![[Valid Atom 1.0]](valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 1.0 feed")
TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Slowdown Won’t Brake Truck Rate Hikes, Analysts Say
Economy may slow, but freight volume still seen outpacing truck capacity
Milwaukee,WI,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Jul 1, 2010: -- Truckload capacity is so tight that even a slowing economy is unlikely to dampen rate hikes this summer, according to investment research firm R.W. Baird... In a July 1 research note, Baird's transportation analysts suggest enough freight is heading to the U.S. from overseas to keep a diminished truck fleet rolling and truck prices headed upward, even if economic growth begins to slow... The American Trucking Associations' Truck Tonnage Index and Morgan Stanley's Truckload Freight Index also show freight demand softening month-to-month... But inventory levels are still low, analyst Jon A. Langenfeld said. And there are fewer trucks available... "Despite a cautionary sign of potential freight moderation, supply-related capacity constraints should continue to support improved truck pricing," he said... Ocean shipping executive Frank Baragona had more good news for domestic truckers Tuesday. The CMA CGM (Americas) president told The Journal of Commerce he believes imports from Asia will remain strong at least into the peak-shipping season, with volumes increasing in September and October...* Michigan - Con-way Spends $100 Million on High-Tech Trucks. LTL carrier buys 1,300 Class 8 trucks with advanced safety systems
Ann Arbor,MI,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Jul 1, 2010: -- Anticipating new federal truck safety rules, Con-way Freight purchased 1,300 2010- model-year heavy trucks equipped with anti-crash safety technologies... The company spent more than $100 million to purchase tractors equipped with technology to warn drivers of danger and even take control of the vehicle... Its part of the less-than-truckload carrier's plan to prepare for the Department of Transportation's Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 regulations... The tractors purchased by Con-way are all 2010-model Freightliner Cascadias. An integrated set of technologies was installed in each vehicle, including systems warning against front-end collisions, lane departures and potential rollovers... The forward collision warning system from Meritor WABCO uses adaptive cruise control technology to help drivers keep a safe following distance. The system uses forward-looking radar to detect a potential collision and warn the driver. If the driver doesn't react, the system automatically applies the brakes... The lane departure system from Iteris uses image recognition software to detect when a truck drifts out of a lane and emits an audible warning signal... The roll stability control system, also from Meritor WABCO, senses rollover conditions during hard cornering or a change in direction and automatically alerts the driver while decreasing power to the engine... Con-way also specified factory-installed in-dash satellite AM/FM radios to replace portable radios drivers might bring into the cab... (Photo from farm3.static.flickr: Con-Way Freight Freightliner Cascadia)
* DC - Difficulty Recruiting Drivers Will Drive Up Freight Costs
Washington,DC,USA -Automotive Digest/TruckingInfo -1 July 2010: -- Trucking freight volumes increasing demand for transport. Continuing economy improvements will increase demand further... Carriers scrambling to find drivers for trucks that have been parked for months. Hiring and training departments severely during downturn cutting capacity by 1/3. Finding drivers will be harder this time around limiting growth. Carriers unlikely to hire high-risk drivers... Truckload carriers have aggressively reduced driver pay during down economy... CSA 2010 requires safety violations to stay with driver even with job changes. New safety program will list 11 "red flag" driver violations that could trigger regulatory actions... "We believe that many carriers will refuse to employ drivers with poor safety rankings; not only will poorly ranked drivers be more likely to cause accidents, but having the poorly ranked driver on staff would cause a carrier's overall safety rating to deteriorate." said Stifel Nicolaus, FMCSA... Inability to expand will support higher freight prices...* DC - Teamsters to Brief YRC Workers on Pensions. Union to discuss YRC's role in pension funds as carrier strives to preserve liquidity
Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Jun 29, 2010: -- The Teamsters union will hold a national conference call Tuesday for its members at YRC Worldwide on the company's "re-entry" into its multiemployer pension plans... How and when the nation's largest trucker re-enters those plans is a critical issue for YRC as it struggles with rising operating costs and falling liquidity... YRC Worldwide won an 18-month suspension of pension contributions from its Teamsters in August 2009. Contributions are scheduled to start again in January... Analysts say the company needs to have its pension deadline extended to 2012 as it struggles to return to profitability after three years of losses... Last year the Teamsters agreed to the pension suspension and a 15 percent wage cut to help YRC avoid bankruptcy...* New York - To Expand Off-Peak Truck Program
NY,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by William B. Cassidy -Jul 2, 2010: -- Night deliveries reduced congestion, improved productivity for truckers, retailers... New York City will expand a program that encourages off-peak deliveries in Manhattan to help clear traffic jams that cost the city more than $13 billion a year... The project paired more than 30 truckers and receivers who agreed to shift deliveries to between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. from last September through January... All participants realized savings from the program, especially the truckers, said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan... Manhattan sees more than 110,000 curbside deliveries a day, and shifting even a portion of them to off-peak hours has an impact on daytime congestion... Specifically, trucks reached their first stop 75 percent more quickly in off-peak hours, and following stops 50 percent more quickly, according to the study... The amount of time spent unloading and loading trucks was reduced from about 90 to 30 minutes. "That's real time, and time is money in New York," said Sadik-Khan...Labels: trucking industry news USA
posted by Unknown @ 4:22 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home