Rail Reports and other Transport Indicators

[robvinchgo]

This isn't a transport indicator per se, however in discussions with powerplant operators, demand is still very low. They saw better demand last year (mostly due to the hot weather) from 2009 however most of their major customers (manufacturing plants) are gone, closed, or are still limping along.

I think looking at these indicators of energy consumption/transport will give us the first signs that the economy is improving, IMHO.

www.eia.gov/mer/pdf/pages/sec1_3.pdf

[neohguy]

Thanks robv. The energy consumption charts are interesting.

The Association of American Railroads released the week two report yesterday:
www.aar.org/NewsAndEvents/Freight-Rail-Traffic/2011/01/20-railtraffic.aspx
"AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic Continues to Register Gains in 2011
Eleven Carload Commodity Groups Post Year-Over-Year Increases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jan. 20, 2011 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported that weekly rail traffic continues to register gains in 2011 with U.S. railroads originating 282,987 carloads, up 7.5 percent compared with the same week in 2010, for the week ending Jan. 15, 2011. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 213,486 trailers and containers, up 5.8 percent compared with the same week in 2010, with container volume up 7.2 percent, but trailer volume down 1.5 percent.

Eleven of the 20 carload commodity groups increased from the comparable week in 2010. Commodities posting significant gains in loadings included: metallic ores, up 119.2 percent, and metals and products, up 17.9 percent. Commodity groups reporting double digit declines were waste and nonferrous scrap, down 20.2 percent, and primary forest products, down 15.2 percent.

Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 5.9 percent compared with last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was up 8.4 percent compared with the same week in 2010.

For the first two weeks of 2011, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 568,309 carloads, up 13.5 percent from last year, and 427,151 trailers and containers, up 7.2 percent from the comparison week in 2010.

Canadian railroads reported volume of 70,176 cars for the week, down 4.4 percent from last year, and 42,929 trailers and containers, down 2.8 percent from 2010. For the first two weeks of 2011, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 140,918 carloads, up .3 percent from last year, and 87,243 trailers and containers, up 0.3 percent from last year.

Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 14,966 cars, up 11.2 percent from the same week last year, and 6,951 trailers and containers, down 0.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first two weeks of 2011 was reported as 27,923 carloads, up 5.1 percent from last year, and 13,009 trailers and containers, up 1.1 percent.

Combined North American rail volume for the first two weeks of 2011 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 737,150 carloads, up 10.4 percent from last year, and 527,403 trailers and containers, up 5.8 percent from last year."

Bold was by me. It's only week 2 but US RR's are off to a decent start when compared to 2010. Cumulative commodity loadings are up 5.5% when compared to 2009 but down 13% when compared to 2008. Intermodal ytd (truck trailers and shipping containers) are up 6% when compared to 2009 but down 9% when compared to 2008.

Canadian RR's are not off to as great a start ytd due to grain which is a significant portion of their freight.

[neohguy]

www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4291:baltic-dry-index-versus-the-sap-500&catid=44:latest-news&Itemid=64
Baltic Dry Index versus the S&P 500
Saturday, 22 January 2011 00:00
One of the key parameters we watch as being an excellent gauge of global economic direction is the Baltic Dry Index (“BDI”). This measures the amount of cargo circum-navigating the globe and,

thus, is a good indicator of the amount of global trade being conducted. It tracks the cost of shipping raw materials around the world in ships of various sizes and, as such, it has become an important indicator of global production and trade. Key commodities currently being shipped include iron ore, coal, and grains, i.e., dry goods.
From its all-time high on May 21, 2008, of 11,771, the index plunged to a five-year low on December 5, 2008 of 663, a decline of 94% in just over six months! Since then, the index has trended up and down in jagged moves, as shown below in the latest 12-month chart, courtesy of Bloomberg.
The high for 2010 was 4,209 set on May 26th. Since then, it has dropped 66%. As you may surmise, the BDI is a highly volatile statistic.
Contrast the BDI graph with the S&P500 over the same time-frame.
Since the December 2008 lows, the BDI Index has moved laterally, between a high of 4,643 in November 2009 and a low, which it is at now, of 1,439. Sometimes the BDI is a leading indicator, sometimes it has proven to be a laggard. But, usually, the BDI, after hitting a nadir, has been a leading indicator, by 3-4 months, of upward changes in stock market direction. On the flip-side, when the BDI hits a zenith, it has been a coincidental indicator of downward changes in the stock market.
For 2010, as the two foregoing charts indicate, the BDI and the S&P500 moved in lock-step, until the beginning of May when the S&P500 turned down before the BDI, by a couple of weeks. Both indexes turned up at the beginning of July, and that is where the similarity ends. The S&P500 just akept on a-chuggin’, while the BDI headed downwards near the beginning of October and has not yet found a bottom.
What to make of this? Does the BDI, at current low levels and possibly heading lower, portend a looming disaster for the maritime world? Or, has the BDI lost its luster as an indicator of broader economic trends? We explain the divergence between the BDI and the S&P500 this way: there were all sorts of major issues in the second half of 2010 that worked against the dry goods shipping industry and which did not impact on the equity index. For instance, China, a major component of the dry goods shipping industry, made increasing attempts to slow its rate of growth and restrain rising inflationary forces. In fact, many emerging countries experienced rising inflation, a scenario that has not yet been felt in the developed world.
The world’s tanker market was singularly impacted by rising over-capacity and falling rates, all the while facing increasing fuel prices during the second half of the year.
The U.S. equity market performed well in 2010, as the stock market traditionally looks “across the valley” and was heartened by the visibly improving, albeit slowly, U.S. economy. At some point, the market will have factored in all those expectations and will either mark time, if it believes the expectations will be realized, or head into a downturn until the economic parameters become more positive.

Source: StockMarketsReview

[itstippy]

From Wednesday's Wall Street Journal:

online.wsj.com/article/APcc26afe5a344406db461fc5d3bfc6a9f.html

It's not nearly as indepth as Neohguy's stuff, but it is interesting to see what the mainstream media puts out on the subject.

[neohguy]

Thanks itstippy. Your article is from the Lake Carriers Association. They are one of the oldest trade associations in the US. They are pretty good imo of calling it the way they see it. I like their reports because they compare current freight loadings to the five year average.
your article did mention that iron ore loadings were up big time in 2010 vs 2009 but that 2009 was the worst year for that loading since 1938.:
"Despite the uptick, overall cargo tonnage for 2010 was about 10 percent below the average for the previous five years. Bulk shipment totals regularly exceeded 100 million tons annually before plunging in 2009, when iron ore transport hit its lowest level since 1938."

[neohguy]

www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=25977&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter
Updated: 1/25/2011 2:00:00 PM
December Truck Tonnage Grows 4.2%
Truck tonnage rose 4.2% in December from a year ago to its highest level in more than two years, American Trucking Associations said Tuesday.

The upturn left the index at a reading of 111.6, ATA said in its monthly seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage report. The index uses the year 2000 as its baseline reading of 100. It was the highest level since September 2008.

December’s index gained 2.2% from November, and ATA revised November’s monthly loss to 0.6%, from a previously reported 0.1%.

For all of 2010, tonnage increased 5.7% compared with the previous year. It had dropped 8.7% in 2009.
The reported increase matches what carriers are reporting about freight volumes, ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said.

“Fleets continue to tell me that freight volumes are very choppy – up one week, but down the next,” he said in a statement.

But the December report is still positive for the industry and the economy, he added. “I continue to expect truck freight tonnage to grow modestly during the first half of 2011 and accelerate in the later half of the year into 2012.”

ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies

[neohguy]

From week 3 (ending 1-22-2011) rail traffic report as reported by The Association of American Railroads:
www.aar.org/NewsAndEvents/Freight-Rail-Traffic/2011/01/27-railtraffic.aspx
"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jan. 27, 2011 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported that weekly rail traffic saw modest year-over-year gains for the week ending Jan. 22, 2011 with U.S. railroads originating 282,837 carloads, up 1.5 percent compared with the same week in 2010. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 213,206 trailers and containers, up 6.2 percent compared with the same week in 2010, with container volume up 6.8 percent and trailer volume up 2.8 percent.
Eleven of the 20 carload commodity groups saw increases from the comparable week in 2010. Commodities that posted significant carload gains included: metallic ores, up 48.1 percent, and metals and products, up 20.6 percent. Commodity groups reporting double digit declines were nonmetallic minerals, down 18 percent, and waste and nonferrous scrap, down 16.6 percent.
....Canadian railroads reported volume of 65,842 cars for the week, down 10.1 percent from last year, and 45,659 trailers and containers, up 3.2 percent from 2010. For the first three weeks of 2011, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 206,760 carloads, down 3.3 percent from last year, and 132,902 trailers and containers, up 1.3 percent from last year....
Combined North American rail volume for the first three weeks of 2011 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 363,551 carloads, down 0.8 percent compared with this point last year, and 265,325 trailers and containers, up 5.4 percent compared with last year....."


Cumulative carload volumes (less intermodal ) for the first 3 weeks for 2011 are up 9.2% when compared to 2010, up 5.6% when compared to 2009, and down 12.2% when compared to 2008.
Intermodal (truck trailers and shipping containers) for the first 3 weeks of 2011 are up 6.8% when compared to 2010, up 7% when compared to 2009, and down 6% when compared to 2008.

[itstippy]

Just for you, neohguy:
www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/newsteam/modern12.htm

[neohguy]

Jan 30, 2011 20:43:28 GMT -5 @itstippy said:

Just for you, neohguy:
www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/newsteam/modern12.htm

Thank you itstippy! Very interesting reading for a guy that tracks transports for fun and works on boilers for a living.

[neohguy]

www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26024&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter
Updated: 1/31/2011 4:15:00 PM
Diesel Rises for Ninth Week, Gaining 0.8¢ to $3.438 a Gallon

Gasoline Slips 0.9¢ in First Drop Since November

Diesel’s national average rose 0.8 cent to $3.438 a gallon, its ninth straight gain, while gasoline slipped for the first time in nine weeks, the Department of Energy said Monday.

The rising prices have left diesel every week for the past nine weeks at its highest level since October 2008, when it was coming off its record highs of that year.
Diesel is now 65.7 cents higher than the same week last year, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations. Trucking’s main fuel has risen 27.6 cents in the past nine weeks.

Gasoline, meanwhile, fell for the first time since late November, slipping 0.9 cent to $3.101 a gallon.



Gas had risen 25.4 cents in the eight weeks before Monday’s decline and is now 44 cents over the same week last year, DOE said.

After oil hit a two-month low on Thursday, crude prices spiked Friday on concerns over civil unrest in Egypt, topping $90 a barrel on Monday for the first time in almost two weeks, Bloomberg reported.

Crude futures rose $2.85 to close the trading day Monday at $92.19 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest settlement price since Oct. 3, 2008, Bloomberg said.

Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.

[neohguy]

www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26033&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter
Updated: 2/1/2011 11:15:00 AM
NAFTA Surface Trade Increases 15.5%
Surface transportation trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico rose 15.5% in November from a year earlier, the Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

Trade among the North American Free Trade Agreement partners rose to $68.1 billion, DOT’s Bureau of Trade Statistics said in its monthly report.

Freight trade value fell 3.6% from October, DOT said, noting that month-to-month changes are affected by seasonal factors.
U.S.-Canada trade rose 12.6% to $39.5 billion. The value of truck imports to the U.S. rose 11.5%, while truck exports gained 12.6%.

U.S.-Mexico trade improved 19.7% to $28.6 billion. Truck imports were 22.4% higher than a year ago and exports rose 21.9%.

Surface transportation consists largely of freight movements by truck, rail and pipeline. Almost 90% of U.S. trade among NAFTA partners moves by land.

[Virgil Showlion]

Curious, neoh: why the reporting on November in February? Aren't the stats for January out now? :-\

[itstippy]

Not a transport indicator, but transport related:
www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/world/middleeast/03suez.html?ref=business

[neohguy]

Feb 2, 2011 13:22:14 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Curious, neoh: why the reporting on November in February? Aren't the stats for January out now? :-\

NAFTA reports are usually have a two month lag time for the final version. There are some estimated reports that arrive earlier.

An earlier post in this thread reported about diesel and other oil fuel products inflating in cost at an alarming rate (yoy). These fuel costs will affect the cost of finished goods and food regardless of whether they are shipped by truck, ship, train, or plane. Another expensive item that is used in the trucking industry that will be experiencing double digit percentage increases will be tires.
Imo, both of these increases are not due to supply/demand but instead are caused by an insignificant (as far as productivity goes) percentage of the worlds population "chasing" "investments" that ultimately result in the majority of the worlds population having to pay more for everyday needs. Too much money in too few hands bidding up costs:
www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26041&utm_source=equipment&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter
Updated: 2/2/2011 11:10:00 AM
Bridgestone Sets 12% Increase in Truck Tire Prices
Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions said it is boosting prices of its Bridgestone and Firestone brand truck and bus radial tires by 12%, effective immediately.

The company, a division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, said that “unavoidable” increases were due to “severely escalating raw material costs, as well as energy and other costs related to manufacturing.
The move follows tire-price increases set by Yokohama Tire Corp., Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and other tire makers last year.

[neohguy]

This weeks rail report (wk 4 ending 1-29-11) continues to show improvement when compared to week 4 in 2010.
Commodity ytd volume is up 8% vs 2010, up 7% vs 2009, but down 12% vs 2008. Intermodal (truck trailers and shipping containers) is up 7.4% vs 2010, up 9.5% vs 2009, but down 5% vs 2008.
www.aar.org/AAR/NewsAndEvents/Freight-Rail-Traffic/2011/02/03-railtraffic.aspx
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Feb. 3, 2011 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported that weekly rail traffic was up over 2010 levels for the week ending Jan. 29, 2011, with U.S. railroads originating 291,147 carloads, up 4.7 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 222,742 trailers and containers, up 9.2 percent compared with the same week in 2010, with container volume up 10.1 percent and trailer volume up 4.4 percent.

Fourteen of the 20 carload commodity groups saw increases from the comparable week in 2010. Commodities that posted significant carload gains included: farm products excluding grain, up 37.2 percent; metallic ores, up 17.7 percent; metals and products, up 13.5 percent; petroleum products, up 12.7 percent; and pulp, paper and allied products, up 11.4 percent. Commodity groups reporting notable declines were waste and nonferrous scrap, down 11.6 percent, and nonmetallic minerals, down 10.4 percent.

....For the first four weeks of 2011, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,142,293 carloads, up 8 percent from last year, and 863,099 trailers and containers, up 7.4 percent from the same point in 2010.

Canadian railroads reported volume of 71,382 cars for the week, up 3.6 percent from last year, and 45,694 trailers and containers, up 6.6 percent from 2010. For the first four weeks of 2011, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 278,142 carloads, down 1.6 percent from the same point last year, and 178,596 trailers and containers, up 2.6 percent from last year....

Canada is off to a slow start because three of their large commodity groups are lagging ytd. Grain, metallic ores, and coal.

link to Canadian loadings:

www.aar.org/AAR/NewsAndEvents/Freight-Rail-Traffic/2011/02/~/media/aar/weekly_traffic_reports/2011/2011-02-03-railtraffic.ashx

[neohguy]

A little bit about Egypt from The Hellenic Shipping News:
www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6382:egypt-unrest-and-its-impact-on-the-tanker-market&catid=45:top-story-a&Itemid=105
Egypt unrest and its impact on the tanker market
Friday, 04 February 2011 00:00
The latest political turmoil in Egypt, which seems to have taken a turn for the worse during the past couple of days has created much concern amid the shipping industry and in particular the tanker market. With crude tanker owners facing a recessed market and high levels of fleet growth, the potential of a closure of the Suez Canal and the parallel Sumed Pipeline,fuelled listed tanker shares in recent days, as a result of the possible implication for tanker earnings.
According to a report from C.R. Weber, although Suezmaxes are the largest tankers capable of transiting the canal when fully laden, VLCCs can discharge a portion of their cargo into the Sumed Pipeline in order to transit the canal with a higher draft, allowing them to meet the canal’s beam restriction. At the northern terminus of the canal, they can then reload the discharged cargo from the pipeline and continue on their voyage.
The shipbroker also said that “during the height of tanker supply constraint in mid-2008, it was not uncommon for VLCCs to utilize the time-saving canal route; however, as vessel supply grew well out of step with demand following the financial crisis and sophisticated mass-piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean emerged, utilization of the Suez Canal understandably declined. Of the literally thousands of crude and product tanker voyages during the first 18 days of 2011, just 95 of these involved a Suez Canal transit. In fact, just 11.5% of the 823 total transits were by tankers. Just 4 VLCCs transited the canal whilst during the same period of time 5 new build VLCCs were delivered from Asian yards” said the report.
It went to argue that with VLCCs already oriented to long haul voyages and the world fleet already oversupplied, it is difficult to make an argument for a substantial boost in tanker earnings should the canal be closed. Some initial tonnage supply constraint could result for LR1 and LR2 tankers, which collectively made up 44% of tanker transits through the Suez Canal. As these tankers generally trade in more localized markets, it would not be surprising to find the initial shock to available tonnage lists being sufficient enough to allow a more noteworthy spike in rates; however, with tonnage supply on these classes also rising in excess to demand growth, any spike would likely be short-lived.
“Should the present unrest in Egypt result in the canal and pipeline closing, we see more support for the bulk carrier sector, chemicals, and gas markets than for crude tankers. The greatest impact being possible inflationary issues for containerized goods and commodities, as these vessels made up 317, or 38.5%, of the canal transits in the period examined. While short term uncertainty might spike oil, tanker stocks and possibly rates, we suggest the real
result of a canal closure to be reflected in retail and manufacturing price hikes caused by the additional 3,302nm detour container ships en route to Europe from the East would require”, concluded the shipbroker.
Meanwhile, during the week, Helima L. Croft, an analyst with Barclays Capital in New York, said that “the Suez Canal doesn’t appear to be under immediate threat from the current political crisis in Egypt. Although the industrial city of Suez has witnessed some of the worst violence during the past week, there have been no reported attempts to target ships. ‘‘Even if Western companies become a major target for the protesters, we believe that shipping traffic through the Canal is unlikely to be seriously imperiled, though some individual ships docked in port might be at risk of attack if the situation deteriorates further. ‘‘Even in the unlikely event that there is an attempt by some groups to disrupt shipping traffic, it would not necessarily be easy to accomplish. There are no indications that the protesters in Egypt have yet developed the intent or capabilities to carry out organized attacks on tankers’’ she mentioned. Brokers also said that while tanker traffic through the Suez Canal made up around 15 percent of all transits, any potential impact on the Sumed pipeline was likely to have a bigger impact on the tanker market.“While both the canal and pipeline continue to operate normally, a disruption to either one could affect European crude imports and increase required travel distances for tankers, as they would be required to navigate around Africa adding roughly 6,000 miles to the trip,” Deutsche Bank said.

Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

[neohguy]

The largest domestic ice breaking operations are conducted annually on The Great Lakes by the Canadian and US Coast Guards. The operation is conducted jointly by both nations as a means of providing real life training for cutters. Freighters getting stuck in the ice are almost a daily occurrence from mid December into March. This is one of the reasons why the US will assign cutters from the east coast for a season or two.
www.boatnerd.com/
Port Reports - February 1
Straits of Mackinac - Fred Stone
Monday afternoon Algomarine was westbound from Goderich to S. Chicago with salt. She was escorted by the USCGC Biscayne Bay.

St. Clair River
Samuel Risley returned from Goderich about 2 a.m. Monday morning, stopping for the night in mid Lake Huron above the Huron Cut. Algocanada was anchored in the anchorage off the Huron Cut, Risley got underway about 8 a.m. downbound, making a pass around the Algocanada before heading down to break a track into the St. Clair River. They turned upbound and escorted Algocanada into Sarnia about noon. At 2.p.m. they met the downbound Canadian Enterprise in lower Lake Huron for escort downbound.

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon, which has spent the icebreaking season on Lake Erie, met the Risley and Enterprise off Marine City and helped escort them through the lower river. They appeared to have easy passage until reaching the southern end of Harsen's Island, where the Enterprise required close escort.

They were clear of heavy ice and in northern Lake St. Clair where the Risley turned back to stop for the night off Algonac. Griffon escorted the Enterprise to Sterling Fuel in Windsor. After fueling they will continue downbound, with the Enterprise heading for lay-up in Nanticoke.
Coast Guard Cutter rescues man on adrift Lake Erie ice floe on his birthday
2/3 - Cleveland, Ohio - Crewmembers from the New London, Conn.-based U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay, a 140-foot ice breaking tug temporarily assigned to the Great Lakes, rescued a Canadian man from a piece of ice about four nautical miles southwest of Colchester, Ontario, Wednesday at about 8:30 a.m.

Jim Turton, from Colchester, Ontario, turned 45 years old Wednesday.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario, notified the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District Command Center at about 11:25 p.m., Tuesday to request help searching for four snowmobilers who reportedly fell through the ice near Colchester. Three of the individuals were able to get onto a piece of ice connected to shore, while the fourth climbed onto a piece of ice roughly the size of a football field that was not connected to shore and began floating out into Lake Erie.

Poor weather conditions prevented Coast Guard Air Station Detroit from launching a helicopter. The Morro Bay was about 30 minutes away from the search area when the Coast Guard was notified, and under direction of Coast Guard Sector Detroit, got underway at midnight to head for the man's last known location.

Once the cutter crew located him, the Morro Bay pulled up alongside and lowered Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Lake down to the ice. From there, Lake helped the snowmobiler climb up the rope ladder and onto the cutter.

"I joined the Coast Guard to make a difference," said Lake, who is originally from Berkeley Springs, W.Va., and has been stationed on the Morro Bay since April 2010. "It feels good to save a life."

Also assisting with the search were personnel from the Ontario Provincial Police and local Canadian fire departments. The Canadian coast guard ship Samuel Risley also launched, but arrived after the Morro Bay crew rescued the snowmobiler. The Morro Bay crew transferred the man to the Samuel Risley for transport back to Canada.

"Although some may not directly associate the Coast Guard's ice breaking fleet with our service's search and rescue mission, this successful rescue proves that, at the heart of all Coast Guardsmen, we are lifesavers," said Rear Adm. Michael N. Parks, commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District.

[Deleted]

It went to argue that with VLCCs already oriented to long haul voyages and the world fleet already oversupplied, it is difficult to make an argument for a substantial boost in tanker earnings should the canal be closed. No argument for a boost in tanker earnings, one can also conclude there is no real threat for a spike in oil futures. There was considerably more threat in the gulf of Aden from Somalia pirates purposely targeting shipping. The political protesters in Egypt so far have not done anything in regards to product moving through the Suez.

[neohguy]

www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/train-crew-employment-up-9.2-in-2010.html
"Train crew employment up 9.2% in 2010 E-mail
Tuesday, February 01, 2011

U.S. Class I railroads called train crews back to work at a steady pace in 2010, with the result that transportation (train and engine) employment increased 9.21% to 62.027 during the year.

stb_logo.jpgTotal employment rose at a slower pace, ending the year at 154,400, an increase of 5.23%, according to preliminary calendar year figures posted on the Surface Transportation Board’s website.

Employment was up in four of the five non-operating groups: executives, officials, and staff assistants, 1.22%; professional and administrative, 1.35%; maintenance of way and structures, 6.03%; and maintenance of equipment and stores, 0.69%.

The only decrease was in the transportation (other than train and engine) group, where employment slipped 0.14%."

[neohguy]

www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26074&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter

Updated: 2/7/2011 3:10:00 PM
Diesel Jumps 7.5¢ to $3.513 in 10th Straight Increase
Diesel rose for the 10th straight week, jumping 7.5 cents to $3.513 a gallon, the Department of Energy said Monday.The increase was the biggest since a 7.6-cent hike in early April and left diesel at its highest national average price since it was $3.659 on Oct. 13, 2008.
Diesel has hit its highest level every week for the past 10 since October 2008, when it was coming off its record highs of that year.
Trucking’s main fuel is now 74.4 cents over the same week a year ago, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations.

Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average pric

[neohguy]

www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26087&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter
Updated: 2/9/2011 3:00:00 PM
DOT Freight Transportation Index Rises 0.4%

Index Rose Every Month Last Year Compared With 2009
The Department of Transportation’s freight transportation services index increased 0.4% in December from a year earlier, the 12th straight year-over-year gain.

The freight TSI also rose 1.5% month-to-month from November, DOT’s Bureau of Trade Statistics said Wednesday.

It rose to a reading of 100, matching the baseline reading of the year 2000, but December’s reading was the lowest for that month since 2001, when it read 97.4
The TSI improved every month last year compared with the same month in 2009 and has improved month-to-month in 14 of the past 19 months, DOT said.

The index is 6.9% higher from its recent low of 93.5 of May 2009, when it was at its lowest level since 1997, and the reading is 11.4% off its historic peak of 112.9, reached in May 2006.
The freight TSI is a seasonally adjusted monthly index measuring the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline and local transit.

[Virgil Showlion]

DOT Freight Transportation Index Rises 0.4%

Index Rose Every Month Last Year Compared With 2009

This recovery is slower than global warming.

*rim shot*

[tyfighter3]

Global Warming, This year sure puts a damper to that Theory.

[itstippy]

Snow removal has become a money-making transport industry in the major metro areas. The big cities are nothing but pavement & buildings, and a single parking spot is worth big bucks. Intersections are hazardous when they're bordered by 30' snow piles. They've got to get rid of all that snow!

Local contractors are hauling snow to the city parks & rivers & anywhere they can to get rid of it. Quarterly registrations of trucks and construction low-boy trailers (for hauling end loaders) near metro areas are way up for 1st quarter 2011. A lot of those trucks normally sit idle in the 1st quarter because there's no construction going on and it doesn't pay to register the rigs.

[neohguy]

Feb 9, 2011 21:09:43 GMT -5 @itstippy said:

Snow removal has become a money-making transport industry in the major metro areas. The big cities are nothing but pavement & buildings, and a single parking spot is worth big bucks. Intersections are hazardous when they're bordered by 30' snow piles. They've got to get rid of all that snow!

Local contractors are hauling snow to the city parks & rivers & anywhere they can to get rid of it. Quarterly registrations of trucks and construction low-boy trailers (for hauling end loaders) near metro areas are way up for 1st quarter 2011. A lot of those trucks normally sit idle in the 1st quarter because there's no construction going on and it doesn't pay to register the rigs.

I have personally contributed more than usual this year to the snow removal industry. My personal properties are plowed by a local tree service that would normally be idle this time of year. This winter he's been busy with snow removal and tree work due to ice damage. Our snow fall has been "normal" this year in NE Ohio but it's been colder than normal so snow accumulates. We haven't had the series of melts that are typical.
The tree service guy told me that this is the first year that he renewed the plates for his bucket truck in January. The plates are expensive so he usually waits until spring to buy them when he has sufficient work to pay for them.

[neohguy]

I'm not thrilled about the Canadian governments decision to allow outsourcing the construction. Ship building requires skilled tradesmen. The propaganda we are being fed about the developed countries only outsourcing "unskilled" jobs is an outright lie. I guess the wheat farmers have adopted the same mindset as the majority of people which is "my job is more important than yours, I'm smarter, God likes me better than you, therefore my job can never be outsourced".
www.greatlakes-seawaynews.com/
Canadian Wheat Board Joins in Seaway Marine Transport New Vessel Order
Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 03:27PM
Seaway Marine Transport (SMT) and the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) have announced a new arrangement between the two and SMT's corporate parents, Algoma Central Marine and Upper Lakes Group that will cause SMT to increase its new vessel order deliveries scheduled to begin in 2013.
The company’s vessel order has increased to seven, four gearless bulkers and three self-unloaders, from the previously announced four vessel total. SMT's new vessel order represents the largest order of new domestic Great Lakes vessels in three decades, and brings the total number of new and used replacement vessels entering the SMT fleet to twelve by 2014.

Of the ships in the new order, one of the new bulkers will be owned by Upper Lakes Shipping, while the other two new bulkers will be owned by the Canadian Wheat Board. Algoma Central Corporation had previously announced the purchase of four new vessels, one bulker and three self-unloaders, for the SMT fleet. All seven vessels will be managed by SMT and will replace retiring vessels within its current fleet.

Allister Paterson, President and CEO of SMT, welcomed the increased vessel order. "The addition of these three ships will give SMT the long term, efficient bulker fleet that it needs to serve our grain and iron ore customers on the Great Lakes. It is especially gratifying to be chosen by the Canadian Wheat Board for the key role of operator and manager of their new vessels."

The CWB's participation in the purchase of the two bulkers it will own is estimated to come at a cost of roughly $65 million.

"This historic step puts us at the helm," said CWB board chair Allen Oberg. "Through the CWB, farmers will share in the control and the profits of Great Lakes grain shipping. This is a value-added investment with significant net benefits for Prairie producers."

He added that the purchase agreement would not have been possible without recent action of the Canadian government, which removed a 25 per cent tariff on imported vessels last fall. The Equinox class ships will be built in China and the first ship will be carrying grain by 2013 and will have a life span of at least 25 years.
"These vessels are to be financed through CWB revenues, so in essence all farmers who deliver grain over those four crop years will be paying for them. Because they're paying for them they'll also receive part of the revenue stream when these vessels are operational in 2013," Oberg explained, at an average of $1 per tonne over four years, based on the average volumes in tonnage. The CWB estimates that costs will be recovered in less than eight years.

"Anytime a farm organization can move farmers up the supply chain, there's some significant savings to be had and as the Wheat Board is currently an owner of rail hopper cars, this is just another way of moving farmers up that supply chain," Oberg said. "We'll be sharing in any profits generated from that revenue pool."

The CWB feels that renewal of the Canadian Great Lakes fleet is critical to ensure efficient, low-cost transportation that meets new emission, ballast-water and fuel-usage regulations and to replace aging vessels that will make much of the lake fleet obsolete.

For its part, SMT says that their new state-of-the-art Equinox class vessels are designed to utilize technologies capable of protecting the environment, minimizing friction and wake while augmenting shipping volume, speed, safety and crew comfort.

These new ships will be able to transport 30,000 tonnes of cargo, the equivalent of more than 300 rail cars or 1000 trucks. The self-unloading vessels will feature a boom with a variable-speed discharge belt system to mitigate cargo spillage and residues on the ship and in the environment.

The optimized high-displacement hull design sets the Equinox apart from existing ships by substantially increasing capacity while adhering to the same length and beam restrictions of the St. Lawrence Seaway System.
The hull's shape ensures maximum efficiency of the high-performance propeller. Combined with an energy-recovering rudder, these features produce more speed and maneuverability with less power, which translates into superior fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and better value for producers.

LED lighting, advanced exhaust scrubbers and heat recovery systems will further maximize the ship's energy efficiency and reduce emissions by about 40 per cent per tonne-km compared to existing vessels. There is even an on-board recycling plant.

CWB-chartered lake freight to eastern Canadian ports, a logistically-challenging distance of 3,400 miles, has increased by about one million tonnes over the past decade, reaching 3.8 million tones in 2009.

Marine transportation is by far the most environmentally friendly mode of commercial transportation. Ships use less fuel - per tonne of cargo moved one kilometer - than rail, road or air transport.

[neohguy]

The Association of American Railroads represents Class I (big) railroads in the US, Canada, and Mexico. The US railroads move ~75% of total commodity loadings, Canada ~20%, Mexico ~5%.
One of the biggest advertised increases of US loadings last year was the commodity group Metallic Ores. US loadings were up ~89% in 2010 vs 2009. What is not widely known in the USA is the fact that Canadian railroads moved ~2X as much ore as US railroads.
Loadings of US ore are up ~58% so far this year as compared to the same time period in 2010. Canadian railroads are down over 7% for loadings of ore for the same time period even though Canada shipped over 2X as much ore than the US.

This is the report summery for week 5:
www.aar.org/AAR/NewsAndEvents/Freight-Rail-Traffic/2011/02/10-railtraffic.aspx
AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic Affected By Winter Storms
Intermodal Traffic Down 1.5 Percent, Carloads Flat Compared with Last Year

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Feb. 10, 2011 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported a mix in weekly rail traffic as a result of winter storms in parts of the country last week. For the week ending Feb. 5, 2011, rail carloads were flat with U.S. railroads originating 267,682 carloads, while intermodal volume was down 1.5 percent to 198,249 trailers and containers, compared with the same week in 2010. Intermodal container volume declined 2.5 percent while trailer volume increased 4.1 percent.

Eight of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases from the comparable week in 2010 with metallic ores leading the groups with an increase of 33.5 percent. Commodity groups reporting notable declines were farm products excluding grain, down 17.9 percent; grain mill products, down 14.5 percent; coke, down 14.1 percent; and waste and nonferrous scrap, down 13.3 percent.

Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 5.8 percent compared with last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was down 3.6 percent compared with the same week in 2010.

For the first five weeks of 2011, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,409,975 carloads, up 6.4 percent from last year, and 1,061,348 trailers and containers, up 5.7 percent from the same point in 2010.

Canadian railroads reported volume of 67,536 cars for the week, down 2.6 percent from last year, and 44,322 trailers and containers, up 1.7 percent from 2010. For the first five weeks of 2011, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 345,678 carloads, down 1.8 percent from the same point last year, and 222,918 trailers and containers, up 2.4 percent from last year.

Mexican railroads reported 13,248 carloads for the week, up 18.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 7,581 trailers and containers, up 46.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first five weeks of 2011 was reported as 71,704 carloads, up 9.1 percent from the same point last year, and 34,803 trailers and containers, up 11.6 percent....


The following is a link to freight loadings for individual commodity and intermodal (truck trailers and shipping containers) for each country:
www.aar.org/AAR/NewsAndEvents/Freight-Rail-Traffic/2011/02/~/media/aar/weekly_traffic_reports/2011/2011-02-10-railtraffic.ashx

[neohguy]

www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26118&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter
Updated: 2/14/2011 4:20:00 PM
Diesel Continues to Rise, Gaining 2.1¢ to $3.534 a Gallon

11th Straight Increase Comes Even as Oil DeclinesDiesel’s national average price rose 2.1 cents to $3.534 a gallon, its 11th straight weekly increase, while gasoline also edged higher, the Department of Energy said Monday.

Gasoline rose 0.8 cent to $3.14 a gallon, its second straight gain and 10th increase in 11 weeks, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations.
Diesel has soared 37.2 cents since the end of November and Monday’s price is 77.8 cents higher than the same week last year, DOE said.

The price is the highest since trucking’s main fuel averaged $3.659 on Oct. 13, 2008, according to DOT records.

Gasoline’s 3.1-cent bump last week had been its biggest two months and the motor fuel has risen 28.4 cents since late November. Its price is 53.2 cents over a year ago and, like diesel, it is at its highest level since October 2008.

The upturns came despite lower oil prices in the past two weeks, as crude futures have slipped from more than $92 a barrel in late January to below $85.

Oil finished the New York Mercantile Exchange trading day Monday below $85 a barrel, the first time it has closed below that level since Nov. 30, Bloomberg reported.

Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.

[Deleted]

As of 2010 the density of petroleum diesel is about 0.832 kg/l (6.943 lb/US gal), about 12% more than ethanol free gasoline, which has a density of about 0.745 kg/l (6.217 lb/US gal). About 86.1% of the fuel mass is carbon and when burned, it offers a net heating value of 43.1 MJ/kg as opposed to 43.2 MJ/kg for gasoline. However, due to the higher density, diesel offers a higher volumetric energy density at 35.86 MJ/l (128 700 BTU/US gal) vs. 32.18 MJ/l (115 500 BTU/US gal) for gasoline, some 11% higher, something that should be considered when comparing the fuel efficiency by volume. The CO2 emissions from diesel are 73.25 g/MJ, just slightly lower than for gasoline at 73.38 g/MJ.[7] Diesel is generally simpler to refine from petroleum than gasoline and contains hydrocarbons having a boiling point in the range of 180-360°C (360-680°F). The price of diesel traditionally rises during colder months as demand for heating oil rises, which is refined in much the same way. Because of recent changes in fuel quality regulations, additional refining is required to remove sulfur which contributes to a sometimes higher cost. In many parts of the United States and throughout the United Kingdom and Australia[8] diesel may be higher priced than petrol.[9] Reasons for higher priced diesel include the shutdown of some refineries in the Gulf of Mexico, diversion of mass refining capacity to gasoline production, and a recent transfer to ULSD, which causes infrastructural complications.[10] In Sweden a diesel fuel designated as MK-1 (class 1 environmental diesel) is also being sold, this is a ultra low sulphur diesel that also have a lower aromatics content, with a limit of 5%.[11] This fuel is slightly more expensive to produce than regular ultra low sulphur diesel.

[neohguy]

Thanks Jma.

www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26171&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter
Diesel Rises 3.9¢ to $3.573 a Gallon

Gasoline Sees 4.9¢ Increase
Diesel increased in price for the 12th straight week, gaining 3.9 cents to $3.573 a gallon, the Department of Energy said Tuesday.

Gasoline also rose, gaining 4.9 cents to $3.189 a gallon, its third straight gain and 11th increase in 12 weeks, DOE said Tuesday following its weekly survey of filling stations.
The diesel price is the highest since trucking’s mail fuel averaged $3.659 on Oct. 13, 2008, DOT said. Gas is at its highest since Oct. 6, 2008, and Monday’s increase was the largest since early December.
Monday’s diesel price was 74.1 cents higher than the price one year ago. Gas has increased 53.4 cents in that time.Crude oil jumped as high as 9.6% Tuesday from its settlement price Friday, reaching $94.49 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, also the highest level since October 2008, Bloomberg reported.

Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price. This week’s survey was released Tuesday due to the federal holiday on Monday.