AutoTURN 7.0 – CAD software for vehicle simulation and drive path analysis – is now available from Transoft Solutions. This latest release features special transportation systems for maneuvering larger, more complex vehicle types along with support for independent rear steering. Visit our website to download the demo, request more information, or sign up for a webcast.

A majority of the revenue generated from a new transportation user fee included in a climate bill proposed in the U.S. Senate would be diverted to non-transportation purposes —- a departure from 54 years of federal policy, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The “American Power Act” (APA), released May 12, would mandate that oil companies producing transportation fuels purchase emissions allowances based on their volume of carbon production. These costs would be passed on to consumers. Transportation user fees are historically dedicated to the maintenance and improvement of the U.S. transportation system — roads, bridges, transit systems, bike paths, pedestrian routes, and related programs.

A message from Gary Fore, vice president for Environment, Health, and Safety of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA):

The lead story in the May 7 edition of Better Roads’ eRoadPro included a misleading headline, which we see has since been corrected in the online archive.

The original headline “Liquid asphalt binder cement may be included in new toxic substances legislation” was incorrect. There is no reason to believe that liquid asphalt binder will addressed directly in this legislation.

The news item, which Better Roads referenced, was based on an item in the April 28 issue of ActionNews, the e-newsletter of the National Asphalt Pavement Association. The subject of the ActionNews item was proposed legislation that would shift the burden of assessing chemical safety away from EPA and into the hands of producers or manufacturers.

NAPA thanks Better Roads and ERoadPro for correcting the record.

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) President and CEO Thomas J. Gibson offers commentary on The Tailoring Rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. Gibson says the rule “does not solve the fundamental problems associated with regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, which is that failure to address the global dimension of the climate change issue will place U.S. manufacturers at a significant competitive disadvantage, costing valuable American jobs and actually increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Federal Highway Administrator (FHWA) Victor Mendez met today with members of the business community in Denver at a workshop to improve small businesses’ ability to compete for federal transportation contracts and engage more women and minorities in construction careers.

The workshop, co-hosted by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), gave local trade unions, construction contractors, and minority- and women-owned businesses an opportunity to meet each other as well as officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Denver Regional Transit Authority. This event is part of a larger national effort to ensure participation by small and disadvantaged businesses (DBEs) in the nation’s economic recovery and help states meet their goals for awarding contracts to DBEs.

The I-5 Columbia River Crossing tops the list of Oregon’s worst transportation chokepoints, along with the I-5/I-84/I-405 Interchange, the OR 212/224 Corridor, the I-205/I-5 Interchange and the OR 217/I-5 Interchange. according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.- based national transportation research organization.

TRIP’s report, “Oregon’s Transportation Chokepoints: the Top 50 Chokepoints and Remedies for Relief,” ranks the state’s urban interchanges, highway segments, bus and rail transit routes, and sections of rural highways that provide inadequate mobility.

Rotary Lift can show vehicle maintenance providers how to add $70,000 to their profits (or reduce labor costs) every year.  Let us prove it. In YOUR shop, at OUR expense.
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California Transportation Commission allocates $357 million after state bond sale

Freeway and rail projects throughout Orange County, California, received a financial boost Wednesday when the California Transportation Commission allocated more than $357 million to fund construction. The commission allocated the money as a result of state bond sales last month. The projects are part of the voter-approved Proposition 1B and Proposition 116 bond programs to fund transportation projects throughout the state.

Granite Construction Inc. announced on May 6 that its board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.13 per common share. The dividend is payable July 15, 2010 for stockholders of record June 30, 2010.

Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters has just been confirmed as a general session speaker at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA’s) 22nd Annual Public-Private Partnerships in Transportation Conference, scheduled for July 22-23 in Washington, D.C.

Peters will join industry leaders and officials including members of the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Innovative Program Delivery, state departments of transportation, state legislatures, and key congressional staff to discuss the future of P3s in the U.S.

She will highlight steps federal and state governments can take to advance the use of P3s to help meet the nation’s infrastructure needs.

Vancouver, B.C., Canada-based Polaris Minerals Corporation reported financial results on May 6 for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. All financial results are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. Revenue of $4.88 million in the quarter was an increase of 67% over revenue of $2.93 million in the prior year period. The net loss in the quarter of $6.5 million ($0.12 loss per share) included a one-off charge of $6.0 million for restructuring the company’s long-term shipping contracts and compared with a loss of $1.4 million ($0.03 loss per share) in the first quarter last year.

Caltrans announced on May 13 that had awarded $63.3 million to fund 111 public transit and air quality projects across California to upgrade transit service and purchase eco-friendly buses. All of the funding comes from Proposition 1B, the 2006 transportation bond, which includes $3.6 billion to improve public transit in California.

Only Gradall on/off highway wheeled excavators can work productively off the left or right sides of the chassis … all without the need to stop working while the operator raises or lowers outriggers during repositioning.

Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMR) project delivery (also called Construction Manager/ General Contractor or CM/GC) is an integrated team approach to the planning, design, and construction of a highway project, to control schedule and budget, and to ensure quality for the project owner. The team consists of the owner; the designer, who might be an in-house engineer; and the at-risk construction manager. The aim of this project delivery method is to engage at-risk construction expertise early in the design process to enhance constructability, manage risk, and facilitate concurrent execution of design and construction without the owner relinquishing control over the details of design as it would in a design-build project.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) will be hosting a two-day “Traffic Management & Work Zone Safety Power Workshop” in conjunction with the International Bridge Conference in Pittsburgh June 8-9.

Industry experts will present on nighttime roadway construction work, federal regulations and worker protection as well as provide insight about the latest strategies in temporary traffic control.

Session topics include the following:

• “Federal Activities Update,”
• “Injury Hazards in Road and Bridge Construction,”
• “Health Hazards in Road and Bridge Construction,”
• “Safety Benefits from Accelerated Bridge Construction,” and
• “Preventing Falls in Work Zones and Bridge Construction Sites.”
• At the event, the ARTBA Foundation will also announce the winners of its 2010 “Work Zone Safety Awareness Awards.”

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) now has available an updated Hydraulic Excavator Safety Manual with new and expanded material that reflects current industry practices. AEM safety manuals illustrate typical worksite and equipment hazards as well as safe practices in equipment preparation, operation, maintenance and transport. They are ideal for group safety sessions on the job or in the classroom as well as individual usage.

The AEM hydraulic safety manual has expanded from 48 to 60 pages, and the enhancements include a new section on trenching safety. Expanded or additional material includes safe mounting and dismounting; utility locating practices; attachment installation; installation, use and maintenance of quick-couplers; and use of newer safety design features such as gate or armrest-based hydraulic control locks.

The children of highway workers killed or permanently disabled on the job will receive financial assistance in their pursuit of higher education thanks to scholarships announced by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF).

Students from Iowa, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan have been named 2010 recipients of the ARTBA-TDF’s Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship. The program was established in 1999 with a gift to the Foundation from two Roanoke, Va., highway contractors and their companies — Stan Lanford (1999 ARTBA chairman) of Lanford Brothers, and Jack Lanford (1991 ARTBA chairman), with Adams Construction Company. Both men are past ARTBA chairmen.

Vacall – AllJetVac models by Vacall,  industry’s ultimate combination sewer cleaner models, deliver high performance and excellent reliability — benefits you want and need to handle emergencies as well as routine maintenance. Using both jetting and vacuum forces, AllJetVac models enable municipalities and contractors to open clogged sewer lines and remove debris quickly and efficiently.

Hyundai has announced that Hyundai Construction Equipment U.S.A., Inc. (HCEUSA), which is headed by John Lim, president, has changed its corporate name to Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas, Inc. effective May 10, 2010.

In December 2009, HCEUSA’s parent company, Hyundai Heavy Industries expanded the HCEUSA’s operational reach to cover all of North, Central and South America. To better reflect our operational expansion covering all of the Americas, Hyundai has changed our corporate name to Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas, Inc.

Muscatine, Iowa-based Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions (BBTS), a division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, announced on May 3 that it has increased prices on its Firestone, Dayton, and Bandag brand products up to 6 percent.

Effective June 1, 2010, Firestone brand, as well as Dayton brand, truck and bus radial tire base prices will increase up to 6 percent in the United States. Effective May 1, 2010, Bandag retread material prices increased up to 6 percent in the United States.

The deadline to apply for the 2010 Volvo Trucks Safety Awards is approaching quickly. Entries for the high-profile award, which recognizes the safest fleets in the U.S. and Canada, must be received by May 30, 2010. Two fleets with the safest driving records and top safety programs will each receive $25,000 prizes to be used on their safety activities.

The winners of the award will be announced in fall 2010. The two grand prizes will be awarded to the fleets with the best records in two divisions based on annual vehicle miles traveled: less than 20 million miles and more than 20 million miles. Complete rules and entry forms can be found here.

The City of Olympia, Wash., has selected VUEWorks Inc.’s software for Web-based, GIS-integrated Asset Management and Capital Improvement Planning (CIP).

VUEWorks will be used as Olympia’s city-wide record management system to support a sustainable infrastructure management program that will enable city staff to make informed decisions on how to build, maintain, and surplus city assets.

Doosan Portable Power has named Red Hat Rentals of Fairfield, Texas, an authorized retail dealer of its line of light construction equipment. Red Hat Rentals, a full-service rental company of equipment for construction contractors and homeowners, has previously offered Ingersoll Rand-branded lighting systems and light compaction equipment on a rental basis; however, this expanded agreement allows Red Hat to sell its line of light towers, rammers, and walk-behind compactors.

May 24-25, 2010-04-29 — Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. (coincides with TCC Fly-In; see below)

May 25-26, 2010 — Washington, D.C.

June 8-10, 2010

Mexico City, Mexico

July 22-23, 2010 — Renaissance Washington Hotel, Washington, D.C.

July 26–28, 2010 — Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Washington, D.C.

888-468-6499

August 15-18, 2009 — Boston

October 8-9, 2010 — Charlotte Motor Speedway & zMAX Dragway, Concord, NC

888-349-4287

Feb. 6-9, 2011, Waldorf Astoria Orlando and Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, Florida

888-468-6499

March 22-26, 2011 — Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas

CNH on May 10 announced the sale of its interest in LBX Company LLC to S.C.M. (America), Inc., an affiliate of Sumitomo (S.H.I.) Construction Machinery Co., Ltb. As a result of this transaction, Sumitomo now wholly owns LBX.

“The decision to sell our interest in LBX is a continuation of the strategy we began in 2009 to consolidate back office brand management and streamline our industrial footprint,” said Jim McCullough, CEO and president of CNH Construction, in a written statement from Case.  “This allows CNH to concentrate efforts on our key construction brands and strengthen the foundation for our brands continued growth as we continue to take advantage of market opportunities.”

The existing global supply alliance between SCM and CNH Global will remain intact.

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