Information

View additional information about shipping, freight, transportation and even more about us and our staff.

New Data Center

After one person remarked, "What are they, some kind of toaster oven?" we realized our new Data Center really had a look that stood out or was at least interesting. No, actually those weird boxes are computers with a futuristic design. They don't look like any of the computers we use, we just thought the design was neat.

What you don't see... Sure, the design is different but what you may not notice is the all the programming and compliance to web standards that have gone into our Data Center upgrade. For example, have you considered how a person who is visually impaired might navigate the Internet? New web standards have adopted more user friendly features, like the Web Accessibility Initiative that when followed, allow a person with a disability better access to information. In addition, using new web standards enables our Data Center to load web pages faster and look the same regardless of the Internet browser you are using.

Under Jeff LePage's direction, Damon Morsett has recreated American Fast Freight's online Data Center twice now, adding several new features to the latest revision. But we're not finished yet, we keep exploring ways to help our customers get what they want and need so more improvements are on the way!

AFF Q&A

Learn more about Americanfast Fast Freight in a recent News Tribune article by Kelly Kearsley who interviews our CEO, Tim Jacobson.

Kites

Harnessing the power of the winds, a German shipping company plans to use a gigantic (191 square yards) kite-like sail with its latest cargo ship to boost propulsion and conserve fuel.

Labeled as a “green” project, the “SkySail” has undergone years of successful testing and is expected to reduce fuel costs up to 35 percent.  But nature is not always reliable and the price for each SkySail is not cheep so water carriers maybe reluctant at first to adopt this new SkySail technology. 

The SkySail is an aerofoil that is utilized as a towing kite and fitted with double walls made up of chambers along the entire length and ports at the front end.  The kite shape is defined by a tree of cords that feed to an anchor line attached to an automated steering and release/retrieval device at ship’s bow.  This unique system can be built into new vessels or retrofitted to existing liners and super yachts that initially will have an assigned engineer with full autonomy soon after.

With high fuel costs, new greenhouse gas restrictions and growing demands for environment friendly power sources, the SkySail may become very popular with shipping companies.  Already there are projections that by 2015, 1,500 vessels will have a new SkySail but so far only four ships are scheduled for installment, the soonest in early 2007.

Flying Freight

Most cargo to and from Alaska is shipped over the water.  Carried by large oil tankers or container vessels, billions of dollars in commodities are transported on the Pacific Ocean but can you imagine sending freight in a LTA?  New LTAs (Lighter Than Air) ships though still in development are gaining in popularity and will likely offer a viable alternative to congested sea lanes and ports. 

Not a blimp, the new LTA will depend upon traditional aerodynamic design

First of all, the new LTA will not be like a blimp that you have probably seen floating above a football game.  LTA airships will only be partially buoyant (with the use of helium) and will be reliant upon an aerodynamic structure that creates lift similar to traditional airplanes.  Made with a rigid panel truss structure, new LTA designs look more like a bloated airliners with large propellers and stubby wings.

Lighter and stronger materials used in construction offer larger payloads than conventional LTAs but certainly not as large as a container ship.  However, with new autonomous ground operation, low noise emission, Fly-by-Wire technologies and nominal fuel demands, LTAs may become the next best method for shipping to and from Alaska.  And with many locations inaccessible to water and land vehicles, an LTA seems to offer an attractive opportunity for freight companies but don’t expect to send your package on an air boat soon, due to high start up costs, LTA ships will likely be built for military or commercial passenger transport first.

Flu Shots

Continuing efforts to avoid an influenza outbreak, AFF provided free flu shots to employees November 16th 2006. Several staff members participated, including some who never received a flu shot before.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 200,000 Americans are hospitalized each year due to influenza which is a respiratory illness that spreads mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing.

Flu vaccinations are strongly recommended for older adults, pregnant women and anyone with a chronic health condition such as asthma, heart disease or diabetes. Having a flu shot can prevent infection for up to 90% of healthy adults under the age of 65.

Gas Prices Decline

What goes up must come down, eventually.  After a long wait the price of crude oil has dropped bellow $60 per barrel today (September 25th 2006).  In the last two weeks gasoline has dropped by 24 cents per gallon and prices are expected to decline further.

Joe Franza, AFF's General Manager of Operations for Washington State, is expecting fuel surcharges to decrease, “This is great news for us, soon we’ll be able to offer a lower fuel surcharge as a result.”  He goes on to say, “We are always looking for ways to improve our services and any time we can pass on lower costs shows we are committed to our customers.”

Oil inventories appear to be growing, soon BP will restart production on the eastern half of Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay, new oil discoveries and easing tensions in the Middle East have all contributed to sinking prices, the lowest levels for more than six months.

Shipping Costs Could Rise Soon

The discovery of severe corrosion in a transit pipeline Sunday (August 6th 2006) will shutdown half of the oil supplies from the Alaska North Slopes.  The closure will reduce production by 400,000 barrels per day which totals to almost 3 percent of the US oil supply.

BP Alaska who operates the oilfield does not know how long repairs will take but company officials did say they will not resume operations until government regulators agree there is no threat to the environment.

With increasing tensions in the Middle East, lower supplies from Mexico and disruptions in Nigeria oil exports, the Alaska closure has come at a bad time, sending market prices to over $76 per barrel.

It is almost certain that crude oil prices will increase (some estimate at $10 more per barrel) which will only have a negative impact on shipping and carrier costs.  Already, the State of Alaska will see over $4 million in revenue losses per day which could quickly become devastating for Alaska’s economy.

SOS

A ship bound for Vancouver B.C. and the Port of Tacoma sent out a Save Our Ship distress call Sunday night (07/23/2006) and is reported listing, nearly rolling onto its side and taking on water.

Shipping over 4,800 cars from Japan, the ship and its crew became stranded in the south waters of the Aleutian Islands off the Alaska coast.

Rescue attempts were already underway when three unmanned lifeboats were lost due to the boat’s precarious position and bad weather conditions. Additional rescue personnel were sent from Anchorage, Alaska and via a Coast Guard cutter based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Though one ship member suffered a broken bone, currently all crew members have been safely rescued.

An oil spill from the vessel Cougar Ace was spotted but officials could not verify how much fuel has spilled or if the boat and its freight will be lost at sea.

To get an understanding of the amount of freight involved; the average midsize car is between 2,600 and 3,000 pounds and by using just a low weight estimate, it is possible that there is over 4,900 tons of cargo which could sink into the ocean as a result of this unfortunate shipping event.

Shipping Trends

The United States shipping industry transported over 15 billion tons of freight valued at more than nine trillion dollars in 1998 alone and shipping capacity only continues to rise.  Although bulk products like grain, coal and metals continue to be a large percentage of freight, lighter products have seen a steady increase in shipping levels.

In Alaska, maritime services generally carry most cargo (in 2002; over 50 million tons of freight) and by the year 2010 an estimated sixty-three million tons of freight will travel to and from Alaska.  Of course the majority of shipping traffic persist to be commodities such as crude oil and natural gas but interestingly, electronics, machine and transportation equipment are expected to have a noticeable boost in Alaska shipping volumes.

A Long Haul

If you think that Alaska or Hawaii are far away, just imagine shipping to outer space! The NASA space shuttle Discovery that launched July 4, 2006 is said to have a payload of around 5,000 pounds. Not too heavy to handle on land or over the ocean but it takes a lot of rocket fuel to send that amount of freight into orbit.

Unfortunately due to poor weather conditions, two launch times were scrubbed already and a crack in the foam near a bracket on a external fuel tank was found which could have prevented the launch. The Discovery and it's crew plan to spend 12 days circling the Earth and during that time visit the International Space Station and perform at least two spacewalks.

Join Us

Visit our new Employment page for the latest career opportunities with American Fast Freight. We strive to provide employees with a positive, productive work environment and opportunities for personal satisfaction and growth. Apply online or download our application form today!

Freight FYI

Regardless of what you are shipping, it can be a complicated process.  Learn as much as possible about the product, packaging and holding time needed for transport.  Inspect your product before shipping or have knowledgeable, quality control staff involved and always use a reliable shipping company. 

Items such as Fresh and frozen food need refrigerated equipment to maintain quality and delays or lapse in temperature control from origin to final destination can be devastating. Other commodities like electronics require dry and fragile sensitive transportation as well as secure storage.

Not all shipping companies can assure quality in these areas so choose carefully.  There are (here today gone tomorrow) outfits that offer low rates but very little customer support or monitoring of shipments (if any) and others who only offer “service” by outsourcing shipments to several other companies without even handling your freight or understanding your shipping needs. 

To prevent unnecessary shipment disasters, always use an established transport company with dedicated staff and locations near to where you ship to and from...like us, American Fast Freight!

New Data Center

April 16th 2006 AFF published a revised Data Center with a creative look offering several new features and easier access to shipment tracking information.

Because feedback was so positive and productive; future revisions are planned with even more enhancements and improvements. If you would like to have access to your freight information online, simply visit http://www.affdc.com and select the "Sign Up" link.

Privacy Policy Information

American Fast Freight adopts new web site privacy policy. "We respect your privacy. This is why we have taken the time to disclose our information collection practices and our privacy policy. Please take the time to review this document..."

More to come, we will update this page soon so please visit here again!