,USA -Transport Intelligence -10 Oct 2006: -- New Vine Logistics, a provider of consumer-direct channel management solutions to the US wine industry, has announced it has won a contract from Riedel Crystal...

BUSINESS AFFAIRS

* USA - Creo Capital buys Volunteer Trucking
Los Angeles,CAL,USA -Los Angeles Business -13 Oct 2006: -- Private equity firm Creo Capital Partners LLC has purchased Volunteer Trucking Inc., a nationwide provider of transportation and logistic services, the company said Friday... Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Dayton, Tenn.-based Volunteer Trucking operates nearly 150 tractors over 250 trailers throughout the nation, along with providing warehousing, brokerage and other logistic services...

"GREEN" NEWS

* USA - Trucking Company Saving Fuel
Tulsa,OK,USA -KOTV -13 Oct 2006: -- Oklahoma's largest trucking company trying to save on its fuel costs. Arrow Trucking Company showed off its' one of a kind, "IdleAir" installation system today. The new system lets drivers stop idling their engines, by simply plugging into these tubes... Arrow says "IdleAir" will also eliminate tons of diesel emissions each year. The company will install them at all its facilities across the country...

* USA - Future of Diesel - Cleaner fuel to benefit next generation
Jackson,MS,USA -The Jackson Clarion Ledger, by Jack Mazurak -Oct 13, 2006: -- Cleaner-burning diesel fuel required nationally by Sunday has won the praise of environmentalists and some in the trucking industry but its impact may not be significant for several years... Under an EPA mandate, 80 percent of on-road-use diesel must contain 15 or fewer parts-per-million of sulfur as of Sunday, down from 500 ppm... The government has been lowering sulfur content in fuels for years. It brought diesel down to the current 500 ppm in 1993. Gasoline has been stepped down from 300 ppm in 2003 to 30 ppm this year... By 2014 all forms of diesel - off-road use, marine and locomotive - will be required to reach pumps at 15 or fewer ppm... (Photo: Greg Jenson/The Clarion - LedgerDerrick Lyles of Memphis discusses the advantages of low-sulfur diesel on Wednesday while filling up his 18-wheeler at the Pilot on Gallatin Street in Jackson. New U.S. regulations require the use of low-sulfur diesel fuel beginning on Sunday)

Technology - USA - Curbs freewheeling truckers

GREEN BAY, Wisc,USA -Reuters, by Nick Carey -Oct 13, 2006: -- In the cab of the truck, Jim Brimberry holds out what looks like an oversized calculator -- a piece of equipment he says has revolutionized the way U.S. trucking companies manage their fleets... "With this we can monitor driver speed, how many hours they've worked and how long they've idled their engines for," said Brimberry, 60, a driver trainer at Schneider National Inc., the largest private U.S. truck company... With around 15,000 trucks, Schneider deals in long-haul services, which make up two thirds of the U.S. truck market...

GIANT TRUCKS

* Australia - Oversized trucks to enter cities

Sydney,Australia -The Australian, by Cath Hart -Oct 13, 2006: -- Giant B-triple trucks, more than 30m long, would be able to drive through crowded capital cities on the east coast under a proposal to be considered by the nation's transport ministers today... The Australian Transport Council is also likely to endorse a fatigue-management program for truck drivers after several years of research... The National Transport Commission will recommend the ministerial council endorse an "inter-capital" network for the giant freight trucks...

* UK - 80 ft trucks for Europe?
UK -Reuters.uk -13 Oct, 2006: -- Volvo has presented its ideas to make 25 metre long trucks (almost 80 feet) common in Europe... Strange as it may seem, this is for environmental reasons. The idea is that two extra-long trucks can do the work of three current trucks, which means less overall emissions... Sweden and Finland already allow these vehicles, and now other European countries are considering legalising them... One can understand the logic, but motorists will not look forward to overtaking a 25 metre long truck on a rural road...

SECURITY & TRAFFIC SAFETY

* USA - New Port-Security Law Sidesteps `Dirty-Bomb' Screening Overseas
USA -Bloomberg, by Jeff Bliss -Oct. 12, 2006: -- President George W. Bush signs into law tomorrow a port-security law that doesn't address what security experts and U.S. lawmakers fear the most: terrorists placing a nuclear or "dirty'' bomb in a shipping container and detonating it upon arrival in the U.S... The law, passed by Congress on Sept. 29 with bipartisan support, requires incoming cargo at the 22 largest U.S. ports to be scanned upon arrival by the end of next year...

* Germany - Volvo Trucks in Discussions on
London,UK -Transport News Network -13 Oct 2006: -- Volvo Trucks is today participating in DEKRA’s symposium on 'Safety in Commercial Vehicles' in Neumünster, Germany... The company is presenting both its Alco-lock and the European Modular System (EMS) as tools for improving traffic safety in Europe... More than 40,000 people die within the European Union every year as a result of traffic accidents. According to Swedish statistics, almost one-third of such accidents are alcohol-related... Volvo Trucks is in favour of voluntary use of Alco-locks and is the first vehicle manufacturer in the world to offer factory-fitted locks-locks on its vehicles... (See picture: Alco-lock)

Research - USA - Improving the Reliability of Freight Travel

Akron,PA,USA -Layover -12 Oct 2006: -- Research on the trucking industry shows that shippers and carriers cost out transit time at $25 to $200 per hour, depending on the product being moved. Unexpected delays can increase that cost by 50 to 250 percent. With the recent adoption of just-in-time management approaches, manufacturers and distributors are even more dependent on efficient shipment of goods, making a reliable freight transportation system that much more indispensable... The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recognizes that timely and reliable movement of freight is critical to the Nation's economy. In its March 2005 report, Research Activities of the Department of Transportation: A Report to Congress... One potential remedy for the lack of data available for measuring the performance of the freight transportation network is to leverage information produced by automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology installed onboard commercial vehicles, specifically data on location and time... After examining potential measures that public sector operators can influence and that are meaningful to freight users in the private sector, FHWA found speed and buffer time index (travel time reliability) to be among the best...

Awards - USA - ATA presents industry safety awards

USA -eTrucker, by Brittani Tingle -12 Oct 2006: -- The American Trucking Associations’ Safety and Loss Prevention Management Council presented three of the industry’s highest safety awards at the annual National Conference and Exhibition held in Las Vegas, Nev... James Wilcox, a city pick-up and delivery driver for Yellow Transportation Inc., was named ATA’s 2006 National Truck Driver of the Year... The 2006 Safety Director of the Year award went to Steven Niswander, the vice president of safety policy and regulatory relations for Groendyke Transport Inc. of Enid, Okla... ATA also named three motor carriers as the winners of its 2006 National Truck Safety Contest. The companies, representing large, mid-size and small fleets, were Con-Way Southern Express of Ft. Worth, Texas, FedEx Custom Critical based in Uniontown, Ohio, and Ward Trucking LLC of Altoona, Pa...

DANGEROUS ENTERPRISES

* USA - Local Trucking Company Under Federal Investigation
Fresno,CA,USA -ABC30.com - 12 Oct 2006: -- Five truckers have taken a plea deal with federal prosecutors, ending an investigation into a Madera company... Nijjar Brothers Trucking was accused of lying about driving records... The investigation into the company started in 2003, after police say a Fresno area trucker fell asleep at the wheel, crashed and killed a father and son in Arizona... The truckers pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to faking their drivers logs. They face up to five years in prison and a possible fine of $250,000...

* USA - Tippah County man sentenced to federal prison
OXFORD, Miss,USA -The Biloxi Sun Herald (MS, USA)/AP -Oct. 12, 2006: -- John Butler, who federal prosecutors said used his "Flying B Trucking" company in Tippah County for methamphetamine trafficking, has been sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison... Butler, of Tipplersville, had pleaded guilty in federal court in Oxford in August to one count of conspiracy to distribute excess of 50 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine and one count of actual distribution of in excess of 50 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine...

12.10.06

Security - Canada - Forty per cent of commercial trucks unsafe

Mississauga,Ontario,Canada -The MississaugaNews, by Gerry Timbers -Oct 11, 2006: -- About four of every 10 trucks stopped by Peel Regional Police during a one-day safety blitz failed inspections... Police issued a release today saying 108 of 270 commercial vehicles inspected yesterday at the International Centre in Malton failed and were subsequently taken off the road... These issues included tires, brakes, suspensions, load security, the transportation of dangerous goods and driver qualifications...

Deaf Drivers - USA - UPS can't ban they

U.S. appeals court rules Company cites safety issues

SAN FRANCISCO,CAL,USA -Louisville Courier-Journal (Louisville,KY)/AP, by David Kravets -Oct 11, 2006: -- A federal appeals court upheld yesterday a lower court ruling that UPS violated anti-discrimination laws by automatically barring the deaf and hearing-impaired from driving parcel delivery trucks... The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson's 2004 ruling that the Atlanta company's practices breach the Americans With Disabilities Act...

BUSINESS AFFAIRS

* Germany - MAN seeks Scania stock for 475 skr after Swedes reiterate bid rejection
FRANKFURT,Germany -Forbes/AFX -12 Oct 2006: -- MAN AG effectively raised its offer for Scania AB to 475 skr per share, instructing brokers to buy capital equivalent at least 5 pct of voting rights in the company at that price, after the Swedish truckmaker reiterated its rejection of MAN's overtures... Meanwhile, battle lines appeared to be drawn between Germany and Sweden as Volkswagen reportedly gave its backing to MAN's hostile bid, while Investor AB reiterated that the offer signficantly undervalues Scania...

TRUCKING'S MARKET SHARES

* USA - Celadon Group: Ahead of the Bell
NEW YORK,NY,USA -Houston Chronicle (Houston,TX)/AP -11 Oct 2006: -- Trucking company Celadon Group Inc. on late Tuesday said quarterly earnings would beat Wall Street expectations and received accolades from one analyst, who nevertheless is keeping his "Hold" rating due to its share price... Indianapolis-based Celadon projected earnings of 28 cents to 30 cents per share for the September quarter, above the 20 cents earned in the year-ago period, and the 26 cents per share estimated by analysts, according to a Thomson Financial poll...

PRODUCTS

* USA - Engine Treatment Added to Saves Trucking Company 5% in Fuel Costs
SCOTTSDALE,AR,USA -PRNewswire-FirstCall -11 Oct 2006: -- EMTA Holdings, Inc., an energy conservation chemical company, announced today that its flagship product, XenTx Extreme Engine Treatment, is being used successfully by Mesilla Valley Transportation of Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. First quarter results for MVT show fuel economy increased 5.1% which will provide a monthly savings of approximately $160,000 for the trucking company's fleet...

Global Campaign - UK - International Road Transport Week

UK -TNN (UK) -8 Oct 2006: -- The annual global road transport campaign action begins on Monday when the ITF International Road Transport Week is held from 9 to 15 October... This global event has grown from an action day into its current form, whose message is Organising Globally – Building Union Power... During the week trade unions around the world will campaign for better work conditions and promote the need for road transport workers to join trade unions in order to fight for their rights...

Education - USA - InCab University Announces Strategic Partnership with DriverTech

SALT LAKE CITY,UTH,USA -BUSINESS WIRE -Oct 10, 2006: -- InCab University, the first and only college accredited education program specifically built for the trucking industry, and DriverTech Fleet Management Systems announced a strategic partnership to deliver InCab University’s remote education curriculum to long-haul truck drivers...

Longer Vehicle - Europe - Considerable Interest in Combinations

Warsaw,Poland -TNN (UK) -12 Oct 2006: -- Last month Volvo Trucks organised a seminar, in the opportunities offered by the European Modular System (EMS), together with the Swedish Road Administration and the Dutch Transport Ministry. This concept promises a safer and better traffic environment whilst lowering the burden on Europe's roads...

Infrastructure - Germany - Transport Minister Cautious About Bigger Trucks

Hannover,Germany -TNN (UK) -10 Oct 206: -- Speaking after seeing a special demonstration of EuroCombi 25,25m long and 60 tonne trucks at the recent Hannover truck show, Wolfgang Tiefensee, German minister for transport and construction called for more research before EuroCombis get the green light for commercial use... While acknowledging that trucks offer the fastest and most efficient means of freight transport, Tiefensee doubted that the supporting infrastructure is in place to handle trucks of this size...

AUTOS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

* Japan - Toyota Sales Employees Arrested for Filing False Reports
TOKYO,Japan -Forbes/AP, by Yuri Kageyama -11 Oct 2006: -- Four Toyota sales subsidiary employees were arrested Tuesday on charges that they filed false reports to the government on the sales of four used cars, police said... Toyota Motor Corp. declined to comment on the arrests but apologized for the troubles its subsidiary had caused... Earlier in the day, police had searched the subsidiary, Osaka Toyota, company officials and police said. The subsidiary, which operates about 60 outlets, has been under police investigation for allegedly overstating sales figures for used vehicles...

* China - Toyota outpaces Ford, VW with sales doubling
Beijing,China -Reuters/China Daily -12 Oct 2006: -- Japan's Toyota Motor Corp more than doubled its vehicle sales in China in this year's first nine months, outpacing rivals and the market thanks to accelerated expansion in the world's second largest auto arena... Toyota, the world's second-largest auto maker, also vastly outshone a 34 percent gain in China's overall passenger car market, where 455,539 units were sold from January to September, according to figures provided by a Shanghai auto association... (Photo - Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe poses next to the company's new Corolla Fielder during an unveiling in Tokyo October 10, 2006)

* USA - Ford Recalling 145,000 Vehicles
USA -The Car Connection -11 Oct 2006: -- The recall of about 140,000 2005 Five Hundred/Montego sedans and 2005-2006 Freestar minivans is being performed because the latches in the vehicles may let in water, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said... Ford will also recall 6164 Escape Hybrids for a potential problem with drivetrain shafts, which could break and allow the vehicle to move even when shifted into Park...

TechnoNews - USA - Tracking Trucks the Telematics Way

Fleet operators are using a combination of wireless, computing, and GPS systems to cut costs and keep better tabs on drivers

USA -BusinessWeek, by Rachael King -Oct 9, 2006: -- Times are tough in trucking. Operating margins are low, driver turnover is high, and fuel costs are through the roof. Consider the expenses associated with truck idling alone. As long-haul drivers rest in their cabs or operate onboard appliances such as microwave ovens and TVs, often they leave the engine running. According to a 2002 study by the Environmental Protection Agency, long-duration truck idling consumes about 960 million gallons of diesel fuel annually... No wonder it's drivers, rather than fleet operators, who control some 80% of the variable costs associated with trucking. In an effort to rein in expenses, a growing number of trucking companies is investing in so-called telematics, a combination of computing, wireless data, and global positioning system (GPS) technology... The idea behind telematics is to help fleet operators run their businesses more efficiently...

"GREEN" NEWS

* USA - Environmentalists Force Use of Hybrid Trucks
New York,NY,USA -Wall Street Journal (subscription) -9 Oct 2006: -- Holman Jenkins is right to expose the folly of car companies chasing the questionable grail of fuel efficiency ("The Real Market for Fuel Efficiency," Business World, Oct. 4). Unfortunately, the quest for politically correct fuel efficiency is expanding to other sectors of American business... At the FedEx ... Prior to the meeting, FedEx would state only that its hybrid trucksreduced particulate emissions by 96% and increased fuel economy by 57%. ...

* Australia - Visy group enters alliance to trial biodiesel in trucking fleet
Australia -Australasian Bus & Coach -10 Oct 2006: -- Australian renewable energy company Axiom Energy has entered into a strategic alliance with Visy Industrial Packaging to commence commercial trials of biodiesel in its trucking fleet... If successful, Axiom Energy will become the preferred biodiesel supplier for the packaging manufacturer’s trucking fleet... The alliance follows Linfox’s decision last month to commence trials in its trucking fleet with Axiom Energy...

* USA - Fuel For Thought
USA-Forbes/AFX, by Robert Malone -11 Oct. 2006: -- On Sunday, a new, cleaner look is coming to the nation's trucks and buses... Oct. 15 is the date mandated by the U.S. government for the biggest revolution in fuel standards since low-lead gasoline arrived for America's automobiles--the changeover to ultra-low-sulfur diesel... The big switch mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency is designed to reduce soot emissions from diesel engines by 98%...

COMMERCIAL AFFAIRS

* India - Tata Motors raises commercial vehicle prices
Mumbai,India -Reuters -Oct 9, 2006: -- Tata Motors Ltd. has raised prices of buses and trucks by up to 2 percent this month because of rising input costs... "We have increased prices because of higher costs of steel and tyres," he said adding the increase would only partially offset the growing costs... Earlier this month, Tata Motors reported sales of buses and trucks had risen 40 percent in September...

* USA - Isuzu announces Pricing for new N-Series Delivery Trucks
USA -Furniture World Magazine -Oct 09, 2006: -- In response to customer inquiries, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc. (ICTA) is making a bold move. It is announcing pricing for its new N-Series diesel models now; however the redesigned truck will not be unveiled until next year... “Our redesigned N-Series diesel products - to be unveiled in January 2007 - will be the newest and most advanced low-cab forwards on the market,” said Todd Bloom, General Motors Isuzu Commercial Truck marketing vice president...

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31.10.06

Border News - China & North Korea - Business as usual

PRODUCTS * USA - Kenworth introduces K360 cabover model for urban delivery companies

Market - USA - Cummins reports highest third quarter profits in company history

Truck Sales - Canada - Orders drop sharply as 2006 winds down

Oakland To Sacramento Cargo - USA - Plan To Swap Trucks For Barges

T & L COMMENT * Asia Pacific express/logistics investment continues apace

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC WORLDWIDE

30.10.06

Healthy - USA - A Study Links Trucks’ Exhaust to Bronx Schoolchildren’s Asthma

Market - Japan - Hino Motors Shares Fall After Truckmaker Cuts Profit Forecast

The Trailer Past Our Car - Singapore - Are drivers of big vehicles going too fast on expressways?

DRIVERS' Hours Of Service

New Heavy Vehicle Charges - Australia - Six months for fourth determination

COMMENTS & OPINIONS

28.10.06

WORLDWIDE TRUCKS' NEWS

Diesel Shortages - USA - Minn. trucking companies cope with

Females in Trucking - USA - New organization aims to increase number of women in trucking

Trucking dangerous - UK - EU lorries

Ending Transport Strike - Uruguay

TRUCKERS' WELFARE * USA - Schneider offers drivers over-the-road health perks

TECHNONEWS * USA - Bendix stability control standard on Mack trucks

Drivers' Shortage - Australia - Truckies campaign against foreign drivers

TRUCKINGS' BUSINESS AFFAIRS

Research: Trucking Hinges - USA - On cloudy economic forecast

Logistic experts' goal - USA - Make Indy the 'rail deal'

Driving Danger - UK - From Common Medicines: Study

Survey - USA - Reveals various issues continue to concern the trucking industry

Truck Test - USA - ORNL launches nationwide U.S. one

TRUCKS' BUSINESS AFFAIRS

AUTOS' COMMENTS & OPINIONS

OIL BUSINESS NEWS - Weekly Digest

AUTOS' NEWS WORLWIDE - Weekly Digest

26.10.06

AUTOS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS WORLDWIDE

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC STUDIES WORLDWIDE

24.10.06

Recalls - * Australia - Recall issued on some Mack Midlum 4x4 models

GREEN NEWS - * Cleaner trucks = cleaner air

Security Analysis - USA - Terror goes beyond cargo ships

PRODUCTION - * India - Mini trucks in focus

TRUCKS PURCHASE PROSPECTS

Shrinking Ranks - USA - Men, women fill trucking industry's

TRUCK SALES

Railroads Could Remove Trucks - USA - Freight hauler, state team up on I-81 study

Border bureaucracy and bribery blight trucking - Switzerland - International Labour Organisation

"A threat to our security" - Canada - Trucks skipping customs checks

"Pay as you Go" System - UK - 'Make foreign trucks pay to use our roads'

TRUCKS PURCHASES - * UK - Marshall's lands big trucks contract

Market Shares

Rest Stop Study - USA - N.J. turnpike agency launches

Market Downturn - USA - Mack to cut 450 positions at assembly plant

Cuting accidents - USA - Sleep apnea screening & treatment program saves costs

Market - USA - Trucking Pricing Softer, Capacity Looser

‘Trojan horse’ - USA - Call for speed limiters on trucks

20.10.06

Rules - Europe - Greece and Cyprus get DigiTach Warning

NEIGHBORING TROUBLES * USA - Commercial trucks becoming a nuisance to small towns

"GREEN" NEWS

PRODUCTION - China - Cummins' Joint Venture to Produce Engines in China

19.10.06

AUTOS' COMMENTS & OPINIONS

AUTOS' NEWS WORLDWIDE

TRANSPORT & LOGISTIC NEWS

T&L COMMENTS & OPINIONS

BORDER NEWS

RECALLS

Award - USA - CAT engine wins customer satisfaction award for sixth time

DANGEROUS DRIVERS

PRODUCTS

TRUCKING'S MARKET SHARES

SAFETY

DRIVERS' SHORTAGE