clean diesel pace-setters
Portions of the Clean Truck programs at the ports of Los Angeles and
Long Beach may still be in dispute, but some trucking companies are
moving full speed ahead with purchases of cleaner-burning engines
well ahead of the 2012 compliance deadline. One of them is Pacer
International, a specialist in intermodal and logistics services, which has
put 230 new clean diesel trucks into service in Southern California.
Owner-operators driving for subsidiaries Pacer Cartage, Harbor Rail
Transport, and PDS Trucking, a subsidiary of Pacer Distribution
Services, are leasing the vehicles under a private-sector financing program that helps independent drivers purchase cleaner equipment.
PDS Trucking customer J.C. Penney Co. is a strong supporter of the
clean truck initiative. As a member of the environmental group
Coalition for Responsible Transportation, the retailer is committed to
using only low-emission, clean-diesel vehicles to carry its imports
through Los Angeles and Long Beach. In December, J.C. Penney and
PDS sponsored the delivery of 20 Kenworth T-800 tractors powered by
Cummins ISX engines that can operate on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel
or B20 biodiesel. The engines cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 78 percent and particulate matter emissions by 90 percent compared with a
typical older truck engine, according to the carrier.
Pacer is a member of both SmartWay, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s program to reduce transportation- and logistics-related emissions, and the Coalition for Responsible Transportation.
look and learn
Having trouble explaining what you do for a living to friends and family? Do they still think the inside of a warehouse looks like the local
Home Depot or Lowe’s? The Material Handling Industry of America
(MHIA) can help you clear things up. The group has produced a video
titled “Introducing the Material Handling and Logistics Industry,”
which can be accessed through the “Resources” section of its Web site,
mhia.org. The five-minute film explains the importance of the material handling industry to the economy, industry, and consumers. The
video also shows equipment and warehouse operations in action and
finishes up with an overview of career opportunities in the field.
To paraphrase a popular saying, a picture of an automated conveyor
system is worth a thousand words.
inbound
author! author!
Cliff Lynch, the intrepid author of
our monthly “FastLane” column, has
developed a following among readers
who enjoy his witty commentaries on
government, management, logistics,
and transportation. Fans will be
happy to know that Lynch, who is
executive vice president of the freight
payment and analysis firm CTSI, also
has several books to his credit.
The first, Logistics Outsourcing—A
Management Guide, is a practical
handbook that explains how to successfully work with a logistics service
provider. Lynch has also published
The Tao of Supply Chain Management, described as a compendium of
“easy-to-remember one-liners for
anyone involved with the intricacies
of the supply chain,” and a research
booklet called The Role of
Outsourcing in the Retail Supply
Chain. All are available through
www.cflynch.com.
Lynch’s latest work is The Role of
Transportation in the Supply Chain,
co-written with J. Kenneth Hazen, CTSI’s
president and CEO. The book covers
all aspects of freight transportation,
including technology, regulation, pricing, and carrier/shipper relationships.
Lynch and Hazen previously collaborated on The Role of Freight Bill
Payment and Transportation Management Information in the Supply Chain
Industry. Both are available at
www.ctsi-global.com/books.asp.
Lynch writes with authority. He
formerly was vice president-logistics
with The Quaker Oats Co. and president of Trammel Crow Distribution
Corp. He also has been president of
the Council of Supply Chain
Management Professionals (CSCMP)
and received the group’s Distinguished Service Award.
