Pilots Strike Stalls Freight Movements, Lufthansa pilots' strike, trucking loads, trailer trucking, freight carriers

There are more trucking loads moving along the roads in Europe this week as the pilots strike has hit the ability of Lufthansa Cargo to move bellyhold cargo hard. All of the cargo that normally would have been moved by air is now being transported via other means and the trailer trucking industry is the beneficiary. Lufthansa Cargo has been able to make a few moves and they continue to move about 90 percent of the cargo they need to move using other pilots and the freight capacity of other airlines.

Freight carriers that were planning on moving freight using the cargo services of Lufthansa Cargo will need to make other plans for four days or implement the plans they devised to take care of these problems when they arise. The trucking industry can pick up the slack in the meantime, since the extra capacity is available for hire. The trucking firms of Europe can certainly use the extra business the strike is creating for them as we head further into 2010. They can use all the goods news and business they can get after a 2009 that probably has many companies and truckers thinking about making a career change if the opportunity becomes available in 2010.

This strike could continue to cause freight disruptions for months if the issues the pilots have continue to be a problem that the airlines fail to deal with. The trucking industry can certainly make up for the freight capacity shortfalls experienced, but the best solution is for both sides to come to an agreement they can both live with.

http://www.ifw-net.com/freightpubs/ifw/ind...tid=20017751168