News about: Trucks - Truckmakers - Truckers and the Trucking Industry
* DC - Promised to spending to fix they
Labels: infrastructures discussions, trucking industry news USA
posted by Unknown @ 1:50 AM
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* Washington - Toll lanes could get driverless trucks on highways faster
Labels: autonomous trucks, infrastructures discussions, trucking industry news USA
posted by Unknown @ 3:10 AM
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* Northland - A spate of log truck crashes is causing alarm in the trucking industry
Labels: infrastructures discussions, trucking industry news New Zealand
posted by Unknown @ 8:24 AM
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* Ontario - Keep big trucks on Trans-Canada
Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 5:29 PM
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* Washington - East county bridge proposal causes contention within freight industry
Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 5:05 AM
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* Pennsylvania - DOT adds weight restrictions to 1,000 bridges
Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 4:19 AM
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* DC - ... Lawmakers tell Foxx
Labels: heavier super trucks debate, infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 5:40 AM
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Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 11:01 AM
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Residents say a two-lane highway along the Clearwater River is no place for oversize oil-field equipment headed for Canada
Kooskia, Idaho -The Los Angeles Times, by Kim Murphy -September 15, 2010: ... U.S. 12, where a two-lane finger of asphalt winds its lonely way along the Clearwater River through rocky slopes of cedar, fir and ponderosa pine, it's more than just a turn of phrase: A quiet meadow along the river... But U.S. 12 is suddenly being targeted as a heavy-duty commercial route for shipments of giant oil-field equipment, prompting some locals to go to court against big energy companies and the state to protect one of the West's premier hunting and fishing destinations... As a major new oil development gets underway 1,100 miles north in the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, a venture connected to Exxon Mobil, Imperial Oil... In another proposal, ConocoPhillips has a separate application to ship four huge oil drums up Highway 12 along a similar route to Billings, Mont... Officials at the Port of Lewiston, Idaho say these could be the first in a potential new wave of extra-large shipments traveling up the highway, including oil-field equipment for Alberta and wind turbines for the Midwest... The proposals have generated alarm among many in the backcountry of Idaho and Montana, where the route runs not only along the middle fork of the Clearwater and Lochsa rivers but also the Blackfoot River in Montana... (Photo by Kim Murphy / Los Angeles Times: The area along U.S. 12 is one of the West's premier hunting and fishing destinations. "This is the last of the big wild," one resident says)Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 9:30 AM
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San Francisco,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Claudia Assis -Sept. 6, 2010: -- President, Barack Obama, unveiled Monday a $50 billion plan to upgrade the nation's roads, airports and railways, choosing a Labor Day rally in Milwaukee to announce the administration's latest proposal to revive the economy... The proposal includes an overhaul of the nation's highways, bus and rail systems, and air-traffic controls... President Obama unveils a new plan to upgrade American infrastructure, bring the country's highways and railroads into the 21st Century while creating jobs... The public-works plan is part of a larger effort to provide more jobs and help the economic recovery... The plan calls for investments over six years. Part of the money would fund an infrastructure bank to invest in projects critical to the economy, while also providing jobs... (Photo from t0.gstatic)
Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by John D. Boyd -Sep 8, 2010: -- The National Association of Manufacturers, a major industrial lobbying group in Washington, D.C., launched an advertising campaign to head off new energy taxes after Obama administration officials suggested such taxes could pay for its transportation plans... The group said its ad launch "comes days after the Obama administration's announcement of a $50 billion infrastructure proposal that White House officials say could be offset by new taxes on the energy sector. A new tax increase on businesses will not help spur job creation or economic growth for our economy" ... The White House said it would work with Congress to find ways to pay for it. But some Obama aides reportedly said they were eyeing new taxes or removal of some tax breaks for oil and gas companies to raise the needed revenue... That has split some of the Washington-based trade groups that see such taxes on companies as unacceptable, even if they have supported boosting transportation spending. Some transport industry officials privately say they would support the oil company taxes, while others say it could be a deal breaker. In particular, groups whose members include energy companies are angry over the proposal, and the NAM has a number of energy companies represented on its board...
CAL,USA -Sierra Club Harbor Vision Task Force/The Cunningham Report, by Tom Politeo -6 Sept 2010: -- We can't be sure how long this recession will last or how deep it will be. But we can be sure that if we conduct business as usual, we'll have a hard time getting and staying out of it. It is business as usual that put us here, and trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result - Einstein's definition of insanity - should not be among our options. Among other things, this is the time to regroup and take a serious look at improving how we go about providing our transportation solutions... The highways and rail lines we built since the industrial revolution have given us more than a century of good service... If it is modernized and electrified, rail has the potential to offer us a far more efficient system of moving goods that the freeways. This modernized rail system must include an option that can group railcars in any number, from long trains to individual railcars-and that can efficiently move single cars from point to point. Quite possibly this will involve parallel systems, one designed for flexibility which, along with trucking, would directly service and the other for long-distance hauls... Perhaps the biggest challenge we face is the sense of entitlement almost everyone has to subsidized highways and fuel, whether individual commuters or the goods movement industry. If we cling to it, it will take us down, as any serious addiction can... Perhaps a close second challenge is a government bureaucracy built up for 50 years that has codified the process of conducting business as usual through many layers of local, regional, state and federal regulation. What now seems to be the most secure method of proceeding, the low-risk option government seeks out, may instead be the highest risk option with the least promising future...
Anchorage,Alaska -JUNEAU EMPIRE, by Klas Stolpe -August 26, 2010: -- The Alaska Department of Transportation recently installed new video detection cameras on top of traffic signals in the Mendenhall Valley area... However, these cameras aren't there to catch drivers running red lights. Instead, they are being used to give motorists the "green" in a more efficient way... When a vehicle pulls up to an intersection that is equipped with video detection and the signal is red, the camera detects the presence and puts in a call for a green light... The experimental cameras are being used because many motorcycles or bicycles do not have enough metal to trigger the detectors set in pavement, Morehouse said. Those sensors, called inductive loops, emit a magnetic field to detect a vehicle and are currently used in Juneau traffic signals to detect the presence of vehicles and distribute green light time... They has had positive experiences with video detectors in the Northern Region, which includes Anchorage and Fairbanks... (Photo by Klas Stolpe/Juneau Empire: Juneau's Ever Electric employee Mark Bergey and Washington's Western Systems Director of Sales & Service John Brannan work together on the installation of a video detection camera Wednesday at the Mall Road and Atlin Drive intersection)
posted by Unknown @ 6:14 AM
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The U.S. surface transportation system was once the envy of the world. In recent decades, however, our roads, bridges, trains and transit have slipped into decline while other nations have made robust investments
Washington,DC,USA -Politico, by REP. JAMES OBERSTAR -28 June 2010: ... In 2008, the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission called for an annual investment of $250 billion from federal, state and local governments for the next 50 years to meet our transportation needs. The Commission also reported that the current level of investment is less than 40 percent of that... Unfortunately, at a time when we need to direct more money to transportation, the political will to dedicate resources to this purpose is sorely lacking... One big problem is that the main source of revenue for surface transportation has not kept pace with our needs... The Highway Trust Fund is sustained primarily by federal fuel taxes. President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated this fund when he imposed a 3-cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline to pay for the Interstate Highway System. There was little opposition in Congress because it operates like a user fee. The people who pay the tax are the users of the facility it finances... Even the leading fiscal conservative of our age saw the benefit in the user-based fee to keep our transportation system healthy...Labels: infrastructures discussions, opinions
posted by Unknown @ 4:14 PM
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Greater Binghamton,NY,USA -WBNG Binghamton News -May 4, 2010: -- Natural gas drilling in Broome County is still not allowed, but Broome County legislators are bracing for it... Serious road damage can come from recurring use by overweight trucks, and with the anticipation of gas drilling coming to Broome County, legislators are working on a local law to protect county roads... Since the county can't target a specific industry, hauling permits will be required for all vehicles that exceed the weight and dimensional limits of the road... (Photo from upstatenyroads: Broome County entrance)Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 11:23 AM
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Dedicated rail freight corridors and modern cargo handling facilities at airports are some of the challenges before the logistics industry
New Delhi,India -Hindu Business Line. by Amit Mitra -3 May 2010: -- Although it is well known that a well-developed logistics infrastructure can lead to significant savings in terms of service levels, inventory costs and processing time, India continues to spend relatively more on logistics due to inadequate infrastructure... Road freight: As far as road freight is concerned, the Amarthi study has estimated that the road freight is expected to rise from about 3,000 million tonnes (mt) in 2009-10 to about 3,700 mt in 2012-13. But here is another stark statistic: although national highways constitute only about two per cent of the road network, it carries 40 per cent of the total road traffic... However, despite the several roadblocks, India has amongst the most competitive and low-cost freight transport industry. Even trucking costs have come down significantly in the last few years... Unorganised trucking industry, high taxation, inadequate road infrastructure (which makes a truck cover only 250-400 km a day compared with 700-800 km a day in developed countries such as the US and Europe), limited investments are some of the challenges identified in this sector. Also, the pace of road building should be increased from the present two km a day to the target of 20 km a day... Therefore, analysts feel that it is imperative that the Government “fast-track” implementation of all key infrastructure projects, a majority of which are either delayed or suffering from cost over-runs — this can pave the way for better logistics management in the country... (Freight earnings account for over 66 per cent of the total earnings of the Railways)Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 6:38 PM
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Washington,DC,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Apr 27, 2010: -- Via a series of reports detailing the nation’s transportation woes, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is pushing to not only rebuild existing infrastructure, but to significantly expand it to keep up with rapidly increasing demand... Horsley told FleetOwner that while there’s been much ado from the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) of late in terms of beefing up investments in national high speed rail and mass transit systems – efforts AASHTO embraces, he stressed – little is being said about highway expansion... The report notes that travel on the U.S. highway system increased five-fold over the past 60 years from 600 billion miles driven to almost three trillion in 2009. It says annual travel is expected to climb to nearly 4.5 trillion miles by 2050 – even with aggressive strategies to cut the rate of growth to only one percent per year... As a result of higher travel volumes coupled with limited roadway capacity, drivers with a 30-minute commute lose 22 hours annually – nearly three full work days – just sitting in traffic... (Photo from FredaTractor: I-10-W, MM 140, near Van Horn, Texas)
Mercer Island,Washington,USA -Mercer Island Reporter, by JASON LU -Apr 28 2010: -- Islanders of a certain age will remember the overhead lane signals on the old I-90 bridge and the approaches to it. The signals allowed traffic planners to allot an extra lane during peak commute times. The signals disappeared long ago, but with new technology and increasing traffic congestion, they are here again... This summer, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will begin installing overhead electronic signs on northbound Interstate 5, State Route 520 and Interstate 90 between Seattle and Bellevue. The signs are a key component of the WSDOT Smarter Highways program, which uses real-time traffic information to improve safety and reduce congestion... (Photo from media.pnwlocalnews: Interstate 90 had electronic signs set above each lane to allow for opening or closing the lanes according to traffic flows at peak periods. The signs were abandoned when the bridge was rebuilt and express lanes were added)Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 9:47 AM
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A bill on the move in the California Assembly is intended to help get a proposed extension of the Interstate 710 freeway built from Los Angeles to Pasadena
Sacramento,CAL,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -July 16, 2009: -- Caltrans has acquired more than 500 residential properties along the corridor since the 1950s in anticipation of building the 4.5-mile extension. But community opposition and multiple lawsuits have stalled the project, and the agency essentially became a long-term property manager... Sponsored by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, the bill would prohibit the Interstate 710 gap closure project linking the Long Beach Freeway to Interstate 210 in Pasadena from being constructed as a surface or above-grade highway... The bill has advanced from the Assembly Transportation Committee to the Appropriations Committee on its way to the full Assembly. If approved there, it would move back to the Senate for approval of changes before advancing to the governor’s desk... Advocates for the extension say that failing to complete the 710 Freeway contributes to traffic congestion in northeastern Los Angeles and the northwestern San Gabriel Valley because there is no north-south alternative between the Golden State Freeway and San Gabriel River Freeway... (Photo from farm3.static.flickr: CA 710 Long Beach Freeway? Northbound in Pasadena at Interstate 210 Foothill Freeway and CA 134 Ventura Freeway)Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 4:02 PM
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* USA - Infrastructure Health Essential to the Economy
Washington,DC,USA -The Roll Call, by Bill Graves (Former governor of Kansas, is president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations) -July 13, 2009: -- As Congress takes up the surface transportation reauthorization bill, it’s important to consider the vital role that highway infrastructure plays in our economy... The National Highway System carries 40 percent of all U.S. traffic and 75 percent of truck traffic. Its strength is essential to our freedom and the quality of life that we enjoy in the U.S.... Highways are the lifeline for the 80 percent of U.S. communities that are served solely by truck for freight transportation... Over the past 25 years, the number of registered vehicles has increased more than 50 percent, yet new road miles have grown by less than 5 percent and lane capacity has increased by just 6 percent. Because of this, traffic congestion has become a major threat to our nation’s productivity... According to the Texas Transportation Institute, congestion annually costs the U.S. economy $87.2 billion in the form of 4.2 billion lost hours and 2.8 billion gallons of wasted fuel. The American Trucking Associations supports the establishment of a dedicated freight program, paid for by freight users, to address the congestion caused by highway bottlenecks and to fund corridor expansion or network routes designed to address long-term needs... (Photo from: realestatetimes: Roads and highways)
New Delhi,India -The Hindu Business Line, by Chittaranjan Dass -13 July 2009: -- Transportation of goods and passengers by road has been growing steadily for the past half a century or so, largely due to consumer preference. But then road transportation of goods has its own problems, the most important being that of overloading... First it must be noted that in the matter of road transport services, the interests of the State and Central governments are often at cross purposes, and the most contentious of all is the issue of loading of goods carriages in excess... Till 1988, State governments were free to assign Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) for trucks and, based on it, to collect the tax revenue from the vehicles registered in the State concerned. As a result, they turned a blind eye to other aspects of road transportation such as damage to roads, accidents or environmental issue, caused particularly by overloading. As long as the State governments, and corrupt officials posted on the highways, succeeded in milching the vehicle operators and making money, they were happy... (Photo from cycleindia: Indian roads)Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 10:13 AM
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The governors of five states in the Northeast said this week that the Bush administration policy to toll and privatize infrastructure does little to solve their transportation problems
Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 9:50 AM
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Washington,DC,USA -ITS America News -28 July 2008: -- Figures from the Federal Highway Administration show that the number of vehicle-miles traveled in the United States declined by 9.6 billion in May 2008 compared to May 2007, the third largest monthly decrease in the 66 years since such figures have been kept... Between November 2007 and May 2008, 40.5 billion fewer miles have been traveled; three of the largest monthly declines ever recorded have occurred since December. Fewer miles traveled is translating into less funding for the Highway Trust Fund through revenues from gasoline and diesel taxes. "By driving less and using more fuel-efficient vehicles, Americans are showing us that the highways of tomorrow cannot be supported solely by the federal gas tax," says U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. "We must embrace more sustainable funding sources for highways and bridges through more sustainable and effective ways such as congestion pricing and private activity bonds."... (See Below infrastructures: 30 July 2008 - INFRASTRUCTURES' PLAN * USA - US DOT Proposes Over... )
Labels: infrastructures discussions
posted by Unknown @ 6:26 AM
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