Are you about as sick of this winter as we are?  Some days it seems like we will never see warm weather again.  I, for one, am ready to move this operation to an island – they have cargo and trucks there too.

February is a short month, but still packed with news.  Although not an issue reported on much in the general transportation papers, the demise of the BMC-32 endorsement is an issue at the forefront for many insurers as the end date of the endorsement looms.  We can tell you that there has been no further directives from the FMCSA and each insurer must decide how best to address this issue.  For premium subscribers, we can advise you which of your carriers have authority to operate as household goods and therefore need a filing.  If you need that information, please contact Mark Schweber to obtain a listing.

The recent news article in Transport Topics addressing the effect of CSA on insurance rates, and the fact that CAB has the ability to advise insurers of “chameleon operations” has generated a lot of interest from you.  This is included as part of our superior Premium Service and anyone that needs a little extra training on how to look for that information, please give us a call and we would be happy to walk you through it. Those who are interested in obtaining the premium service, and the ability to ferret out those operations, please contact our customer service and we will be happy to discuss the details with you.

TRUCKING MERGERS – The buzz in the transportation industry is that trucking mergers will pick up this year, as carriers look to align themselves with carriers which will help expand business.  So far there have been at least 3 purchases by some of the larger carriers, including Greatwide Logistics Services’ purchase of Overton Transportation, Vitran Corp’s purchase of Milan Express and Transport America’s purchase of Southern Cal Transport.

EOBR REQUIREMENT – The FMCSA has proposed requiring almost 500,000 motor carriers to have EORB, up from the current 5,700 carriers currently impacted.  The use of the recorders, while a large expense to carriers, would allow for a reduction in the paperwork needed to keep HOS documentation.  The proposal is receiving mixed reviews, in part due to the expected expense to carriers.  The final rule is expected to be in place by June 2012, with a extended time frame for compliance. Read More

Are you tired of hearing from me this last month?  Hopefully you have made it through the long resumé and have gleaned a few nuggets of information which will help your business operations.  I will keep this short this month as I have reported most of the information in that resumé.

We are happy to see all of the support we are getting for the new CSA 2010 information on the Submission Report™ .  For anyone that has any questions on its impact on the underwriting process and what they should be looking for, please do not hesitate to give us a call. We are here to help you understand all of this data.

CARGO THEFT – Freightwatch has issued its annual report on U.S. Cargo Theft.  According to Freightwatch, food and drink items were the most popular target for thieves, accounting for 21% of all theft incidents they recorded, and higher then electronics.  In the individual category, televisions were the product stolen most often.  Not an award wanted by any state – New Jersey led the way with the most cargo thefts.  A copy of the report can be viewed here.  Freightwatch also issued its report on the surge in cargo thefts in Mexico, citing the drug violence as a large component of the rise in theft. That report can also be viewed here.

WAREHOUSE OPERATING COSTS – The Boyd Consultants in Princeton released their study on national warehousing costs.  The report indicates a great disparity in costs throughout the country, with a trend for warehousing operations to locate in the Midwest, something to be considered for those marketing that book of business.  A summary of the report is attached here. The Boyd Company has also graciously offered a complementary copy of the full report to CAB subscribers.  If you are interested, please email them at contact@theboydcompany.com, reference your connection to CAB and they will provide you with the full report.

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