Freight Thefts Continue as US Road Haulage Operators Get Extra …
(Handy Shipping Guide)
Gold Vanishes in Air Cargo Heist Whilst Technology Aids Enforcement
With another massive air cargo crime this week comes good news for road haulage freight truck operators as Heavy Vehicle Electronic License Plate Inc (Help), a not-for-profit public-private partnership dedicated to advancing the safety and efficiency of the transportation industry, has announced that it is to bolster its support of stolen cargo recovery efforts by delivering CargoNet theft alerts through the Automated Vehicle Identification (AVI) system, PrePass.
Firstly the story of a scheduled American Airlines flight from Guayaquil, Equador into Miami, Florida. The plane was disembarked in the early hours on Tuesday and five cargo handlers unloaded the freight carried aboard. Amongst the items was a single box containing $625,000 worth of gold. Closed circuit TV has the freight moved to the far side of the aircraft and shortly after shows a cargo tug passing the area, stopping and proceeding out of shot. The tug was found later several gates away and sworn statements from the staff on the tarmac state none know who was driving and, with the gold still missing, the FBI is appealing for information. Read more here1.
References
This Week in Review: Trucking Pakistan
ON THE KHYBER ROAD
When the Pulitzer Center agreed with Foreign Policy to co-publish a series of e-books on borderlands, we hoped to send great writers to explore some of the more contested regions of the world and let them use the longer-form platform of e-books to tell their stories in a deeper, more compelling way. Matthieu Aikins has done just that in Bird of Chaman, Flower of the Khyber: Riding Shotgun from Karachi to Kabul in a Pakistani Truck1, a mesmerizing account of a single trip through the Kyber Pass that somehow encapsulates the whole harrowing story of America s decade-long engagement in that region.
COMBATING FAKE DRUGS
The flood of fake drugs is an increasing threat to public health, and a subject of continuing interest to the Pulitzer Center. Grantee Esha Chhabra, writing for the Guardian2, reports on a promising new weapon in the fight to beat back the fakes: the use of mobile-phone technology to authenticate drugs. The India-based initiative is aimed at coding drugs so that consumers, even those with basic phones, can verify that what they are buying is real. The stakes are high: The experts Esha quotes say that fake drugs lead to 100,000 deaths per year.
THE FIRST 1,000 DAYS
Grantee Roger Thurow s previous book, The Last Hunger Season3, was a novel-like story about the extraordinary challenges faced by small-scale farmers in western Kenya, and the difference that new agricultural techniques and inputs were making in their lives. Roger has just launched an equally exciting project, in collaboration with the Pulitzer Center, that will track the impact of better nutrition and health practices for children in the critical first 1,000 days after conception, with ground-level reporting from Uganda, India, Guatemala and the United States. This week we feature the first of many dispatches4 as we follow Roger on this journey.
CHINA IN ZAMBIA, GOOD AND BAD
Grantee Alexis Okeowo s first report from Zambia is an eye-opening account5 of China s rapidly increasing presence in that country, and across Africa. China is making real improvements, from health care to government buildings and jobs, a local watchdog tells her, but there are also incidents of labor abuse and the sense among many Zambians that they are losing control of their own economy.
FROM BOSTON TO DAGESTAN
The alleged bombers of the Boston Marathon have family roots in the Russian region of Chechyna and one of them spent several months last year in nearby Dagestan. In an Untold Story6 our guest writer James V. Wertsch, vice chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis and a specialist on the Caucasus, says that what we don t know about the Tsarnaevs shouldn t keep us from absorbing what we do know or should about the tangled history of their native land. Washington University is one of our Campus Consortium7 partners.
References
- ^ Bird of Chaman, Flower of the Khyber: Riding Shotgun from Karachi to Kabul in a Pakistani Truck (pulitzercenter.org)
- ^ the Guardian (pulitzercenter.org)
- ^ The Last Hunger Season (www.amazon.com)
- ^ first of many dispatches (pulitzercenter.org)
- ^ an eye-opening account (pulitzercenter.org)
- ^ Untold Story (pulitzercenter.org)
- ^ Campus Consortium (pulitzercenter.org)
Former FBI Director Working With Trucking Cos. vs. Pilot Flying J
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Attorney Mark Tate of Savannah, Ga., law firm the Tate Law Group, which has filed a class action suit in Knoxville, Tenn., on behalf of Atlantic Coast Carriers, said former FBI Director Louis Freeh and his Freeh Group has agreed to work with trucking companies that claim they were cheated out of fuel rebates by Pilot Flying J, said The Tennessean.
Freeh’s most recent high-profile job was with Penn State University, which hired him to investigate the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, the report said.
The Freeh Group, Wilmington, Del., declined to comment to CSP Daily News.
Louis FreehAtlantic Coast Carriers Inc., Hazlehurst, Ga., filed a lawsuit on April 20 against Pilot Flying J in Knox County Circuit Court in Knoxville. Attorneys charged that Haslam was trying to short circuit Atlantic Coast Carriers’ class-action lawsuit and asked a Knoxville judge to order Haslam to cease contacting trucking firms that may be victims of the alleged rebate scheme. The judge has denied the charge of witness tampering and a request for a restraining order that would have prevented Pilot Flying J from contacting customers.
Tate filed a lawsuit in Knox County (Tenn.) Circuit Court on behalf of Atlantic Coast Carriers against Pilot Flying J.
In a statement posted on its website, Tate Law Group said:
“Over the course of an investigation beginning in May 2011, the FBI determined that Pilot employees had been intentionally defrauding some of its customers by deliberately charging a higher price than what had been contractually agreed upon. According to recordings from inside informants, sales representatives were advised to commit rebate fraud by sending its customers less than they were owed and trained on how to determine which customers would have difficulty discovering the discrepancies. These same informants stated that the company maintained spreadsheets showing the amount owed to customers under their rebate agreements versus the amount actually paid. Federal agents searched the Knoxville headquarters last week looking for such evidence.
“The same recordings revealed that these actions were taken with the awareness and consent of Pilot executives, including CEO James A. “Jimmy” Haslam, III, president Mark Hazelwood, and CFO Mitch Steenrod.
“Atlantic Coast Carriers states through the complaint that they have been damaged because they were induced to purchase diesel fuel at a rate different than what was promised, and paid substantially more than the agreed-upon rate.”
Click here to view court documents1.
A lawsuit filed by Osborn Transportation, Gadsden, Ala., marked the sixth such case2 since federal agents raided3 Pilot’s corporate headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 15.
Meanwhile, Haslam told a gathering of trucking company executives in Indianapolis on Thursday he had no knowledge of a scheme to withhold rebates, reported WATE-TV.
“Absolutely not. I will say absolutely not,” Haslam said, according to a separate report by The Plain Dealer. “I was not aware of any of this.”
Haslam was in Indianapolis for the 2013 Scopelitis Transportation Seminar, attended by approximately 400 trucking industry executives.
Haslam said his short-term goal is to make any wrongs against trucking companies right and to pay back money owed with interest.
He said there are 5,000 trucking companies involved in contracts with Pilot, and of those only 400 were involved with manual rebates. Of those, 250 saw an adjustment made.
“We are going to have a chief compliance officer. I take the blame for us not,” said Haslam.
He said though the company’s reputation has been damaged, oil companies continue to work closely with Pilot and the company is assuring customers they will continue to have the same high supply of fuel.
Pilot business is down 3%, Haslam said, but he blames that on a shrinking market.
Pilot Flying J has more than 650 retail locations and is the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America. Its network provides customers with access to more than 60,000 parking spaces for trucks, more than 4,400 showers and more than 4,000 diesel lanes, of which more than 2,800 offer diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) at the pump.
References
- ^ Click here to view court documents (tatelawgroup.com)
- ^ marked the sixth such case (www.cspnet.com)
- ^ federal agents raided (www.cspnet.com)
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Qualcomm Unit That Contains Trucking Business Breaks Even …
Qualcomm Inc. said the division that includes its truck technology business broke even in the company s fiscal second quarter.
Results for the company s Omnitracs subsidiary were included with the Qualcomm Wireless & Internet, or QWI, division, which improved from a loss of $10 million before taxes in the same period last year.
Omnitracs, formerly known as Qualcomm Enterprise Services, provides in-cab wireless communications systems and other technologies for the trucking industry.
Qualcomm renamed the business on April 1 at the same time that it transferred the segment into a wholly owned subsidiary.
Despite the corporate reorganization, Qualcomm said it has not announced plans to change how it reports results for Omnitracs in future financial reports.
The QWI division s revenue for the quarter ended March 31 declined to $155 million, from $159 million a year earlier.
Through the first six months of the fiscal year, QWI posted a loss of $4 million before taxes on $301 million in revenue, compared with a loss of $9 million on revenue of $311 million for the corresponding period in the previous year.
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All About Shipping Blog Archive Focus on freight forwarders …
Conferences, Seminars, Forums1 By admin2 on April 15, 2013 at 10:23 PM 
Peter Quantrill
BIFA the British International Freight Association is bringing a raft of exciting reasons to visit its stand at the forthcoming Multimodal exhibition, 23-25 April, as well as looking forward to meeting existing and prospective Members, as it delivers its message to the wider UK freight industry.
BIFA Director General Peter Quantrill will be heading up a significant presence of executives and managers, as well as Regional Representatives, Board and Council members from the trade body, to spearhead its focus on raising training standards in the industry, as well as promoting some exciting training programme developments from BIFA.
During the Multimodal seminar programme, Robert Windsor, Manager Trade Services, BIFA is presenting the Association s perspective on the proposed new regulations and the implications of the container weighing proposals on shippers and the container supply chain.
Quantrill says: Training is never more important to a company than when trading conditions are difficult. A highly-trained staff are highly-motivated and BIFA is fully committed to providing its Members, and others within the forwarding and logistics business, with first-rate training that is most certainly fit for purpose, and provides very good value for money in these straitened times.
We will be launching a special video presentation, produced specifically for the event, which introduces the range of courses BIFA runs across the spectrum of the freight forwarding industry which are open to the wider industry as much as the Membership.
In the last few decades, the global freight forwarding and logistics industry has become more complex due to the rising importance of IT and communications technology, the growth of just-in-time delivery and increasing globalisation. BIFA has monitored these developments and tailored its training offering, for the continued development of the British industry. Courses are offered at the Association s London headquarters, at regional venues throughout the UK, or in-house where appropriate.
Panel discussion
Mr Windsor will join a panel discussion on the second day of the three-day event to discuss the issues surrounding container weighing with Gavin Van Marle, Editor, The Loadstar; Chris Welsh, Director of Global and European Policy, FTA; Richard Marks, Director, ICHCA International; and Bill Brassington, Independent Safety Consultant.
Quantrill says: The panel discussion will take place between 11:45 and 12:45 on Wednesday, 24th April and I invite Members and other trade professionals to come along and listen to this important debate.
The issue is a matter of concern throughout the global supply chain where overweight containers are identified in quayside accidents and deaths aboard ships and in ports. Carriers and many shippers support IMO efforts to require container weights to be verified before the box is accepted for stowage on ships.
BIFA also extends an invitation to all exhibition attendees to visit its stand at the NEC Birmingham to discuss the training opportunities it provides and discover the wider activities of the Association to promote and protect the interests of its Members.
Quantrill says: BIFA stands for the interests of freight forwarders, which underpin British visible trade. In supporting those firms that help bring in foreign currencies from around the world, at the same time as working to take British workmanship and quality abroad, our Members help produce a win-win for UK plc. I invite those making their way to Multimodal 2013 to visit us to say hello and let us explain why BIFA Membership can be a win-win for them!
BIFA will exhibit on stand 770 in Hall 4 at Multimodal 2013, which is being held at the NEC Birmingham from Tuesday 23rd to Thursday 25th April 2013.
About BIFA:
The British International Freight Association (BIFA) represents UK companies engaged in the international movement of freight by all modes of transport. A not-for-profit organisation, BIFA is funded by subscription and run by its members for members. It operates with a full-time Secretariat, which administers and manages the Association s affairs. BIFA provides an effective and proactive organisation dedicated to improving standards of professionalism within the logistics and supply chain industry.
Tags: Associations, Markets34
References
- ^ View all posts in Conferences, Seminars, Forums (www.allaboutshipping.co.uk)
- ^ Posts by admin (www.allaboutshipping.co.uk)
- ^ Associations (www.allaboutshipping.co.uk)
- ^ Markets (www.allaboutshipping.co.uk)
Weighing trailers on the road
Today both roadworthy and overloaded vehicles have to be inspected at the stations. Since this is a random process, a driver can run the risk of being stopped for inspection several times a day. Photo: SINTEF
Heavy goods vehicles on Norwegian roads will soon be checked and weighed automatically while on the road. Advanced sensors installed in the road surface, combined with number plate recognition systems, will enable the detection of far more incorrectly loaded trailers than is the case today. This lies at the heart of a joint Norwegian project involving researchers, the regulatory authorities and the road haulage industry.
At present, drivers are responsible for ensuring that trailers are loaded correctly in compliance with their vehicles’ technical specifications. But some organisations take chances and overload vehicles, thus creating a need for inspections. If heavy goods vehicles and their trailers are incorrectly loaded, or the loads incorrectly distributed, they may constitute a traffic hazard and damage road surfaces.
Drawbacks and wasted time
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) has overall responsibility for checking that vehicles meet the requirements set out in the Norwegian statutory regulations governing technical requirements for motor vehicles (kj ret yforskriften), both in relation to roadworthiness and the loads they carry. Weight checks require that trailers must drive into an inspection station.
“Current practice has many drawbacks”, says Terje Moen at SINTEF. “Both roadworthy and overloaded vehicles have to be inspected at the stations. Since this is a random process1, a driver can run the risk of being stopped for inspection several times a day”, he says. According to the Norwegian Hauliers’ Association, this can happen up to 13 times a day! This is a waste of valuable time. The problem is that the inspection process is poorly targeted. Most vehicles stopped are correctly loaded, while many overloaded vehicles avoid the checks. Thus the risk of being caught is low.
New technology
SINTEF is heading the NPRA-commissioned project called NonStop. Other partners involved are the Norwegian Hauliers’ Association and the Oslo firm Ciber AS. The aim of the project, now half-way to completion, is to make commercial road haulage more efficient by ensuring that only incorrectly loaded vehicles are stopped for inspection.
The technology used involves a Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) sensor system which measures the weight of the vehicle using a special cable countersunk into the road surface2. The sensor in the cable utilises so-called PIEZO technology. The cable generates an electrical voltage when subjected to pressure, and in this way can record the weight of a vehicle passing over it. The information is then sent to a computer.
“This technology is well established”, says Moen. “However, it must be adapted and assembled to ensure optimal application and function”, he says.
Getting the right vehicle
The project will employ automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to read vehicle number plates. The number plate can then be searched for in public registers where specifications such as a vehicle’s permitted load will be entered. Measured weight, data from public registers, the provisions of the statutory regulations governing technical requirements for motor vehicles (kj ret yforskriften), and the day-to-day practical expertise of the NPRA inspectors are then built into a decision support system. This system aims to help inspectors select candidates for checking.
“It will also be possible to link the system to data transmitted from the vehicle itself”, says Moen. “A modern vehicle is installed with a “brain” which can measure how far it has travelled, its weight and the duration of stops it has taken along a given section of route”, he says. “It is this aspect which makes the project unique in a global context”, says Moen.
Benefits
One of the most important benefits is that the system will promote a level competitive playing field in the road haulage industry. Those attempting to cheat by driving overloaded vehicles will be caught, while the others will be allowed to pass. By weeding out overloaded vehicles we will improve traffic safety. “The system will have an instructive function by making it financially disadvantageous to cheat”, says Terje Moen.
Researchers believe that the new system will also bring considerable environmental benefits. It is simply good economics to keep the traffic flowing.
“A vehicle weighing 50 tonnes which is stopped for no good reason wastes a lot of fuel accelerating to regain its normal speed”, says Moen, “And the asphalt is worn away unnecessarily by vehicle overloading “, he says. Road resurfacing also represents an environmental problem.
3
References
- ^ random process (phys.org)
- ^ road surface (phys.org)
- ^ vehicle (phys.org)
- ^ SINTEF (phys.org)
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