Dutch based global express delivery, mail and freight company TNT N.V. has responded to a swathe of recent news items about the company by releasing a short statement to the press that reiterated the company’s policy to keep quiet.

Saying specifically that "with reference to various news articles today in which TNT was mentioned, TNT wishes to reiterate its policy not to comment on such speculation and market rumours."  With the statement, TNT has refused to be drawn on reports that surfaced in the Financial Times saying that United States based parcel and freight delivery conglomerate, FedEx Corporation was in preliminary talks to buy the company.

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United States based trucking group, YRC North American Transportation has announced that three of its operating companies, Yellow Transportation, Roadway and USF Holland, have implemented changes that see the reduction of transit times on over 30,000 transport lanes.

According to a statement made by the company in a press release, the faster and more reliable lanes are part of service enhancements made by the three companies, with the aim of optimising their network and allowing YRC to improve service by at least one day for more than 15 percent of its shipments.

President and CEO of YRC North American Transportation, Mike Smid, commenting on the improvements explained that the network enhancements had been made possible by "designing networks with fewer miles" as well as having the "the lanes involve fewer handoff’s" as this means "faster and more reliable deliveries".

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The cargo airline subsidiary of global transportation conglomerate FedEx Corporation, FedEx Express has entered into an initiative that is set to provide American citizens living abroad, with express delivery of their absentee ballots come November’s elections.

With approximately six-million US Citizen expatriates around the world, the Overseas Vote Foundation has sought, through its "Express Your Vote" initiative, the ability for expatriates to participate in elections back home.  The initiative providing online shipping, track and trace capabilities, as well as proactive proof of delivery through the Overseas Vote Foundation Web site.

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As the air cargo industry battles against the continuing costs associated with the rise in the price of oil, The Boeing Company, in releasing it’s twenty-year outlook, has said that it will be more efficient aircraft that will keep the air cargo industry viable.

Projecting that the sustained growth of world trade will drive a 5.8 percent average annual increase in air cargo traffic, Boeing expects that carriers will opt for larger and more efficient aircraft to both fulfil their requirements and keep air cargo transport affordable.

Boeing anticipates that the tonne-kilometre cost and range advantages of large freighters will enable air carriers to meet demand on high-growth trade lanes, particularly links to Asia.  Boeing also says that replacement aircraft for the industry will generally be larger, increasing the fleet share of large freighters from 26 percent to 35 percent by 2027.

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In an announcement made yesterday, New York State Senator Joe Bruno has indicated that a new intermodal and automotive rail logistics centre will be constructed, with the aim of providing an anchor to a high-speed freight rail route between the Capitol Region and the Boston area.

To be  constructed by Norfolk Southern and Pan Am Railways at the former rail yard located within the towns of Halfmoon, Mechanicville, and Stillwater, the new facility will provide increasing opportunities for shippers to move freight more efficiently by rail.

In announcing the $40 million dollar construction project, Senator Bruno, noting the increasing costs of transportation said that "the rail industry has once again become an increasingly viable and affordable option," and that the commitment shown by Norfolk Southern and Pan Am Railways to invest in constructing a new facility in Southern Saratoga County "is great news for the local economies in Mechanicville, Halfmoon and Stillwater."

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Storied British air freight carrier, MK Airlines is set, after signing a letter of intent with Freight Feeder Aircraft Corporation, to become the launch customer for FF5000 Freight Feeder Aircraft.

Having only recently resumed operations after securing additional funding from investors, MK Airlines plans to purchase ten of the FF5000, with an option for five additional aircraft.

Currently under construction, the FF5000 prototype Aircraft is expected to be completed in the spring of 2009, with the finalisation of the purchase agreement between MK Airlines and Freight Feeder Aircraft Corporation to take place after the aircraft’s first flight.

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The air freight arm of Chilean airline LAN Airlines, LAN Cargo,  has been given the go-ahead by Columbian authorities to create a new cargo affiliate in the country.

Having received the blessing of Columbian authorities, LAN Cargo has now initiated the operational and technical certification process that is required to get the affiliate of the ground.  The process, which is estimated to take some six months to complete will see the affiliate start operations in the first quarter of 2009.

Once operational, the yet unnamed affiliate, will provide air freight capacity ex Columbia to a number of destinations within both North and South America, via a fleet of Boeing 767-300F freighter aircraft.  The affiliate set to capitalise on both the significant export market from Columbia to the United States, as well as to other Latin America destinations.

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With the price of oil rising and effecting most means of transport around the world, reducing the impact of the price rises has become vital and measures designed to offset the price rises have come in varied forms.

One of the more recent measures employed by some in the air freight industry is to reduce the weight of air freight containers.  According to Agence France Presse, one air freight carrier, Japan airlines has cut the weight of its containers by some 26 kilograms. 

The containers, which are either carried in the belly of Japan Airline’s passenger planes or in the airlines dedicated cargo fleet, can contribute significantly to the weight of the aircraft, indeed the reduction in container weight is said to reduce the entire weight burden of a single flight, by one tonne.

Spokesman for Japan Airlines, Hisanori Iizuka, said the the weight reduction was important.  "The heavier the plane is, the lower its fuel efficiency" said Iizuka, "It’s important to make every little effort."

Source: Agence France Presse

The Government of Canada has released a report into the use of speed limiters on trucks, with the outcomes being a reported reduction in the consumption of diesel fuel as well as showing positive environmental outcomes.

A proposed speed limit of 105 Kilometres per hour for trucks in Canada has long been been endorsed by the Canadian Trucking Alliance, and now that the report(*), initiated by Transport Canada, has indicated additional benefits, provincial and territorial authorities in Canada, who have jurisdiction over road use and after-market additions to motor vehicles, may come under pressure forgo at least some of that responsibility.

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Global express delivery company TNT has announced the commencement of a scheduled road throughout its six-nation road network in Asia.  The network, which is based out of china stretches out and across 5,000 km with stops in over 125 cities in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Laos.

Connecting to TNT’s international express network at Nanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, TNT’s Asia Road Network also enables connections to within the Chinese domestic network. 

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