Home > News In Motion > December 15 2011

News In Motion

The movement of People, Goods and Ideas.

NIM is TranSystems' e-newsletter distributed to more than 10,000 subscribers nationwide. The electronic publication features top news and expert commentary on target market segments in the transportation industry.

AAA Study Finds Costs Associated With Traffic Crashes Are More than Three Times Greater than Congestion Costs

Traffic crashes cost U.S. motorists almost $300 billion per year READ ARTICLE

At FedEx, no elves but plenty of workers and tech to move gifts

With Christmas less than two weeks away, it's crunch time at the nation's shipping companies. READ ARTICLE

Cell phone ban urged by National Transportation Safety Board

The National Transportation Safety Board has a message for drivers: Hang up, stop texting and drive. READ ARTICLE

City trying again on airport retail revamp

Winning competitors for dozens of restaurant and store contracts at the Atlanta airport are expected to be revealed Wednesday, as the city takes a second shot at a massive revamp of concessions operations. READ ARTICLE

Deepening of port unlikely before 2024

Deepening the Port of Charleston is a key to creating jobs and increasing U.S. exports, local business and political leaders said Tuesday, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the project is unlikely to get done before 2024. READ ARTICLE

FBI says hackers hit key services in three US cities

At a recent cybersecurity conference, Michael Welch, deputy assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, said hackers had accessed crucial water and power services. READ ARTICLE

A Step Further...

For decades, hackers have been able to create some havoc in the computer systems of the world's population. READ COMMENTARY

Household electricity bills skyrocket

Electric bills have skyrocketed in the last five years, a sharp reversal from a quarter-century when Americans enjoyed stable power bills even as they used more electricity. READ ARTICLE

Imagining a City Without Its Public Transportation

Officials from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority are out in the city all the time talking about the costs of the capital region’s transit system – the money it takes to run the thing, the investments required to expand service and build new lines, and the fares needed to pay for it all. READ ARTICLE

JaxPort gets $10 million for work on railroad yard

The Jacksonville Port Authority will get a $10 million federal grant for a railroad yard where cargo containers will be transferred between ships and trains. READ ARTICLE

Nashville steers transit talk toward buses

A few years from now, a bus zipping along a dedicated lane could be the way thousands of people move up and down one of Nashville’s busiest, most congested corridors each day. READ ARTICLE

Oakland's port was shut down. No, it wasn't. Yes, it was.

When is a shutdown a shutdown? READ ARTICLE

A Step Further...

The Occupy protests largely fizzled. READ COMMENTARY

Post office closures delayed until May to buy time for Congress

The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday that it would not close facilities until May 15, giving Congress five months to complete an overhaul of the cash-strapped agency’s operations. READ ARTICLE

A Step Further...

This is one of the most volatile negotiations that will hit the current administration - perhaps over the past three years. READ COMMENTARY

Rail Outlook 2012: Passenger rail

"The economy is no longer on life support." "Things are definitely not getting worse." "I'm optimistic things will get better." "We will continue to have challenges."
READ ARTICLE

Raising gas tax for inflation would have netted millions

An analysis by a nonprofit tax-policy institute says that Maryland and Virginia could have collected hundreds of millions of dollars per year since their last gas-tax increases if they had raised the tax regularly to account for inflation. READ ARTICLE

Rapid buses bump Detroit light rail plan

The Obama administration and the city of Detroit are expected to announce as early as today they will scrap a plan for light rail along Woodward in favor of a rapid-transit bus system, three officials briefed on the plan said late Tuesday. READ ARTICLE

Retail sales rise for a sixth month, inventories show growth

Shoppers snapped up a wide range of items in November — from holiday stocking stuffers to sports cars — helping to boost retail and food service sales for the sixth-consecutive month. READ ARTICLE

Shipping Carbon Tax Blocked at UN Climate Talks

A carbon tax on international shipping to finance a “green fund” for developing nations was blocked at recently concluded United Nations climate change talks. READ ARTICLE

Shipping resumes at West Coast ports after protests; officials cite likely millions in losses

West Coast ports tried to get back to business as usual Tuesday as they tallied their losses after anti-Wall Street protests that blocked trucks and curbed business along busy waterfronts. READ ARTICLE

A Step Further...

One of the things that seems likely in the future is the prospect of labor vs. management issues developing. READ COMMENTARY

Tales in Motion: Enough About Chicago

In those days that I speak of, before the age of travel and tourism really got rolling and we were all so knowing about everything, you could gain a certain level of distinction or social capital simply by having traveled to the next town over.
READ ARTICLE

That's a lot of Transportation news...what's it all mean?

The ‘simultaneous trap’…as a term I think it might have legs....scarcity always sells newspapers, particularly over on the infrastructure side of the world. The professionals associated with infrastructure have done such a good job through the decades that this whole sector of the economy is a bit invisible it works so well. ...I think oil prices are going to rise back up, don’t you?
READ ARTICLE

Transit benefit program on the line

With Congress pushing to adjourn before Christmas, transit riders could be left at the station. READ ARTICLE

U.S. Trade Gap Narrows

An index of consumer confidence ticked up in December and the U.S. trade deficit narrowed in October, both signs that the economy is on a slow but steady upswing. READ ARTICLE

A Step Further...

The trade gap has been narrowing for the past four months. READ COMMENTARY

Update to the Freight Goods - Drivers of Transportation Index

Segments of Transportation to Remain Strong
READ ARTICLE

US Congress eyes freight mobility fund

The US House of Representatives has introduced a National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Act, a bill that would provide federal funding for freight infrastructure and transport improvements throughout the country. READ ARTICLE

USDOT TIGER III Grant Awards Announced

A number of TIGER III grant announcements are leaking out in advance of the official USDOT announcement. READ ARTICLE

When Airlines Depart Cities, Businesses May Follow

Last month when Chiquita announced it was moving its corporate headquarters from Ohio to North Carolina, it said it was lured there in part by the number of flights in and out of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. READ ARTICLE

A Step Further...

The challenge is vexing to say the least. READ COMMENTARY

News in Motion is an e-newsletter keeping you current on news and trends in the transportation industry.

Click here to learn more information about News in Motion

May 2012

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

That's A Lot of News

What's it all mean? The warning blender.

TranSystems Transportation Activity Index, December 15 2011
Uncertainty, Uncertainty, Uncertainty

Is there a point at which we can honestly say that markets around the world (both the investor community and the business community) regain a sense of confidence that economic conditions will remain steady enough that they can make long-term decisions? If we oversimplify everything happening in the supply chain, transportation, and general economic world - we are seeing the results of a significant amount of uncertainty. READ COMMENTARY