newsworthy
“Things have not been especially robust in the first
half of 2012,” she wrote. “However, there are enough signs
of improvement that [the] economy really does seem to be
on the way up.”
A GOOD YEAR FOR RAIL
For 2011, transportation “costs”—or revenues generated by
freight carriers—rose 6. 2 percent over 2010 levels. But that
increase came from higher freight rates and not increased
volumes, the report said. Rates increased broadly in 2011
and largely held their ground, allowing trucking companies
in particular to recover some of their rising operating
expenses, the report stated. However, higher labor, equipment, and insurance costs still ate up a good chunk of those
gains, according to the report.
In the transportation industry, the big winners for the
year appeared to be railroads and third-party logistics service providers (3PLs). Third-party service providers—which
account for a large portion of the report’s “freight forwarder” category—posted a 10.9-percent year-over-year
revenue gain, substantially surpassing the sector’s pre-
accolades
The Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions
Association (VICS) has announced the recipients of the
2012 VICS Collaborative Commerce Achievement Awards.
The group has recognized Hewlett Packard, Kimberly-Clark, Lord & Taylor, Lowe’s, Macy’s, Ralph Lauren, Robert
Bosch Tool, Schneider National, and Tyco for their excellence in supply chain collaboration. … Amber Road, a
developer of global trade management solutions,
announced that seven of the top 10 companies listed in the
Gartner 2012 Supply Chain Top 25 use its solutions. …
Hitchcock Fleming & Associates Inc. and Akro-Mils have
been honored by the Web Marketing Association with the
2012 Best B2B Mobile WebAward for Akro-Mils’ new
mobile website. … Honeywell has named Pitt Ohio as its
2011 North American Less-Than-Truckload Carrier of the
Year. … Clark Material Handling Co. has announced the
recipients of its Sales Manager of the Year awards for 2011.
They are Richard Waugh of Gray Lift Inc. (Fresno, Calif.);
Wally Painter of The Lilly Co. (Knoxville, Tenn.); Eddie
Cutrer of Equipment Depot, Texas (Dallas); Gord Duffett of
J.H. Ryder Machinery Ltd. (Toronto); Marc Andre Drolet of
J.H. Ryder Machinery Ltd. (Montreal); and Hugo Davila of
Ameco Services, S. de R.L. de C.V. (Monterrey, Mexico). …
Rapidparts Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi
Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA), was named one of
West Michigan’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to
Work For by the Michigan Business and Professional
recession levels, the report said. Rail revenues, in aggregate,
climbed 15. 3 percent year over year largely on the back of
increased demand for the railroads’ intermodal offerings.
For years, large truckers have used rail intermodal service
to reduce their costs of managing an over-the-road fleet.
For the first time ever, mid-sized truckers began doing the
same in 2011, the report said.
Wilson said the railroads are well positioned to capitalize
on the prospects for tightening truck capacity through 2012
and beyond. She advised shippers and intermediaries to be
prepared for fewer trucks, fewer drivers, and fewer trucking
companies in the marketplace.
“I urge everyone to begin making contingency plans for
the day you cannot get a truck,” she wrote. “The railroads
are standing by with a great offer and have the capacity to
take up the slack.”
Rick J. Jackson, executive vice president of Mast Logistics,
a unit of Columbus, Ohio-based retailer Limited Brands
Inc., said the reliability of intermodal service has improved
to the point that his company is comfortable moving
expensive garments via the railroads.
Association. … Choptank Transport, a full-service logistics
provider in Preston, Md., has been named Business of the
Year 2012 in the “51- to 200-employee” category by the
Maryland Chamber of Commerce (photo). … Total Trax Inc.,
a provider of real-time vehicle, driver, and inventory tracking technologies and fleet management solutions for the material handling
industry, received the Excellence in
International Trade award for its
achievements in growing through
international trade. … Betty Lou Vontsolos, vice president
of the collaborative commerce company Inmar, was one of
17 women business leaders from North Carolina’s Triad
region honored by the Triad Business Journal. …
ChemLogix LLC, a logistics service provider for the chemical
industry, has been selected by ICIS Chemical Business
magazine as one of its Top 50 Global Chemical 3PLs for 2012. …
Peoples Services Inc., a third-party provider of transportation, warehouse management, and packaging services,
received the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Jeffrey
Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year Award. …
FreightCenter.com, a third-party logistics company, has
named YRC Freight as its National Carrier of the Year for
2011. … Colson Caster Corp. has presented Hytrol
Conveyor Co. Inc. with an award honoring the two companies’ 50-year business partnership.
