Brokers and carriers said that the federal Safety Management System, or SMS, that is used to score carrier performance is causing them to lose business by unfairly tainting fleet safety records.

The first formal association of international shippers, including the National Industrial Transportation League, has formed under the banner of the Global Shippers Forum to raise the profile of freight groups in an increasingly global marketplace.

Horizon Lines Inc., the ocean carrier that provides service between the U.S. mainland and Alaska as well as other locations, said it lost $33.3 million in the fiscal first quarter ended March 27, a loss that was nearly three times greater than the comparable 2010 period.

A.P. Moller–Maersk A/S, the Danish company that owns the largest ocean shipping line, announced record earnings on Feb. 23, powered by a rebounding international freight market.

YRC Worldwide said Monday it signed an agreement in principle with its lenders and the Teamsters union on a proposed restructuring plan that would provide a cash infusion from its creditors who will receive newly issued common stock and notes.

Greatwide Logistics Services said it has signed a contract with NewPage Corp., the nation’s largest maker of coated paper, for dedicated shipments in Wisconsin.

Pacer International Inc. continued its management changeover by appointing a new executive vice president and revising the duties of two other executives.

Roadrunner Transportation Services Holdings Inc. said it bought less-than-truckload carrier Bullet Freight Systems Inc. on Dec. 14 to expand its services in the western United States.

Fleets face new tax liability pitfalls and promises, as more states whose budgets have been battered by the recession seek new revenue sources, industry experts told Transport Topics.

Curtis Whalen, executive director of American Trucking Associations’ Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference, said his members share many of the same concerns about reauthorization as other trade groups.