|
Cornerstone Systems
Rock Solid
Transportation Solutions
Intermodal
Truck
Railcar/Consolidation
Warehousing
Transloading
Port Drayage
On-Site Logistics
|
Looking for Daily or Weekly Industry News Updates?
Follow Cornerstone Systems on Twitter or Facebook!
We'll deliver the news directly to you.
Click
on these icons for recent news updates.
|
|
Rick's Corner
What's On My Mind...
t?Visit |
Maersk's Andersen Sees Container Rates Rising By June: Video
Watch Bloomberg Video
May 11 (Bloomberg) -- A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S Chief Executive Officer Nils Andersen talks about the company's first-quarter results and the outlook for 2011. He speaks with Francine Lacqua on Bloomberg Television's "On The Move." (Source: Bloomberg) |
|
Water Cooler Trivia
Completely useless but fun...
Did you know...? On June 30, 1953, Corvette production began and the Corvette #1 Serial number E53F001001 rolled off the assembly line. More Corvette Trivia
Share your useless trivia
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Industry updates are important to all of us. If you would like to receive an update on a topic not listed in this issue or receive more information on Cornerstone Systems, please contact us at 800-278-7677 or visit our website at www.cornerstone-systems.com.
We are here to help.
|
|
MBQ Magazine Lists Rick Rodell As Power Player
2011 Issue Highlights 41 Fields Of Expertise
 | |
CEO/Chairman Rick Rodell
2011 MBQ Power Player |
Memphis Business Quarterly Magazine has once again chosen to list Cornerstone's CEO/Chairman Rick Rodell in their "Power Players" issue.
The "Power Players" issue is an annual review of Who's Who in the world of Memphis business. The people listed represent 41 fields of expertise. Rick Rodell is listed in the Logistics 3PL section.
This special issue of MBQ Magazine first surfaced in 2010 and Cornerstone is proud that Rick Rodell has been listed since inception.
   |
|
Mattel Honors Freight Claims Admin Jan Haley
Carrier Performance Recognition Program Highlights Exemplary Service
On April 4th Freight Claims Administrator Jan Haley received high accolades from Mattel for her outstanding level of customer service.
 | |
Jan Haley and CFO Pat Nieman |
As part of Mattel's carrier performance recognition program, they review important service metrics and gather written input from their employees who interact with transportation service providers. During their annual process they received a written nomination acknowledging Jan's exemplary customer service and dedication. "Jan has developed a great partnership with Mattel", it read. "She responds quickly to requests for proofs of delivery and claims issues in a timely manner. She actively helps to keep the lines of communication open between us. It is a pleasure working with her."
Along with her Certificate of Excellence, Mattel also presented Jan with a special edition "Angel" Barbie as a gift.
Congratulations to Jan!
|
|
Cornerstone Corporate HQ Office Safe From Flood
Mississippi River Finally Crests in Memphis, Tennessee
 | |
Mississippi River Flood - Memphis |
The National Weather Service has announced that the Mississippi river has finally crested in Memphis at 47.85 feet (at 2 a.m Tuesday), falling only inches short of its all-time record of 48.7 feet reached during a devastating 1937 flood. The river is expected to stay at this high level for the next 24 to 36 hours. Water levels took a long time to rise and it's going to take several weeks for the water to recede before people can go back into their homes. The river is swollen to about three times its normal size but flood levees are holding and no further damage is expected. Flooding in the city of Memphis has been restricted to low-lying areas. Still, from 3,000 to 5,000 properties have been affected, including many farms in the agriculturally rich region. Many corn and wheat fields are chest deep in water. The director of the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency has stated that the river levels will recede slowly, and the cleanup will be expensive and labor-intensive.
Due to the location of Cornerstone's headquarter office in Memphis, we are receiving many kind phone calls and emails regarding our well-being. We can confirm that the flooding situation is mostly downtown, along the river and connecting waterways. Thus the corporate office is not affected at all due to our location many miles away. However, our thoughts and prayers do go out to all of those who are affected by this devastating flood.
|
|
Transportation Industry News
Truckload Capacity Seen Tightening, DOT Freight Index Hits 33 Month High, Idled Railcars Reach Two Year Low
The weekly Longbow Research Truckload Barometer increased 1.3 percent last week, ending a month-long drop in April, indicating tighter availability of trucks in parts of the U.S., the investment research firm said Tuesday. The barometer was up 46 percent year-over-year April 11 and is now up 17 percent from a year ago, indicating that demand and supply are closer to equilibrium. The weekly index measures available freight against available truckload equipment, climbing higher as capacity contracts, the Wall Street investment firm said. Longbow and other research firms forecast increasingly tight truck capacity thanks to higher equipment costs, fuel costs, driver costs and financing costs. The weekly index showed capacity was tightest in the Northeastern states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, followed by the Central South and Southeast.
Seasonal produce shipping demand is likely constricting capacity in some of those areas. That demand may tighten capacity in the Midwest later in the season.
The amount of freight carried by for-hire carriers rose 1.9 percent in March from February to reach its highest level since July 2008, the Transportation Department reported. The DOT's Freight Transportation Services Index, which measures month-to-month changes in freight ton-miles, includes data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.
The seasonally adjusted index has risen 15.1 percent since May 2009 when it bottomed out after declining 15.7 percent in the previous 16 months beginning in January 2008. Freight shipments reached a 33-month high in March despite a slight slowing of the growth rate early this year. In the first three months of 2011, freight shipments measured by the index rose 1.3 percent. They increased 2.1 percent increase during the final three months of 2010. The Freight TSI rose 1.3 percent in the first quarter. It was the seventh consecutive quarterly increase since the second quarter of 2009.
North American railcars owners reduced their number of idled or stored units by 7,421 in April to 276,228, the lowest since cars in storage peaked at more than 500,000 in June and July 2009. The Association of American Railroads in its latest Rail Time Indicators monthly report said railcar lease fleets, shippers and railroads cut the percentage of cars left inactive to 18.2 percent of the fleet as of May 1 across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. That's down from 18.7 percent on April 1, 20.8 percent as January began and 31.9 percent when the recession hit its worst point for rail equipment. This is a new sign of the increase in demand for freight-hauling equipment as the economy continues to recover. Car lease fleets are seeing more demand for existing equipment and manufacturers are getting orders to build in-demand cars. The AAR estimates that 125,845 freight cars have returned to revenue service since mid-2009, while 100,780 freight cars have been scrapped or otherwise removed from the fleet. The group says a fully healthy industry would see only 2-3 percent of railcars stored, but some analysts say the makeup of the car fleet has changed since the recession took hold so that many stored units may be obsolete. The overall car fleet available for service has also been shrinking, the AAR said, to 1.533 million units as of May 1 from 1.603 million at the July 2009 car storage peak. While about 70,000 came out of the fleet in that time, the AAR said car owners also added 30,783 new cars.
|
|
Current Fuel Facts
The Energy Information Administration reports U.S. On-Highway Diesel Fuel Prices (dollars per gallon) as follows:
5/9/11 Date Released
4.104 Average Retail Price
-0.020 (Down) Change From Week Ago
0.977 (Up) Change From Year Ago
Diesel fell 2 cents to $4.104 a gallon, its second downturn in three weeks and biggest decline in almost nine months. The Department of Energy lowered its projected diesel average for this year by 9 cents, to $3.89 a gallon, and by 14 cents next year, to $3.93.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
