User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Trucks World News: October 2007
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Oct 31, 2007

AUTOMAKERS' NEWS * USA - Chrysler to cut deeper: 1,000 managers targeted

Factory shifts, contract workers to be reduced

Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Bill Vlasic -31 Oct 2007: -- Chrysler LLC is expected to slash at least 1,000 salaried workers, cut contract employees and trim manufacturing jobs in an effort to downsize payroll and production to match its shrinking U.S. market share... People close to the company said Chrysler's board Tuesday approved the job cuts and possible factory shift reductions in addition to dropping four vehicles from its product lineup... The cuts are expected to be announced as soon as today as the newly independent automaker revamps its operations under the ownership of the private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management...


* Criminal probe into Delphi ends
Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News (Detroit,Mich), by David Shepardson -October 31, 2007: -- The Justice Department is expected to drop a 2 1/2 -year criminal probe of several former executives of bankrupt auto supplier Delphi Corp., including former president and CEO JT Battenberg III... At least seven former Delphi managers were investigated as part of a criminal probe after Delphi admitted to accounting irregularities from 2000 to 2004 that made the failing parts supplier appear profitable. The Troy-based operation was spun off by General Motors Corp. in 1999, and slid into bankruptcy in 2005...

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"Clean Trucks" Program * USA - Feds oppose new truck plan

Federal authorities are warning port executives to scrap a driver employee provision in their Clean Trucks program or face serious legal challenges

Long Beach,CA,USA -The Long Beach Press-Telegram, by Kristopher Hanson -29 Oct 2007: -- ... In a letter dated Oct. 23, a top official at the Department of Transportation makes it clear that feds do not back a port solution to clean up harbor trucking by requiring that motor carriers purchase and maintain new, low-emission vehicles to service waterfront terminals... Signed by U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton, the letter claims any attempts to regulate who drives trucks will almost surely end up disrupting the flow of cargo through the nation's busiest seaport... "Any governmental effort at the local level to `restructure' this important industry is fraught with legal and economic risk," Connaughton writes. "I urge you to seek an effective compromise between proponents and critics of the truck plan, to ensure that port-related truck emissions are reduced and freight flows through the ports and region remain unimpeded"... Sent to port executive directors Richard Steinke in Long Beach and Geraldine Knatz in Los Angeles, the letter urges authorities to reconsider their approach...



* Port Delays Vote on Truck Ban
Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Business Journal, by RICHARD CLOUGH -29 Oct 2007: -- The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners postponed a vote Monday on setting a timeline to implement a controversial plan to replace the ports’ oldest and most-polluting trucks... The board delayed the vote with little comment at its weekly meeting, but later the port issued a press release saying that it wanted to reconcile its proposed timeline with one that Los Angeles port officials are set to consider on Thursday...

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TRUCKERS' HEALTH * USA

* Long haul drivers get overdue checkups

Knoxville,TN,USA -WBIR-TV, by Emily Stroud -30 Oct 2007: -- Trucks roll through Knoxville all day and all night on Interstates 40 and 75. That 24-hour schedule makes health care hard to fit into truck drivers' schedules... Tuesday, health officials reached out to drivers at one of the busiest truck stops in the country, on Watts Road in West Knoxville... The very nature of truck driving makes it easy to be unhealthy: long hours, eating on the run, sitting all day. Truckers struggle to find time for health care... Anita Ellis says her health has declined during 11 years on the road. She made a point to stop at a health fair at Petro's Stopping Center for screenings, education, and practical advice... She was able to attend the health fair at a truck stop, because she had somewhere to park her big rig. Access can be a barrier to health care... Dr. McElligott said obesisty, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure are common in truckers seeking treatment at his truck stop medical clinics and at the health fair... The one-day health clinic brought in more than 150 truck drivers, including Anita Ellis... Knox County's Health Department and Professional Drivers Medical Depot co-sponsored the health fair... (Photographer: Kevin Umberger)



* Survey - NIOSH Seeks Opinions on

Old Saybrook,CT,USA -Safety.BLR.Com -30 Oct 2007: -- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is requesting public comment on proposed content for a survey of truck drivers' safety and health... The goal is to collect information on sleep disorders, fatigue, working conditions, and nonfatal injuries...

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Traffic Stop * USA - Yields Embalmed Heads

Royse City,Texas,USA -AP/The Dallas Morning News -30 Oct 2007: -- A traffic stop in Texas yielded about two dozen embalmed heads. But it's no Halloween joke. Investigators said the human heads had been used for medical training in the Fort Worth area and were being returned to Little Rock, Arkansas... Hunt County Justice of the Peace Aaron Williams was summoned during a traffic stop Sunday in Royse City after a trucker was suspected of speeding... "This is in the top five of the strangest things maybe the strangest that I've ever encountered," Williams told on Monday... The wrapped-in-plastic heads were found in the trailer. The driver couldn't immediately locate the documentation. The trucker and his cargo were later allowed to proceed after the paperwork was faxed to him...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:37 AM  0 comments

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA

* Arizona trucking companies honored
AZ,USA -AZ Central.com/The Arizona Republic, by Betty Beard -Oct. 30, 2007: -- Both Swift Transportation Co. Inc and Knight Transportation Co. Inc were among 34 companies that recently received SmartWay Excellence Awards from the Environmental Protection Agency for saving fuel and reducing vehicle emissions... The SmartWay program was started by EPA and businesses in 2004 to reduce fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants from freight businesses... More than 600 businesses and organizations have joined the partnership and are eligible for the annual award...


* Key Principal invests in trucking company
Cleveland,OH,USA -Crain's Cleveland Business - October 30, 2007: -- Private equity firm Key Principal Partners has invested $40 million in the subordinated debt of Western Express Inc. to facilitate the trucking company’s acquisition of Smithway Motor Xpress... Key Principal Partners said Western Express is a truckload carrier founded in 1991 by Wayne Wise. The company has grown to become a top-15 truckload carrier in the United States through a combination of internal growth and acquisitions. Smithway Motor Xpress, based in Fort Dodge, Iowa, is a flatbed and van truckload carrier that serves customers primarily in the building materials, steel and heavy equipment industries...


* NMFTA rolls out new classification procedures and organizational structure
ALEXANDRIA,Va,USA -Logistic Management, by Jeff Berman -30 Oct 2007: -- The National Motor Freight Traffic Association Inc. (NMFTA) said last week that its membership has voted to adopt a new organizational structure and set of operating procedures... The organization said this vote is in response to a ruling made last May by the Surface Transportation Board which officially terminated approval of the agreement of the National Classification Committee, which is also considered a motor carrier bureau, and stripped it of its Section 5a antitrust immunity and also ceased the practice of collective ratemaking... Along with the new classification procedures, the NMFTA said it has established two new organizations to implement the procedures: the Classification Resource Committee (CRC) and the Commodity Classification Standards Board (CCSB)... Joel Ringer, CCSB chairman, also pointed out that the criteria and principles behind the classification to determine the relative transportability to of everything that moves in commerce and put into one of 18 classes—density, stowability, handling, and liability—will not change...


* Bill Davis Trucking seeks bankruptcy protection
Batesville,Ark,USA - Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service, by Reid Spencer -October 30, 2007: -- Bill Davis Trucking Inc., owned by NASCAR team owner Bill Davis, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the Arkansas Democrat reported Tuesday... A meeting with creditors of Bill Davis Trucking is scheduled for Dec. 18, according to an Oct. 22 filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District Arkansas in Batesville, the paper reported...


* Norris Trucking Scales Down After 52 Years In Business
Barton,VT,USA -The Caledonian Record, by TENA STARR -October 30, 2007: -- More than half a century ago, Ulric "Chink" Norris of Sutton started a tiny trucking business hauling gravel with a single 1951 dump truck... Last week, six dump trucks hit the auction block, as well as excavators, graders, bulldozers, trailers, forklifts and plows - literally tons of equipment... Vehicles from Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and all over Vermont lined the South Barton Road for Saturday's sale at Norris Paving and Trucking... At 75 years old, and with serious health problems, Norris decided it was time to sell and "retire"... It's a decision that was necessary but one he still has mixed feelings about...

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FUEL * UK - OPEC Says Oil Will Not Reach $100 Soon

OPEC said current record crude oil prices do not reflect the group’s objectives

London,UK -Bloomberg/Transport Topic (USA) -30 Oct 2007: -- OPEC has a “duty” to supply the world with oil at stable prices, OPEC President Mohamed al-Hamli at an oil conference in London. Al-Hamli is also the oil minister of the United Arab Emirates... If the market needs more oil, OPEC will supply it using its spare capacity of 3.5 million barrels a day, he said... OPEC “recognizes it has a responsibility” to ensure “stable” prices for producers and consumers, said in a speech... Crude oil set a record Monday, closing on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $93.53 a barrel, more than $1 over the $91.86 record set Friday. Thursday was the first time oil had closed at more than $90 a barrel...


* USA - Diesel Matches Record $3.157
USA -Bloomberg/Transport Topic -30 Oct 2007: -- The national average price of diesel fuel rose 6.3 cents to $3.157 a gallon, matching the all-time record set two years ago, the Energy Department said Monday... Gasoline, meanwhile, rose 4.9 cents to $2.872 a gallon and crude oil futures closed at a new record high of $93.53 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Monday... Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price... (Photo by Larry Smith/Trans Pixs: Gasoline Tanker Station)

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Oct 30, 2007

* China - Rationing diesel amid shortages

Beijing,China -Associated Press, by JOE McDONALD -Oct. 30, 2007: -- Gas stations in China's fast-growing southeast were rationing diesel fuel Tuesday because of severe shortages amid soaring demand. The move disrupted trucking and prompted accusations that oil companies were hoarding supplies... In the export-driven coastal provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian, truck drivers lined up to buy as little as a quarter-tank at a time, and some stations closed for lack of supplies, news reports and trucking companies said... They said supplies began running short about a week ago... China's major oil companies — China National Petroleum Corp. and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., also known as Sinopec — blame the shortage on bad weather that disrupted supplies... But they also say government controls that have frozen retail diesel and gasoline prices have inflicted huge losses on refiners that must pay soaring world prices for crude oil, discouraging them from expanding supplies...

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Environmental themes * Europe - Strong at Amsterdam Show

Amsterdam,Holland -Road Transport (UK), by Will Shiers -30 October 2007: -- The European Road Transport Show 2007 had a clear environmental theme, with alternative fuel/driveline trucks being exhibited by almost all of the major OEMs... Taking pride of place on DAF’s stand was its range of Enhanced Environmental Vehicles (EEV) – or ‘Euro 5 and a half’ as it refers to them... (Picture from BigLorryBlog at the RAI Show: Volvo FH Globetrotter cab in half and climbing in is as easy as ABC. And with a wooden ramp designed specialy for Dutch drivers who can cycle up into the cab too...)

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posted by Unknown @ 6:08 PM  0 comments

TECHNO NEWS * Canada - Truckers get in-cab scanners

Time is money -- especially in a competitive trucking industry.

Penticton,Okanagan Valley,Canada -The Penticton Herald -October 30, 2007: -- Michelle Mulligan of Berry and Smith Trucking of Penticton checks out a document scanner-printer inside the cab of a company truck Monday... The newly-developed device from Microdea Inc. could eliminate delays over paperwork for truckers on the road... Officials at Penticton-based Berry and Smith Trucking Ltd. hope a newly innovated in-cab document scanner will save their drivers hours otherwise spent waiting for paperwork... Dorothy Van Koughnett, comptroller for Berry and Smith, said Monday the system allows the company office to transmit cargo manifests, billing orders and other documents directly to drivers on the road... (Picture: Michelle Mulligan of Berry and Smith Trucking of Penticton checks out a document scanner-printer inside the cab of a company truck Monday. The newly-developed device from Microdea Inc. could eliminate delays over paperwork for truckers on the road. )

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LOOKING A MIRROR * Botswana - Trucking an HIV factor, said a Coordinator

Gaborone,Botswana -mmegi.bw, by THATO CHWAANE -29 Oct 2007: -- Unemployment, the road network for trucks, and a high rate of movement of people from different areas of the country and the world are factors fuelling the high prevalence rate of HIV in the Chobe District, an AIDS Coordinator has observed... Bokole said due to the convergence of trucking routes on an area where five countries meet and truckers 'camp' for days, people are bound to engage in risky sexual behaviour...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:41 PM  0 comments

ROAD PRICING & TAXES * UK - Gordon Brown is a non-driver: is that why he taxes us so much?

London,UK -Road Transport -30 October 2007: -- One reason why Gordon Brown (UK's 1st. Minister) is so keen to put up fuel prices might be that he is a “non-driver who has “never brought a litre of fuel in his life”... This statement comes in a book called Gordon Brown, by Tom Bower, a highly experienced investigative journalist who is very critical of Brown... There is an interesting section on the fuel dispute. The book says: “Despite his self-declared passion for enterprise, he did not understand the arithmetic that high fuel prices had deprived road hauliers of any profits”... The book says that a person appeal by Tony Blair to reconsider a tax reduction was rejected... It is worth remembering this as Brown again puts up fuel prices and again receives a windfall income from the higher price of fuel...


* Bedrock of support for

Many members of the public are in favour of road pricing, an Ipsos Mori poll released last week suggests.
London,UK -Road Tranport -30 October 2007: -- Some 61% of respondents said they would support road pricing if the money raised was reinvested in public transport. However, although the survey did not specifically question respondents about their attitudes to trucks, 81% of the 2,000 people surveyed chose either emissions levels or engine size as the charging criterion. Support for the scheme fell slightly if the revenue was passed back to the motorist as lower fuel duty (49% in favour) or road tax (53%)...


* DfT refutes idea that road pricing will be abandoned
London,UK -Road Tranport -29 October 2007: -- The DfT rejects reports in the national press suggesting that the government is about to abandon a national road pricing scheme following a petition to Downing Street by 1.8 million drivers. It says: "As we have said many times, no decision has been made about a national road pricing scheme"...



* UK - The Chancellor gets £3billion fuel windfall while hauliers suffer
London,UK -Road Tranport -29 October 2007: -- ... The soaring price of fuel is good news – but only if you are the Prime Minister or Chancellor... According to an analysis by accountants Grant Thornton (reported in the Daily Telegraph), the increase in fuel prices will generate an extra £3 billion this year... This windfall would be enough to fund a 6p cut in fuel duty. But our Prime Minister plans to increase duty by another 2p in April and another in 2009...

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PROGNOSIS * UK - DfT plans joined up transport investment after 2014

London,UK -Road Transport -30 October 2007: -- The Department for Transport (DfT) is considering an integrated approach to transport planning on the back of the Stern and Eddington reports. In its 'Towards Sustainable Transport Systems: supporting economic growth in a low-carbon world' report, the government outlines its agenda for transport investment and tackling congestion and green issues after 2014... One of the key factors is the consideration of all modes of transport together rather than separate investment in road and rail. Roger King, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, says a major consequence of the proposal is that the DfT will be more likely to consider intermodal solutions to transport problems. "From our point of view it represents an opportunity to set out the road transport stall and show the politicians the road haulage sector's green credentials.... King adds that the majority of freight is moved by road he hopes that discussions with government based on this document will help tackle the obstacles to an efficient road freight system, such as congestion...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:12 PM  0 comments

TRUCKS' MAKERS * WORLD WIDE

* Holland - MAN TG wins International Truck of the Year 2008

Amsterdam,Holland -Road Transport (UK) -29 October 2007: -- The MAN TG Series has been voted International Truck of the Year 2008 (IToY) at The European Road Transport Show in Amsterdam... The international jury, made up of CV journalists from 20 European countries, awarded the new TG Series a total of 111 votes to giving MAN's new heavy duty truck range a clear lead... There were a number of strong challengers this year - the MAN beat off the Iveco Stralis and Renault Premium Lander to scoop top honours. This is MAN's seventh ITOY award, which is an unprecedented achievement Mercedes and Volvo each have five victories under their belts... (Picture from BigLorryBlog-UK)




*Germany - Ford launches 4.6 tonne Transit

Munich,Germany -Road Transport (UK) -30 October 2007: -- Ford is targeting its new 4.6-tonne Transit at operators looking to drop in weight from 7.5 tonnes... The marque, which unveiled the model at a press event in Munich last week, says it also wants to attract those who run smaller vans and who require an increase in payload. Ford believes the emergency services, municipal services, as well as the construction and motorhome industries, should all benefit from the increase in gross vehicle weight... The 4.6-tonne Transit is available with both the six-speed 140hp and the all-new 200hp rear-wheel drive powertrains...
* Holland - Sevel mid-range scoops Van of the Year
Amsterdam,Holland -Road Transport (UK) -30 October 2007: -- ... This year's election has seen the new Sevel mid-range scoop gold by a massive margin of 50 points... Marketed as the Citroen Dispatch, Peugeot Expert and Fiat Scudo, the stylish new van won the award with 108 points out of 140. Renault's new Kangoo was second with 58 points and the Nissan Cabstar/Renault Maxity took bronze with 29...

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AWARD * Canada - Sunbury shines green one

Fredericton,New Brunswick,Canada -Truckstop Canada News/Today's Trucking -29 Oct 2007: -- Sunbury Transport was one of eight environmental leaders honored for their outstanding contribution to the protection of the environment in New Brunswick... Environment Minister Roland Haché presented the innovative Atlantic carrier with the award in the Business category at a ceremony in Fredericton... Sunbury was recognized for, among other initiatives, an idle time reduction program for truck owner-operators, which saved about 200,000 liters of fuel. It has also partnered with Smartway to develop a fuel efficiency e-learning program for other carriers to follow. This company says it is constantly looking for better ways to manage and improve its fuel efficiency while reducing greenhouse-gas emissions... Sunbury is also known for being proactive in testing single, wide-base tires in some of its subsidiary fleets, and running long combination vehicles in an Atlantic pilot program...

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AWARDS * UK - DAF Apprentices Take Top Honours

Apprentice truck technicians winners in the DAF Apprentice of the Year competition

Bristol,UK -TNN -30 Oct 2007: -- All three are enrolled on the prestigious three-year National Dealer Apprentice Programme which is run at the DAF Trucks Centre of Learning at City of Bristol College.


* Ciaran Gilloway, 18, was the Year 1 winner.

* The Year 2 winner was Thomas Yelland, 23

* The Graduate Year Apprentice of the Year was 19-year-old Stuart Gordon.


The apprentice technicians come from DAF dealerships throughout the UK and their three-year course combine hands-on workshop training with periods of residential study and practical training at the college... It is managed for DAF Trucks by Skillnet Automotive Academy, a major provider of government-funded vocational training... (Picture: Ciaran Gilloway, Stuart Gordaon and Thomas Yelland)

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posted by Unknown @ 3:17 PM  0 comments

WARNING * USA - Life in the waiting lane

Warning motorists of the rollover hazard for large vehicles

Glens Falls,NY,USA -The Glens Falls Post-Star, by DON LEHMAN -October 29, 2007: -- Traffic was nearly at a standstill, with some motorists complaining they barely moved for more than an hour and needed three hours to travel the four or so miles between exits 18 and 17 of the Northway... The scene played out the afternoon and evening of Oct. 8, after a tractor-trailer carrying junk cars flipped over near Exit 17. It was one of the worst traffic jams in the area in years... Many who were stuck in the backup questioned why they were forced to sit in the southbound lanes on one of the biggest travel days of the year, the end of Columbus Day weekend... With several highway U-turns between the exits, some drivers said they should have been allowed to turn around and head north to find an alternate route. State Police cars blocked the U-turns during the backup, and also closed southbound entrances at a number of interchanges to the north...(Photo by Nathan Pallace/The Post-Star - Traffic signs posted on the sharp turn along the southbound Northway on ramp at Exit 17 warn motorist of the rollover hazard for large vehicles)

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MEXICANS' TRUCKS DEBATE * Mexico - Mexicans' point of view

Mexico City,DF,MEX -AP/ABC Money -29 Oct 2007: -- The American truckers, environmentalists and politicians who are sounding the alarm about the potential dangers of allowing Mexican tractor-trailers onto U.S. interstate highways rarely mention an important fact: hundreds of Mexican-plated trucks already deliver cargo all over the United States, and have done so for years... Teamsters union members have waged angry protests at the border and on Capitol Hill, waving signs saying 'NAFTA Kills' and 'Unsafe Mexican Trucks'... But more than 1,000 south-of-the-border companies are already allowed to drive cargo beyond the border zone under a long-standing exemption to the U.S. moratorium on Mexican long-haul trucking... And these Mexican drivers and trucks have had better driver and vehicle safety records than their U.S. counterparts in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation -- although opponents say many violations never get recorded because of sloppy government record-keeping... But both houses of Congress have proposed eliminating the pilot program's funding from a still-unreconciled transportation bill. And many truckers on both sides seem hesitant to drive far across the border... Mexican truckers say they are at a competitive disadvantage, and want help from the governments to reduce traffic at border crossings. And many U.S. truckers aren't willing to risk a drive deep into foreign territory... (Photo from: CBS News.com)

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posted by Unknown @ 2:28 PM  0 comments

"GREEN" NEWS * USA - Nike, Converse to Use LNG Trucks at Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports

Change to clean trucks will result in decreased CO2, NOx and Particulate Emissions

Sacramento, CA,USA -CSR News/Nike, Inc. PR -October 29, 2007: -- Nike, Inc. and its affiliate company Converse announced today that they would be switching a significant portion of their Los Angeles area harbor drayage fleet from diesel to new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fueled vehicles. The "green fleet" announcement was made in conjunction with news that Nike has joined the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT), a group advocating for policies and public/private partnerships that encourage the use of cleaner truck technologies in port communities...

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posted by Unknown @ 2:15 PM  0 comments

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA

* Road, energy projects top $41B construction roll call

New Orleans,LA,USA -The New Orleans CityBusiness, by Jaime Guillet -30 Oct 2007: -- The proposed Louisiana Transportation Center, a cargo transportation and distribution facility in Donaldsonville will cost an estimated $4 billion to build... Louisiana has about $41 billion in construction projects under development as it girds to shove its infrastructure recovery into overdrive... The center has been in development since 1992 and construction is not assured, said LAA Executive Director Glenda Jeansonne... (Illustration courtesy Louisiana Airport Authority)



* Trucks will soon see some new restrictions on Brown's Bridge
Roseburg,OR,USA -KPIC, by Dan Bain -Oct 29, 2007: -- The bridge is located west of Roseburg, near the Country Club... County officials say the 35 MPH speed limit is not working, and the bridge is continuing to deteriorate... The 42-year-old bridge has been under restrictions since cracks were discovered, but Douglas County Public Works Director Robb Paul says they've gotten worse. Restrictions already in place haven't been working, so they decided they were going to have to do something different while they get ready to replace the bridge... With restrictions on the bridge right now, loaded log trucks can not use it... (Photo from: kpic.com/news)

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BILLS & LAWS * USA - Pennsylvania bill would allow local radar

Local police in Pennsylvania would be allowed to use radar to nab speeders if a bill in the state’s House becomes law

PEN.USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -October 29, 2007: -- ... Pennsylvania is the only state in the country that prohibits municipal police from using radar to enforce speed limits. Only state troopers are allowed to use radar in the state... If signed into law, local governments would have the option to adopt ordinances approving local radar use. Notices would be posted in areas where radar is implemented...

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TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Maine, Minnesota now requiring ACE

USA -U.S. Customs press release/Land Line Magazine -October 29, 2007: -- Maine and Minnesota have joined the growing list of states that require truckers to submit electronic manifests before pulling up to a border crossing... According to a U.S. Customs press release, there will be soft enforcement of the Automated Commercial Environment program in the two states until Dec. 16... After that, officials will block trucks from proceeding if they haven’t pre-filed an electronic manifest through the ACE program... Then, beginning sometime next year, customs officials will also have the option of fining non-compliant truckers as much as $10,000...

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posted by Unknown @ 1:48 PM  0 comments

Driver’s License * USA - For undocumented immigrants in NY

New York license plan will include undocumented immigrants

NY,USA -The Associated Press/Land Line Magazine -29 Oct 2007: -- New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer says his state will have “the most secure licensing system in the nation,” now that the department of U.S. Homeland Security has signed off on the plan... The state will actually have three different driver’s licenses:
* One is a so-called “enhanced” license that will be as secure as a passport and will satisfy customs requirements at the United States’ international borders.
* Another will be a version that complies with federal Real ID standards, which make it harder to get a fake version.
* And the last will be a driver’s license for undocumented immigrants, which will allow them to drive but will not serve as a valid federal ID.

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posted by Unknown @ 1:41 PM  0 comments

Oct 29, 2007

AWARD * USA - Trucker wins national safety honor

Saginaw,Mich,USA -mlive.com/Saginaw News, by TAMAR RANKINS -October 27, 2007: -- Leonard Cross says he feels more at home steering a 36,000-pound 18-wheeler than driving a car... His truck-driving skills helped the 48-year-old Standish resident place in the top 20 at the 2007 National Truck Driving Championships in Minneapolis... Cross, a truck driver for Automotive Component Carriers, a division of Penske Logistics operating in Buena Vista Township, finished 18th in the four-axle tractor with trailer division at the August competition... The American Trucking Association sponsored the 70th annual event, known as the "Super Bowl of Safety." ... Cross' 2007 Michigan State Driving Championship title earned him a spot at nationals, where he competed against 48 drivers in his division...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:01 AM  0 comments

FUEL TROUBLES * China - Soo... thats why gas prices are going up ???

The black treasure has transformed this once-isolated crossroads, into a bleak boomtown of nearly 300,000 people

JUNGAR QI,China -TeamSugar.com, by justingirl1989 -28 Oct 2007: -- Almost nonstop, gargantuan 145-ton trucks rumble through China's biggest open-pit coal mine, sending up clouds of soot as they dump their loads into mechanized sorters... The black treasure has transformed this once-isolated crossroads nestled in the sand-sculpted ravines of Inner Mongolia into a bleak boomtown of nearly 300,000 people. Day and night, long and dusty trains haul out coal to electric power plants and factories in the east, fueling China's explosive growth... Coal is big, and getting bigger... The U.S. and Chinese governments are subsidizing the development of technology that converts coal to a clean-burning gas before it is burned. But such plants still emit ample amounts of carbon dioxide, notes Qian Jingjing, an expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York and co-author of the report "Coal in a Changing Climate"... She and many other experts believe coal can only be made environmentally sustainable through the more experimental technology of capturing carbon dioxide emissions and storing them underground... A joint government-private project in the United States aims to build such a "zero emissions" plant by 2012. Separately, Xcel Corp. of Minneapolis, a major electric and natural gas utility, is studying building a carbon capture and storage power plant in Colorado...

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TROUBLES with FUEL * China - Gas Shortage in Shanghai

The drivers told me these days, even if they go to the other gas station, there may not be any gas there either

Shanghai,China -Wangjianshuo's blog -29 Oct 2007: -- Yesterday, when we got back from Donghai Bridge, I found I didn't have enough gas to get back to the city, I decided to find the nearest gas station. I remember there is one from SINOPEC at the toll station. So I went there... The bad news for me is, before the station, many big trucks lined up there. It seems it may take some time for me to get to the gas station... It turned out that there are no gas there, and 93# gas is still available. Then I managed to drive among all the big trucks and get to the head of the line... I chatted with the service people in the gas station. They told me there was no gas from the last night till 4:00 PM. The trunk at the head of the line has been waited there for 4 hours. The drivers told me these days, even if they go to the other gas station, there may not be any gas there either...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:35 AM  0 comments

Speeding Trucks * India - Under High Court's scanner

New Delhi,India -The Press Trust Of India -October 28, 2007: ... It is now the turn of speeding trucks to come under the Delhi High Court's scanner for endangering lives of road users in the capital... Admitting a public interest litigation against NCT government's alleged failure to tame overloaded and polluting commercial vehicles - including those coming from other states, a division bench comprising Justice TS Thakur and Justice Vimla Birbal has referred it to Justice Mukul Mudgal... Claiming that overloaded and polluting trucks had killed 800 people in the city so far this year, the petition filed by an NGO Paryavaran Avam Van Vikas Morcha seeks action against truck owners and drivers for making Delhi roads unsafe...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:25 AM  0 comments

TRUCKS' MAKERS NEWS * WORLD WIDE

* South Korea - Volvo Trucks ‘Struggling’ to Meet Demands
Seoul,South Korea -The Korea Times, by Ryu Jin -28 Oct 2007: -- So you have decided to buy a Volvo heavy duty truck, which would mean that you have done your homework in terms of safety, fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness, that's good... Now get in line... That is the one problem Volvo Truck Korea is facing... There is a lead time for delivery of at least two months and this is keeping customers edgy. After all, a heavy duty truck is a business on wheels...


* India - Nissan, Ashok Leyland to Spend $500 Million in
Chennai,India -Bloomberg, by Jay Shankar -Oct. 29 2007: -- Nissan Motor Co., Japan's third- largest automaker, and an Indian partner will spend $500 million to set up venture to make trucks as economic growth in India spurs commercial vehicle sales... Nissan and Ashok Leyland Ltd., India's second-largest truckmaker, will begin producing vehicles lighter than 8 tons by 2010, the two companies said in a joint release in the southern Indian city of Chennai today. Ashok Leyland will own 51 percent of the venture that can make 100,000 trucks annually, with Nissan owning the remainder... The Japanese company follows Navistar International Corp., MAN AG and other truckmakers in forming Indian ventures as a construction boom spurs sales in the world's second-fastest growing major economy. Nissan is focusing on light commercial vehicles after selling the heavy truck division to Volvo AB in February...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:08 AM  0 comments

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Coshocton Trucking purchased nine new Peterbilt semi tractor trucks

Coshocton,OH,USA -The Coshocton Tribune -October 28, 2007: -- Coshocton Trucking, owned by Jim and Deanna Woodie and their son Dusty Woodie, operations officer, purchased nine new Peterbilt semi tractor trucks... With the arrival of the new trucks Oct. 19 comes the ability to add five to six new employees to their work force which already employs more than 100 men and women... Coshocton Trucking has two divisions, flatbed and dump, which serve customers as diverse as Clow Water Systems and Oxford Mining. The Company has been in existence for almost 20 years as a family owned and operated organization...

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posted by Unknown @ 4:53 AM  0 comments

Oct 28, 2007

Car Tax * Finland - Should be Environmentally Friendly

Minister of Transport and Communications Anu Vehviläinen says that car taxation should be reformed to reflect environmental concerns

Helsinki,Uusimaa,Finland -YLE News -27 Oct 2007: -- Emissions should govern the tax rate, and not state revenue needs, she says... Car tax falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, but Vehviläinen says that when it comes to the environment, the whole government should be involved... Vehviläinen says that her Ministry intends to make a contribution by moving greater volumes of cargo transport to trains, instead of trucks... (Image: YLE)

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posted by Unknown @ 8:41 AM  0 comments

Oct 27, 2007

* UK - Women and flexible working

Londson,UK -Road Transport -26 October 2007: -- Offering flexible working hours and the ability to work from home is not going to work in all aspects of transport. After all, drivers may struggle to change their hours because of delivery schedules and they can't really work from home. But for employers in clerical and administrative roles, working flexibly is a possibility. Speaking at the Skills for Logistics (SfL) and Freight Transport Association Women in Transport 2007 event, Ann Beynon, BT director of Wales, says flexibility can make a business better... And she should know: 75% of staff at BT work flexibly and as many men as women do so. However she admits it has meant a massive culture shift, because it only works when people are managed properly... As a result of flexible working practices BT has saved £70m in office costs £10m in fuel and transport costs and £5m as a result of more staff returning from maternity or parental leave (99% now do so)...

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posted by Unknown @ 9:14 PM  0 comments

Shippers Complains * USA - They say, railroad industry has taken advantage of 'monopoly'

Norfolk,VA,USA -The Virginian-Pilot, by GREGORY RICHARDS -October 26, 2007: -- Alliant Techsystems Inc., which runs the Radford Army Ammunition Plant west of Roanoke, has a beef over service and rates with Norfolk Southern Corp. and has taken it public... Deliveries by the Norfolk-based railroad to Alliant's plant, which produces propellants for ammunition for the military, law enforcement and civilians, "frequently" slip, Ken Vander Schaaf, an Alliant supply chain director, told a Senate Judiciary Committee panel this month... The company copes by stockpiling extra materials, but that adds cost and overhead, he said in written testimony. It may start bringing in raw materials via truck but moving hazardous materials via roadways increases the potential for accidents, he said... The complaint by Alliant mirrors those by some other railroad customers across the country that contend there is no rail competition for their business. Those shippers say they are tired of paying exorbitant rates for poor service with the nation's biggest railroads, and are pressing Congress for change... Similar disputes are being played out, to varying degrees, across the country. About 30 percent of railroad customers, many in rural areas, are "captive" to a single railroad, said the Consumers United for Rail Equity, a shippers' advocacy group... The railroad industry's consolidation has left four large U.S. railroads - two in the east and two in the west, each wielding great power. Railroads carry more than 40 percent of the nation's cargo... The big railroads have created a "monopoly" over their customers, said Robert G. Szabo, the executive director of the shippers' group... Various forms of legislation aimed at reining in railroads' powers have been proposed in Congress since deregulation in 1980, but none were enacted. This time, however, may be different... (Photo, The Virginian-Pilot file: Railroad industry consolidation has left just four large U.S. railroads, two in the East, two in the West. Shipping customers say they pay ex orbitant rates in areas where there is no competing railroad and that the service is terrible)

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posted by Unknown @ 12:18 PM  0 comments

Pollution Reduction * USA

* Gateway Cities Fleet Modernization Program Celebrates 5 Years

Los Angeles County,CAL,USA -The Diesel Technology Forum -27 Oct 2007: -- This month, the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG) celebrated the five-year anniversary of its landmark Fleet Modernization program for heavy-duty trucks... The success of the Gateway Cities' Fleet Modernization program has resulted in the program serving as a model for similar efforts in other parts of California and across America. For example, the Clean Truck Program of the San Pedro Bay Ports -- a proposal to replace or retrofit nearly 17,000 port trucks that regularly visit the marine terminals of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles -- may potentially be patterned after the Gateway Cities initiative. The Port of Oakland has implemented a similar program, after turning to the Gateway Cities for advice on how to establish and set up its truck replacement effort. Major cities and ports across America are considering similar programs... Fleet Modernization is one of two elements of the Gateway Cities' Clean Air Program directed towards cleaning up in-use heavy-duty diesel trucks. The second element is the Port Truck Retrofit program, in which the GCCOG is helping the San Pedro Bay Ports with a pilot effort to demonstrate the feasibility of retrofitting port trucks with muffler-like devices that can reduce PM and NOx emissions from existing trucks by 85% and 25%, respectively. The pilot program is being funded primarily through a $1.5 million allocation from the Port of Long Beach... (Photograph by Ric Francis/Associated Press: Emissions from the Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro Bay reach all the way up to downtown Los Angeles, more than 20 miles away)


* Massachusetts bill would mandate pollution controls on state diesel vehicles
Mass,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -October 26, 2007: -- A bill on the move in the Massachusetts statehouse would require the state to equip its diesel vehicles with updated pollution controls. It also would set up a multi-million dollar fund to help private fleets update their engines... The Senate Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee voted to advance a bill that would mandate the state retrofit its fleet by 2011. Municipal garbage and recycling trucks must be updated by 2012...

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posted by Unknown @ 11:53 AM  0 comments

Global Warming * USA - California State boosts its war on

California started the regulatory wheels, including a plan to make big rigs more aerodynamic and fuel-efficient

Sacramento,CA, USA -The Sacramento Bee, by Jim Downing -October 26, 2007: -- ... By a unanimous vote, the California Air Resources Board adopted strict standards for measuring the "carbon offsets" generated by well-managed forests. Separately, it started the regulatory wheels turning on a suite of new emissions-cutting schemes, including a plan to make big rigs more aerodynamic and fuel-efficient. The proposal requires all of the more than 1 million tractor-trailers that travel California roads each year to be fitted with aerodynamic skirts and tails. In addition, the dual wheels and tires on 18-wheelers would be replaced with extra-wide "super-singles," which have lower rolling resistance... Representatives from the trucking industry voiced strong reservations about the proposed big-rig rule, which would mandate a package of modifications recommended under a voluntary truck-efficiency program operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency... Matthew Schrap, environmental affairs manager for the California Trucking Association, said the requirements would impose unacceptable costs on some trucking businesses and would raise compatibility problems. Trailers fitted with the fairings, for instance, can't fit into sunken loading docks, he said... (Photo: green wombat - PG&E has put California's first hybrid diesel-electric service truck on the streets )

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posted by Unknown @ 11:30 AM  0 comments

DANGEROUS CARGOES * USA - Numbers on trucks …

USA -The.Inevitable.Org/anism, by Scott C. Lemon -October 25, 2007: -- For quite a while now while driving, I’ve seen the square “hazard” signs on various tanker trucks and semis. These signs almost always have some number within them, and of course I realize that the numbers have to align with the load/freight that they are carrying... After finding what I was looking for, I was amazed at the numbering system, and the details explained in their guidebook … it’s interesting to see the amount of detail that can be extracted by just looking at the patterns of the numbers... Well … my driving boredom got me to spend an hour or so to learn something new … and maybe this is a new travel game in the car for vacation trips! “Ok kids … lets see who can find the most variety of hazardous materials between here and St. Louis!” or “Alright, on this part of our trip we want to find the truck carrying the most highly flammable liquid that reacts dangerously with water, emitting flammable gas!”... Uh, that last one would be labeled “X323″, not to be confused with “339″ which would be a “highly flammable liquid which can spontaneously lead to violent reaction” …

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posted by Unknown @ 11:16 AM  0 comments

OPINION * USA - Are Bigger Trucks a Good Idea?

Bigger isn't necessarily Better

Atlanta,GA,USA -Freight Dawg.com, by Eric J. Joiner, Jr. -October 25, 2007: -- With highway congestion at an all time high, the economy tottering on a recession, pollution up and the dollar down, shippers are clamoring for any angle to increase efficiency. One of the ways to do that is to consider increasing the amount of freight that can move in a single truck... Congress is now looking at whether bigger, heavier trucks, capable of heavier loads would be good for the country. Presently 6 axle trucks have a weight limit of 80,000 lbs. In Canada however that limit is 97,000 lbs. Canada has more rural area though... Simply for safety reasons, I'm against bigger trucks. I'm for fuel efficiency, newer, greener equipment rules and increased intermodalism. The present van sizes fit well onto railroad equipment and our highway network... If a larger truck comes into the market, I would like to see it restricted to western states, long haul routes and possibly specific commodities... Congress will consider this in a 2009 Transportation Bill. In the meantime, Labor, shippers, safety groups and the government will all wrangle...

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posted by Unknown @ 11:01 AM  0 comments