Dallas to El Paso , up 53¢ to $2.40/mile. We're just a few days away from Easter and Passover, which coincide with the close of the first quarter. It's common for shippers to hustle freight out the door before the quarter ends, and this is the deadline. MORE

I had an opportunity to speak with a number of executives from various organizations, including the Port of Houston, El Paso Exploration, Baylor College of Medicine, Pioneer Natural Resources, AXIP Energy Services, LyondellBasell Chemicals, and others. I was in Houston yesterday evening, speaking to a large group of procurement executives at a roundtable held by KPMG’s Procurement Advisory Group, at the fabulous Brennan’s restaurant on Smith Street. MORE

The Paso del Norte Biomedical Cluster , a trade group of medical device makers that formed last year with 10 members , is building links between various groups around Juarez, El Paso, Texas, and southern New Mexico. MORE

Upgraded highways and bridges in Mexico make Texas border towns like El Paso and Laredo more accessible and more popular than Nogales, AZ, the previous volume leader. MORE

Higher volumes in Southeast and Northeast have been driving the results, but higher volumes on a couple lanes associated with oil production have also been key: Pittsburgh to Houston , and Houston to El Paso , which is related to the drilling activity in the Permian Basin. MORE

20 El Paso – 685 K (Border crossing location). #48 Much of the goods bought and sold move through Texas, which has the 3 of the 5 biggest customs districts in the USA – #1 Laredo, #2 El Paso and #5 Houston. MORE

“ It’s probably the most difficult recruiting environment…I’ve seen in my 26 years in the business ,” said Scott McLaughlin, president of Stagecoach Cartage & Distribution LP, a family-owned firm in El Paso, Texas. . Last week, the U.S. Labor Department reported that employers added 288,000 jobs in June, which lowered the unemployment rate to 6.1 percent, the lowest since September 2008. MORE

A handful of lanes spiked last week, but many settled down post-Christmas: The lane from Los Angeles to El Paso, TX, climbed 48¢ to $2.42/mile. MORE

Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. General Mills is one of the world’s leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. MORE