plus 4, Program to help truckers attracts drug smugglers - November 24 - KTUU |
- Program to help truckers attracts drug smugglers - November 24 - KTUU
- LEGO to the top! - Huron Daily Tribune
- Bridge Day - Spectrum
- BAE Systems - Navistar Defense Team Successfully Completes Critical ... - WebWire
- Fitch: Moderate Recovery Expected for U.S. Automotive Suppliers in ... - PR Inside
| Program to help truckers attracts drug smugglers - November 24 - KTUU Posted: 24 Nov 2009 07:30 AM PST
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN Associated Press Writer LAREDO, Texas (AP) - A U.S. program that offers trusted trucking companies speedy passage across American borders has begun attracting just the sort of customers who place a premium on avoiding inspections: Mexican drug smugglers. Most trucks enrolled in the program pause at the border for just 20 seconds before entering the United States. And nine out of 10 of them do so without anyone looking at their cargo. But among the small fraction of trucks that are inspected, authorities have found multiple loads of contraband, including eight tons of marijuana seized during one week in April. Some experts now question whether the program makes sense at a time when drug traffickers are willing to do almost anything to smuggle their shipments into the U.S. The trusted-shipper system "just tells the bad guys who to target," said Dave McIntyre, former director of the Integrative Center for Homeland Security at Texas A&M University. The program works like this: Participating companies agree to adopt certain security measures in exchange for fast entry into the U.S. They are required to put their employees through background checks, fence in their facilities and track their trucks. They also are asked to work with subcontractors who also have been certified under the program, which is run by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. The government keeps the list of participants secret, citing national security and trade secrets. But some of the 9,500 companies who are part of the system advertise their membership to drum up business, making them targets for smugglers, who can then threaten drivers or offer them bribes. More than half of all U.S. imports now come from companies in the program, called the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, or C-TPAT. Mexican trucking companies make up only 6 percent of global membership in the system, but they account for half of its 71 security violations during the past two years. Mexican trucking companies face higher scrutiny than others. They get a full customs inspection every year, instead of every three years like other participating companies. The most common contraband is marijuana, officials say. In a 24-hour period in April, customs officers in Laredo found three tons of marijuana in trucks carrying auto parts across two different bridges. Five days after that, agents in El Paso, Texas, found more than four tons of marijuana in a tractor-trailer hauling auto parts. In July, the director of the program became alarmed by the number of large drug seizures along the border and issued a security bulletin asking participating companies to redouble their efforts against smuggling. Stephen Flynn, senior fellow for Counterterrorism and National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said truckers do not feel safe rejecting bribes, no matter what agreements their companies have made with the U.S. government. "The basic vulnerability for a truck driver remains the 'plata-or-plomo' dilemma," Flynn said, using Spanish shorthand for taking a bribe or a bullet. John Chaffin, a trade lawyer near San Diego, said he had worked with one Mexican trucking company that wanted to join the program, but then pulled out. He suspects participating companies feel pressure from drug gangs to help them smuggle drugs into the United States. "Some Mexican truckers have figured out, 'I don't want someone thinking I'm a better target than someone else,'" Chaffin said. Mexican authorities suspect a man who owned a participating trucking company in Aguascalientes, Mexico, was killed by drug gangs in July 2008. The slaying of Gerardo Medrano Ibarra is unsolved. Roberto Ramirez de la Parra, then chief of operations for Mexico's customs agency, told El Norte newspaper that exporters last year became worried that organized crime was targeting U.S.-certified companies. In the past, smugglers created their own fly-by-night businesses for smuggling, he said. Now they use major trucking corporations. In Laredo, the border's busiest crossing, nearly 700 trucks a day pass through the lane at the World Trade Bridge reserved for trucks that are certified by the trusted-carrier program, each one pausing only for a matter of seconds. Trucking companies have to electronically submit a list of each vehicle's cargo to customs officials at least 30 minutes before arriving at the bridge. Customs agents review them for risk factors that could trigger an inspection. Customs will not reveal those factors, but people familiar with the program say potential risks are judged based on the factory that is sending the goods, its location, the truck's route and other matters. Required cable locks on the trailer doors are also checked, but smugglers have been known to cut them and carefully glue them back together or take the trailer doors off at the hinges without disturbing the locks. Mexican trucking company owner Leonardo Varela Resendez joined the program because he did not want to lose clients. At first glance, Autotransportes Varela Davila, a family trucking business with 54 tractor-trailers in Reynosa, Mexico, seemed the sort of low-tech operation smugglers would target. Then Varela pointed out the security cameras surrounding the yard, the guard at the front gate who took down a visitor's license plate number and the woman who tracks his trucks' whereabouts by computer. "I have learned good things from the U.S. like this, and we understand it benefits companies and the U.S. too," Varela said. Nearby Varela is building a new yard for his trucks. It is larger, modern and will include 128 mounted security cameras, as well as an infirmary for giving drug tests to drivers. Varela, the local delegate for the national trucking advocacy group, said he does not fear being targeted by drug smugglers. "They dedicate themselves to their thing, and we do ours," he said. Daniel B. Hastings Jr., owner of a customs house with offices at five ports of entry on the Texas-Mexico border, thinks the customs program works. He cited cases where a Mexican trucking company tracking a truck noticed an unscheduled stop en route to the bridge and phoned to alert U.S. customs. "I think they're doing as good as they can with what they have to work with," he said. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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| LEGO to the top! - Huron Daily Tribune Posted: 24 Nov 2009 07:44 AM PST SEBEWAING — For many fifth graders, LEGOs provide hours of assembling entertainment — and a reason to show off when a project is completed. For some fifth graders at Christ the King Lutheran School, LEGOs provided many challenges to meet — and a reason to show off when they received a trophy for their work. The eight fifth graders, who call themselves The LEGO Bolts, attended the regional FIRST LEGO League competition last weekend at Delta College near Saginaw, where they tied for the top score out of 30 competing schools. This is only the second time this school has competed in this competition. Their win qualifies them for the state competition, which will take place Dec. 12 in Flint. The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League is an international program for 9 to 14-year-old students, and children from 38 countries are tasked with the challenge of designing and building an original robot for the LEGO league. Christ the King students became involved in the LEGO competitions when Brian Maust, father of one of the fifth graders, decided he wanted to coach a LEGO League team with his wife, Carol. Brian has been a judge for several years at the LEGO League qualifying tournament, which is sponsored by Nexteer Automotive, the Saginaw branch of Delphi. Nexteer, along with Christ the King Lutheran School, provided the funding for the fifth graders to participate.
The Christ the King students to participate this year included Troy Maust, Cody Finkbeiner, Nathan Engelhardt, Grant Kundinger, Wyatt Kauffold, Jacob Boesch, Skyler Robison and Chelsea Faber. Along with Brian and Carol Maust, teacher Deb Kundinger assisted with the team. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2009 07:37 AM PST At the opening of the new Riverside Bridge, last week, Don Montgomery, coordinator at the Virgin Valley Heritage Museum, gave a history of the valley's bridges. These are his remarks, which he drew from the valley's two history books, A River and a Road, by Dorothy Thurston, and Mesquite Flats, A History of the Virgin Valley, by Vincent Leavitt. The bridge that we are now seeing dedicated today has a rich history. In order to better understand the way things were in Mesquite about a century ago, it is important to know some of the history of the town. About 100 years ago, the little town of Mesquite ended where Thistle Street intersects Mesquite Boulevard today. The road through town turned towards the old grape vineyards not too far from the present Grapevine Avenue and crossed the river near the present Bunkerville Dam, then followed the river and canal to Bunkerville. Bishop Abbott of the LDS church wanted the road through Mesquite to continue across Abbott Wash to where Riverside Road intersects with Mesquite Boulevard today. Then the road would turn south on a straight line to the Virgin River. There was no bridge across the river at this time. A worker was hired to tow cars across the river with a horse. In order to cross the river about 90 years ago, cars still had to be towed across. Crossing the river in a car was quite an event. First, the driver maneuvered the car down the steep sandy bank. Then, once the car was in the river, travelers sometimes met with unforeseeable problems, including high water, deep underwater washouts, quicksand, debris in the river, wet engines stalling, and mud. The worker would usually charge a small fee to tow the car with his team of horses. A few years later, the engineers for the State of Nevada, while making the decision as to where bridges should be built across the river, were taken to the place where the new road crossed and were convinced by Bishop Abbott that the bridge should be built there. They agreed and designed the route of future U.S. Highway 91 to follow a route suggested by Lou Pulsipher and Solen Huntsman from Las Vegas to the Muddy River and then across the Mormon Mesa. At the east end of the mesa, the road would turn towards the Virgin River and cross the river at Riverside (a new bridge has recently been built there) and then turn up through the hills south of the river to intersect with the old Arrowhead Trail, follow the route through Bunkerville and connect with the new crossing at Mesquite. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| BAE Systems - Navistar Defense Team Successfully Completes Critical ... - WebWire Posted: 24 Nov 2009 07:30 AM PST ARLINGTON, Virginia - Ref. 229/2009 – BAE Systems, through its US Combat Systems line of business, and teammate Navistar Defense, LLC have successfully completed the critical design review (CDR) for the U.S. multi-service Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. The CDR was completed as part of BAE Systems' 27-month JLTV Technology Development (TD) contract received in October 2008. The CDR marks the completion of the design process and the start of vehicle integration, assembly, test and checkout (IAT&C) activities to deliver test vehicles to the government by May 2010. "This review demonstrates the BAE Systems-Navistar JLTV design is mature and balances program payload, protection and performance requirements," said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of New Vehicles & Amphibious Systems for BAE Systems. "We are pleased that our design – built around the needs of the Warfighter – passed this significant milestone and we are looking forward to moving into the test and evaluation portion of JLTV's TD phase." "Completing this review is a big event for the BAE Systems-Navistar team," said Kevin Thomas, director, new product, Navistar Defense. "As we head into the next portion of the TD phase, we will continue to enhance our offering to ensure our customer receives the best vehicle possible." The BAE Systems-Navistar team has developed two JLTV prototypes for internal testing that have provided valuable information being used in the CDR. The company is incorporating this information to put forward the best possible offering that meets program requirements. The JLTV design also incorporates lessons learned from the U.S. Department of Defense's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program and features the latest in lightweight, advanced armor and a V-shaped hull design to provide unmatched crew protection. The team builds off the two companies' current leadership in armored and tactical vehicle development and support. Combined, the BAE Systems-Navistar team maximizes JLTV program value through proven capabilities, lean manufacturing and extensive worldwide logistics support. The team also includes Arvin Meritor, which is a leading designer and manufacturer of automotive advanced mobility systems and is the largest axle supplier to the U.S. military. The BAE Systems-Navistar team draws on top talent from across the country. Sites participating in the development include: York, Pennsylvania; Ontario, San Diego and Santa Clara, California; Dearborn Heights, Sterling Heights and Troy, Michigan; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Johnson City, New York; Austin, Texas; Nashua, Hew Hampshire; Reston, Virginia; Melrose Park and Warrenville, Illinois; Fort Wayne, Indiana; West Point, Mississippi; Huntsville, Alabama; and Laurinberg and Aiken, South Carolina. About BAE Systems About Navistar Defense WebWireID108393
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| Fitch: Moderate Recovery Expected for U.S. Automotive Suppliers in ... - PR Inside Posted: 24 Nov 2009 08:13 AM PST 2009-11-24 17:20:31 -
Fitch Ratings forecasts a modest recovery for the U.S. automotive suppliers in 2010 based on higher projected light vehicle production in the U.S., the benefits of cost cutting actions in 2009, and recent capital markets transactions which have improved the sector's credit quality. The outlook is also supported by less uncertainty regarding the U.S. original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and likely volume increases in emerging markets. The recovery is expected to be tempered by weak macroeconomic conditions, particularly in the U.S., and lower light vehicle and commercial truck sales in Europe. Fitch also has longer term concerns about industry overcapacity and the structure of the supplier industry. Some positive ratings actions are possible in 2010, but the overall credit profile of the U.S. auto suppliers sector remains non-investment grade. Given the dismal automotive environment in 2009, comparisons in 2010 should fare well.U.S. auto suppliers should have adequate liquidity in 2010 which is a sharp contrast versus 2009. Fitch expects suppliers to have sufficient cushion on amended financial covenants that were adjusted to the lower automotive production levels in mid-2009. None of the covered suppliers will have maturing revolvers but American Axle will see its secured revolving credit facility reduced from $477 million in April 2010 to $370 million with a commitment which expires in December 2011. For some, access to the capital markets returned in late 2009 allowing certain suppliers to take credit enhancing actions to improve the quality of the capital structure. Fitch projects many suppliers will continue to see cash outflows in 2010 as a result of increases in working capital requirements to meet higher production volumes. Cash needs will also be increased for pension contributions and for capital expenditures, both which were reduced in 2009 to preserve cash. With restructurings largely completed in 2009, Fitch only expects to see minimal amounts of capital required for additional restructuring in 2010. Fitch forecasts U.S. light vehicles sales of 11.1 million units which is a 7.8% increase from the estimated 10.3 million units projected to be sold in 2009. In Western Europe, Fitch projects that light vehicle sales will be 12 to 12.1 million units in 2010, a decrease from 12.9 to 13 million units expected in 2009. Though Western European sales volumes are expected to decline next year, production is projected to be flat given reduced inventory levels and exports to the U.S. and Asia. Fitch expects U.S. medium and heavy duty truck volumes to improve against the weak 2009 numbers. Sales in the first half of 2010 are expected to fall and then rise in the latter half of the year. Continued weakness in the European truck market is expected in 2010. Overall, the increase in light vehicle production should bode well for U.S. suppliers, many of which supply auto manufacturers globally. Aftermarket sales should also see an uptick in volumes. Most U.S. suppliers offer products globally, particularly to Europe. Within Fitch's coverage universe, TRW had the most exposure to Europe since 56% of sales were to that region in 2008. Also in 2008, sales to Europe were 50% for Tenneco, 38% for ArvinMeritor, and 38% for Goodyear. Goodyear differs from the other mentioned suppliers in that approximately one-third of its products are sold to the OEMs and the rest are aftermarket sales. With improved global production and lower cost structures in place, Fitch expects to see credit quality improve for the U.S. auto suppliers. During the first three quarters of 2009, ratings downgrades were a consistent theme for the suppliers. Many successfully implemented restructuring programs that should result in improved gross margins in the fourth quarter. That coupled with the return of access to the capital markets resulted in recent credit upgrades for two suppliers, TRW Automotive and Tenneco. Fitch expects to see credit quality trend in a positive direction and when warranted, upgrades will occur. Credit concerns for the suppliers are focused on risks to the Fitch light vehicle sales expectations which could be optimistic if the jobless economic recovery restricts vehicle volumes or if a double-dip recession occurs. Furthermore, while a number of supplier bankruptcies occurred in 2009 and some plants were closed, Fitch believes that excess capacity still exists in the auto industry. Another credit concern for the suppliers is focused on working capital requirements. With vehicle production expected to rise, suppliers will need liquidity to fund working capital needs. Most suppliers should have ample liquidity but some Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers may continue to face liquidity challenges with the need for greater working capital. Fitch expects that some Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers may continue to need financial support from Tier 1 suppliers. Fitch has published related 2010 outlooks including: 'Macroeconomic Concerns Cloud Recovery for U.S. Autos in 2010', 'European Auto Sector Stabilising but Outlook Remains Negative', and 'European Auto Suppliers to Remain Challenged in 2010'; all are dated Nov. 23, 2009. Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com : ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS : IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE ' WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM : PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. Fitch RatingsKathleen Connelly, +1-212-908-0290 (New York)Mark This content has passed through fivefilters.org.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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