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Associate Editor – John has his finger on the pulse of where railroads and intermodal shipping strategies meet public policy and regulation. Considered one of the top reporters in Washington, he covers the politics that surround government spending and infrastructure. John’s reporting experience spans the United States, from rail yards in Chicago to barge terminals on the Mississippi.
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Sep 30, 2011 8:19PM GMTThe prospect of cutting hundreds of millions of dollars out of your freight bills is enough to drive some big shippers into mergers. Just ask International Paper. It is buying packaging manufacturer Temple-Inland for $4.3 billion. “This makes a good corrugated box business, which we have in...
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Sep 7, 2011 5:41PM GMTWill President Obama offer any carrots or does he just keep swinging a stick to pressure budget-cutting lawmakers for new transportation spending? Business groups as well as unions back his theme of making big new infrastructure investments, but House Republicans oppose increased spending. Find...
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Aug 30, 2011 3:31PM GMTAfter the storms of August – political, financial and most recently natural – things may seem to be getting back to normal. It won’t last. Come September, and more precisely after Labor Day, the games begin anew and the fate of the economy may hang in the balance. President Obama...
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Aug 24, 2011 2:37PM GMTTuesday’s Virginia earthquake again tested the nation’s infrastructure, which came through pretty well. But it also reminded us of vulnerabilities. Rail systems for freight operators and commuters alike slowed, as inspectors checked the tracks and circuits. Some air operations paused, a...
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Aug 8, 2011 3:56PM GMTWith President Obama first striking a deal with car makers to double fuel efficiency by 2025, and now finalizing historic fuel rules for freight trucking, the Highway Trust Fund’s revenue stream is kaput. Most federal transportation spending comes from gasoline and diesel taxes, along with...
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Aug 3, 2011 3:11PM GMTWith the prefab debt ceiling crisis behind us for now, a truly serious threat is emerging. More and more people are again talking about recession. This may sound a lot like last summer, when business news was abuzz with warnings about a “double-dip” just a year after leaving the...
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Jul 27, 2011 7:26PM GMTThe economy may still have the slows, but suppliers of equipment to the freight transportation sector say solid demand is filling their order books. That trend comes through clearly in second-quarter earnings reports by manufacturers, and comments from their executives on what happens next....
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Jul 14, 2011 5:54PM GMTKeep those fingers crossed, but the U.S. is on track to accomplish an important job-creating goal from President Obama — doubling the nation’s exports in five years. When he set that goal, Obama appeared to some to be over-reaching. Everybody knew that Americans are voracious consumers...
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Jun 29, 2011 6:50PM GMTAt 55, the Interstate Highway System is not really that old in years. But like Indiana Jones once said, “It’s not the years; it’s the mileage.” It’s also lots of hard living, with too little of the revitalizing attention anything needs to recuperate. And it may soon...
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May 31, 2011 6:06PM GMTBlame it on soaring fuel prices, broader commodity prices or an unending flow of harsh weather. For whatever reasons, this spring has seen the freight recovery stall. Major U.S. freight railroads had their best week so far this year at the end of March. That’s actual freight volume measured...
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May 12, 2011 1:50PM GMTWhile U.S. and Chinese officials huddled in Washington in recent days on big trade and global finance issues, there’s plenty of small trade frictions that point to another problem. Reader Alert: If you are a history buff, seafood lover or have a thing for fine handbags, you may want to brace...
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Apr 25, 2011 2:23PM GMTPresident Obama ordered the attorney general to hunt down gas price gouging, as his most visible action against soaring fuel costs. But he's still sitting on the weapon that has always worked before - tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. So, if you're one of those who think an SPR tap is a bad...
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Peter Tirschwell
It seems to be common knowledge among carriers that the market could turn dramatically in their favor by 2014 due to dearth of ship orders
May 23, 2012 4:12PM GMT