February 16, 2015
The most recent short interest data has been released by the NASDAQ for the 01/30/2015 settlement date, and we here at Dividend Channel like to sift through this fresh data and order the underlying components of the Nasdaq 100 by "days to cover." There are a number of ways to look at short data, for example, the total number of shares short. But one metric that we find particularly useful is the "days to cover" metric because it considers both the total shares short and the average daily volume of shares typically traded. The number of shares short is then compared to the average daily volume to calculate the total number of trading days it would take to close out all of the open short positions if every share traded represented a short position being closed.
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Sales of 17,373 tractors in the month of January made for the best start to a new year since 2007, according to data received from Wards Automotive. Back then, carriers were scrambling to add tractors to their fleets that were built before new Environmental Protection Agency guidelines resulted in changes to diesel engines that carriers feared would reduce fuel mileage and increase maintenance costs, concerns that were later substantiated.
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A federal jury on Wednesday awarded nearly $15 million to 11 warehouse workers who accused a NorCal trucking company of segregating workers by race, calling people "stupid Africans" and punishing those who complained.
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Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corporation (OL&T)
USA Truck Inc. in Van Buren saw its highest earnings per share since 2008 in the fourth quarter of 2014, with operating income of $8.6 million compared to a previous fourth-quarter loss of $4.7 million.

It was USA Truck’s ninth consecutive positive quarter, the president of the North American trucking and logistics company said in a conference call Wednesday. USA Truck pushed base revenue up 10.7 percent from the previous fourth quarter to $125.8 million and its consolidated operating ratio improved by 1,090 basis points to 93.2.
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CarrierDirect, a leading strategic transportation and logistics advisory firm, has released their semi-annual market perspective, "Eat or Be Eaten: The Year of Separation in Freight," exploring the trends of the domestic freight industry looking toward the whole of 2015.

The market perspective provides a deep look across the economy from a domestic and global perspective, the state of the freight industry and what lies ahead for innovation in the sector.
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C.R. England
Stronger sales of Frito-Lay snacks helped PepsiCo deliver a quarterly profit that came in above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday.

The better-than-expected results sent its shares up in premarket trading, even though the company's profit was dragged down by weakening foreign currencies and restructuring charges.

During the period, PepsiCo said revenue for its Frito-Lay North America division rose 3.5 percent, boosted by a mix of stronger volume and higher prices. The unit, the company's biggest division, sells popular snacks including Doritos, Cheetos and Tostitos.
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Harrison Truck Centers, a Freightliner-Western Star dealer in Iowa, will introduce a diesel-natural gas fueling system on severe-duty glider-kitted trucks, using a Turbocharged Natural Gas Dual Fuel System from American Power Group, the two companies announced.

In collaboration with WheelTime Network's Interstate Power Systems, Harrison will install dual-fuel systems and associated natural gas storage tanks at its glider kit production facility in Elk Run Heights, Iowa. Target markets will include on-highway heavy hauling and the oil and gas, logging and mining industries.
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United States Cold Storage, Inc.
The bar category is bursting with innovation, as snack makers seek to develop products with nutritious ingredients, indulgent flavors and everything in between.
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Celadon Group, Inc. (NYSE: CGI), one of North America's premier transportation and logistics companies, has been named the 2015 CCJ Innovator of the Year by Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) magazine for its use of technology and software by its Customer Service department to make booking loads a more sophisticated and analytical process and improve the company culture. The announcement took place on February 6 at Commercial Carrier Journal's 2015 Innovators Summit in Florida.
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Choptank Transport appointed Paul Wood as the new director of carrier services. Wood oversees carrier compliance and is responsible for strategic planning, carrier development and customer relations.

"We are glad to find someone of Paul’s caliber for the job," said Steve Covey, Choptank’s executive vice president, in a news release. "His job will allow greater visibility regarding available capacity in the marketplace — more time planning and less time reacting to customer demands and needs. It will also allow us to focus on the issues that our carriers face on a daily basis. His role addresses our customer’s demand to provide only the highest quality capacity."

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WSI Logistics
If you’re a wine lover along the East Coast – everywhere from Florida to the Mid-Atlantic and New England - chances are a Memphis-based third-party logistics provider played a significant role in getting your vino into your glass.

Using insulated boxcars that protect their precious cargo from extreme heat and cold, Cornerstone Systems Inc. has carved out a niche transporting wine from the rich Napa Valley region in California to distributors in the East.
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The U.S Department of Agriculture’s proposed budget for fiscal 2016 renewed the Obama administration’s efforts to incorporate local and regional purchases of food near international food emergency outbreaks in its foreign assistance toolbox. The U.S.D.A. budget requested congressional authority to use up to 25% of funds appropriated to provide for P.L.480 Title II food donations abroad for the purchase of food from foreign producers who live near areas where food emergencies erupt. Additionally, the U.S.D.A. sought $20 million in funding for the local and regional Food Aid Procurement program, a pilot program authorized under the Agricultural Act of 2014.
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Tribe Express
The grades of four shipping and logistics stocks are better this week, according to the Portfolio Grader database. Every one of these stocks has an "A" ("strong buy") or "B" overall ("buy") rating.
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David Lee Cullen, who has been covering trucking exclusively for major industry magazines since 1981, joins the Heavy Duty Trucking editorial team officially this week as executive editor.

Cullen most recently held the position of executive editor of Fleet Owner Magazine. He launched his career with DES (Diesel Equipment Superintendent) magazine, where he served as managing editor.
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Food Shippers of America
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