WINTER MEETING 
The NCLTL Winter Meeting will be held Thursday March 6, 2008 at the spacious Four Seasons Convention Center, Greensboro NC. The meeting will include a bus tour of the FedEx Hub in Greensboro, luncheon and guest speakers Jerry Carrino, EJ Brooks and Keynote Speaker Ed Petow, Freightwatch, USA. Registration forms and agendas have been mailed. Please notify the League office if you have a guest that you would like to invite. We are indeed grateful to Lorillard Tobacco Co. for co-sponsoring the event. Bill Vaughn has worked with the League to make this event possible. Unfortunately Bill fell and broke his leg and foot during Church Service last week. Please remember him in your prayers. He had an operation and is recovering at home but hopes to be able to attend the meeting. BOARD MEMBERS: Please make plans to attend the Board of Governors Meeting at 8:00 AM prior to the meeting. DISPLAY TABLES: We have a limited number of display tables available on a first-come basis. Please notify the League office to reserve a display table.

ALLIED VAN LINES FILES CHAPTER 11
Allied Van Lines, Westmont IL, has filed for chapter 11 reorganization with assets listed of $924 million and debts of $1.2 billion. Allied claims that heavy debt and housing downturn forced it into bankruptcy. Allied expects to exit chapter in 2-3 months.

TOLL BRIDGE OVER YADKIN RIVER STILL IN THE NEWS
The NC DOT is still pushing for a toll bridge over the Yadkin River as well as a widening of 6.8 miles of I-85. The estimated cost is $400 million and would use up more than seven years of local road funding. The NC Turnpike Authority envisions a toll bridge that could open by 2013. Estimated toll fees: vehicles with transponders: $1 each way, pre-registered vehicles that would preferred to be billed: $2 each way. For those that do neither, toll would be $4. About 60,000 vehicles use the bridge daily. Of course there are projected problems with traffic generated by those vehicles that do not pay the toll and use the US 29 bridge. The Turnpike Authority predicts 3,600 trucks a day and 11,000 cars per day. This traffic would create long traffic backups for Spencer residents. 

R&L GENERAL INCREASE
R&L carriers has announced a general increased of 5.4% on LTL and Minimum Charges effective February 4, 2008. There will also be assessorial charge increases and some lane adjustments. The increase is due to increased labor costs, upgraded emissions requirements, security measures and insurance. 

UPS ANNOUNCES 4-TH QUARTER LOSS
The world’s largest shipping company, UPS Inc., has announced at 4th quarter loss of $6.1 billion due to a $6.1 billion payment to shift 45,000 of its employees from one pension plan to another. The results met Wall Street Expectations. The company said it expects to make $3 billion in capital expenditures in 2008, Chief Financial Officer Kurt Kuehn told analysts. 

UPS FREIGHT RATE INCREASE
UPS Freight has announced a general rate increase averaging 5.4% Feb. 4 applying on minimum charge, LTL and TL rates. UPS Freight is the nation’s fourth largest LTL carrier.

TACA MEMBERS ANNOUNCE INCREASE
TACA members have announced the following general increase:
Eastbound dry van and temperature controlled containers on traffic from and via Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Coast Ports
$400 per 20-foot container
$500 per 40-45 foot container
WM $25.00
The members of the TACA are:
Atlantic Container Line AB 
Maersk Line
MSC
Nippon Yusen Kaisha Line
Orient Overseas Container Line

MAERSK REORGANIZATION
Maersk Line is cutting 8-12% of its global workforce, decentralizing its management into smaller regional teams and split its container operations into three different divisions. According to Chief Executive Eivind Kolding, Maersk has lost focus. The company is 10 times the size of what is was 10 years ago. Its container inland services including trucking, rail and stevedoring and logistics activities under Maersk Logistics and Damo are being separated from the Maersk Line organization. Maersk Line’s global structure will be reduced from 14 regions to 11. Kolding said that the company will cut 2,000 to 3,000 of 25,000 total jobs in Maersk line, including the new logistics and inland container services divisions. 

EUROPEAN SHIPPERS SEEK ALTERNATIVE TO US 10+2 RULE
Customs and Border Protection’s proposed security filing rule, known as 10+2 would be another bureaucratic burden for European companies trading with the US, according to Nicolette van der Jagt, Secretary General of the European Shippers Council. Van der Jagt said that the council would ask the European Commission to pursue a policy of mutual recognition with Washington. The proposed security-filing rule does also not respect the Framework for Security and Facilitation adopted by the World Customs Organization. Customs issued a notice of proposed rulemaking for 10+2 on January 2. Importers and carriers would transmit 12 data elements to Customs in advance of a container leaving a foreign port to supplement data on the ship’s manifest. The additional elements include names and addresses of the manufacturer and importer, and location where a container is stuffed. Officials say the additional data will help the agency do a better jog of identifying high-risk cargo.

CONGRESS GETS SALARY INCREASE
Lawmakers will receive an increase of a 2008 salary of $169,300 a boost of $4,100 over 2006 or a 2.3% increase, roughly the same as the Supreme Court Justices, who receive $208,100. House speaker Nancy Pelosi will get $212,000, VP Cheney $221,000 and the president gets $400,000. Not bad.

NC HIGHWAY PATROL TARGETS 53-FOOTERS
The NC Highway Patrol has begun to ticket carriers with 53-foot trailers that are off route. While there is a three-mile leeway, many carriers are simply not in a position to provide 48 footers to all service points. For instance, if there are not approved 53-foot routes to a specific manufacturer, retailer or town, a carrier must provide a 48 footer or shorter trailer. This is just not possible in most instances due to the popularity of 53-foot trailers. So the highway patrol is ticketing drivers for either faulty equipment of violation of the statute, which carriers a fine and drivers license points. Clearly this law needs to be changed. Many of our members are affected and it could become necessary for the League to appeal to state government for relief. With the state of the economy and the push by the Governor to attract new business, the fining of carriers is causing undue burden on parties involved. All comments appreciated. 

OIL PRICES UP 57% FOR YEAR
Oil prices ended the year 57% higher than they began. Pump prices averaged $2.79 a gallon in 2007, compared with $2.57 gallon in 2006, or a gain of 8.6%. 2008 predictions? 

ATLANTA AIRPORT IS BUSIEST IN US
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was the busiest in the US for 2007 with 994,466 flights. Second busiest was Chicago O-Hare with 935,000 flights. Charlotte NC ranked 10th. 

VIRGINIA HAMPTON RDS COAL EXPORTS SURGE
Because of the weak dollar, coal shipments through the Port of Virginia at Hampton Roads are projected to increase 48% this year to about 42mn tons, up from 28.3mn tons in 2007 said David F Host Jan. 28. That would raise shipments to their highest level in about a decade. Mr. Host is President of Norfolk based ship agency T. Parker Host, which works with many coal vessels, said much of the additional tonnage is of steam coat, which is used to fuel electrical-generating stations. Increases are expected in 2008 for the metallurgical coal used in making steel, the bulk of the coal handled in Hampton Roads. Severe flooding in Australia, a major coal exporter, may result in much more business for Norfolk Southern Corp.’s Lambert Point facility, according to the Coal & Energy Price Report newsletter. Hampton Roads’ three coal terminals and the two major railroads that serve them are adding staff and stepping up maintenance to handle the coal influx.

JACK KOONTZ HAS RETIRED
Longtime member, Jack Koontz retired from Swift Transportation, now at 3143 Chaucer Dr, Charlotte NC 28210

LOWE’S ANNUAL CARRIER CONFERENCE RECOGNIZES MANY NCLTL MEMBERS
NCLTL Executive Director Bill Teague (right) accepting Lowe’s Lifetime Achievement Award from Steve Palmer of Lowe’s Companies Transportation Team for “Special Recognition for Being a Positive Advocate of Shippers and Carriers in the NC Transportation Community”. Presented to him for his support and the support of the NCLTL over the years. This was presented at their Annual Carrier Conference held January 17, 2008 in Wilkesboro NC.

Gold Service Award-FedEx Freight  Platinum Service Award-Southeastern Freight Lines  Silver Service Award-SAIA Motor Freight  Gold Carrier Award-EPES Transport Gold Carrier Award-Forbes Transfer  Gold Carrier Award-National Freight Gold Carrier Award-Western Express  Gold Carrier Award-ROEHL Transport  Platinum Carrier Award-G&P Trucking  Platinum Carrier Award-JB Hunt Platinum Carrier Award-Horizon Lines  Silver Carrier Award-Schneider National  Silver Carrier Award-UPS Truckload Small Parcel  Best in Class Service-FedEx Ground  Outstanding Van Carrier-Epes Transport  Outstanding Program Support-FedEx Freight Outstanding Intermodal-JB Hunt Transport  Outstanding Customer Service Team-Schneider National Outstanding EDI Accuracy Carrier-JB Hunt Transport  Outstanding EDI Accuracy Carrier-Schneider National Outstanding EDI Accuracy Carrier-G&P Trucking  Outstanding National Inbound Carrier-Swift Transportation Outstanding Program Development-Contract Freighters  Outstanding Program Development-US Xpress Enterprises Outstanding RDC Dedicated Carrier-National Freight

“Our Congratulations to them all” – Thanks Lowe’s!