60th Anniversary of the Food Shippers of America Conference March 1-3, 2015

 

FSA Introducing New Mobile App!

During its 60th Annual Conference, Food Shippers of America will unveil a smart phone app designed to enhance the overall experience for professionals attending.  In addition to information provided in the traditional printed agenda, attendees will be able to interact with speakers through live polling, log key takeaways from each session and increase networking opportunities with industry peers.  Furthermore, a live feed will enable users to join and/or follow the #FSA2015 conversation on Twitter.  Tune into the February newsletter for instructions on downloading the app!

 

Exciting Golf Venue at 2015 Conference

Get your conference week started by playing a round of golf at one of America's best tournament venues! TPC San Antonio, home of The Valero Texas Open, will play host to FSA's Golf Tournament on Sunday, March 1, 2015. Whether you are an avid or casual player, this is a terrific opportunity to play the same championship courses as the world's most accomplished and skilled golfers! Contact Kevin Lynch at(708)935-1914 for more details.

 

Trucking Operators' Biggest Worry for 2015? Keeping up with Demand

From 2011 through 2013, shippers and truckers enjoyed an "equilibrium" in truck capacity and freight demand, and a balance in the market that kept rate increases largely in check. That equilibrium shattered in 2014, however, first by last year’s frigid winter and widespread storms and then by steadier, stronger U.S. economic growth that quickly filled trucks and trailers and led to progressively higher truckload and less-than-truckload rates.

Gone is the "soft patch" of meager U.S. economic growth that made much of the recovery feel more like "recession-lite," with mediocre freight demand keeping trucking rate increases relatively low from 2011 through 2013. The steady, sustained economic growth needed to tip the capacity and pricing balance in trucking’s favor finally reached the loading dock in 2014.
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U.S. Truck Orders Gain Speed as Economy Grows Faster

Buoyed by strong demand and an increasingly healthy U.S. economy, truck operators in North America ordered more than 40,000 new heavy trucks in December. That made the last month of 2014 the third straight month in which net Class 8 orders exceeded 40,000 units.

"The market momentum is now feeding on itself with orders once again exceeding expectations in December," Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles for research firm FTR, said. "The (truck manufacturing) industry is very bullish on the 2015 truck market."

That’s because trucking companies in the U.S. and Canada are bullish on the economy. Carriers are placing orders for trucks that won’t be delivered until mid-2015, a sign they have confidence in the durability of the recovery after three quarters of stronger economic growth.
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C.H. Robinson Wraps Up Freightquote.com Buy for $365M

Leading third-party logistics company C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW - Analyst Report) recently completed the acquisition of Freightquote.com, Inc. for $365 million in cash. The deal, which also includes fees and expenses related to the acquisition, was financed through the company’s five-year revolving credit facility of $900 million.

The deal was struck in December 2014, and was subjected to regulatory approvals. Scheduled to be completed by the end of first-quarter 2015, the company has finally wrapped up the takeover following the receipt of the necessary go-aheads.
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Penske Logistics Seeks Supreme Court Case Review

Penske Logistics has filed a petition seeking a United States Supreme Court review of a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the matter of Dilts et al. v. Penske Logistics LLC and Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. – a case revolving around whether state law can trump federal law when it comes to requiring mandatory meal and rest breaks for truck drivers.
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Carrier Spotlight of the Month: Kottke Trucking

The important role carriers play in the logistics industry is why we spotlight these dynamic companies each month. This month’s carrier is Kottke Trucking, Inc., a family owned refrigerated and dry van carrier out of Buffalo Lake, MN. In 1938, Elmer Kottke started Kottke Trucking, Inc. with one truck. Today, Kottke Trucking has 104 trucks on the road and Elmer’s legacy continues under the ownership of his grandsons Kurt, Kory and Kyle. The three Kottke brothers took over the business in 1996 from their parents, Duane and Connie Kottke.
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The Missouri Department of Transportation's Construction Budget Shrinks to a Measly $325 Million in 2017. Here's How They Plan to Spend It.

In 2009, the Missouri Department of Transportation had $1.3 billion to spend on constructing and maintaining the state's roads and bridges. By 2014, that budget line item had shrunk to $700 million.

MoDOT now projects that its construction budget will get hacked down to $325 million by 2017 — and keep in mind that it requires $485 million a year merely to maintain the transportation system in the condition it is in today.
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T-WORKS has Done Wonders for Kansas, But More Transportation Funding Still Needed

Throughout the recent months Kansas has made progress in improving the conditions of its road and bridge conditions, largely through increased transportation funding provided by the T-WORKS program, which was authorized by the state legislature in 2010. With that said, the state still faces several challenges in addressing traffic safety, state and local road and bridge conditions, and further modernizing the state’s transportation system to support economic growth.
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C.H. Robinson Worldwide Fourth Quarter 2014 Earnings Conference Call

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. ("C.H. Robinson") (NASDAQ:CHRW) will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss fourth quarter 2014 results on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (7:30 a.m. Central Time). The results will be released via press release on Tuesday, February 3, 2015, at approximately 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time. We invite call participants to submit questions in advance of the conference call and we will respond to as many of the questions as we can in the time allowed. To submit your question(s) in advance of the call, please email tim.gagnon@chrobinson.com.

Hosting the conference call will be John P. Wiehoff, chairman and chief executive officer of C.H. Robinson, and Chad M. Lindbloom, chief financial officer of C.H. Robinson.

Presentation slides and a simultaneous audio webcast of the conference call may be accessed through the Investor Relations link on C.H. Robinson’s Web site at www.chrobinson.com.
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Food Shippers of America New Headquarters???

I am sure our treasurer (Nancy Newbourne) can find some extra money for this place.
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Transportation, Education Again Top List of Issues for 2015 Legislature

St. Peter’s needs and issues mirror those throughout Minnesota, as transportation and education top the lists among Republicans and DFLers with the 2015 legislative session beginning this week.
"Those two are always at the top of the agenda every session," said District 19A state Rep. Clark Johnson, DFL-North Mankato.
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The Logistics of Marijuana

Medical marijuana is already legal in 23 states and counting. While Ultra doesn’t take a particular position for or against the trend, the recent wholesale legalization of recreational pot in Washington State and Colorado has us reading the writing on the wall. Despite the best efforts of anti-legalization forces, the dominoes are set up to fall (excluding, of course, Dominos Pizzerias which will likely see a record spike in business). Expect more states to succumb to the lure of tax revenues generated by the sale of marijuana. The resulting boom in pot growing and distribution will have definite ramifications for transportation companies in 2015 and beyond. Here are three things the transportation and logistics IT industry already does well; and which will be re-purposed to accommodate the imminent flood of new, marijuana industry-driven shipping business.
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TCA Names Division Winners for Fleet Safety Awards

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Truckload Carriers Association has announced division winners for the 2014 National Fleet Safety Awards, the highest safety honor a carrier can earn each year.
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Oil Glut Spurs Top Traders to Book Supertankers for Storage at Sea

Some of the world's largest oil traders have this week hired supertankers to store crude at sea, marking a milestone in the build-up of the global glut.

Trading firms including Vitol [VITOLV.UL], Trafigura [TRAFGF.UL] and energy major Shell (RDSa.L) have all booked crude tankers for up to 12 months, freight brokers and shipping sources told Reuters.

They said the flurry of long-term bookings was unusual and suggested traders could use the vessels to store excess crude at sea until prices rebound, repeating a popular 2009 trading gambit when prices last crashed.
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