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UPS Inks Joint Venture with a Top Chinese Courier

Photo: www.sf-express.com

UPS has announced that it will join with one of the leading courier delivery services in China to develop and provide international delivery services initially from China to the U.S., but with expansion plans for other destinations.

The joint venture, subject to regulatory approval, between UPS and SF Holding, parent firm of Guangdong-based SF Express, will leverage the companies' netwroks and supply chain expertise, UPS said in a May 25 statement.

UPS called SF “a market leader in express delivery in China, with extensive China-wide network coverage, comprehensive service capabilities, and the highest brand recognition in the Chinese small package market.”

“This joint venture will support products that provide competitive benefits to our Chinese customers who trade or seek to trade internationally,” said Ross McCullough, President of UPS Asia Pacific. “Our combined efforts will result in new logistics products and services to simplify and accelerate B2B and B2C customers' cross-border trade.”

UPS said the joint offerings will combine the strengths of SF's extensive Chinese network with UPS's globally integrated network with coverage between more than 220 countries.

“China is leading the world in terms of e-commerce market size, growth, penetration, and mobile business usage,” said Alan Wong, SF group vice president. “Coupled with a rapidly growing and internet-savvy consumer base, it's imperative that SF and UPS collaborate to revolutionize the logistics sector.”

SF Express was established in 1993 and in 2012 it set up a U.S. service center in South San Francisco. It offers parcel delivery to all over Mainland China with more than 13,000 service points and approximately 15,000 operating vehicles. It also runs an air-cargo operation with 36 aircraft that provide service across China.

According to SF Express, it has been “aggressively expanding its worldwide express services” to where it now provides parcel delivery services in over 200 countries ...Read the rest of this story

Safety Companies Offer Advice Ahead of Roadcheck 2017

Image via Instructional Technologies Inc.

With the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's International Roadcheck around the corner, several trucking safety brands are offering free training and advice to help fleets prepare for roadside inspections.

This year's Roadcheck takes place from June 6-8 and will put special emphasis on cargo securement. During the three-day event, CVSA-certified commercial vehicle inspectors around North America will conduct inspections of commercial vehicles and their drivers.

Instructional Technologies Inc. is offering free cargo securement training ahead of and after the 2017 Roadcheck. From now until June 15, ITI will offer its Flatbed Safety class free of charge. The course focuses on securement rules for flatbed cargo as well as safe operating instructions for securing cargo. Topics include working load limits, anchoring straps, proper use of tie down bars, PPE for flatbed operations, working at heights, and interacting with forklifts or cranes.

Click here to access Flatbed Safety Training for CVSA Roadcheck.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems is offering advice to fleets preparing for the inspection blitz, emphasizing the attention to detail required in fleet and vehicle operation. Regular and thorough maintenance is a key component of safe commercial vehicle operation, according to Bendix, and the company stresses a two-level approach.

The first level is the pre-trip visual inspection: Drivers should never get behind the wheel without a walk-around look for loose hoses, damaged or dangling brake components like air chambers and pushrods, and similar obvious problems. If a vehicle is equipped with an active safety system that includes a forward-facing radar unit or camera, these components need to be kept clear of obstructions like snow, ice, and road debris.

The second level is preventive maintenance: Regularly scheduled, bumper-to-bumper review of a vehicle. Where the air brakes are concerned, in-the-shop inspections should include conducting a 90 to 100 psi brake application and listening ...Read the rest of this story

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NYC Renews Contract with XPO for Emergency Response Programs

Products in the warehouse that are part of the Emergency Supply Stockpile that XPO manages for NYCEM. Photo: XPO Logistics

The City of New York has renewed a contract with XPO Logistics, positioning the company as the logistics manager for NYC's Logistics Shelter Support and Commodity Distribution programs.

The contract expands XPO's services beyond the primary sheltering operation to include mass feeding and other logistics needs of the Emergency Operation Center task force.

The multi-year deal ensures that XPO will manage two dedicated logistics facilities that house the city's stockpile of emergency relief supplies. XPO is also responsible for expediting supplies to around 100 shelters across the city's five boroughs when severe weather or other hazardous events are imminent.

In the event of an emergency, the city will issue a mobilization order to XPO giving the company a 24-hour window to deploy staff and transportation resources, stage shipments, begin deliveries, and manage inventory replenishments.

The NYCEM emergency relief stockpile includes more than 1-million liters of water and hundreds of thousands of ready-to-eat meals, as well as basic supplies such as first-aid kits, baby formula, diapers, blankets, and other life-sustaining mass care supplies.

“The City's emergency supply stockpile is a key preparedness measure to ensure that needed supplies are available when needed in communities throughout New York City,” said Joseph Esposito, NYC emergency management commissioner. “With items ranging from cots and blankets to baby formula and bottled water, the stockpile provides access to crucial resources to help New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies.”

It is the largest emergency stockpile of its kind in the U.S., according to NYCEM. The program was established in 2007 and was deployed for Hurricane Irene in 2011, and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and mobilized for Hurricane Joaquin in 2015.

“We're thrilled to expand our decade-long support of New York City Emergency Management and ...Read the rest of this story

IdleAir Not Letting Lower Diesel Prices Stop Idle Reduction Growth

A partnership with Duke Energy is allowing a truck stop facility to be installed in Kenly, N.C. Photo courtesy Duke Energy.

As temperatures heat up around the country, IdleAir is working to expand the number of fleets using its idle reduction technology to keep trucks cool and provide power for cab comforts.

IdleAir offers heat and air conditioning, power, TV, Internet and other services at truck stops, terminals and other locations to reduce overnight truck idling. But low fuel prices have made it harder for truck owners to justify the investment in idle reduction services and technologies, whether that be APUs or electrification.

When Convoy Solutions bought the defunct Idle Aire and resurrected it as IdleAir in 2010, diesel fuel was running about $3 a gallon retail. Last year it averaged about $2.30. If idling takes a gallon of fuel per hour, and the charge for Idle Air at truck stops is $2.19 per hour, that's not a lot of savings (although bundles are available that can get that cost down to as low as $1.75 per hour.)

“We've had to be more competitive on a price basis because diesel prices are 40% lower than they were in 2014,” IdleAir CEO Ethan Garber told HDT in an interview.

Last year, Idle Air said it was responding to the challenge of lower diesel prices by offering more value, locking in long-term electricity rates when possible, streamlining internal operations to reduce costs — and focusing more on building its facilities at fleets.

IdleAir's traditional market is owner-operators at truckstops. But today, major fleets such as Covenant Transport and Western Express are tying IdleAir usage to their fuel cards on a seasonal basis, allowing them to turn on the access to the service only in the summer months, relying on more-efficient bunk heaters ...Read the rest of this story