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GandP Trucking Announces Land Acquisition in Greer, SC
Gaston, SC-based Trucking Company to Open New Facility and Expand Services in Support of Inland Port Opening This Fall.
MC2MM's Miami Modeling Talent Hannah May Lands Huge Role in Sci-fi Flick -Witch Hollow-
-I'm absolutely over the moon,- says Hannah May when asked how she feels about the upcoming role. The model has been receiving a lot of attention in the media for her natural red hair and porcelain complexion. The show -Witch Hallow- is about a group of friends that conjure the spirits of burnt witches.
NationaLease Appoints Joseph Gallick Vice President of Dedicated Services
Gallick comes to the organization of full service truck leasing companies from Penske Logistics, where he served for 25 years.
Chapman Freeborn Australia secures Hercules aircraft lease deal
World's leading air cargo charter broker, Chapman Freeborn, has positioned a L382 Hercules aircraft in Brisbane for both international and domestic airlift operations.
Bakwena Back The UN Global Road Safety Week From 6 To 12 May
In line with its commitment to invest significantly in various road safety projects, the Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire (Bakwena) has dedicated complete support to the Second United Nations Global Road Safety Week, which is being held from 6 to 12 May 2013.
Thorntons Relaunches Gas Price Alert Text Program Today
Mobile Text Program Joins Forces with GasBuddy; Debuts Improved Features and Expanded Market Coverage.
Quartix Tracks Iconic Morgans On A Charity Drive To Norway
Quartix, one of the most respected vehicle tracking companies in the UK, have partnered with Driven at Heart, a charity drive to the northern tip of Norway in support of the Marfan Trust.
Chapman Freeborn celebrates 40 years of aircraft chartering
The leading aircraft charter broker in the world turns 40 this May!
Australia's Leading Aircraft Charter Solutions Provider Attains ISO 9001:2008 Accreditation
Adagold Aviation has recently attained the ISO 9001:2008 certification. This certification is a proof of continuous efforts of Adagold to provide top quality commitments in the charter flight services.
Chapman Freeborn wins the Air Cargo News charter award for the second consecutive year
Air Cargo News Cargo Airline of the Year awards ceremony, entering its 30th year, has long been recognised as the Oscars of the air cargo industry.
Mr Derick Tan, appointed Marketing Director of NYS Shipping and Forwarding Sdn Bhd
He will be responsible to tide up agency agreement with reputable overseas freight forwarding agent.
Brown Transfer Co. Hands Off Bill Processing To DDC FPO
The Heartland's No. 1 carrier has completed the roll out of its BOL processing to freight data capture experts DDC FPO.
Local moving company ranked top franchise in United States
Two Men And A Truck International announces that the Naperville location has earned top honors within the United States.
Qualified Responders Can Speed Emergency Breakdown Resolution
With many roadside repair services to choose from, fleet owners should evaluate providers based on the qualifications of the maintenance coordinators, as well as by its parts' pricing and invoice processing following the breakdown.
PartyBus.Com Launches Party Bus Rental Service Website
Serving an international audience, PartyBus.com is pleased to announce their new website for easy party bus rentals.
O'Gara Aviation Company Renamed OGARAJETS
New Name and Logo Reflect Expanded Capabilities and Global Focus.
Gotham Mini Storage Recognized by New York Times for Offering Upscale Amenities to Manhattan NYC Self-Storage Customers
Gotham Mini Storage was recently praised in the NY Times for leading the pack in the Manhattan self-storage industry with upscale amenities not found in your typical storage facility, including a coffee bar, free Wi-Fi, working space, and brand new tech-centric equipment.
Joining LNG17, Wuxi Banner Vessel (Top CNG/LNG Cylinder Manufacturer based in China) is ready to bring altervative fuel choices to more fleets
Taking place in the George R. Brown Convention Center from 16-19 April 2013, LNG17 will be the biggest global gas event to take place this year and will attract decision makers and gas industry experts from all over the world.
TicketRelief.com Achieves Certification By The California DMV
The preferred choice for satisfying traffic school on the Internet becomes accredited by the California DMV.
Cover Every Base during New Vehicle Specification Process
From APUs and tire width to emission controls and features for driver comfort, today's new heavy duty trucks require hundreds of decisions to be made during the specification process.
Mytee Products Showcases Latest Products at the 2013 Annual Mid America Truck Show
Mytee Products, distributor of heavy duty truck tarps and cargo control products, will be at the 42nd annual Mid America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY March 21 - 23, 2013. Visit our booth for special truck show pricing on several products.
G-Force Shipping Recognized by Diversity Business as a 2013 Top Privately-Held Business in Massachusetts
Norwell-based logistics company ranked second and honored with top business award.
Increasing Globalization Trends Driving the Market for Clinical Trial Cold Chain Services
A new report expects the total cold chain logistics spending on clinical trial materials to grow at a CAGR of around 4% during 2012-2016.
Seven Seas Worldwide Launch The Blog Cabin
Seven Seas Worldwide, a relocation company moving excess baggage and personal belongings around the world, is launching a separate blogging site entitled 'The Blog Cabin'.
Quartix announces outstanding results for 2012
Sales up 24% as vehicle tracking supplier continues to secure its position as one of the most respected companies in the sector.
Nation's Top Transportation Acquisition Firm, Ahern and Associates, Called Upon to Demonstrate Speed to Market with Latest Consulting Assignment
Private investment firm looking to fulfill specific acquisition needs by March 2013; taps Ahern to do what they do best: Create markets and over deliver ahead of schedule.
Manhattan Storage Company, Gotham Mini Storage, Launches -NYC's Most Cramped Space Contest-
New Yorkers compete to win storage and design tips by celebrity judges Leslie Modell and Rebecca Cole.
Boston Suburban Coach Announces New Website and Customer Promotion
Boston Suburban Coach is excited to announce this new promotional code that is going to go hand in hand with the launch of their new website online.
Sacramento Movers Introduce Homepage Improvement Including Video Hints
Sacramento Movers introduced quite a few upgrades to their well known web page: www.twomensacramento.com. The site has information about home and business moving.
Adagold Aviation Provides Emergency Aircraft Charter Relief Support for Queensland Flood Hit Areas
Adagold Aviation joined the emergency relief air support supplying an aircraft charter for multiple rotations between Brisbane and flooded Bundaberg.
Covington Who's Who Selects Kelly A. Burdett as an Honored Member of the Executive and Professional Registry
The selection recognizes Kelly A. Burdett's commitment to excellence in Freight Brokerage, Transportation, and Shipping.
Horizon Moving Systems Sponsors 2013 -Why I Love Arizona- Photo Contest
Horizon Moving Systems' participates in local community initiative by sponsoring the 2013 -Why I Love Arizona- photo contest.
Address Diesel Technician Shortage by Improving Image of Profession
In a guest blog on the AmeriQuest Transportation Services Website, NationaLease's Andy Stopka says the trucking industry needs to better educate young people about the rewards of becoming a diesel technician and salute the profession in order to increase recruitment.
BusinessTrack to deploy C4evo telematics blackbox for Heineken fleet
Dutch telematics service provider BusinessTrack has selected Mobile Devices' C4evo blackbox to equip Heineken trucks with a Track and Trace solution in the company's home country of Holland.
Trucking Planet Announces Social Business Network for Trucking and Freight Professionals
Network seeks to provide trucking and freight professionals an economical alternative to industry loadboards.
New Taxi Services Launched in Destin to Meet The high Demand for Transportation in the Emerald Cost area at a Great Discount
City Cab Transportation announces heavy discounts on taxi services just in time for the high season in Destin.
Sacramento Movers Kick-Off A Brand new Employee Of The Month Program
Sacramento Movers recently kicked-off a new Employee of the Month program in January. This program evaluates the movers as well as truck drivers on factors and this includes the report assigned to them by the customers they serve, attendance report, their ability to finish transfers with very little damages being done to customers' items, together with other factors.
Trucking Acquisition Specialists, Ahern and Associates, Announce 2013 Acquisition Assignments
The transportation consultancy firm of Ahern and Associates announces multiple open acquisition needs which must be filled by end of first quarter 2013.
MovingGuru Publishes Snapshot of US Moving Landscape
Interactive Moving Map Revealsa Number of Interesting Moving and Relocation Trends.
Horizon Moving Systems' Diana Romero Qualifies for United Van Lines' Award for Top Sales
Diana Romero, a sales representative at Horizon Moving Systems, has qualified for the United Van Lines Masters Club Inner Circle Award.
Avjet Corporation Adds New Gulfstream 450 to Charter Fleet
G450 Based in Tulsa Offers Intercontinental Range for Up to 14 Passengers.
Ahern and Associates Aids Freight Broker in Positioning for Acquisition and Develops Favorable Exit Strategy for Ownership
Regional carrier looks to Ahern to properly prepare company for sale while structuring terms of owner's exit strategy from the business.
FindItParts.com: -Launches a Ground-Breaking New Website-
FinditParts is the leading e-commerce solution for the sale of heavy- and medium-duty truck, transit vehicles, school buses, light- and medium-duty vehicles, trailers, forklifts, off-road, and automotive vehicles around the world, offering over 2.5 million parts from over 1,200 manufacturers and OEMs.
Logistics Consulting Enables Fleets to Respond to Changing Market Conditions, Eliminate Inefficiencies
David Beaudry explains the benefits of continuous analytical outsourcing vs. undertaking the process every two to five years. He also says by turning to logistics consultants, fleets are far better equipped to look at all of their options, even those they never envisioned, and can compensate for changing market conditions as they occur.
O'Brien Customs and Forwarding Announced To Enhance Air Freight Services
O'Brien Customs and Forwarding is a premier international freight company serving Australia since 25 years.
Nationally Recognized Transportation Client Calls Upon Ahern and Associates to Assist in Acquisition
Ahern and Associates plays key role in locating acquisition target in latest consulting assignment.
My Guys Moving and Storage Formerly Two Guys and a Truck Earns Esteemed 2012 Angie's List Super Service Award
My Guys Moving and Storage, formerly Two Guys and a Truck, has earned the service industry-coveted 2012 Angie's List Super Service Award, an honor awarded annually to approximately 5 percent of all the companies rated on Angie's List, the nation's leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.
Wild Florida Becomes First to Offer Daily Transportation to Airboat Rides in Central Florida
Wild Florida Airboats has partnered with Gray Line of Orlando to offer guests daily scheduled shuttle transportation services to airboat tours in Central Florida.
PNA to invest 60m into tidal-power expansion of Cherbourg port
The Ports of Normandy Authority (PNA), which owns the ports of Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg in north-western France, plans to expand the facilities at Cherbourg by 35 hectares, at a cost of 60 million.
Royal Hawaiian Limousine Announce The Search For Miss RHL 2013
Royal Hawaiian Limousine are reinvesting into the local community once again as they announce an exciting new competition to find Miss RHL 2013 to represent their Hawaii car service.
Transportation Science current issue
A Framework for Integrated Berth Allocation and Crane Operations Planning in Seaport Container Terminals
In seaport container terminals, berth allocation, quay crane assignment, and quay crane scheduling problems are solved sequentially. However, this sequential way of planning the seaside operations often hinders obtaining a sufficient resource utilization and service quality at low cost. This paper provides a framework for aligning all decisions that have to be made in an integrative manner. The framework is laid down in three phases. Phase I estimates productivity rates for the cranes from the vessels' stowage plans. The productivity rates are used in Phase II to make berthing decisions and to assign crane capacity to vessels. Phase III determines detailed crane schedules and aligns the decisions made. The framework supports using well-known heuristics for solving the contained subproblems. Computational tests reveal that the integrated planning is computationally tractable for problem scenarios of realistic size. It is also demonstrated that the new approach balances the cost drivers of a terminal much better than the conventional way of operations planning does and that it enables significant cost reductions.
An Exact Algorithm for the Integrated Planning of Berth Allocation and Quay Crane Assignment
In this paper we study the simultaneous optimization of berth allocation and quay crane assignment in seaport container terminals. We propose a model based on an exponential number of variables that is solved via column generation. An exact branch and price algorithm is implemented to produce optimal integer solutions to the problem. In particular, we present several accelerating techniques for the master and the pricing problem that can be generalized to other branch and price schemes. Computational results show that the proposed approach outperforms commercial solvers. Furthermore, the developed algorithm allows for a comparative analysis between the hierarchical and the integrated solution approach that confirms the added value of integration in terms of cost reduction and efficient use of resources. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first exact branch and price algorithm for both the berth allocation problem and the berth allocation problem with quay crane assignment.
Managing Inventory in Global Supply Chains Facing Port-of-Entry Disruption Risks
Ports-of-entry are critical components of the modern international supply chain infrastructure, particularly container seaports and airfreight hubs. The potential operational and economic impact resulting from their temporary closure is unknown but is widely believed to be very significant. This paper investigates one aspect of this potential impact, focusing specifically on the use of supply chain inventory as a risk mitigation strategy for a one supplier, one customer system in which goods are transported through a port-of-entry subject to temporary closures. Closure likelihood and duration are modeled using a completely observed, exogenous Markov chain. Order lead times are dependent on the status of the port-of-entry, including potential congestion backlogs of unprocessed work. An infinite-horizon, periodic-review inventory control model is developed to determine the optimal average cost ordering policies under linear ordering costs with backlogged demand. When congestion is negligible, the optimal policy is state invariant. In the more complex case of nonnegligible congestion, this result no longer holds. For studied scenarios, numerical results indicate that operating margins may decrease 10% for reasonable-length port-of-entry closures, that margins may be eliminated completely without contingency plans, and that expected holding and penalty costs may increase 20% for anticipated increases in port-of-entry utilization.
Expected Future Value Decomposition Based Bid Price Generation for Large-Scale Network Revenue Management
This paper studies a multistage stochastic programming (SP) model for large-scale network revenue management. We solve the model by means of the so-called expected future value (EFV) decomposition via scenario analysis, estimating the impact of the decisions made at a given stage on the objective function value related to the future stages. The EFV curves are used to define bid prices on bundles of resources directly, as opposed to the traditional additive approach. We compare our revenues to those obtained by additive bid prices, such as the bid prices derived from the deterministic equivalent model (DEM) of the compact representation of the SP model. Our computational experience shows that the revenues obtained by our approach are better for middle-range values of the load factor of demand, whereas the differences among all the approaches we have tested are insignificant for extreme values. Moreover, our approach requires significantly less computation time than does the optimization of DEM by plain use of optimization engines. Problem instances with 72 pairs of bundle-fare classes have been solved in less than one minute, with 800 pairs in less than five minutes, and with 4,000 pairs in less than one hour. The time taken by DEM was, in general, of one order of magnitude higher. Finally, for the three largest problem instances, and after two hours, the expected revenue returned by DEM was below that obtained by EFV by 13.47%, 17.14%, and 38.94%, respectively.
Bid Prices When Demand Is a Mix of Individual and Batch Bookings
Industries such as aviation, hospitality, and package tours often face both individual and batch bookings, requiring one unit and multiple units of capacity, respectively. Using bid prices is a common practice in accepting or rejecting an incoming booking (or equivalently, deciding which price bucket to offer to the incoming bookings at a given time). Most of the literature and existing applications for making accept/reject decisions model the arrival stream as individual bookings. In this paper, we propose an effective approach to determine bid prices when there is a mixed demand pattern with individual and batch bookings. We propose decomposing the demand into "small" and "large" bookings, using dynamic programming for large bookings, and a fast, high-quality approximation for small bookings. We present an application of our approach in the air cargo industry, where cargo is often separated into two categories, namely, mail and packages (small cargo) and freight (large cargo). To obtain bid prices for small cargo, we approximate cargo booking requests with passenger arrival models and develop an efficient and effective algorithm to solve the probabilistic nonlinear formulation of the seat allocation problem from the passenger literature. To obtain bid prices for large cargo, we solve a dynamic program decomposed by flight leg, which is tractable due to the scattered arrivals and large sizes of the bookings. Our approach leads to a significant potential increase in revenues compared to the first-come, first-served (FCFS) approach and the solution from the deterministic formulation (DIP), two methods commonly used in practice.
Workforce Management in Periodic Delivery Operations
Service quality and driver efficiency in the delivery industry may be enhanced by increasing the regularity with which a driver visits the same set of customers. However, effectively managing a workforce of drivers may increase travel distance, a traditional metric of the vehicle routing problem (VRP). This paper evaluates the effect that workforce management has on routing costs, providing insight for managerial decision making. The analysis is presented in the context of the period vehicle routing problem (PVRP), an extension of the VRP with vehicle routes constructed to service customers according to preset visit frequencies over an established period of time. We develop models to apply workforce management principles. Through a computational study with standard PVRP test cases and real-world delivery data, we show that multiobjective PVRP models can achieve a balance between workforce management and travel distance goals. With the proper parameters in place, workforce management principles may be successfully applied without sacrificing other operational objectives.
A Variational Inequality Reformulation of a Congested Transit Assignment Model by Cominetti, Correa, Cepeda, and Florian
In the paper by Cominetti and Correa (2001) [Common-lines and passenger assignment in congested transit networks. Transportation Sci. 35(3):250–267], an extension to the common-lines problem for general multidestination networks under congestion is analyzed. Their transit equilibrium assignment model allows for a full representation of congestion effects caused by the variation of effective frequencies experienced by passengers at transit stops. This model is the first to address these characteristics consistently with the concept of strategies. In a subsequent paper by Cepeda, Cominetti, and Florian (2006) [A frequency-based assignment model for congested transit networks with strict capacity constraints: Characterization and computation of equilibria. Transportation Res. 40B(6):437–459], the computation of equilibrium is performed heuristically by the minimization of a gap function, using the method of successive averages. In this paper, a reformulation of this congested transit equilibrium assignment model is performed, demonstrating that the problem can be expressed as an equivalent variational inequality. The case of strictly capacitated transit networks is explored under the scope of this new reformulation, and new, broader conditions for the existence of solutions to this congested transit assignment model are determined.
A Reference Point Approach for the Resource Constrained Shortest Path Problems
The Resource Constrained Shortest Path Problem (R C S P P) is a variant of the classical shortest path problem and is of great practical importance. The aim is to find the shortest path between a given pair of nodes under additional constraints representing upper bounds on the consumption of resources along the path. In the scientific literature, different approaches have been defined to solve the R C S P P. In this work we propose an innovative interactive method to address the R C S P P, based on a novel search strategy of the criteria space. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated on the basis of an extensive computational study by considering benchmark instances. A comparison with the state-of-the-art approaches developed for the R C S P P is also carried out. The computational results have shown that the developed solution strategy is competitive with the most efficient strategies known thus far.
Synthetic Population Generation Without a Sample
The advent of microsimulation in the transportation sector has created the need for extensive disaggregated data concerning the population whose behavior is modeled. Because of the cost of collecting this data and the existing privacy regulations, this need is often met by the creation of a synthetic population on the basis of aggregate data. Although several techniques for generating such a population are known, they suffer from a number of limitations. The first is the need for a sample of the population for which fully disaggregated data must be collected, although such samples may not exist or may not be financially feasible. The second limiting assumption is that the aggregate data used must be consistent, a situation that is most unusual because these data often come from different sources and are collected, possibly at different moments, using different protocols. The paper presents a new synthetic population generator in the class of the Synthetic Reconstruction methods, whose objective is to obviate these limitations. It proceeds in three main successive steps: generation of individuals, generation of household type's joint distributions, and generation of households by gathering individuals. The main idea in these generation steps is to use data at the most disaggregated level possible to define joint distributions, from which individuals and households are randomly drawn. The method also makes explicit use of both continuous and discrete optimization and uses the 2 metric to estimate distances between estimated and generated distributions. The new generator is applied for constructing a synthetic population of approximately 10,000,000 individuals and 4,350,000 households localized in the 589 municipalities of Belgium. The statistical quality of the generated population is discussed using criteria extracted from the literature, and it is shown that the new population generator produces excellent results.
The Stiff Is Moving--Conjugate Direction Frank-Wolfe Methods with Applications to Traffic Assignment
We present versions of the Frank-Wolfe method for linearly constrained convex programs, in which consecutive search directions are made conjugate. Preliminary computational studies in a MATLAB environment applying pure Frank-Wolfe, conjugate direction Frank-Wolfe (CFW), bi-conjugate Frank-Wolfe (BFW), and "partanized" Frank-Wolfe methods to some classical Traffic Assignment Problems show that CFW and BFW compare favorably to the other methods. This spurred a more detailed study, comparing our methods to an origin-based algorithm. This study indicates that our methods are competitive for accuracy requirements ensuring link flow stability. We also show that CFW is globally convergent. We further point at independent studies by other researchers that show that our methods compare favorably with recent bush-based and gradient projection algorithms on computers with several cores.
ERRATUM
In the article, "Approximation Algorithms for Capacitated Location Routing" by Tobias Harks, Felix G. König, and Jannik Matuschke (printed in