PierPass Inc. Thursday launched the Free-Flow Program, testing a new cargo handling process expected to significantly reduce the time it takes participating commercial trucks to pick up containers at marine terminals. Today’s random-access process, where any truck can show up at any time to pick up any container, hasn’t changed since containerization began in the early 1960’s. 

HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. The HACCP system can be used at all stages of a food chain, from food production and preparation processes including packaging, distribution, etc. 

The ninth circuit appeals court judge in Oakland CA has ruled some 2300 Fed Ex Ground workers from 2000 to 2007 were "mis-classified" as contractors according to California law. The laws determining the distinction between employee and contractor are based largely on the degree to which the employer has control over the circumstances under which the contactor achieves the duties for which he or she was hired to perform. Employees are required to work specific hours, dress and conduct themselves according to company policy, etc in the completion of their assigned responsibilities. 

Vast Network of Resources

3PLs have a vast network of resources available that allow each step in the supply chain to be executed in the most efficient, cost effective way. They can leverage relationships and a wealth of industry experience, which results in lower overhead and the fastest possible service.  

The transportation industry faces huge challenges in measuring the economic effects of cargo theft. The illustration below provides a comprehensive overview of American cargo theft from January ,1 2013 to December 31, 2013. The review examines stolen commodity type , theft incident location, date, and time , cargo origin and destination , and mode of transportation.

With the significant expansion of its ExpressRail system and enhanced inland connections, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is advancing its role as the gateway of choice for speeding cargo to a growing number of destinations in the Midwest, New England, Canada and beyond. 

Fed Ex and Ups announced it will institute Dimensional weight pricing on all ground packages by the end of 2014. Currently Fed Ex and Ups only apply Dimensional pricing to packages measuring 3 cubic feet or greater. Subjecting all packages to dimensional weight will affect virtually all US shippers. Dimensional weight is a calculation of a theoretical weight of a package. This theoretical weight is the weight of the package at a minimum density chosen by the freight carrier. Calculations are as follows.

More than 100 drivers who haul goods from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and their supporters protested three Harbor Area trucking companies Monday, calling for the firms to improve working and wage conditions for truckers and to stop retaliating against drivers who want to unionize. At the center of the grievance is the misclassification of drivers as independent contractors instead of employees, a practice they said allows the companies to skirt labor laws and avoid paying them fair wages. 

A state audit has shown the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey waited more than a year to conduct 47 inspections on bridges identified as having conditions that could become dangerous if ignored, the Associated Press reported. The authority has said the findings amount to a disagreement about inspection standards. Most of the problems were on the George Washington Bridge. 

New Century Transportation, Inc., a trucking company in Westampton, told its nearly 1,500 workers Monday the business had filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors. Stunned drivers and workers milled around the New Century parking lot Monday morning, talking and planning their next move. Some said they received letters from New Century about the closure, others heard the news after pulling their semi rigs into the Rancocas Park East industrial site that houses the trucking firm.