Hurricane Impact
CSX reopens Gulf Coast line
Jacksonville, FL-based railroad operator CSX Transportation said it is resuming local freight rail service on its Gulf Coast line to New Orleans...
DOT overpays Landstar $32 million
A recent report by the Dept. of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) suggests that the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) needs to overhaul its emergency transportation contracting procedure...
I-10 Twin Spans Bridge reopens
The west span of the I-10 Twin Spans Bridge in New Orleans, LA, will reopen Friday nine days ahead of schedule, restoring four-lane traffic to the vital east-west corridor devastated by Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced...
Hurricane-damaged ports on road to recovery
A survey by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) finds that most of the Gulf Coast seaports damaged by back-to-back hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma have returned to full or nearly full operation...
U.S. DOT provides $40 million for Katrina-stricken roads
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday provided $40 million to Louisiana and Mississippi to help the Gulf Coast states rebuild roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Katrina...
Mitsubishi Fuso donates trucks to American Red Cross
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America (MFTA), its Japanese parent company, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Co. (MFTBC), and Dothan, AL-based dealer Coffman International presented the American Red Cross, Wiregrass Area Chapter, with three Mitsubishi Fuso trucks...
HURRICANE UPDATE: Port of New Orleans wants truckers!
The Port of New Orleans has announced that port truckers are in very high demand to make local and regional deliveries as efforts continue to restore operations there to pre-Hurricane Katrina levels...
Senate puts the heat on Big Oil profits
Top executives from five major oil companies defended the profits gained on energy price spikes following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita before a joint Senate Committee hearing yesterday...
Diesel price approaches Pre-Katrina levels
The national average price for a gallon of diesel took a 17.8-cent dive to $2.698 for the week ending Nov. 7, putting prices at “only” 53.5 cents more than the same period last year, according to the EIA...
HURRICANE UPDATE: Wilma recovery started
In Florida, the initial recovery from Hurricane Wilma is getting under way...
HURRICANE UPDATE: Wilma strikes Florida
Hurricane Wilma slammed into the southwest coast of Florida at maximum sustained winds of 110 mph this morning, bringing flooding and power outages...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Truckload surprisingly good
Despite the massive economic shock of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which most notably led to a severe spike in diesel fuel prices, the initial spate of earnings reports from truckload carriers indicate the segment isn’t suffering financially in the third quarter...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Rand McNally offers routing alerts
Fleet managers can plan reliable and efficient transportation routes around the hurricane-affected Gulf areas with updated roadwork and road closure information now available from Rand McNally...
HURRICANE IMPACT: I-10 Twin Spans Bridge reopens
Two lanes of traffic along the I-10 Twin Spans Bridge between New Orleans and Slidell, LA, are moving again...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Wal-Mart Transportation recognized
The Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference of the American Trucking Assns. (ATA) presented its Distinguished Public Service Award to Wal-Mart Transportation at ATA’s Management Conference and Exhibition in Boston this week...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Trucking yet to weather aftermath
The Conference Board believes that Hurricanes Rita and Katrina will amplify the pre-Katrina trend of slower economic growth until the second half of 2006...
HURRICANE IMPACT: How one carrier rode to the rescue
After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, fleets turned to satellite communication systems as the only reliable means of communication when cellular towers and landlines failed...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Firestone Industrial Products feeling pinch
The aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will severely affect deliveries by Firestone Industrial Products within the next 15 to 20 days, the company announced Wednesday...
HURRICANE IMPACT: ULSD forecast cloudy
According to the National Petrochemical and Refiners Assn. (NPRA), a lobbying group representing nearly all U.S. refiners, despite the energy supply concerns raised by the Gulf Coast hurricanes, there are no moves afoot to delay next June’s mandatory switch to ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) for on-highway trucks...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Fiberglass costs to rise
Fleets using truck bodies made of fiberglass take note should be aware that the cost of fiberglass is about to rise significantly, due to the run-up in energy prices since the Gulf Coast hurricanes struck...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Signs of slowdown in GDP growth
There is growing evidence that consumers are being rocked by the aftereffects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Rita spurs record diesel prices
The national average price for a gallon of diesel surged 34.6 cents to $3.144, which humbles the old record set on Sept. 5 just after Katrina struck by a lofty 24.6 cents...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Norfolk Southern reopens intermodal terminal
Railroad operator Norfolk Southern Corp. has reopened its intermodal terminal in New Orleans, which had been closed since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast Aug. 29...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Goodyear dealing with raw material shortage
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is temporarily reducing production at its North American tire facilities due to shortages of raw materials resulting from damage caused by Hurricane Rita in Texas and Louisiana...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Fuel surcharges lagging
Werner Enterprises and Swift Transportation have announced that sharp fuel spikes in the aftermath of the recent hurricanes along the Gulf Coast will crimp earnings in the third quarter...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Truckstops feel fuel pinch
Hurricane damage to the energy infrastructure has caused fuel shortages, mostly in the Gulf Coast region, that are impacting leading truckstop operators, which are reporting that tight supplies at some facilities are requiring them to take special measures...
HURRICANE IMPACT: Fuel prices will rise
Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) analysts forecast the national average price for both diesel and gasoline will soon rise above the $3 level—just as it did in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina...
Hurricane Rita: Fuel impact seen to be slight
Diesel fuel and gasoline prices should only see a short-term hike at the most in the wake of Hurricane Rita....
Midnight Radio offers driver hotline
The Midnight Trucking Radio Network (MTRN) has announced it is offering a "Hurricane Crisis Hotline" for use by trucking companies needing to get a hurricane-related message to drivers...
Massive Rita preparations underway
Major movements of people, emergency personnel, military, supplies and equipment have begun ahead of Hurricane Rita’s approach to the Gulf Coast...
Energy impact unknown as Rita looms
With Hurricane Rita aiming to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico, oil suppliers are bracing for the worst-case scenario that the Category 4 hurricane could slam into Houston—a nerve center for U.S. refining capacity—or other concentrated areas with refineries...
KATRINA UPDATE: 85,000 shoes needed in Nashville
The American Trucking Assns. is seeking carriers that can transport 26 53-ft. trailers’ worth of casual shoes from a California warehouse to a distribution center in Nashville, TN to aid persons displaced by Hurricane Katrina...
KATRINA UPDATE: GDP growth will slow
The damage Hurricane Katrina inflicted on the oil and refining infrastructure will slow down the real growth rate of the U.S. economy in the short term as consumers spend more on energy and less on general goods...
KATRINA UPDATE: Teamsters rally support
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters plans to continue and expand relief efforts for both its own members based in Gulf Coast states who lost homes and jobs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as well as other residents in the region hit by the storm...
KATRINA UPDATE: Railroads still recovering
The major railroads serving the Gulf Coast states continue to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and restore service to the region...
KATRINA UPDATE: Kenworth donates dump truck
Kirkland, WA-based Kenworth Truck Co. is donating a new 2006 model T-800 dump truck to the City of New Orleans to support humanitarian efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina...
KATRINA UPDATE: Peterbilt donates dump truck
Peterbilt Motor Co.’s manufacturing facility in Denton, TX, is donating a new Model 378 equipped with a dump body to the city of New Orleans to assist in the cleanup efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina...
KATRINA UPDATE: Trucking proves quick to respond and quick to recover
Despite major disruptions caused by the flooding, widespread wind damage and general chaos that followed Katrina, truck fleets not only rushed to shoulder the heavy loads for early relief efforts, but also managed to be among the first private businesses to get back into business...
KATRINA UPDATE: Highway repairs begin
The state of Mississippi has received $5 million in emergency relief from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) as a down payment for repairs of US 90, I-10 and other federally funded roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Katrina...
KATRINA UPDATE: Share the Road sharing relief
The American Trucking Assns.’ (ATA) Share the Road program is kicking off its latest campaign by delivering a trailerload of bottled water to the Hurricane Katrina disaster area...
KATRINA UPDATE: Diesel drops 5.1 cents to $2.847
The national average price for a gallon of diesel last week retreated 5.1 cents to $2.847...
KATRINA UPDATE: OEMs cut financing customers a break
Heavy-duty truck OEMs are offering existing customers directly affected by the hurricane some flexibility with their truck finance payments...
KATRINA UPDATE: ATA’s Graves assesses impact
Rising fuel prices and scrambled operations from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast is going to put added pressure on the trucking industry’s bottom line...
KATRINA UPDATE: Relief logistics on the rise
Transportation and logistics suppliers supporting relief efforts to the Gulf Coast report that shipments of supplies continue unabated almost two weeks after Hurricane Katrina made landfall...
KATRINA UPDATE: Food relief rolling in
America’s Second Harvest (ASH), a charitable hunger-relief organization, has dispatched 626 truckloads of food weighing a total of 20.7 million lbs. to over 200 emergency shelters housing evacuees displaced by Hurricane Katrina...
KATRINA UPDATE: Union seeking displaced bus drivers
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents over 180,000 bus drivers through 270 local unions across 46 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces, is trying to locate members affected by Hurricane Katrina...
KATRINA UPDATE: Transit agencies feel impact
With gasoline prices hovering at historically high levels, transit agencies are coping with two converging trends – fuel shortages and higher prices coupled to rising ridership as people ditch their vehicles in favor of less costly transportation...
KATRINA UPDATE: Hurricane clipped light-truck sales
Gasoline prices driven up in the wake of Hurricane Katrina along with depleted new-vehicle inventories at dealerships is responsible for a major decline in sales of larger sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks nationwide, according to research by J.D. Power & Associates...
KATRINA UPDATE: Great Dane providing key relief aid
Savannah, GA-based Great Dane Trailers is providing refrigerated trailers for use over an extended period of time to the American Red Cross for its emergency response efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. ...
KATRINA UPDATE: Fleets making operational changes
High fuel prices plus damaged roads and rail lines are forcing truck fleets to make a variety of operational changes to help keep freight moving...
KATRINA UPDATE: Trucking aiding relief efforts
Donations of money and supplies, from food to clothing, continues to flow from trucking firms as well as industry suppliers to aid victims of the hurricane...
KATRINA UPDATE: Schneider links with diesel supply chain
Schneider National on Sunday assisted DOT and FEMA by providing three tanker trucks and six drivers to help restore the diesel supply chain in and around the Greater New Orleans area...
KATRINA UPDATE: Port of New Orleans gets ready to re-open
The Mississippi River is now officially open to ships with a draft of 35 feet. Initially, the river is open for traffic during daylight hours and in one direction at a time...
Diesel prices may soon fall
The national average price for a gallon of diesel rose 30.8 cents to $2.898 last week as market fears of a severe energy supply chain disruption following Hurricane Katrina sent traders and consumers in panic, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said...
KATRINA UPDATE: Dry vans needed
The Mississippi Emergency Management Administration (MEMA) is working with the American Trucking Assns. to acquire 20 dry vans needed daily through at least this week...
KATRINA UPDATE: PA waives oversize truck rules
Governor Edward Rendell is now temporarily waiving for 90 days Pennsylvania state regulations governing the transport of oversized loads ...
KATRINA UPDATE: Post Office implements contingency plan
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has three primary objectives: to reconnect, respond and reestablish...
KATRINA UPDATE: Fuel costs high, but could slacken soon
Major price spikes in both gasoline and diesel fuel from coast to coast could be easing in the coming weeks as efforts to cut fuel taxes combined with the recovery of oil refinery capacity in the Gulf Coast region gain momentum...
KATRINA UPDATE: DOT ramps up recovery efforts
The federal Dept. of Transportation continues to coordinate a massive operation involving airplanes, buses, trucks, and ships designed to get supplies and personnel into the regions affected by Hurricane Katrina and evacuate citizens out of New Orleans...
KATRINA UPDATE: No telling how long fuel-price spike will last
The hurricane damage to the oil production and refinery infrastructure in the southern states bordering the Gulf of Mexico – a region responsible for a third of all the petroleum imported and processed in the U.S. – is causing a sharp spike in both gasoline and diesel fuel prices across the country...
KATRINA UPDATE: CSX rerouting rail service
Jacksonville, FL-based railroad CSX Corp. is rerouting freight transportation service around lines in the Gulf Coast region severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina...
KATRINA UPDATE: FleetOwner launches special Blog
FleetOwner has launched its Katrina blog to provide our readers with the ability express their thoughts on the devastating effects of the hurricane in a forum with FleetOwner editors and other readers...
KATRINA UPDATE: Lost port’s massive ripple effect
Located on the 14, 500-mile Mississippi River inland waterway system, the deepwater Port of New Orleans is one of America’s leading general cargo ports ...
KATRINA UPDATE: Trucking relief gearing up
Just three days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the great engine that is trucking is roaring to life to support the Herculean effort to relieve a disaster area that spans the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama....
KATRINA UPDATE: Road report
Although it’s obvious the Gulf Region is in dire straits in the wake of Hurrican Katrina, there is specific information on road closures posted on the Dept. of Transportation websites of affected states...
KATRINA UPDATE: Tapping reserve no magic bullet
In an anticipated move, President George W. Bush today authorized tapping the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to make up for crude oil lost due to the shutdown of oil rigs and tankers in the Gulf of Mexico near hurricane-stricken New Orleans...
KATRINA UPDATE: Utility fleets rolling in
Across the country, utility companies are marshalling line crews and convoys of trucks for service in storm-struck areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to help restore power to thousands of communities ravaged by perhaps the worst natural disaster to ever hit the U.S., Hurricane Katrina...
KATRINA UPDATE: Search and rescue efforts underway
The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina has prompted President George W. Bush to declare major disaster areas in parts of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and South Florida. The City of New Orleans remains evacuated and the Port of New Orleans is shut down...
Katrina expected to boost diesel prices
Crude oil jumped to a new record high of $70.80 a barrel before settling back to the $67-level, indicating a knee-jerk reaction by traders as Hurricane Katrina plowed into the Gulf Coast today, forcing a shutdown of oil rigs and refineries in the area...
