Cool Cargo News

The nation’s largest refrigerated truckload carrier is raising pay for company drivers and owner-operators following a “stronger fiscal performance.”

PTA Holdings is expanding its refrigerated truckload business, adding a baked goods shipper in San Antonio, Texas, to balance northbound and southbound loads.

Tampa Port Authority has signed a letter of intent with Green Express for the development of an on-dock transload and rail-served facility connecting the port to the Midwest.

State and federal agencies are working to finalize a pilot program to bring grapes and blueberries from Peru and Uruguay into Florida’s Port Everglades and PortMiami, starting in October.

The Diamond State Port Corp., operator of Delaware’s Port of Wilmington, and Dole Foods have reached an agreement in principle by which Dole will continue to use the Port of Wilmington...

Identec Solutions has entered into a multi-year alliance with WAM Technologies to expand their refrigerated container monitoring solutions.

Gulf States Cold Storage has opened a 100,000 square foot cold storage facility serving the Port of Savannah.

Domestic flights today resumed taking off and landing at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya, after the facility was damaged and temporarily shut down by a massive fire, CNN reports.

President Obama has signed an executive order, “Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security,” in response to the explosion earlier this year at a fertilizer facility in West, Texas.

The Australian government has allocated A$2.5 million (about US$2.3 million) in funding for the Beef Australia expo, which will be held in Rockhampton, Queensland, in May 2015...

Apex Freight Services has acquired Timberline Freight Services, a Colorado-based, full and less-than-truckload transportation company specializing in the movement of temperature-sensitive goods.

IAG Cargo has added Johannesburg as the third route for its new A380 superjumbo aircraft.

Wal-Mart executives want people to know they are increasing the food safety requirements of their suppliers, are working to verify the safety of imported foods and increasing standards in foreign stores as well.

High feed prices, low inventories, scientific disputes and a little bit of political protectionism have combined to slow exports of U.S. beef and pork from the blazing pace of the last several years. In its latest export outlook report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says that slower but steady pattern will hold through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

A U.S. seafood company is using new container technology to open a new market niche: live fish imported from South Korea.

Getting people to try new things, especially expensive new things, isn’t easy. For executive chef Nora Ramos, getting Americans of all ethnic backgrounds to try dishes made from live fish is both an art and a science.

Two trends in the global produce market seem to be at odds with each other: Big-box retailers are getting bigger and buying produce directly from producers around the globe. At the other end of the scale is the “buy-local” movement that encourages people to eat produce grown locally, without the need for extensive transport to market.

2013 has been a roller-coaster ride for U.S. poultry producers. Exports have increased, but haven’t lived up to early growth prospects as avian flu outbreaks on two continents have wreaked havoc with demand.

The Port of San Diego’s board of port commissioners has adopted a $180 million budget for fiscal year 2013-2014.

Shippers and carriers alike are waiting to see how much new hours of service regulations will affect refrigerated trucking and the timing of food deliveries to restaurants, grocery stores and distribution centers. The new rules apply to all truck drivers, regardless of the type of equipment, but some believe the cold chain might take a bigger hit to productivity than other sectors.

Marten Transport today reported its net income in the second quarter of 2013 was $7.7 million, inching up 1.1 percent from $7.6 million in the second quarter of 2012.

Duff Brothers Capital has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Frozen Food Express Industries, a temperature-controlled truckload and less-than-truckload carrier in the U.S., for $38.2 million.

DB Schenker has opened a new logistics center in South Korea to provide health care and pharmaceutical supply chain services.

Officials from Port of Hueneme in California and Ports America have formally christened the stevedoring company’s new Liebherr LHM 420 Litronic mobile harbor crane.

Norbert Dentressangle has entered into a 50-50 joint venture with the Danone Group to offer temperature-controlled logistics services for fresh products across Russia.

Westwood Shipping Lines has entered the refrigerated container cargo market with the launch of its new fortnightly reefer service connecting the U.S. Pacific Northwest...

UPS has launched UPS Proactive Response Secure, a time- and temperature-sensitive shipment monitoring and risk management solution to protect customers against lost profits.

Sea Star Line has taken delivery of 150 new 40-foot refrigerated containers in the second year of a five-year equipment replacement plan.

Following an outbreak of the avian influenza during the second half of 2012 and its continued spread in 2013, the Mexican poultry market has suffered a “considerable loss” in production, according to the U.S. Grains Council.

Some agriculture shippers say they'd consider paying slightly higher rates if container lines could provide better reliability and service.

DHL Global Forwarding has launched DHL Thermonet, a new air freight product tailored to the life sciences and health care sector.

Americold has appointed Todd Sheldon as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.

Suddath Global Logistics, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based warehousing and logistics management company, has acquired PenserSC, a third-party logistics provider.

Cucumber exports from Mexico’s Yucatán state reached a record high this past season, according to Grup Marítim TCB.

Yourway Transport will expand its biopharmaceutical services in Lehigh Valley, Pa., according to Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Corbett.

Cryoport reported a net loss of $6.4 million in fiscal year 2013, ending March 31, 2013, improving from a net loss of $7.8 million in fiscal year 2012, ending March 31, 2012.

Brookfield Asset Management, through its private equity group, has acquired the stock of Millard Refrigerated Services – Canada.

The European Commission has approved a proposed joint venture between OJSC Unimilk Company of Russia, part of Danone Group, and NDL International, part of Norbert Dentressangle Group, both of France.

Lineage Logistics, the world’s second-largest cold storage company, has added another space to its portfolio, acquiring the real estate and assets of a facility in University Park, Ill. Financial terms of the transaction weren not disclosed.