Road

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   EasyTracGPS, a Stickney, Ill.-based company that develops GPS tracking and fleet management systems, has released its ComTracNVG “Pro” fleet management tracking system.    The company said it developed the new service to facilitate communication with drivers and include that in vehicle management.    The service offers live five- or 10-second GPS tracking position updates, reports and alerts, navigation, interactive dispatching and routing, and 2-way one-touch c...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Amware Logistics Services said Tuesday it has acquired Parcel Port, a small non-asset based warehousing, distribution and fulfillment company based in Arizona that has a strong focus on managing e-commerce parcel delivery.    Amware, headquartered in Eagle, Colo., is an Eastern provider of warehousing and transportation services that bought Parcel Port to expand to new locations and take on direct consumer fulfillment for Internet-based and catalog retailers, said Vin Gulisano, Am...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Rep. Hahn wants more policy focus on ports.    Members of the congressional PORTS Caucus are scheduled to meet with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood next month to press the connection between port investment and economic growth, Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., told a pro-freight audience last week at the annual conference of the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors on Capitol Hill.   The PORTS Caucus, founded by Hahn last fall, has about 65 members.    "We re...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based NationaLease has appointed Dean Vicha to president.    Most recently, Vicha served as vice president of national accounts. Earlier, he served as vice president of member services and as a national account executive. Before coming to NationaLease in 2005, Vicha was director of business development for Ryder System, as well as served in a number of roles at Rollins Leasing Corp.    NationaLease is one of the largest truck leasing companies in N...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Domestic intermodal volumes continued their upward climb in the first quarter of 2012, according to the latest figures from the Intermodal Association of North America.    Domestic volumes soared 14.9 percent in the quarter, to nearly 1.3 million containers. IANA attributed the rise to market share growth from trucking, “as trucking capacity was tight during the quarter and diesel prices resumed their rise after softening in Q4 2011."    International intermodal volume r...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Transplace, a provider of transportation management services and logistics technology, has implemented of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet in Southern California for Sunny Delight Beverages Co.    The fleet, deployed by Glacier Transportation, will lower emissions and fuel costs for the beverage shipper. The five-year deal covers product delivery to Sunny Delight's customers in the Southern California region.    Sunny Delight has announced a long-term goal ...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Getloaded, a Midlothian, Va.-based provider of logistics freight matching services, has introduced a mobile app for Android phones that offers access to its trucking industry load board and its Website functionality.    In specific, Getloaded’s free Android app provides a simplified interface that allows the user to access features like: Browsing of available loads and trucks in the nearby area. GPS- and specified location-based load and truck searches. Unlimited lane bids, truck ...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   WNS Holdings Limited, a provider of global business process outsourcing (BPO) services, has entered a partnership with GT Nexus, which provides cloud-based supply chain services, on a new platform-based BPO offering to shippers and the logistics industry.    The companies have agreed to jointly develop the service around documentation, freight management, contracts, pricing, and analytics with the ultimate goal of improving services and lowering costs.    “The ...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Monday shutdown Judson Mobley Logging, a small Georgia-based motor carrier that hauled logs, because of unsafe operating practices.    The agency said investigators found multiple violations of drug and alcohol testing procedures, driver qualifications and vehicle maintenance rules, and declared the company "an imminent hazard to public safety."    The enforcement action followed the discovery that Judson Mobley...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   Old Dominion Freight Line has appointed Chris Young as its vice president of information systems and technology.    Young will manage Old Dominion’s IT department and OD-Technology, the company’s branded technological solutions division. He succeeds Ken Erdner, who is retiring after 16 years with the company.    Young joined Old Dominion in April 2010 and has served as the director of SAP applications for the past two years. Prior to joining the company, h...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   Omega Morgan, a Portland, Ore.-based company that is one of the West Coast’s leading heavy equipment transport companies, has named John McCalla chief executive officer and president.    McCalla comes to Omega Morgan from Warn Industries, also located in Portland.    He began his career as a project engineer at General Motors and then joined Warn Industries. He advanced through several positions at Warn and assumed the top executive position in 2007.  ...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   Schneider National has announced plans to swap out roughly one-third of its fleet by the end of 2012.    The trucking company is investing in 3,000 new 2012 and 2013 tractors, chiefly from Freightliner. Schneider said it’s replacing trucks at a rate of 75 per week.    With this refresh, the company is adding in a series of upgrades to the fleet. The most touted is a new safety upgrade with the OnGuard collision mitigation system that assists drivers with noticing and avo...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has begun publishing " PA Pulse ," monthly indexes of passenger and freight volumes.     The agency says while "the indices do not precisely account for every passenger or every dollar worth of freight that passes through port authority facilities, they approximate those quantities closely using observed data."     The port authority said the indexes will track the rise and fall of...

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

   Seattle-based EquaShip plans to re-launch itself in early 2013 as the nation’s “fourth parcel carrier,” with a focus on small and medium-sized online sellers, touting shipper services that will cost between 10 percent and 50 percent less than UPS and FedEx.    EquaShip announced a temporarily suspension of operations in February, after an initial launch last October. At the time the company said it needed to re-engineer its transportation network, citing customer demand ...

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

   Blue Tree Systems, a provider of trailer tracking, refrigerated monitoring and fleet management applications, has expanded its R:Com fleet management software to support any Windows CE and Windows Mobile device.    “This new capability means carriers already using any device operating on the Windows CE & Mobile platform can seamlessly install our R:COM fleet management system without undergoing expensive and lengthy hardware changes,” said Charlie Cahill, Blue Tree's chie...

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

By Eric Kulisch U.S. GDP slows to 2.2%    The U.S. economy grew 2.2 percent in the first quarter, down from the 3 percent output of goods and services in the fourth quarter, according to preliminary figures from the Commerce Department.     Personal consumption and exports were the strongest contributors to Gross Domestic Product. Exports of goods and services increased 5.4 percent in first quarter, compared with an increase of 2.7 percent in the fourth quarter.    &nbs...

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

   YRC Worldwide said Monday it had reached an agreement with lenders to reset certain financial covenants over the life of loans and allow the company to retain all proceeds from the auction of certain surplus properties.    James Welch, YRC's chief executive officer, said the agreement "will allow us to continue building on our current momentum and successes."    "YRCW has the financial flexibility needed to support our growth strategies and to continue gaining ...

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

   Austin, Texas-based fleet management technology provider EFueling Technologies has reportedly signed a confidential deal with QuikQ to begin work on a fueling system that is entirely based on radio frequency technology like RFID chips and readers.     QuikQ, headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., develops new technologies to improve the trucking industry's control of diesel fuel transactions.    The companies aim to make fueling an entirely cardless system where an ...

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

   Miami-based Ryder Systems has reported a 37 percent increase in profit largely due to stronger used-vehicle sales and revenue from a recent addition to its fleet management business, the United Kingdom's Hill Hire purchased in June.    The company said its first-quarter net income rose to $34.3 million from $25.1 million in 2011, while revenue climbed to $1.54 billion, above the $1.48 billion forecast by analysts.    Ryder's fleet management segment, ...

Monday, April 30, 2012

   Descartes Systems Group, a worldwide provider of logistics services, has announced that its MobileLink GPS-based solution for managing mobile workers is now available for the Android operating system.    The MobileLink service is already being used to manage thousands of drivers and mobile workers, said Sergio Torres, Descartes’ vice president of product management. Torres said the expansion to the Android platform is to expand the mobile service to more customers as Android has b...

Thursday, April 26, 2012

   Intelleflex and DeltaTRAK have announced a partnership to broaden the use of Intelleflex’s RFID-based readers and data services as well as DeltaTRAK’s line of environmental monitoring products.    Intelleflex, whose on-demand data visibility services are largely used to monitor the freshness of perishable foods and pharmaceuticals, said the partnership will expand DeltaTRAK’s cold chain solutions to its RFID tags. The Intelleflex XC3 Technology-based tags and readers will also be o...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

   Pacer International and CRST International said Tuesday they have agreed to multi-market dedicated drayage agreements focused on driving intermodal drayage efficiencies and providing incremental capacity for Pacer.    CRST has formed a separate operating unit, CRST IMX, within its dedicated services subsidiary to provide the service. CRST IMX will market, sell, and operate its intermodal drayage network and other short-haul trucking services.    The initial focu...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

   The Port of Indiana said Phoenix Services has signed a multi-year contract with ArcelorMittal to provide slag and processing services for the Burns Harbor steel giant.    Slag is a product generated during the iron- and steel-making processes. Phoenix has opened a 13-acre distribution facility at the port and is installing processing equipment at various locations throughout the ArcelorMittal complex.    "We are in the process of installing the most technologically advan...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

   iCargo, a pan-European cargo and logistics project partly funded by the European Union, has officially launched its three-and-a-half-year framework program with the first focus on reducing emissions and facilitating load combining.    The “Intelligent Cargo in Efficient and Sustainable Global Logistics Operations” project has a goal of improving real-world logistics operations and problem resolution with a focus on the EU, though systems and recommendations can be easily applied el...

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

   Teletrac, a GPS fleet tracking and telematics provider, has updated its main software platform Fleet Director with a focus on new and established technology.    Fleet Director allows operations managers to run fleets more efficiently while improving driver safety. The updates focus on including new business intelligence, in-cab color touchscreen tablets with two-way messaging, safety analytics and reporting, and removing spaces for human error.    Like most sectors,...

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

   States, local governments and non-profit organizations can apply for up to $20 million worth of grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help programs aimed at replacing older diesel engines with cleaner alternatives.    The EPA on Friday opened the fiscal year 2012 application process for the Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA). Another $9 million in funding will be available through state environmental programs, it said.    Late-model diesel en...

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

   The U.S. House of Representatives passed another 90-day extension of the surface transportation bill last week, which would provide funding for road building and transportation programs through the end of the fiscal year.    The current three-month extension lasts through June.     So why move on another extension before the existing one nears expiration? Well, for one thing, it provides a little bit of certainty to state transportation planners that money will ...

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

   Dynamex, which provides same-day transportation services in North America, has introduced a truckload service.    Jason Bergman, the company's vice president of North American sales, called it an ideal time to enter this market, citing increasing fuel costs and a thinning driver pool.    Initially the service will focus on the continental United States. Dynamex said it will cover point-to-point and round-trip routes with access to its data collection,...

Friday, April 20, 2012

   LeanLogistics, a provider of transportation management system applications and supply chain services, has expanded into France by opening an office in Paris.    The office will provide support and sales for its logistics services and technology, such as its On-Demand TMS. LeanLogistics’ On-Demand TMS already supports multiple languages and French regulations and government processes.    Stacy Kannawin, LeanLogistics’ vice president of sales for Europe, said this is just ...

Friday, April 20, 2012

   FESCO North West Europe said Friday it has appointed Mundo International Logistics as its U.K. agent.    The deal allows FESCO to package its container services from Russia and the CIS nations through associated rail and road transport services.    FESCO North West Europe is part of the FESCO Transportation Group and offers a weekly service from all main U.K. ports to St.Petersburg, Vladivostok, Vostochny, Kholmsk, Korsakov, Magadan, and Pertropavlovsk Kamch.

Friday, April 20, 2012

   The substance of comments at a Senate hearing on a proposal for federal oversight of tolls charged on bridges, tunnels and highways got overshadowed by a political brawl more suited for an episode of Jersey Shore than Capitol Hill this week.    "Trash Talk Gets Louder," screamed the headline of The Star-Ledger , New Jersey's largest newspaper Friday morning, reporting on the aftermath of a hearing on Wednesday dominated by testy exchanges between Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.,...

Friday, April 20, 2012

   NationaLease has appointed Brian Sullivan to vice president of national accounts.    The Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based company’s national accounts program has grown in recent years, with a concentration on customers in the food, beverage, medical, petroleum, and steel industries.    Sullivan comes to NationaLease from the engine group at Navistar Inc., where he held a number of management posts.    NationaLease is one of the largest full-service truck leasing co...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

   The South Carolina Ports Authority said it is doubling, to $10,000, the financial incentive for local truck drivers who shuttle containers in and out of the Port of Charleston to replace old, polluting trucks with ones made since 2004.    The port launched its voluntary truck-replacement program last fall, offering $5,000 towards the purchase of a newer truck to frequent port users driving pre-1994 vehicles. Removing the old trucks is a priority for many ports around the nati...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

   FedEx Freight Canada, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., on Wednesday opened a new service center in Alberta.    Located on Wrangler Crescent SE in Rocky View County, the new center handles FedEx Freight’s less-than-trailerload shipments throughout Western Canada.    “This is a strategic location within our vast network of centers across the country,” Grant Crawford, vice president of international for FedEx Freight. “This new center offers all FedEx Freight customers greater ...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

   The first set of hydraulic hybrid package delivery vans produced for regular service have made their way to FedEx, Purolator, and UPS for trial runs.    The parcel companies are members of the Hybrid, Electric and Advanced Truck Users Forum (HTUF) Parcel Delivery Working Group. Each purchased a vehicle with assistance from CALSTART through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. CALSTART is an organization dedicated to reducing emissions across the transportation industry...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

   Telematics and fleet management services provider TomTom has updated its WebFleet to include a dispatch option that gives users the shortest travel time to assist their customers.    WebFleet, the online fleet management application that also became a mobile app at the end of March, creates routes based on the quickest possible arrival time instead of distance to customers. TomTom said the service takes things like traffic into account for estimated arrival times. This allows the ...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

   Two large intermodal projects to better connect the Port of Tampa with road and rail networks are making good progress and will benefit freight shippers such as American Honda Motor Co., which recently began using the port as an import gateway.    Construction of an on-dock rail facility to handle 100-car unit trains of ethanol from the Midwest is scheduled to be completed by the fall, according to the Tampa Port Authority. The multipurpose rail terminal can also serve the ad...

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

   Freight-matching service 123Loadboard.com is expanding its controlled posting tool to all truck brokers and logistics professionals using the service.    The Load Posting offering is a free service, with integration into another company’s own system also free, and has been updated with a control tool to allow brokers to list carrier requirements in orders. The company said those seeking loads can also sign up for a 10-day free trial of the service.    123Loadboard.com sa...

Monday, April 16, 2012

   J.B. Hunt Transport Services said last week it had a record first quarter 2012 profit of $67.7 million, compared to $50 million in the same 2011 period.    Total operating revenue for the first quarter was $1.17 billion, compared with $1 billion for the first quarter of 2011.    Hunt said all four segments of its business contributed to the increase in operating revenue in the first quarter of 2012, compared to the same period the year before, includi...

Friday, April 13, 2012

   Navajo Express, a Denver-based trucking company, said it will expand its dry van division, Digby Truck Lines.    Don Digby Jr., the company's president, said he expects to see a lot of dedicated heavy-haul opportunities along the U.S. West Coast and intermountain region.    As part of its Digby Truck expansion, Navajo opened a new terminal in Auburn, Wash., on April 2 and is currently seeking new drivers for the territory.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

DOT bans motor carrier    The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Monday ordered J&A Transportation of New Jersey to shut down operations because it posed a threat to public safety.     The agency, part of the Department of Transportation, placed J&A out of service after multiple hours-of-service, driver and vehicle maintenance violations were discovered during roadside inspections.    FMCSA found the trucking company continued to operate without an ...

Friday, April 06, 2012

  U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said overwhelming requests for so-called TIGER grants reflect the need for increased infrastructure funding.   "It's clear that communities across America can't afford to wait any longer to get started," LaHood said. "At a time when gas prices are high, it's more important than ever that we invest in projects that will relieve congestion, improve the safety of our transportation systems, and provide Americans with affordable, efficient optio...

Friday, March 30, 2012

   Both the House and Senate passed 90-day extensions of the nation's major surface transportation bill on Thursday after the House failed to agree on longer term legislation.    The House approved H.R. 4281, the ninth extension of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, by a vote of 266 to 158. The Senate approved the bill by voice vote a few hours later.    House Republicans issued a press release trumpeti...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

   House Republicans and Democrats are still struggling over an extension of transportation funding as the March 31 deadline for existing spending authority approaches.    House leaders had offered a 90-day extension through the end of June, but Democrats are pushing for a vote on the two-year, $109 billion package recently approved by the Senate.     Republican leaders on Tuesday tried to move a 60-day extension to the floor, but could not get enough Democrats to agree...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

   Congress is moving closer again to the brink of a partial government shutdown as lawmakers failed to make progress Monday on a short-term extension of authority to run surface transportation programs and collect fuel taxes.     Republican leaders, including Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica, are trying to move a measure to the floor extending existing funding levels and policy for three months, through the end of June. The current extension expires Marc...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

   The New York Shipping Association Monday lauded a request by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to expedite federal review of plans to raise the roadbed of the Bayonne Bridge so that larger ships can pass beneath it.    Last Friday the port authority submitted to federal officials a formal request that the project be considered for expedited review under President Obama's executive order on permitting and federal review.    "In making this ...

Monday, March 26, 2012

Mica    Rep. John Mica, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, last week introduced legislation to extend by three months federal authority for highway and transit programs that are scheduled to expire on March 31.    The House leadership is expected to bring the measure to the floor for a vote this week.    Congress has passed eight extensions to maintain the status quo since the last multiyear framework for surface transportation ...

Monday, March 26, 2012

   Old Dominion Freight Line has opened a container drayage operation in the Port of Oakland.    "Co-located with our San Francisco service center, the Oakland container drayage operation will strengthen our network in California, which includes a container drayage facility in Los Angeles and 12 less-than-truckload (LTL) service centers across the state," said Wayne Bersch, the company's director of container operations, in a statement.    Earlier this year, ...

Monday, March 26, 2012

   The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Friday submitted to federal officials a formal request that a project to raise the roadway of the Bayonne Bridge be considered for expedited review under President Obama's executive order on permitting and federal review issued just 24 hours earlier.    The port authority said it believed the request to the Transportation and Homeland Security departments and Coast Guard is the first to be submitted in the country in response t...

Thursday, March 22, 2012

   CargoNet, a source for cargo theft information, said it recorded 1,215 cargo theft incidents last year, 17 percent more than the 1,035 in 2010.    Its annual report said 116 incidents involved base metals, 229 electronics, 105 apparel and accessories, and 200 prepared foodstuffs and beverages.    Most cargo theft incidents occurred on Fridays (227), Saturdays (202), and Sundays (198) at locations such as truck stops, carrier/terminal lots, and unsecured pa...

Thursday, March 22, 2012

   Descartes Systems Group, a Waterloo, Canada-based company that provides cloud-based software for logistics businesses, has deployed its cloud MobileLink application to eliminate paperwork on Ferguson Enterprises’ systems.    Virginia-based Ferguson, which says it is largest wholesale distributor of residential and commercial plumbing supplies in the United States, said it has automated its proof-of-delivery process and now captures critical information related to customer...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

   According to local media and Reuters , Argentina's grains-hauling truck drivers, under direction of their union FETRA, have called an indefinite strike to demand higher pay rates as the country begins its important soybean harvest season.    According to the FETRA, the government has failed to make good on an October promise for a minimum hauling tariff, which came about from a prior strike.    Union leaders are again set to meet with government officials today, though in...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

   The private investment firm Littlejohn & Co. said Tuesday that it had completed its previously announced acquisition of Direct ChassisLink, Inc. (DCLI). from Maersk Inc.    DCLI owns or leases about 66,000 chassis and rents them to drayage companies and liner carriers in the United States. It has a network of 129 sites located on or near key ports and other intermodal hubs around the country.    Littlejohn named William J. Shea Jr. chairman an...

Monday, March 19, 2012

   Gene Scoggins, president of truck leasing firm NationaLease, will retire this month.    A 37-year transportation industry veteran, Scoggins joined NationaLease in 1999 to build its national accounts program. He worked for NationaLease at the start of his career, becoming vice president of sales, and then left for management roles at Gelco Leasing and PacLease.    NationaLease, based in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., is one of the largest truck leasing firms in North America...

Friday, March 16, 2012

   In a filing with U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the American Trucking Associations said several aspects of the new hours of service (HOS) rule issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are "arbitrary and capricious" and should be overturned.    ATA questioned changes to the restart provision requiring that it include two consecutive periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.; limits on the frequency with which a driver may use the rest...

Friday, March 16, 2012

   The cost of construction materials leaped up in February, adding urgency for Congress to pass a surface transportation spending bill and get infrastructure projects started before inflation reduces the government's buying power, according to transportation advocates.    Prices for many types of construction inputs rose sharply last month, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. The price index for materials used in construction, plus items consumed by contr...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

   The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a two-year, $109 billion bill reauthorizing Department of Transportation programs for highway infrastructure and safety.    The 74-22 vote in favor of S. 1813, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) was a rare display of bipartisanship in a legislative body that has had difficulty agreeing on anything in the past two years.    The bill allows spending for highway, transit and rail programs to continue at exis...

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

   Logistics Dynamics has launched a new carrier portal that allows motor carrier unlimited load searching and truck position, as well as lane alerts for instant notification based on their needs and demands.    The service is free to all carriers and gives them access to vans, refrigerated vehicles, and flatbed loads, including full truckloads, partials and less-than-truckload (LTL) offerings.    The company said load boards and online visibility tools have become more pop...

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

   Xata Corp., a provider of fleet optimization software, and ALK Technologies, which operates geo-logistics and navigation software, have joined forces to start the new CoPilot Truck 8 Professional integrated with XataNet, providing users with enhanced routing information available on a range of hardware.    The on-board navigation service calculates optimal, truck-specific routes without using mobile communications or off-board systems. The companies say this will help de...

Friday, March 02, 2012

   Blue Tree Systems, a provider of fleet management technology for Europe and North America, and Birmingham, Ala.-based McLeod Software, which focuses on the transportation industry, have announced a combined solution for carriers to monitor trailer location and temperature in real-time.    The companies have integrated Blue Tree’s R:COM Trailer Tracking and Temperature Management System with McLeod’s LoadMaster Enterprise trucking dispatch operations management system. The combinat...