Another Quarter, Another Quarterly Loss For YRC Worldwide
November 5, 2010
YRC Worldwide Achieved Significant Progress on Comprehensive Recovery Plan | finance.yahoo.com
YRC Worldwide reported a third-quarter net loss of $62 million on $1.14 billion revenue, compared with a $159 million loss on $1.2 billion revenue in the year-ago quarter. Bill Zollars, YRC's chairman, CEO and president who is leaving the company at the end of the year, said the $62 million loss meant the financially troubled LTL trucker had "achieved significant progress" despite losses in excess of $2.2 billion the last two and a-half years.
YRC Worldwide Gets More Life--Teamsters Accept More Concessions on Pay, Pensions
November 1, 2010
Teamsters Accept More Concessions at YRC Worldwide | www.kansascity.com
Rank-and-file Teamsters at YRC Worldwide units have accepted another round of wage and pension concessions aimed at keeping the struggling LTL carrier alive. In addition to a 15 percent wage concession through 2015, the YRC workers will continue a freeze on their pensions until mid-2011, and then get only 25 percent of previously agreed to pension contributions. The scheme is estimated to save YRC as much as $350 million annually.
October 28, 2010
Why The Defense Industry May Never Bounce Back | blogs.forbes.com
One change in American industry may be the cyclical unwinding of the traditional industrial-military defense business. This trend could be felt not only in companies dedicated to the defense industry but also by non-defense companies who owe their very survival through the Great Recession by their diversification into the military realm.
Technical Thoughts About SCR v. EGR - From A “Field Engineering” Perspective
October 24, 2010
Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) and Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) issues are both hot these days where buyers are now voting with their purchase decisions. Truckers have to become more technically proficient - and fleet / field engineers are dealing daily with this new stuff. OEM’s have their sales pitches, but users are discussing it their own way. Investors and financiers benefit from the current dialogue, as we all are betting on the future.
Navistar September 2010 Class 8 Market-Share Drops - Big-Time
October 18, 2010
Class 8 Truck Sales Up For Month, YTD; Class 6 Sees Continued Surge | www.truckinginfo.com
Navistar Corporation’s US Class 8 deliveries are showing about a 10-point share drop per Wards Communication numbers - both YOY and mid-YTD. This is with US Class 8 truck sales hanging in there month-to-month and sales notably better than 2009.
How Much Excess Capacity Is There Really In The LTL Sector? More Than You Think…
October 12, 2010
With Truckload (TL) carriers experiencing tightening capacity, we (and especially YRC Worldwide) are still hoping for the same in the Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) sector. There are several factors that limit the real decrease in LTL capacity - and real increases in LTL profitability. They include capacity in-service: trucks, trailers and terminals sitting idle; Information Technology (IT) and other firms with “hybrid” trucking models.
Anger and Angst Drive Another Challenge to Hoffa
October 12, 2010
Second Teamsters Candidate to Challenge Hoffa | www.nytimes.com
Sandy Pope, a former truck driver and president of a large Teamsters Local in Long Island City, N.Y., is officially challenging incumbent Teamsters president James. P. "Jim" Hoffa in next year's election at the 1.4 million-member union. An admitted longshot, Ms. Pope is the second official challenger to Hoffa. Earlier, Fred Gegare, a Teamsters leader from Green Bay, Wis., announced he was challenging the two-term incumbent of the Teamsters.
New Truck Sales Will Remain Slow With Used Doing Better - Here’s Some Why's
October 4, 2010
2010 is quickly passing with new truck sales falling short of most folks earlier predictions, but better than conservative estimates (like from us). Demand is being met by a strengthened used truck marketplace. There are several reasons including: freight demand, current fleet financials / utilization, regulations, higher new vehicle costs, tougher financing terms, available used trucks, newer truck engine product concerns, maintenance costs, truck drivers still available and other reasons.
SWA v. Majors’ Bags, Booze, Blankets, Braking & Bad Cheese / Attitude Issues
October 3, 2010
Southwest Airlines to buy AirTran for $1.4B | www.forbes.com
Success in a service business is largely about “service.” The Southwest Airlines purchase of AirTran brings all of the competitive fare / operational insight / supplier issues as noted by our colleagues Ernie and Addison, but less-frequent fliers will get something seemingly missing at the mega carriers - a good in-flight experience in coach! A recent American Airlines weekend trip reminds me of why a growing SWA / WN will be good for the traveling public.
Biggest Myth in Trucking -- The General Rate Increase Means Something
September 30, 2010
FedEx Freight to Raise LTL Rates 6.9 Percent | www.joc.com
FedEx Freight and ABF Freight System are first out of the box with announcements of their general rate increases for 2001--6.9 percent for FEF and 5.9 percent for ABF. Troubled LTL giant YRC Worldwide says it is raising rates by 5.9 percent as well. But hardly any large shipper will be affected by these rate increases, which apply only to non-contract rates and often are discounted away in negotiations with truckers' large national accounts.
Apple brings textbooks to iPad -- Finally
January 20, 2012
PayPal loses a key player in mobile device payments to Yahoo
January 10, 2012
More details and insights about the planned Sears Holdings store closings
January 4, 2012
Three things you should know about Sears store closings
December 29, 2011
Thoughts on GM Volt's recent "rapid thermal expansion" incident
December 6, 2011