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| The Chinese "Cold Rush" |
 Today in China, thousands of competitors are vying for gold. Meanwhile, industry competitors have already begun vying for "cold." As the Chinese cold chain readies itself for extraordinary growth over the next decade, the race is on for logistics providers to establish themselves in the region before the competition freezes them out. The 2008 Global Cold Chain China Summit, taking place from October 28-29, 2008, at the Westin Bund Center in Shanghai, China, is your operation's ticket to the Chinese "cold rush."
Visit our event website to learn how this event can supply your operation with the market intelligence and in-country relationships needed to make China the next front in your strategic success. Plus, don't miss out on our Table-Top Catalog Show and our range of sponsorship packages. Register today. |
| Forums Drive Transportation Trends |
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.gif) This year's Global Cold Chain Alliance Assembly of Committees in July provided IRTA Members with two unique Forums that covered a range of current issues affecting the temperature-controlled transportation and logistics industry. The Truck and Rail Transportation Forum and the Marine Transportation Forum offered up topics like selecting a TMS, reefer shortages, maintaining quality during shipping, and navigating relations with rail companies. Full coverage of the event will appear in the upcoming IRTA Report. |
| Making Sense of Atmosphere Control in Refrigerated Marine Containers |
| At the Marine Transportation Forum, Andy Smith with Purfresh shared the findings of a whitepaper by Devon Zagory, Ph.D. entitled "Making Sense of Atmosphere Control in Refrigerated Marine Containers." Smith explained that managing temperature during transport can be confusing, but is critical to maintaining quality and extending shelf life. In addition to managing temperature during transport, there are other technologies available to control the atmosphere and manage the natural deterioration in quality, over time, of fresh fruits and vegetables. In this paper, Zagory provides a brief overview of each system and explores the pros and cons of the various methods. Download the whitepaper. | |
| Bush Administration Extends Mexican Truck Access |
 The Bush administration announced plans to extend for two years a Mexican cross-border trucking project required by a trade treaty, setting up a bitter turf battle with Congress. The program, which allows up to 100 Mexican trucking companies to operate in a 25-mile zone along the U.S. border, was originally billed as a one-year trial and was set to expire Sept. 6. Before leaving for its August recess, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a bill that would stop the Transportation Department from continuing with the pilot program. But the administration has refused, citing the North American Free Trade Agreement, which created a framework for the United States and Mexico to further open their roadways to each other's trucks, as well as a 2004 Supreme Court case allowing the administration to give Mexican truckers access to U.S. roads. The Bush administration has warned that if the program is blocked, Mexico could retaliate with fees and tariffs on U.S. goods. |
| A Case Study in Thinking Outside the Box |
| In the reality of $5 dollar a gallon diesel, even the global power of Costco Wholesale cannot afford to run three trucks a day to one location. A legitimate problem Costco faced when the wholesale giant wanted to expand into commercial route distribution: How to regularly deliver frozen, refrigerated, and a myriad of dry goods repeatedly all to the same location without gratuitous waste in fuel, labor, and insurance. In today's economy it takes fresh ideas to continue to expand and thrive. Many IRTA Members and customers are turning to new practices and technology to combat rising fuel costs. Costco chose to employ a new U.S. patented shipping container by Industrial Insulation Systems, CryoFreeze™. These specially designed container systems provide completely portable, no power required, temperature critical, LTL capability for any standard truck, trailer, or van. By using innovative technology, Costco was able to vastly improve its refrigerated deliveries. This demonstrates how continued success is achieved through efficient thinking, an original idea and a symbiotic relationship. |
| Industry Asked to Rank Top Concerns |
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the trucking industry's not-for-profit research organization, launched the 2008 Top Industry Issues Survey. The annual survey, commissioned by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with recommended strategies for addressing each issue. The results of the 2008 survey will be released at the ATA Annual Management Conference and Exhibition, to be held October 4-7, 2008 in New Orleans. Industry stakeholders are encouraged to complete the survey online. Alternately a paper copy can be requested by sending an email to ATRI@trucking.org. |
| Transportation Tally: Trucking Outlook |
 According to a CBS Evening News report, diesel prices have driven an estimated 45,000 big rigs out of the business just since last year. It's easy to quickly predict a bleak future for trucking companies, but as this article from FleetOwner points out the latest freight data from the Freight Transportation Services Index and the American Trucking Association both show slight growth. |
| Quote of the Month |
 "If we see prolonged very high oil, you may see trade lanes change. You may see more near-sourcing in the future, people building the goods closer to the end consumer," Scott Davis, CEO of UPS, told analysts on a July 22 conference call. See full story from USA Today. |
| We Need IRTA Member News |
Share your news! Send your press releases, photos, and other news items to Tori Miller for inclusion in Cool Moves and IRTA Report. Running your news in one of the association's publications is a terrific way to get free publicity and build your brand. | |
