Canadian freight rates climbed in November: Nulogx

2014-01-29

TORONTO, Ont. -- Canadian freight rates climbed 0.75% in November, according to the latest Canadian General Freight Index, compiled by Nulogx.

The base rate increased 0.24% in November when compared to October. Fuel surcharges accounted for 20.54% of the base rates in November, compared to 20.96% in October.

“Total Freight Costs have been on a slow steady increase for the past four months,” said Doug Payne, president and COO, Nulogx. “Once again, this increase applies to all segments - Domestic LTL & Truckload, Cross Border LTL and TL.”

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Fishy freight nets Alberta trucking company big fine

2014-01-16

WINDSOR, Ont. -- An Edmonton trucking firm and its Markham, Ont.-based driver have been fined a total of $75,000 for trying to bring live Asian carp into Ontario.

Alltheway Trucking and Yong-Sheng Zhang were each found guilty under the federal Fisheries Act, of possessing live invasive fish, according to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. The bulk of the fine, $70,000, was assessed to the trucking company.

On Jan. 25 2012, a truck from Alltheway Trucking was stopped at the Ambassador Bridge and found to be carrying grass and bighead carp from Arkansas. Some of the grass carp were still alive, leading to the seizure of all the fish.

On Feb. 28, the same driver and same trucking company were again stopped at the border as they attempted to bring a load of carp - some still alive - into Canada.

This time, the truck was also confiscated, and held until all the carp had died. The Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor handed down the fine today.

“It has been illegal to possess live invasive fish, including bighead, grass, black and silver carp, in Ontario since 2005 because of the significant threat they pose to the province’s lake systems,” the Ministry of Natural Resources said in a release. “As part of the ongoing efforts to protect Ontario’s environment from the importation of invasive species, the Ministry of Natural Resources will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to monitor compliance with the legislation.”

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TransCore Canadian Freight Index Hits Record High in January

JOC Staff | Feb 20, 2013 5:24PM EST

TransCore’s Link Logistics Canadian Freight Index showed load volumes in January increased 25 percent from December 2012 and 4 percent from January 2012, surpassing the record set for the month in January 2011 by 3 percent.

Intra-Canada loads represented 24 percent of the total load volumes, and cross-border postings represented 71 percent of the overall load postings.

Equipment postings also started the year with positive increases. January’s postings rose 17 percent from December 2012 and 13 percent year-over-year.  

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TransCore DAT Freight Index Retreats

JOC Staff | Mar 26, 2013 9:46AM EDT

The TransCore DAT North American Freight Index fell in February, returning it to post-recession levels after an “unusually robust” January.

TransCore North American Freight Index

Freight availability fell 2.5 percent year-over-year in February, the first drop since October 2012. The index also dropped 14.3 percent from January’s level. Despite this decline, freight volume for the first two months of 2013 is still over 17 percent higher than in the same period in 2012 thanks to January’s irregular jump.

On a month-to-month basis, the volume of two of the three major equipment types also fell. Van loads dropped 11 percent, and reefer freight volume slid 15 percent. Flatbed freight availability remained flat. Compared with February 2012, freight volume rose 7.6 percent for vans and 7.2 percent for reefers, while flatbed volume fell 11 percent, which is normal for this time of year.

The U.S. average spot market line haul rate for dry vans rose almost 1 percent or 1 cent in February over the month before. The rate was up 1.6 percent year-over-year. The load-to truck ratio has dropped one-tenth of a point or 6 percent since January; it was down 2.3 percent compared to February 2012.

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FTR Trucking Index Reflects Improved Freight Growth

JOC Staff | Mar 14, 2013 1:50PM EDT

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index for January, published in its March 2013 Trucking Update, jumped 2.2 points from the previous month to a new reading of 10.6, reflecting improved freight growth and the expectation for tighter capacity.

The TCI is expected to continue at a high level as regulations affecting trucking utilization go into effect in mid-2013. Conditions through 2014 will remain in the “strongly positive territory,” as companies’ ability to raise rates in a tight capacity environment is likely, the Nashville, Ind.-based company said.

“While the sequester is now in effect, we have seen enough indications of an improving economy to expect a growing freight market in 2013,” said Jonathan Starks, director of transportation analysis for FTR, in a written statement. “As regulators impose the changes to hours-of-service rules in July, capacity will further tighten to levels not seen since 2004.”

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Cass Freight Index

Cass index data is derived from actual freight invoices paid on behalf of 350 clients, which totaled over US$20 billion in 2011 and include a wide diversity of shippers, commodities and company size.

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DOT Freight Transportation Index Falls 0.9%

The Department of Transportation’s freight transportation services index fell 0.9% in August from the same month last year, DOT said Thursday.

The freight TSI fell 0.6% to a reading of 109.0 from July, DOT said. The index uses a baseline 100 reading from the year 2000.

August shipments were 4.4% below the all-time high level of 114.0 in December 2011.

The freight TSI is a seasonally adjusted monthly index measuring the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline and local transit.

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ABF Freight to Begin Negotiations With Teamsters in December

Tom Biery/TransPixs

ABF Freight and the Teamsters union announced they expect to begin negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement Dec. 18.

The current agreement expires March 31, 2013, and covers the approximately 7,800 ABF Teamster employees nationwide.

The union began talks with UPS Inc., the largest employer ofTeamsters, Sept. 27.

ABF is a business unit of Arkansas Best Corp., which is ranked No. 13 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.

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DOT Launches New Freight Policy Council

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood launched the Freight Policy Council, a group tasked with generating a national freight policy, as called for in the new highway funding law.

LaHood was joined by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) at a warehouse owned by PCC Logistics in Seattle on Thursday to officially announce the Freight Policy Council. Cantwell has long been a proponent of the freight group.

The council will hold its first meeting next week, a DOT spokesman said.

“Our freight system is the lifeblood of the American economy, moving goods quickly and efficiently to benefit both businesses and consumers across the country,” LaHood said in a statement.

“With the launch of the Freight Policy Council, we have an opportunity to make not only our freight system but all modes of transportation stronger and better connected.”

Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari will lead the council, which will also include deputy administrators from highway, rail, port and airport agencies within the Department of Transportation, and economic and policy experts from elsewhere in DOT, the department said.

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Canadian spot market freight drops 21% in July: TransCore

TORONTO, Ont. -- Spot market freight dropped 21% in July, according to the latest figures from TransCore’s Canadian Freight Index, keeping in line with the traditional summer slowdown, the company said. With the annual onset of summer construction, vacations and company shutdown periods, July experienced the third lowest volumes of any month this year; however, it was the fourth most active July on record finishing 5% behind July 2011.

Cross-border postings decreased two points, accounting for 73% of overall load postings. Intra-Canada postings contributed 23% of the total load volumes, increasing 1% from June.

Equipment postings jumped 9% month-over-month and were up significantly year-over- year, increasing 21%. The equipment-to-loads ratio increased in July, reaching the highest levels for 2012.

Top destinations for loads imported into Canada were: Ontario (54%), Western (23%), Quebec (20%), and Atlantic (3%). Western Canada increased 3%, while Quebec decreased 3%. The remaining regions remained unchanged.

Top regions for import equipment into Canada were: Ontario (53%), Western (23%), Quebec (21%), and Atlantic (3%). Western Canada decreased 1% while Quebec increased 1% The remaining regions remained unchanged.

Regions of origins for loads within Canada were: Western (44%), Ontario (26%), Quebec (22%), and Atlantic (8%). The regions remained unchanged from last month.

The top states of origin for loads destined to Canada in order of most loads were Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Illinois and Texas.

The top US destinations for freight originating in Canada were New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, California and Michigan.

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Owner/operator protest slows freight traffic at Vaughan CP terminal

VAUGHAN, Ont. -- A contract dispute between a group of owner/operators and CP Rail has lead to a protest at CP’s intermodal terminal in Vaughan.

About 80 O/Os who move CP’s railcars by truck for General Cartage, Canada Drayage and Sim-Tran parked their vehicles, and blocked the main entrance on Rutherford Rd. near Highway 427 early Monday, according to a report from the Toronto Star.

The protest centres on the drivers’ new three-year contract, introduced July 9, that changes how they are paid, effectively cutting their wages by about 30%, according to the Star.

A driver at the protest said the cut comes after a previous 30% cut introduced in 2009.

The protestors have vowed to keep up their picket line around the clock, according to the report.

On a normal day, the terminal handles up to 1,900 trucks, according to a CP official.

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Cass Freight Index Improves in October

ThinkStock.comOctober freight volumes grew modestly but revenue rose strongly, according to the latest freight index report from Cass Information Systems.

The monthly Cass freight index said October shipment levels grew 2.2% over the same month last year, while shipper expenditures jumped 16.1%.

The index covers all modes of freight transportation.

Although both parts of the index grew year-over-year, they also contracted sequentially from September, although Cass said that is a typical seasonal pattern.

“The numbers appear to show that efforts by carriers to push up rates and recover increases in operating costs appear to be sticking,” the report said.

“The result is that while the weight of a shipment, averaged across all modes, has risen about 1%, year-over-year, the cost of transporting that average shipment has escalated dramatically.”

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Clarke Posts 3Q Loss; Freight Unit Improves

Canadian holding company Clarke Inc. reported a third-quarter loss but its freight transportation unit’s performance improved.

Its net loss was C$16.3 million, or 81 cents a share, compared with net income of C$8.9 million, or 43 cents, a year ago.

Its freight unit’s earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization rose to $6.5 million, up from $5.2 million a year ago.

Total revenue slipped to C$41.6 million from C$57.6 million. Freight revenue improved, the company said.

Ontario-based Clarke, which operates in truckload and less-than-truckload sectors via its Clarke Transport unit, also has a home heating segment.

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Manton European Freezer Freight Part 7

Just a quick one, I thought it was about time we got to part 7. Can you guess who sent me yet another great photo from deep in his trucking archives?? Yes you probably guessed right, Neil Jarrold from http://www.euro-wheels.com/ snapped this one on it’s way to or from the continent. Were you the driver of this Manton’s Scania? Did this little 3 series ever make it down the golden egg road to Moscow?? Has anyone got part 8 to the longest running thread on the blog? Email me any thing more you have on Manton’s, ben@truckblog.co.uk and it could be appearing here. A certain Dave Manton has contributed to these threads before, but not recently, so perhaps you’ll beat him to Part 8?!

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Freight costs for Canadian shippers continue to rise in August

TORONTO, Ont. -- The cost of ground transportation for Canadian shippers increased .4% in August when compared to July, according to results published by the Canadian General Freight Index (CGFI).

The Base Rate Index, which excludes the impact of fuel surcharges assessed by carriers, has increased for six consecutive months including a .6% increase in August. However, base rates remain 4.8% below the same period a year ago.

Average fuel surcharges assessed by carriers increased from 19.0% of base rates in July to 20.1% in August.

"The trend toward marginal increases in Base Rates we observed last month has continued," said Doug Payne, president and COO of Nulogx, "although it is interesting to note that they are still significantly below prior year levels."

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COMPETITION WATCH: Douglas Harrison appointed president of Day and Ross General Freight

HARTLAND, N.B. -- Douglas Harrison has been named president of Day and Ross General Freight. Harrison was previously president of Calyx Transportation Group. Prior to that he was president of Acklands-Grainger, an industrial supply company, and vice-president and managing director at Ryder Integrated Logistics, where he held responsibility for Ryder's Canadian and European logistics organizations. He has served on a number of corporate boards and is currently a member of the board of directors of Horizon Utilities, the Conference Board of Canada and Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology.

Harrison has been recognized with a National Transportation Award of Achievement, the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation's Award of Excellence and was chosen as one of Canada's Top 40 leaders under the age of 40. He holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University (Scotland), is a CMA and was awarded the designation ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors. He also holds a number of transportation and logistics designations (C.I.T.T.) He is a regular guest speaker at numerous colleges and universities and is a member of the faculty of the Directors College.

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COMPETITION WATCH: Transpro Freight wins Markel safety award

TORONTO, Ont. -- Transpro Freight has received a Platinum Plus safety award from Markel Insurance.

The award was earned by placing within the safest 5% of 1,000 Canadian carriers evaluated by Markel.

Silvy Wright, president and CEO, Markel Insurance Company of Canada said, "It is our distinct pleasure to recognize Transpro's commitment to safety and continuous improvement...particularly, the commitment to road safety and the uninterrupted flow of goods in Canada."

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Manton European Freezer Freight Part 6

This is turning into the Manton / Euro-Wheels website! Neil Jarrold knows we have quite a long standing Manton’s run on the blog, so know when he has unearthed another pile of photo’s and he come’s across another Manton’s truck, he feels obliged to send it to the blog. I think it’s fair to say this is a rare sight. As yet I don’t think anyone has said anything about Manton’s subbies, so please please dust off your memory bank’s and fill the rest of us in on the details. This very clean Scania 112, is a 6×2 tag axle, belonging to Reiblein International of Wetherby. Now i’m not the oracle of Yorkshire hauliers, but I don’t think I have heard of Reiblein before. Just for info C reg vehicle’s were from 1985. Some of you will know what’s what, so get email me at; ben@truckblog.co.uk or leave your comments below. I look forward to penning Part 7 shortly!!

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Manton European Freezer Freight Part 5

I didn’t think part 5 would be quite so quick in turning up!! After typing out the quick Part 4 the other evening, I opened my emails the following morning, who had emailed me?? Yep your right, the one and only Dave Manton. I think he was just taking a quick break from being in his loft for the last few weeks looking for photo’s!! This on the road photo was a regular stop on the route to Moscow. This is dieseling your truck up Belarus style.

For a point can you tell me what type of Eastern European truck the fuel bowser is? I have no idea what so ever! Leave a comment or email me; ben@truckblog.co.uk and hopefully by the time you’ve worked out what it is, my friend and yours DM will have the next photo.

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Kersey Freight Friday

What I hear you say, KERSEY FREIGHT FRIDAY!! Well for this week at least. The regularity of a Friday feature all depends on how often DC updates me with photo’s!! This is the first time one of the Kersey DAF’s has ventured so far South from their base in Hadleigh, Suffolk. Usually most of the Italian trips are undertaken by Kersey’s subbies.

This particular trip required one of Kersey Freights own trucks as the export was a removal job for a high profile customer. Loading in London and delivering to the Swiss town of Lugano. After the tight access delivery point for driver Geraint Richards, it was back on the Motorway for a run down, through the Chiasso border and into Italy. I think Mr Richards may be in trouble as he spent the night next to the delightful Lake Como but didn’t take any photo’s! Any way in the morning the big DAF finished it’s Southerly run to Milano where a full load of fashion was loaded. Next, all that was required was a run back up through Mont Blanc to the picturesque destination of Basildon, Essex. Not a bad weeks work if you can get it. I’m thinking that this will be the first of many trips further South than Paris for the Kersey Freight team. Just remember 2 things; 1) Photo’s for all the Perv’s and 2) White trucks get very dirty crossing the mountains in the winter!!

If you fancy joining the ranks of Kersey Freight, DC and JM are always looking for new subbies to pull their tidy white trailers. They are both are keen to use as many English/East Anglian subbies as possible, so, if you have a truck or 2 why not contact them and see if they require your services.

Contact: David@kerseyfreight.com or James@kerseyfreight.com and if you feel like emailing me with any thing half as exciting, my email address is, ben@truckblog.co.uk

Right after such an excellent piece of publicity i’m off to barter with DC about getting another truckblog sticker on the back of one of the KFL trailers!!

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