Transportation: Page 497

Rail & Intermodal

Rail Investments Paying Off

Infrastructure investments and efficiency improvements are positioning rail as a key transportation partner in the food supply chain.

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Amazon To Expand Private Label Food Offerings

The first of the brands could begin appearing on Amazon’s site as soon as the end of the month or early June, said one source.

Food Delivery Startups Face Unique Challenges

Three founders of food startups shared their insights on the state of the industry: Maple CEO co-founder and CEO Caleb Merkl, Sweetgreen co-founder and CEO Nicolas Jammet, and Blue Apron co-founder and CTO Ilia Papas.

California Offers Amnesty To Trucking Firms For Misclassifying Drivers

Since 2011, truckers have filed 799 wage claims due to employee misclassification, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office said. More than $35 million has been awarded to drivers in 302 cases.

Labor organizers are pushing for reclassification because employees can unionize while contractors can’t.

Port Communities Fight Investment In Port Infrastructure

Community groups and local activists say unchecked seaport expansion has damaged coastal ecosystems and is choking some of the most densely populated zip codes with dangerously high emissions from trucks, trains and ships entering the ports.

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Ocean Ports & Carriers

APM Terminals To Provide VGM Verification At 29 Ports, None Yet In The U.S.

Operational procedures and processes are being reviewed to ensure VGM process compliance throughout the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network.

Initially, APM Terminals will provide VGM generation services to supply chain partners at 29 locations globally, none of which are in the U.S. APM Terminals aims to add further locations where VGM support services can be offered.

Spot Rates and Volume Jump First Week in May

DAT Freight & Analytics

Driven by demand for refrigerated and dry vans, the number of loads posted on DAT boards was up 5.1 percent compared to the previous week.

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Walmart Tests Two-Day Shipping, Tapping Regional Carriers

As part of the project, Walmart will rely on eight massive e-commerce warehouses around the country, the last of which will be built by year’s end. It will also tap regional carriers to deliver more of its packages, say people familiar with the matter.

U.S. And European Workers Rally Outside XPO Logistics Shareholder Meeting Over Grievances

A delegation attended the meeting to demand a meeting to discuss workers' concerns.

The union claims XPO is mismanaging the integration of its new businesses which has created significant operational and financial risk for the company and its investors.

New Shipping Alliance To Include Major Asian And European Carriers

The deal involves Japan's Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd.; Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd AG; South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping Co. and Hyundai Merchant Marine Co.; and Taiwan’s Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.

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Ocean Ports & Carriers

Driver Classification Disputes Hammer Port Trucking Companies

Port of Long Beach

The turmoil raises questions about the future of short-haul trucking at the nation’s ports.

The class-action lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, argues that drivers for XPO subsidiaries Pacer Cartage Inc., Harbor Rail Transport and PDS Transportation Inc. failed to pay minimum wage, provide meal breaks and rest breaks and reimburse business expenses, among other allegations.

Rail & Intermodal

OmniTRAX Affiliate Acquires Heart of Texas Railroad

The rail line, which is being renamed Central Texas & Colorado River Railway, LLC, operates 68 miles of track running due west from Lometa, Texas, where it interchanges with BNSF, to Brady, Texas.

A managed affiliate of OmniTRAX, Inc., one of the largest privately held transportation services companies in North America and an affiliate of The Broe Group, is purchasing the Heart of Texas Railroad (HTR) from private local investors.

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