The Great Toll Hike

I’d be willing to bet that this has happened to you at least once in your life.

You’re breezing down the highway, hardly paying attention, when all of a sudden, that pesky, blinking sign pops into your vision -- “Last exit before toll!” You reach into the glove compartment for the $2 you’ve gotten so used to handing over every time you take this route. As you approach the toll booth, something doesn’t look right. Something is different. You struggle to figure out what’s changed…and then you see it.

2 AXLE VEHICLES - $5.00

Your eyeballs nearly pop out of their sockets, and in your head, you count and re-count the number of axles on the Honda Civic you’re currently piloting, wondering if there has been some sort of mistake, or if you forgot how to count… but there is no mistake—there has been an increase in the toll, and you hurriedly scrounge around in your wallet for $3 more.

When a toll increases, it’s an inconvenience for anyone, no matter what vehicle you drive. But if you’re not in the transportation industry, you probably don’t think about the negative impact it has on truck drivers and transportation companies. Many people don’t even realize that tolls increase steeply depending on the number of axles on your vehicle. For example, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge toll looks like this:

2 axles - $4
3 axles - $8
4 axles - $12
5 axles - $24
6 axles - $30

And the tolls keep increasing. By the year 2015, a trip from Baltimore to New York – which is less than a 200-mile journey – will cost a 5-axle truck a whopping $209 in tolls. Yes, you read that correctly… that’s over a dollar per mile in tolls alone. When you factor in the high price of gas, along with vehicle maintenance costs, it’s easy to understand why the cost of shipping is on the rise!

Luckily, politicians have noticed, and are speaking out against the frequent and dramatic toll hikes in an attempt to bring them to a halt. In New Jersey, Senator Frank Lautenberg has introduced a bill that would allow the secretary of transportation to veto any toll increase that he deemed “too excessive”. This is an important first step to keep the cost of tolls under control, especially in a state like New Jersey, filled with toll-ridden turnpikes and bridges.

If the rising costs of transportation and shipping have you worried, you don’t have to face your fears alone. Get in touch with us, and we’ll help you find the most affordable and economical options, personalized and catered to your needs. Just take a few seconds to fill out the contact form.

If you’d like to read more about the proposed bill in New Jersey, you can do so here.

Learn Intermodal Lingo: Why Rail is Eco-Friendly

Train containers can be your “best bet” for helping save the environment!

Shipping containers to a seaport area like, for example, Los Angeles can be very environmentally-friendly simply because the containers (to be re-used) would normally be going back empty. And there are fuel savings.

Train shipping containers are also more environmentally-friendly than a TOFC (Truck Trailer On Flat Car — All of the major railroads provide both TOFC and container shipping).

The reason for this is that with container shipping, the railroad does not have to haul the heavy-weight Chassis suspension (wheels, suspension and parking legs). And there are fuel savings.

The use of Trailers on flat cars (TOFC) is normally by customers that require faster train service.  The Intermodal trains that only carry trailers (TOFC) move at a faster speed than the trains that move the double stack containers. This is still a very much more fuel-efficient and less expensive option than long-distance over-the-road trucking.

Bottom Line: Every shipper can make a positive environmental difference, and realize fuel savings by utilizing the Intermodal Product!

Small enough to be close to your needs.
Big enough to serve you best.

Air quality improvements unveiled at Trinity Port Services

A cooperative project that improves Delaware air quality and the quality of life for neighborhood residents was unveiled today at a ceremony at Trinity Port Services in New Castle. Twenty electrified outlets that power refrigerated storage containers at the company’s Rogers Road site have replaced the use of diesel generators, significantly reducing air pollutants, diesel fumes and noise in the community.

Governor Jack Markell with TDS President Darrel Banning

Governor Jack Markell and Trinity Port Services Company President Darrel Banning were joined by DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara, Regional EPA Administrator Shawn M. Garvin, Clean Air Council Coordinator Abby Poses, DuPont Edge Moor Plant Manager Elizabeth Schowe, Rose Hill Community Center Director Shelia Berkel, Senator David McBride (D-Hawks Nest), Senator Margaret Rose Henry (D-Wilmington East), Representative James J. Johnson (D-Jefferson Farms), and New Castle County Councilman Jae P. Street (10^th District) to announce the cleaner alternative to diesel generators.

“This project is an excellent example of government, private business, environmental advocacy organizations and the community working together to find a safe, effective way of improving air quality and reducing health risks,” said Governor Markell. “We are always looking for ways to make our air cleaner and together, we are making progress.”

Once Trinity Port Services acquired the facility in 2007, company management immediately recognized the needs of the neighborhood, moved equipment and installed barriers to reduce noise and diesel fumes in the area. Additionally, the company has implemented environmentally-friendly improvements at the site.

In 2011, DNREC proposed the project at Trinity Port Services after DuPont applied for a Coastal Zone Act permit to install two large boilers at its Edge Moor facility in Wilmington. Delaware’s Coastal Zone Act regulates heavy industrial activities, as well as new and existing manufacturing activities in the state’s Coastal Zone. Coastal Zone regulations require companies to offset air emissions and other negative environmental impacts.

Under an agreement between DuPont and DNREC, DuPont, as a condition of its Coastal Zone permit, funded this project to offset air emissions from the boilers at the Edge Moor facility. In addition, DuPont provided funding for technical and administrative oversight of the project to the Clean Air Council through its diesel pollution reduction program. 

According to DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara, the project eliminates up to 120 tons of harmful air pollutants annually from the Trinity site. “This Coastal Zone environmental offset project is an innovative solution to the longstanding air quality, odor and noise problems in the neighborhood,” he said. “The project ensures clean air by supporting the state’s ongoing efforts to reduce diesel emissions.”

“This clean air project at Trinity Port Services underscores the value of partnering between government and the private sector, and proves that common-sense changes can deliver exceptional results," said EPA mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. "By working with DNREC and partnering with DuPont on this project, Trinity Port Services is helping protect the health and livability of nearby community residents."

“The new outlets installed at Trinity will eliminate the use of up to 600 gallons of diesel per week,” said Abby Poses, Clean Transportation Coordinator with the Clean Air Council.  “The installation of these outlets will go a long way towards improving air quality and minimizing the effects of diesel on public health. The Clean Air Council has been honored to be a part of such an important project with DNREC, DuPont and Trinity Port Services.”

“Providing the funds for this project helped DuPont, the community and the environment in another way,” said DuPont Edge Moor Plant Manager Elizabeth Schowe. “In addition to improving the quality of life for our neighbors, we were enabled to install two clean-burning, energy efficient, gas-fired generators at our plant. That reduced our dependence on a less efficient and less clean coal-burning power producer.”

“Those of us who live next to this facility truly appreciate everyone's efforts on this important project,” said Sheila Berkel, Director of the Rose Hill Community Center. “So often our community seems to get overlooked on issues that negatively impact one's quality of life.  We’re excited about what’s being done here today, and we certainly hope our leaders and elected officials will continue to focus their attention on the needs of the people who live near industrial plants like this one.”

“This project demonstrates Trinity’s commitment to our community as well as our environment,” said Trinity Port Services Company President Darrel Banning.  “We appreciate the teamwork and collaboration with all of the involved parties for the common goal of cleaner air. We are very thankful for the funding, as this is only the first step in the future development of greener initiatives for Trinity Port Services.”

The Green Train. The latest in saving green while shipping green!

Shipping containers stacked on top of one another. Semi-trailers secured to the deck. It all adds up to a “green train” – rail transport moving freight without adding to highway congestion or excess air pollution.

It’s true that rail transport may not always be the method of choice for shippers who have tight schedules, or time-sensitive, or who have shipping locations or destination points long distances from an Intermodal Terminal.

One train transportation company provides an upside perspective to counter these kinds of issues by promoting findings that anchor on aggressive savings: “One train can carry the load of more than 280 trucks!” The National Gateway Program is partnering with an enlightened rail carrier for $700 million in system improvements to “create a more efficient flow of rail traffic between Mid-Atlantic ports and Midwestern markets.”

It DOES pay to be green for some shippers who use rail (intermodal) 

One rail shipper recently proved the point in transporting a trailer of books from the Midwest to their Los Angeles location . . . “We used a shipping container and had it transported by rail most of the way. We saved $1,603.72 or 41%.”

Why is this so “green”?

It’s a fact: Railroads are three times more fuel-efficient than over-the-road transport.

A study of 50 major U.S. metro areas by transportation consultant Wendell Cox found that simply by shifting 25 percent of truck freight to rail by 2025, would lead to:

 • 2.8 billion fewer traveler-hours wasted in congested traffic
 • A savings of 16 billion gallons of fuel

 • Nearly 800,000 fewer tons of air pollution

What to "Look Out" for When Shipping Intermodal (Rail)

Have you been searching for a more economical mode of transit? Is your company "going green", searching for ways to reduce their carbon imprint? Have you already begun shipping on the rail and want to know more about the process? This presentation is for you!

Carriers Invited to Bed! The sleeper berth controversy is now wide awake!

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is inviting carriers to propose and implement a sleeper berth pilot test program  “that might convince the agency that there’s something better out there than the current rule,” according to a March 30 story by Lyndon Finney in The TRUCKER magazine, quoting Agency Administrator Anne Ferro.

Ferro extended her invitation during an interview at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, KY. She revealed that the agency is about ready to review new research on the use of the sleeper berth. Her comments, quoted in The TRUCKER:

“It has taken us a couple of years to do this research. I have not seen the final draft. It’s been very important research for me because I want us to be able to speak more knowledgeably and have a better conversation with everybody about the challenge that the sleeper berth rule today poses and what are some options.”

At the heart of the controversy that prompted her comments, and FMCSAs decision to take up the issues as they relate to the new research findings, are two key points:

1)    Trucker frustration with the current sleeper berth rules that prevent drivers from being allowed to stop the 14-hour clock to take a quick nap when they do get tired. This, objectors say, seems in conflict with the mission to improve safety and reduce driver fatigue.

2)    Frustration with a rule that requires drivers to spend eight consecutive hours in the sleeper berth instead of being able to split those hours up as they choose so long as no period in the sleeper berth is less than two hours.

Flurries of driver-generated publicity underscore the need for greater flexibility on the sleeper berth rule. 

“Help me answer the question,” Ferro said. “How do you provide that flexibility and ensure compliance. That’s what we need to get to. Let some carriers frame the question and propose a pilot and tell us what it would mean from their perspective.”

Freight Rate Fright

Caution: Freight Rate Freight is Contagious-Avoid Exposure!

With today’s fuel prices, industry-wide capacity crunch, and steadily increasing safety regulations, it’s no wonder many shippers are beginning to feel a sense of fright, or dread, when gathering freight rates. Symptoms may include sweaty palms when reaching for your coffee, nausea when sending bid request emails, or an overwhelming sense of dread when you dial the number to your provider.

It’s not like “great freight rates” never happen, or don’t exist, but they are simply not as commonplace as they once were. The actual cost of shipping cargo is much more involved than merely paying the charges associated with the transportation company. It’s important to look beneath the surface of actual cargo shipping charges when estimating your total shipping costs.

Total freight cost also includes other factors. These include: the cost of storing inventory, packaging material, salaries of shipping clerks, computer system to track and monitor shipments, actual freight rates, and cost associated with delayed shipments, plus additional special circumstance expenses. Sure, it sounds like a lot, but there is no cause for panic!

SOME STEPS THAT CAN HELP YOU SAVE MONEY,
BE MOST PRODUCTIVE, AND MINIMIZE RISK


1)    MONITOR each of the above factors carefully.

2)    GET experienced input on how to best package merchandise to take up the least amount of dimensional space, and minimize risk of damage. Damage control methods can vary greatly depending on shipment methods and types of carriers.

3)    EMPLOY the help of a 3PL like Trinity Logistics to help match your specific needs to qualified available carriers. This type of service keeps costs lower by promoting competition, and –on your behalf-- includes the use of an information database. Being able to track trends, inventory levels, and previous time and cost to ship cargo can assist you in making future shipping decisions.

4)    KEEP accurate shipping records. These include but are not limited to history of rates, total volume of different modes of transit, accessorials paid, on time reports, RFP results, etc.

5)    UNDERSTAND inventory trends. This can help control costs by ensuring that your company is not stuck with a lot of overstock. Storing inventory is one of the most costly expenses in the shipping process.

6)    TRACK your shipments regularly. This can often be accomplished on your provider’s website or by receiving a daily report via email. It makes the carrier more accountable to deliver your loads on time. Be alert that late shipments, with increasing frequency, can result in customer fines to shippers. They also threaten customer satisfaction and repeat sales opportunities.

Stay current with all six steps.  Ignoring one or two could be enough to tip things out of balance. And keeping freight rate factors under control requires walking a thin line between cost-effective transportation management and feeding the “Freight Rate Fright syndrome.”