P.M. Executive Briefing - Oct. 4
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U.S. Aug Factory Orders up 2%
In a reported somewhat telegraphed by earlier data, the U.S. Commerce Dept. said Wednesday that new orders for goods from U.S. factories rose 2% in August after a sharp 8.1% drop in July.For trucking, the new report is both good and bad as it shows some rebound from the big July decline but leaves manufacturing still weaker than when the summer began.
And since the orders figures precede what will happen to shipments hauled in trucks, the hauling industry continues to see little reason to cheer about the outlook for freight activity with domestic producers in coming months.
Safeway Calif. Warehouse Workers Edge Toward Strike
Truckers and other workers from Safeway's () major northern California warehouse rejected a contract offer Tuesday night, making a strike a stronger possibility, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday.The warehouse involved is a distribution center for 245 Safeway stores in California, Nevada and Hawaii, the Chronicle noted.
Summit Logistics runs Safeway's warehouses, and its employees voted 1,146 to 142 against the new contract, the article said. Replacement workers are available should a strike occur, Summit officials said in the story. Transport Topics
IEA: World Oil Supply "Sufficient"
The International Energy Agency said after its Wednesday meeting on rising energy prices that world oil supplies are "sufficient," Bloomberg reported.Rather than call for a release of strategic oil reserves from its member nations, many of which are in Europe, the IEA instead called for refiners to consider options that would increase heating oil output to meet winter demands, the article said. Transport Topics
Crude Leaking From Indonesia Spill
With fuel-related problems already spouting, now Indonesia is coping with a big oil spill. At least two million gallons of crude oil spilled in Indonesian waters after a Panama-registered tanker ran aground Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.Indonesia has become something of a fuel hotspot this week, as students angered by high fuel prices vandalized a government office in Makassar Tuesday, another AP report said. Other protests flared up in both Makassar and Jakarta, as the Indonesian people voiced their anger over a government-ordered fuel price hike of 12%, instituted Sunday, the article said.
The ship was carrying an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil from Saudi Arabia to China, the article said. Cleanup efforts continued Wednesday using boats, planes and an oil boom (a floating device used to contain such spills), AP added. Transport Topics
Spanish Truckers Agree to End Strike
Spain's truck drivers agreed Wednesday to end a three-day strike that blocked the borders with France and Portugal, after receiving concessions from the Spanish government, the Associated Press reports.The truckers accepted a 10% increase in haulage fees, as well as government-offered low-interest loans and tax rebates aimed at reducing drivers' fuel costs, the article said. Transport Topics
CF Establishes Electronic Customs Link
Less-than-truckload giant Consolidated Freightways () announced Wednesday it has activated a direct electronic link between its Toronto border terminal and U.S. Customs. The system will eliminate some broker paperwork by electronically shipping the necessary information to customs and thus streamlining the freight-handling process, the company said.
CF's network has 350 terminals across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company said each shipment typically moves 500 to 3,000 miles and weighs from 300 to 15,000 pounds. Transport Topics
Heavy Rain Continues in S. Florida
More heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected for south Florida Wednesday afternoon, USA Today reported, adding to a rainfall total that has shut down many modes of transportation and caused power outages.Miami International Airport, a major freight center, never officially shut down but did cancel or reroute numerous flights, the Associated Press reported. Ground transportation was also stilted by the storm as many roadways were under water, causing several accidents, Transport Topics reported earlier Wednesday.
The water-covered roadways may also block crews trying to restore power to the 27,000 Miami-Dade customers currently without it, Reuters said. Transport Topics
(For more general news on how utilities operate their truck fleets, see the current and recent issues of our monthly magazine Utility Fleet Management.)
Missouri Debates Major Interstate 70 Construction
The state of Missouri is looking into several different ways to widen and improve an aging Interstate 70, which crosses the state between Independence and Lake Saint Louis, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday.The options include widening the existing to six lanes that could be expanded to eight, building a high-speed (possibly toll) four-lane highway parallel to the interstate, widening nearby U.S. Highways 36 and 50 to four-lane freeways or adding high-speed rail or transit to ease traffic, the article said.
The Missouri Department of Transportation prefers widening the existing interstate over building a parallel road, and that is expected to be the recommendation given to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, which meets Wednesday, the Dispatch said. Transport Topics
Headlines From Today's A.M. Briefing
- U.S. Inventories, OPEC Production Up; Oil Prices Down
- Truck Fatalities Increased in 1999
- Federal Wilson Bridge Funding Leaves Big State Tabs
- Browner Wants Veto if Budget Blocks EPA Rules on Diesel
- Wabash Sells Part of Leasing, Finance Portfolio
- Overnite Guarantees Nationwide Pickup Service
- C2 Inc. Acquires Total Logistic Control
- Truckers Still Involved in Worldwide Protests
- California Republicans Push Suspension of Gas Tax
- European Commission Wants to Centralize Oil Reserves
- Contract Freighters Signs Agreement With PNV
- Miami Area Socked by Rain; Airport Among Those Shut Down
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