Motor carriers are continuing their battle to replace state-by-state regulation with standard, national practices. Their latest proposal would replace the Single State Registration System (SSRS), a system administered by 38 states that monitors for-hire carriers' financial and insurance status. The National Private Truck Council, the National Conference of State Transportation Specialists and the American Trucking Associations want to replace SSRS with a new program called Unified Carrier Registration (UCR). UCR would merge existing state and federal motor carrier registration databases into a single, federal system. If adopted, UCR could significantly reduce registration costs. The proposal also includes provisions for replacing state revenues that would be lost when SSRS ends, and a requirement that registration fees be used exclusively for safety, enforcement and registration administration.

Congress adjourned last month without passing a Homeland Security bill or finishing its work on maritime security legislation. Shippers have been left hanging until after legislators return from their election recess, but the National Industrial Transportation League reports that at least one big issue appears to have been resolved. According to the league, a plan to impose fees on every import and export shipment was dropped from the House and Senate conference report on proposed maritime security legislation. NITL opposed the charges, saying that assessing security fees solely against shippers and receivers of cargo was "simply not appropriate or fair."

The Bekins Co. is alive and well and already profitable just six months after agents bought the company from its former owner, financially troubled GeoLogistics Corporations. GeoLogistics, which focused on freight forwarding and international logistics, had bought Hillside, Ill.-based Bekins to provide domestic value-added services for its international customers. But Bekins suffered as GeoLogistics faltered, so earlier this year, the company's 375 agents bought it back. By fall, Bekins was profitable and had significantly reduced its debt, accomplishing "more in the last six months than it did in the previous six years," reports CEO and President Larry Marzullo. In addition to relocation services, Bekins specializes in high-value products transportation, home delivery, logistics and tradeshow services.

The Supply-Chain Council, an organization of companies that have developed best practices in supply chain management, has announced that its Supply-Chain World–North America conference will be held April 7–9, 2003, in Atlanta. Session tracks will center on such topics as improving customer value in the extended supply chain, leveraging assets for competitive advantage, performance management, supply chain analysis, current and new technologies, and strategic sourcing. For more information about the conference and its sponsor, the Supply-Chain Council, go to www.supply-chain.org or call (412) 781-4101.

Yet another logistics marriage designed to bring together international and domestic expertise is under way. Last month, international freight forwarder and logistics service provider UTi Worldwide of Rancho Dominguez, Calif., announced that it had purchased Columbia, S.C.-based Standard Corp. Standard operates more than 10 million square feet of warehouse space and offers contract logistics services, mostly in the Southeast. Standard is known for its quality control—the company follows the Six Sigma system of process management and has achieved ISO 9002 and QS 9000 registration. William Gates (no, not that William Gates) will move up from president and chief operating officer to CEO, while members of the Walker family, which founded the company in 1894, will step down from day-to-day management.

A new online service makes it easier to find out what's happening at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency recently added a section to its Web site that includes a report on the status of proposed and recently completed rulemakings. The site (http://regs.dot.gov) includes a summary of each rulemaking and a discussion of its potential impact on the transportation community. It also includes a schedule for passage and implementation and explanations of delays. The report will be updated monthly.

Want a rough estimate of what it might cost for a new piece of materials handling equipment? Consulting firm Gross & Associates of Woodbridge, N.J., has made its "Rules of Thumb" cost calculator available online at www.grossassociates.com. To use it, select the type of equipment you want and check as many characteristics as possible, then click the "cost calculation" button to see an approximate total cost for equipment, delivery and installation. "Rules of Thumb" is also available in a print edition, which readers can request online or by calling (732) 636-2666.

You can feel more secure about your truckload and LTL shipments now that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued new standards for securing loads in interstate commerce. The rule, which takes effect Dec. 26, clarifies how to determine the load limits of cargo securement systems and how to use tiedown devices to secure cargo so that it will not leak, spill or fall off a vehicle. It also establishes new performance standards for these devices and specifies usage for several applications, including intermodal containers, forest products, and heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery. The new rule, Docket FMCSA-97-2289, can be viewed online at http://dms.dot.gov.

The bankruptcy of Consolidated Freightways will have a long-lasting impact on shippers—not only because of the difficulty of rerouting shipments that were stranded in CF's system when the LTL carrier shut down, but also because of the legal issues related to motor carrier bankruptcies that inevitably will arise. To find out what problems are likely to affect CF's former customers, read "The Demise of Consolidated Freightways—the Impact on the Shipping Community" by transportation attorney and Logistics Management columnist William J. Augello and his colleague Raymond A. Selvaggio. The article addresses such topics as recovering unpaid loss-and-damage claims, defending against possible undercharge claims by CF's bankruptcy trustee and time limits that affect claims filings. To get a copy of the article, which is being offered courtesy of the original publisher, the Association for Transportation Law, Logistics and Policy, e-mail Augello at williamaugello@worldnet.att.net.

Manhattan Associates, which offers supply chain execution software, will acquire Burlington, Mass.-based Logistics.com. The company, founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Yosef Sheffi and now headed by former Schneider National executive John Lanigan, offers Internet-based transportation, procurement and logistics management solutions for shippers and carriers. The deal will marry Manhattan's broader-based product line with Logistics.com's transportation expertise. The two companies expect to conclude the sale by the end of the fourth quarter.