Filed in Supply Chain Management

Friday, April 15, 2011

For the week ending April 9, carload volume came in at 293,798 for a 1.8 percent annual gain. Intermodal volume was up 12.4 percent at 228,713 trailers and containers.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

As various factors such as increasing diesel prices, tight capacity, and rate pressure continue to take hold in the freight transportation market, they appear to be taking a toll on shippers, according to the April edition of the Shippers’ Condition Index (SCI) released this week by freight transportation consultancy FTR Associates.

Trucking and intermodal services bellwether J.B. Hunt (JBH) kicked off the first quarter earnings season in style with record net earnings of $50.1 million or $0.40 per share compared to net earnings of $37.5 million and $.029 per share a year ago.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

This increase marks the third time the PCI has been up in the last eight months and the 16th consecutive month it has been up on an annual basis.

With the price per gallon of diesel fuel now officially north of $4, there remains a distinct possibility that future retail sales could tail off or remain relatively flat in the coming months.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A 10.2 cent weekly hike brings the current price to $4.078 per gallon, following a 4.4 cent increase last week and a 2.5 cent gain the week before. Diesel prices have been up 18 of the last 19 weeks. And on an annual basis, the price per gallon for diesel is up $1.009 per gallon.

March rail carloads—at 1,493,553—were up 3.4 percent compared to March 2010 and up 11.2 percent compared to March 2009, said the AAR. The weekly carload average in March checked in at 298,711.

The trucking industry is giving itself a pat on the back after government figures show the rate of truck-involved fatalities on U.S. highways fell to 1.17 per 100 million miles in 2009—making it the trucking industry’s safest year since the federal government began keeping track in 1975.

The Port Tracker report is calling for March to come in at 1.2 million TEU for an 11 percent annual gain. April is expected to reach 1.24 million TEU for a 9 percent annual increase.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Entitled UPS SurePost, this service is a “contract-only service that combines the consistency and reliability of the UPS Ground network, from pickup through transferring to the Post Office, with the cost benefits of using the United States Postal Service (USPS) for final delivery," according to company officials.