Due to the increasing level of demand for the shipment of cargo between Rotterdam and Italy, the Dutch rail operator Shuttlewise has opened a new rail shuttle connection for containers between the Port of Rotterdam and the Mortara rail terminal in northern Italy.

Since this service has launched it has been a resounding success, and so the service will be increasing from three to five times a week in the near future. The operator is currently focusing on containers and swapbodies but trailers will also be added at a later date.

The efficiency of goods flow management is essential to any company with an interest in auto relocation services and this new intermodal service will provide to be very important as it opens up the possibilities for large transshipments between the two European countries.

The terminal at Mortara can handle up to 1.5m tones of intermodal cargo per year. Therefore, the introduction of the Shuttlewise service will most definitely ease the burden on other intermodal terminals in the area and improve the overall efficiency of container shuttle services from the Port of Rotterdam, which is the largest port in Europe.

The dispute between the French ferry company and its negotiations with unions had been dragging on since November 2009, but an agreement has finally been reached over the rescue plan. SeaFrance announced that it is now ready to start implementing the recovery plan which includes redundancy and productivity arrangements.

The firm had been in dispute with the union for some time and thought that the recovery plan signed before Christmas would be the end of the matter. However, the union believed the agreements did not conform to the rescue plan and so put up further resistance to these changes and large-scale redundancies.

The cross-Channel ferry operator may have had to go to court to settle the dispute, further putting the future of the company in jeopardy. The agreement, as brokered by a mediator, means that the redundancy program can now go ahead and other recovery measures can be instigated.

The recovery plan means that 482 of the 1,580 workforce will have to be laid off. However, 413 of those made redundant will be able to take up the offer of alternative work with SeaFrance owner and railway services provider SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français).

This is certainly positive news for car haulers and those companies involved with relocation services as the passenger/freight services offered by the fleet will continue as usual.

Freight brokers and logistics providers met earlier this year in San Antonio, providing more evidence of the bleak condition of the freight transportation and auto relocation industries. They also moved to gather data on the size of their segment of the industry. Load volumes and revenues have been on the decline, but gross margins have improved with similar results to those published by a major load board and a transportation stock analyst.

The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) hired an Auburn University business professor to publish a quarterly market report on the scope of work by brokerage firms and third-party logistics providers. Volume and revenue were down in the third quarter of 2008 and got worse in the fourth quarter, but gross margin continued to rise. Gross margin refers to the proportion of gross revenue a broker keeps after paying trucking companies and other freight carriers.

Cash-strapped trucking companies have increased their use of quick-pay discount programs. Brokers have always offered expedited payment programs where a carrier or driver gets the money more quickly but receives less of it. In the present time, more carriers are looking for money faster. In 2008, TransCore 3sixty Freight Match saw approximately 6.4 loads posted for each truck looking for work.

You might need to spend quite a bit of time and effort to find the exact used or new car you are looking for. You may even find the car you’ve been searching for but are unable to purchase it because the vehicle is located on the other side of the country. That is why it is beneficial to use an autoshipping agency as opposed to picking up the car yourself.

Consider the mileage. For example, if you live in Los Angeles, California, and find the car you want in Tampa, Florida, you will end up putting over 2,100 miles on the clock just to get it back to L.A. Some buyers may want to save money and actually enjoy driving their car back, but for others, it might be beneficial to take advantage of an auto transport service that can pick your car up at the dealership and drop it off at your door without accruing any mileage.

You might just use an auto transport service for peace of mind just in case your newly purchased car breaks down en route to your home. You can also insure your car so that you are guaranteed to get it in the condition that it left the dealership.

Boat transportation shouldn’t be too difficult if you plan in advance. Make sure that all loose gear, like plates, galley utensils, personal items such as cash and valuables, clothing, sporting goods and any other items that are not part of the vessel, are stowed and secured or removed from the vessel. You should also empty all water and holding tanks, as boats should not be transported with fuel or water in these tanks. Another thing to do is remove any drain plugs from the hull as there should not be any water in the bilge while it is being transported.

Wooden boats can be expected to dry out and a coat of linseed oil can help this problem. You should disconnect battery cables or turn off the battery switch and fully secure the batteries. Anchors should also be removed from the deck. When dealing with center board sailboats, make sure that the board is secured and will stay upright during transit. Sailboats are slightly more complicated because the sails and boom need to be stowed and the mast stepped to fit height requirements.

If you are moving a boat during the winter months, then you should winterize the engine, toilets, the water systems or any other weather sensitive devices on the vessel. Finally, boat windscreens should be removed to avoid any wind damage during transport.

Its Monday just working and booking more orders…

@Shuzz Thats Crazy. I think since that guy tried to blow up the plane on Christmas they are going to stop WI FI in the cabin…

There are many transportation companies that provide the facility for transporting a yacht with the utmost security and safety to the desired destination. The main problem for many is how to find the best yacht transportation company.

You can search for yacht transport companies online through major search engines like Google or Yahoo! These search engines will provide you with various results, including company websites. Check out their About Us page – they will give you an idea as to their experience and the safety services they provide. The next step is to ask them for a quote so that you can compare the rates of different companies and select one that provides the best service at an affordable rate.

It is essential that you have some knowledge as to the services provided by a yacht transportation company before selecting one for your yacht. Some of the services that you should look for are yacht registration, guardianship, international shipping of yacht if required, vessel accounting and other security and safety services. If you want your yacht transported internationally, the most important aspect to pay attention to is shipping rates.

When moving a standard passenger car and you want to investigate different car transport trailer options, there are many possibilities in today’s auto shipping industry that are offered to the discerning customer. Open carrier transport is the most popular and least expensive type of auto shipping.

Typically, your car will be transported on an eight or ten-car hauler, the same type of trucks used to deliver new cars. These trucks are 75-80 feet long and almost 14 feet high. They can be difficult to maneuver and are limited to major roads that are free of low hanging trees and low clearance bridges. You should keep this in mind when directing the truck to the pick-up location. To make sure your car stays clean and avoid all highway wear and tear, you should have your car transported in an enclosed car transport trailer. Enclosed trailers protect your car from all road hazards and weather for the duration of the trip.

It is usually the most expensive option in auto shipping due to the premium equipment and service provided with enclosed car trailers. Car transport trailer options that are excellent for costly or exotic cars include: lift gates for safe horizontal loading, ramp gates for long wheelbase vehicles and winches for inoperable vehicles.

There are many different types of auto transport and car shipping jobs and the industry provides a lot of employment opportunities, as well as offering good career prospects. There are auto transport jobs available on full and part time basis. People looking for these kinds of jobs should be dedicated, committed, motivated and hard-working.

For those new to the auto transport industry, career prospects are favorable. Some possible auto transport jobs include auto transport truck driver, dispatcher, customer service representative, driver, car hauler, diesel mechanic and so on. The auto transport truck driver job is much more difficult than other kinds of truck drivers because they have to drive the truck as well as load and unload vehicles from/to each person’s home or business. In addition, they may have to drive across different states and this could take one to three weeks.

An auto transport dispatcher acts as a travel agent for the auto transport industry. Their job is to take orders for shipments of vehicles and make a proper schedule with the trucking company. They also have to decide and convey information about vehicle pick-up, delivery and transit times to the truck driver and the customer. Driver car hauler involves transporting cars and other items to various locations and may also involve some other functions.