Archive For The “News” Category
Kansas Democrats and Republicans has agreed upon bipartisan legislation, which was recently been filed in hopes of making fresh food more affordable in the state.
Republican Senator Michael O’Donnell, and Democratic Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau, both of Wichita, filed Senate Bill 263. The measure would eliminate the state tax on fruits and vegetables. The purpose is to encourage Kansans to eat healthier, plus it would support local farmers, as well small business owners who lose business across state lines.
Senator O’Donnell believes killing the sales tax on fresh fruits and vegetables would improve the health of everyone. Research indicates a link between obesity and higher fruit and vegetable prices. The higher prices make it more challenging for many families to eat healthy.
At 6.15 percent, Kanas’ sales tax is second highest in the nation behind Mississippi. In addition to that, county and city governments can levy their own taxes, bringing the total as high as 9 percent in some areas.
Kansas has over 2.9 million residents and ranks 31st in population among the states. It ranks 15th in geographic size.
The most populous city in Kansas is Wichita (population 382,000), followed by Overland Park (174,000) and Kansas City (127,000) and Topeka (127,000).
According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA) our industry currently needs another 30,000 qualified drivers. The number is expected to rise to 200,000, over the next 10 years. Drivers are getting old. The average age for -hire is about 49; about 55 for less-than-truckload drivers (LTL) and private carriers. Average turnover rate is 115-120%.
Hauling more than 70% of all freight in the US, trucking is a vital component to economic growth of the country. But there is not enough capacity to handle the anticipated growth. The result is that everything slows down.
Being away from home for long stretches is a major drawback to attracting recruits to drive trucks. The age requirement, restrictive regulations and demanding work schedules are further deterrents.
Des Moines Truck Brokers (DMTB) President Jimmy DeMatteis pointed out that “The driver pool is being pinched from both ends. Baby boomer drivers are retiring. But we have also lost young people who elected to go into the work force right out of high school. They used to be allowed to drive interstate at the age of 18. Now that age has been raised to 21.
“By the time they are in the labor market for three years, young adults can be well on their way to a career in construction, retail or service. They are not interested in starting all over again from the bottom as a brand new truck driver. Raising the age limit has been a major blow to driver recruitment.”
There is a move afoot to convince insurance companies to create training standards that would allow young drivers behind the wheel. DeMatteis notes, “At the age of 18, they are allowed to go into combat and fly a plane and drive a car. With the proper training, they should also be able to drive a truck.”
Driver pay must be increased if the capacity shortage is to be addressed. In real dollars, drivers today earn less than they made in 1990.
Solving the driver shortage will undoubtedly cause an increase in the cost of shipping. It will also take innovation and a dose of reality as shippers and carriers face the problem head-on, in 2015.
Reprinted with permission from the 2015 February issue of Dashboard, which is published by Des Moines Truck Brokers.
Bully Dog, striving to set itself apart from any other aftermarket automotive company is doing so with their line of Manifolds. Determined to set the standard for efficiency, they are releasing yet another Manifold for Caterpillar Engines. The benefits of this latest product are listed below along with the applications to go with it.
C11 Exhaust Manifold for CAT
Part #85207 (replaces OEM Part #229-3567)
Applications
2003-2006 C11 Caterpillar Engines
Benefits and Features
- Better design, pressure fitted to eliminate leaks, and gradual corners for better airflow
- High Quality material to eliminate cracks
- Ported to eliminate airflow interference
- Ceramic coated cooling EGT by 100 degrees
- Fuel Mileage increase
- 20-30 HP increase
Check into http://bigrig.bullydog.com/ to see just what else we can do for you!
There have been a lot of opinions expressed about the “Left Coast” and its rules, regulations and politics and what effect it may have on everything from produce truckers willing to do business in California, to produce growers shifting more of their operations to Mexico and other states.
Based on a new report from the U.S Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, as looney as our friends on the West Coast may sometimes seem, last year California still accounted for 47 percent of harvested acreage, 52 percent of production and 60 percent of value in 2014. If that’s the case, then there must have been trucks for the most part delivering those agricultural products to markets across North America.
Production of U.S. melons and 24 top vegetables was down one percent in 2014. The overall value of those crops also fell last year.
About 413 million cwt. of leading vegetables and melons were harvested in 2014. Harvested acreage, at 1.58 million acres, also was down, by three percent.
The value of the 2014 crops, at $10.9 billion, was down 5 percent from a year ago.
In terms of production, onions, head lettuce and watermelon were the top three crops, accounting for 36 percent of total production.
Tomatoes, head lettuce and onions were the most valuable, making up 29 percent of total value.
While the vast majority of produce shipments occur by truck, California produce shipments also easily lead the pack in terms of volume over other states.
by Staff Reporter, University of Montreal
Canadian men’s eating habits are associated with the availability of healthy food sources in their residential neighborhood but women’s are not, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHUM hospital.
“We found that, for men only, intake of fruit and vegetables was positively associated with the proportion of healthy food outlets around home,” explained Christelle M. Clary of the university’s department of social and preventative medicine, who led the study. Why men Canadian men’s eating habits are associated with the availability of healthy food sources in their residential neighborhood but women’s are not, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHUM hospital.
“We found that, for men only, intake of fruit and vegetables was positively associated with the proportion of healthy food outlets around home,” explained Christelle M. Clary of the university’s department of social and preventative medicine, who led the study. Why men and not women? “This may be because women, who are in general more nutritionally knowledgeable, may engage in different food shopping strategies than men, and rely on other aspects of the food environment than the proportion of food stores locally available,” suggested Professor Yan Kestens, who directed the study.
The study was based on data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), and looked at the eating habits of 49,403 Canadians living in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa (including Gatineau, Quebec). The food outlets of each city were mapped using a database containing information on the type and location of all food businesses. For the purpose of this study, supermarkets, grocery stores, fruit and vegetable stores and natural food stores were considered as potential sources of “healthy foods” (especially fruits and vegetables), while convenience stores and fast-food restaurants were considered less healthy food sources.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam called for increased funding to fight citrus greening, which is threatening to decimate Florida’s famed citrus crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture revised its estimate recently for the 2014-15 harvest season to 103 million boxes of oranges, a decline from the forecast released in 2014.
“Now is the time to put all the resources we can toward fighting citrus greening,” said Commissioner Putnam. “We must do what we can to save Florida’s signature crop, an industry that generates $9 billion in annual economic impact and supports 76,000 jobs for Floridians.”
The USDA announcement estimates 103 million boxes of oranges will be harvested this season, down from the forecast of 108 million boxes announced in 2014 and also a decline from the 104 million boxes produced in 2014, the lowest on record. This represents a total decline of 60 percent since the peak of citrus production at 254 million boxes in 1997-98.
“State and federal governments, along with Florida’s citrus growers, have dedicated more than $230 million to support research over the past decade, and there are some promising leads,” Commissioner Putnam said. “I’ve requested an additional $18 million from the state this year to continue in-depth research, grow clean citrus stock, and replant where diseased trees have been removed.”
Nearly three months ago Haulproduce.com reported that refrigerated rail service McKay TransCold LLC of Eden, MN had closed its doors. Now it has been learned TransCold Logistics LLC, parent company McKay TransCold LLC has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation with debts of about $7 million.
The refrigerated rail service was launched in May 2014.
McKay TransCold worked with BNSF Railway to operate the TransCold Logistics hub-to-hub, dedicated refrigerated boxcar train between Selma, CA and Wilmington, IL. The operation began with two trains pulling 50 refrigerated boxcars in each direction, making the trip in four days.
It offered cold storage in California and as of September 2014 was still planning to add cold storage services in Illinois.
The company posted $2.47 million in gross revenue for 2012, according to court documents. In 2013 gross revenue dropped to about $533,000. In 2014 they climbed back to $5.23 million.
The company has a total of secured claims of $865,533, all owed to Marquette Transportation Finance, Minneapolis. Its total unsecured debt is about $5.9 million.
The top five unsecured debts are:
**** BNSF Railway Co., Chicago, $3.37 million;
**** KLLM Transport Services LLC, Birmingham, Ala., $735,486;
**** National Carriers Inc., Kansas City, Mo., $519,918;
**** Werner Enterprises Inc., Chicago, $384,830;
****NLCS-Wilmington, Ill., $235,945.
The first produce train service to fold in 2014 was Cold Train Express Intermodal service that suspended service last summer. Cold Train saw its on time service on BNSF’s Northern Corridor plummet from 90 percent in November 2013 to only 5% percent last April. Cold Train said the reason relates to soaring oil and coal shipments by rail.
By Fresh Solutions Network
The NPD Group just released their 29th annual Eating Patterns in America report, and finds that an increase in meals from home is one of the single biggest changes in eating patterns in Americans in the last five years.
“We are eating more meals in our homes, but not cooking more dishes,” says Harry Balzer, vice president of The NPD Group and author of the report. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the fresh potato category, where the white-hot microwaveable/steamable segment has seen dollar sales shooting up a scorching 31 percent for the latest 52-week period ending 9/27/14, according to data from Nielsen FreshFacts®.
One potato brand is uniquely positioned to take advantage of these trends to satisfy Americans who want fresh, nutritious food fast and with a minimum of fuss. Side Delightsâ Steamables™ are triple washed, fresh, whole, small potatoes in a microwave safe package that is ready to serve in just 8 minutes. And Steamables are the ONLY microwave-ready potato brand that uses light-blocker packaging technology to keep potatoes fresher and protected from greening due to harsh store lighting.
Side Delights Steamables come in 7 delicious potato varieties – Russet, Red, Golden, White, Purple, Fingerling and Sweet Potatoes – the most expansive lineup in the steamable segment. And the inclusion of Purples, Fingerlings and Sweet Potatoes brings together these rapidly growing specialty potato types with the on-trend convenience of microwave cooking.
“Retailers have a tremendous opportunity with offering their shoppers more quick and convenient ways to enjoy fresh potatoes” said Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network. “Side Delights Steamables gives them a complete lineup of gourmet potatoes that appeal to time-starved families as well as Millennial shoppers, all packaged using the latest technology to protect their premium quality.” While Triou recommends merchandising Side Delights Steamables in the produce department with other fresh potatoes on an everyday basis, she notes that the big volume opportunities come from displaying these high-impulse potatoes near rotisserie chicken in the service deli or adjacent to the ready-to-heat entrees in the meat department.
Side Delights Steamables are perfectly positioned for today’s busy consumer – the fast, easy, delicious way to serve fresh potatoes with any meal!
About Fresh Solutions Network, LLC: Fresh Solutions Network is where potato growers work together for individual growth and category success. Fresh Solutions Network helps the most sophisticated potato and onion buyers grow their categories, fill product gaps, maximize category investment, and increase sales. We reinvented the procurement model by introducing a direct-supply “dream team.” Our approach gives you unprecedented access to competitive insights, collaborative innovation and optimal potato and onion assortment. Fresh Solutions Network Partners grow, pack, sell and deliver potatoes and onions directly to their retail and foodservice customers, providing seamless, transparent product supply and service. Fresh Solutions Network, LLC partners are: Sterman Masser, Inc. (Masser Potato Farms and Keystone Potato Products in Sacramento and Hegins, PA), Michael Family Farms, Inc. (Urbana, OH), Basin Gold Cooperative, Inc. (Pasco, WA), Green Thumb Farms, Inc. (Fryeburg, ME), Red Isle Potato Growers, Ltd. (Prince Edward Island, Canada), NoKota Packers, Inc. (Buxton, ND), and Sun-Glo of Idaho, Inc. (Sugar City, ID).
By the time the 2015 Super Bowl reaches the end of the first quarter on Feb. 1, at least 125 million people will have the opportunity to see a fresh produce item advertised along with the top consumer brands in the world.
For the first time ever, a fresh produce item will share the spotlight with nachos, beer, colas and other products that typically fill the advertising space of the National Football League’s annual championship game. This year, a 30-second spot touting Avocados From Mexico will share the limelight. The commercial for Avocados From Mexico, the number-one selling avocado in the United States, is being kept under wraps until it debuts at the end of the first quarter.
Soon after the advertisement airs, Avocados From Mexico will launch an aggressive social media campaign designed to get game-watchers in the Mexico spirit, and will increase awareness that Avocados from Mexico are always in season and pair perfectly with their football celebrations.
In January and February 2015, the amount of avocados imported to the United States is expected to be more than 285 million pounds, with Mexican avocados leading the way as the top importer and the top seller.
Eating guacamole pairs very well with football-watching and there has been promoting of Mexican avocados and guacamole in many different venues including national consumer advertising, in-store displays, in-store radio, in coupons and in public relations efforts. The campaign also is driven by the promotions teams of Avocados From Mexico and the Old El Paso line of consumer product goods, including taco shells and taco-making kits.
My first visit to the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market was in February 1989. Over the past 25 years I have visited the world’s largest produce wholesale facility more than 50 times.
Having been to most of the nation’s major wholesale produce markets, New York City’s South Bronx mammoth is the most fascinating. Being so large it has the most activity, the largest volume of trucks – and produce – moving in and out of the market.
Whenever possible, I enjoy visiting with owner operators, small fleet owners and company drivers who are at Hunts Point. I’ve heard the stories of excessive long delays waiting to unloading, because a receiver is using their reefer unit as a free warehouse. I’ve been told about the unfair claims truckers face, especially on loads that have lost market value from the time it was bought until it arrives at destination. There also are complaints about the $20 gate fee, however, these are often included anymore as part of the freight rate.
While these problems still exist at Hunts Point, it seems I’m finding fewer trucker complaints. Granted, I am only able to talk with a minute percentage of the 130,000 truckers that go the market each year.
However, as transportation costs increase, and good, dependable service becomes more of a premium, it seems more produce receivers than in the past appreciate receiving a delivery on time and in good condition. In other words, you pay for what you get.
Trucks are in greater demand than ever. You hack off a driver, and he or she has other choices. They don’t have to deliver to Hunts Point or anywhere else. In talks with drivers at truck stops and other places, I used to hear as often as not, they simply would not go to Hunts Point because of traffic, gridlock, tolls and yes – treatment at the docks. I don’t hear it as often as I used to.
Hunts Point only has about one-third the number of wholesalers on the market compared to when it opened in 1967. I like to think that while the consolidations, mergers and acquisitions have resulted in fewer, but larger merchants – hopefully their growth resulted from good, honest businesses practices.
For whatever reasons, Hunts Points is a pretty interesting place to visit. — Bill Martin
(This is the last of a four-part series based upon my visit to Hunt Point on Dec. 4, 2014)