“IDOT consistently and proactively wants all motorists to be well informed of safe driving practices, including always driving sober and buckling up every trip, every time, and in every seat,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider in a press release. “Even with last year’s front seat all-time safety belt usage record near 93 percent, our long-standing partnership with law enforcement further solidifies the crystal clear message to motorists to Click It or Ticket both day and night.”

The increase in enforcement has one goal – to save lives during the Memorial Day weekend. Over the past three years, Illinois has seen record lows with regard to vehicle-related fatalities. Enforcement will place a special focus on nighttime activities. Data continues to show that nighttime, from midnight to 6 a.m., is a particularly dangerous time to be on Illinois roadways with more instances of alcohol-related crashes and safety belts less likely to be used. Law enforcement also will be paying particular attention to enforcing the new safety belt law that requires all occupants to buckle up, no matter their seating position.

“Illinois State Police are urging the motoring public to buckle up and drive responsibly when traveling during the busy summer holiday season,” said ISP Director Hiram Grau. “Every second counts when it comes to road safety and our officers will be enforcing all traffic laws and reminding motorists that seatbelts save lives.”

The Illinois State Police, the Illinois Secretary of State Police, and more than 500 county and local law enforcement agencies will provide additional safety belt and impaired driving patrols during the two-week mobilization period, which began on May 11. In addition, nearly 1,200 safety belt enforcement zones and 1,000 safety belt and impaired driving saturation patrols are anticipated in this time period as well. Fifty percent or more of these patrols will occur during late-night hours (11 p.m. to 6 a.m.). The mobilization also includes impaired driving enforcement, with more than 50 roadside safety checks.

Illinois has an excellent overall safety belt usage rate of 92.9 percent, but reaching that last 7.1 percent is a difficult task. In an effort to capture the attention of the intended demographic, males 18-34, IDOT has partnered with marketing firm Arthur Agency to develop an innovative and unique commercial. This year’s PSA features the positive effect of being buckled up and the negative effect of an unbuckled backseat occupant.

“Arthur Agency is happy to again partner with Flowers Communications Group to produce the 2012 Click It or Ticket campaign for the Illinois Department of Transportation,” said Dennis Poshard, president of Arthur Agency. “We feel strongly that this year’s spots are what’s needed to reach our target audience of 18-34 year old males. We hope the message helps prevent traffic fatalities.”

For more information about IDOT’s Click It or Ticket campaign, go to www.buckleupillinois.org.

Support IDOT’s Click it or Ticket campaign

http://www.buckleupillinois.org/Getinvolved.asp

The two manuals outline possible responses to basic safety situations that may be found during normal equipment start-up, operation and maintenance. The new safety manuals - like all AEM safety manuals - are published in an illustrated format of sensible “do’s and don’ts.” The safety messages are presented in clear, readable text and illustrations to assist understanding, and the manual can be used for safety sessions on the job or in the classroom.

Content includes safety tips concerning the workplace and equipment, start up and shut down guidelines, and special operating and maintenance precautions. The AEM manuals are not a substitute for original equipment manufacturer operation guidelines.

AEM safety and training materials cover more than 40 types of equipment used in agricultural, construction, forestry and utility applications. All manuals, videos and related safety and training products are available online at www.safetymaterials.org in the AEM store. Some safety materials are offered in downloadable files or in DVD format. AEM members receive discounts on select materials.

The association’s safety-tools program has been in operation for more than 40 years, aiding accident prevention, improving worker productivity and reducing equipment repair downtime.

Clark, who retired as a four-star general, began his career as a West Point graduate and junior officer in a combat command in Vietnam and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming commander of NATO forces in Europe. In 2008, Clark ran for U.S. president on the Democratic ticket, and today he is a businessman heavily invested in alternative energy markets, including shale, natural gas, wind, tidal and biofuels.

As keynote speaker at the opening session of the Alternative Clean Transportation Exposition in Long Beach, Calif., Clark said the knowledge-based economic boom of the 1990s seemed to be the fitting conclusion to the “American Century,” as the Internet and the rise of personal computers fed an ever-growing economy that was the envy of the world. But as American wealth grew, the country as a whole invested in real estate instead of manufacturing, research and development.

At the same time, Americans discovered to their dismay that a knowledge-based economy was difficult to contain within national borders. “As it turns out, knowledge moves very quickly overseas,” Clark said. “We discovered that people in Eastern Europe and Asia can write programming code and create software just as good as anyone in America can.”

Today, with the American economy flat and slowly regathering momentum, Clark said that while the United States has no real superpower rivals at the moment, the Chinese are gaining steam and telling the world that America was the economy of the last century – while the future belongs to Beijing.

To counter this, Clark said the United States needs a growth policy – an idea that seems alien to many Americans. “We’ve always grown naturally,” he said. “But for most countries around the world, an economic growth plan is absolutely vital to create and sustain prosperity.”

Brazil is an example of this, he said. The Brazilian government realized that as long as the country was sending billions of dollars overseas to purchase oil, it never would be able to invest adequately to grow its own economy and spur growth. So Brazil decided to shift energy production within its own borders with an aggressive ethanol fuel program. “It worked,” Clark said. “Not overnight. But today, Brazil is one of the premier up-and-coming economies in the world.”

The United States today is in a similar position, Clark said. “We send over $300 billion overseas to purchase oil every year,” he said. “That’s about $1,000 for every man, woman and child in this country. That’s money that we can keep at home to create up to 8.5 million jobs – and taxes to cut our deficit and invest in sustained economic growth.”

Currently, Clark said, that $300 billion a year gets the United States about 9.5 million barrels of oil a day, and he thinks Americans need to pull together across the board – “Everything from ‘Drill, baby, drill!’ to improved fuel economy standards, to wind, solar and tidal power” to steadily chip away at those 9.5 million barrels of oil.

Clark challenged fleet managers attending the conference to ask themselves what they could do to help their country and grow the economy by looking into and investing in alternative fuel technologies where possible. “We all have to work together on this,” he stressed. “The beauty of this is we can develop these alternative fuel technologies without government programs.”

Clark said Wall Street is sitting on $2 billion that could be invested in such technologies. “Overseas investors would love to invest in the United States – because in spite of all our current problems, we still have the strongest and safest economy in the world,” he said. “We just have to step up and give them a vision and goals they can feel confident putting their money in.”

Ritchie Bros. says it intends to continue to grow AssetNation‘s core business as well as to leverage its e-commerce expertise and technology platform to develop and launch unique new services for equipment owners whose buying and selling preferences may not be met by the company’s live unreserved auctions.

“We are very pleased to have completed the acquisition of AssetNation and are excited to be working together with their team to develop and launch new business solutions to help the world’s builders easily and confidently exchange equipment,” said Peter Blake, CEO of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, in a May 16 press release. “We remain strongly dedicated to our core unreserved auction business and see many years of growth in front of us in this segment of the market. We also see a clear opportunity to create complementary compelling solutions to expand our addressable market significantly by appealing to a new market segment we have not traditionally reached with our unreserved auctions.”

The acquisition closed on May 15, 2012 for all cash consideration of about $64 million. AssetNation was purchased from the controlling shareholder Spire Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm.

For the first six months of the year, net income attributable to Deere & Co. was $1.589 billion, or $3.91 per share, compared with $1.418 billion, or $3.32 per share, last year.

Worldwide net sales and revenues increased 12 percent, to $10.009 billion, for the second quarter and rose 12 percent to $16.775 billion for six months. Net sales of the equipment operations were $9.405 billion for the quarter and $15.524 billion for six months, compared with $8.328 billion and $13.841 billion for the same periods last year.

“John Deere is well on its way to a year of outstanding performance after reporting an eighth consecutive quarter of record earnings,” said Samuel R. Allen, Deere & Co., chairman and CEO, said in a May 16 written statement.  Allen also noted that the company is successfully managing major new-product launches featuring advanced engine-emission technology, while significantly expanding its global market presence. “Skillful execution of our operating plans is helping Deere capitalize on today’s strong farm economy and meet the world’s growing need for productive machinery,” he added in the written statement.

Summary of Operations

Net sales of the worldwide equipment operations increased 13 percent for the quarter and 12 percent for six months compared with the same periods a year ago. Sales included price realization of 5 percent for the quarter and 4 percent year to date and an unfavorable currency-translation effect of 2 percent for the quarter and 1 percent for six months. Equipment net sales in the United States and Canada increased 18 percent for the quarter and 13 percent year to date. Outside the U.S. and Canada, net sales increased 6 percent for the quarter and 12 percent for six months, with unfavorable currency-translation effects of 4 percent and 3 percent for these periods.

Deere’s equipment operations reported operating profit of $1.522 billion for the quarter and $2.220 billion for six months, compared with $1.268 billion and $1.914 billion last year. The improvement for both periods was primarily due to the impact of price realization and higher shipment volumes. These factors were partially offset by higher production costs related to new products and engine-emission requirements, as well as increased raw-material costs and research and development expenses.

Financial services reported net income attributable to Deere & Co. of $109.2 million for the quarter and $228.3 million for six months compared with $105.1 million and $223.3 million last year. Results were higher for the quarter primarily due to growth in the credit portfolio, partially offset by increased selling, administrative and general expenses. Six-month results benefited from growth in the credit portfolio, revenue from wind energy credits and a lower provision for credit losses. These factors were partially offset by increased selling, administrative and general expenses, higher crop insurance claims and narrower financing spreads.

Company Outlook & Summary

Company equipment sales are projected to increase by about 15 percent for fiscal 2012 and by about 25 percent for the third quarter compared with the same periods a year ago. Included is an unfavorable currency-translation impact of about 3 percent for the year and 4 percent for the third quarter. For the full year, net income attributable to Deere & Co. is anticipated to be about $3.350 billion.

According to Allen, promising fundamentals are lending strong support to the company’s plans for increased sales and profitability. “Our extensive investments in new products and additional global capacity are moving ahead at an accelerated rate,” he said, pointing out there are more than a dozen major projects under way throughout the world, including seven new factories. “These investments are essential to the success of our longer-term growth objectives, which we believe are firmly on track. They also put Deere in a sound position to respond to a rising global need for food, shelter, and infrastructure in the years ahead. In our view, these powerful trends have considerable staying power and should prove highly rewarding to our customers and investors.”

Equipment Division Performance

Agriculture & Turf. Sales increased 11 percent for the quarter and 10 percent for six months largely due to higher shipment volumes and price realization, partially offset by the unfavorable effects of currency translation.

Operating profit was $1.403 billion for the quarter and $1.977 billion year to date, compared with $1.163 billion and $1.720 billion, respectively, last year. The improvement in both periods was primarily driven by the impact of higher shipment volumes and price realization. These factors were partially offset by increased production costs related to new products and engine-emission requirements, as well as higher raw-material costs and research and development expenses.

Construction & Forestry. Construction and forestry sales increased 26 percent for the quarter and 24 percent for six months mainly due to higher shipment volumes and price realization. Operating profit was $119 million for the quarter and $243 million for six months, compared with $105 million and $194 million last year. Results improved in both periods primarily due to price realization and higher shipment volumes, partially offset by increased raw-material costs and an unfavorable product mix. Also affecting the performance of both periods were higher research and development and selling, administrative and general expenses, as well as increased costs related to engine emissions requirements.

Market Conditions & Outlook

Agriculture & Turf. Deere’s worldwide sales of agriculture and turf equipment are forecast to increase by about 15 percent for full-year 2012, including a negative currency-translation impact of about 3 percent.

Farmers in the world’s major markets are experiencing favorable incomes due to strong demand for agricultural commodities. In addition, John Deere’s sales are benefiting from advanced new products being launched throughout the world and from major expansions.

Industry farm-machinery sales in the U.S. and Canada are forecast to rise by more than 10 percent in 2012. Overall conditions remain positive and demand continues to be strong, especially for high-horsepower equipment.

Full-year industry sales in the EU 27 nations of Western and Central Europe are forecast to be flat to up 5 percent as favorable conditions in the grain, livestock and dairy sectors outweigh general economic concerns. Sales in the Commonwealth of Independent States are expected to be considerably higher in 2012. Sales in Asia, while slowing, are forecast to be up moderately. In South America, industry sales are projected to be down 5 to 10 percent from last year’s attractive levels due to uncertainty in Argentina and drought conditions in parts of the region.

U.S. and Canada industry sales of turf and utility equipment are expected to be up by about 5 percent for the year.

Construction & Forestry. Deere’s worldwide sales of construction and forestry equipment are forecast to increase by about 20 percent for 2012. The gain reflects further strength in the rental, energy, material-handling, industrial, and international sectors. Of particular note, the company is benefiting from growth in sales to independent rental companies, which are upgrading and replenishing their fleets. Further, Deere’s sales are being supported by a range of advanced new products and by geographic expansion. After considerable growth in 2011, world forestry markets are projected to be about the same for 2012. Weakness in Europe is being offset by improvement in other international markets.

Financial Services. Full-year 2012 net income attributable to Deere & Company for the financial services operations is expected to be approximately $465 million, slightly lower than the prior year. The forecast decline is primarily due to an anticipated increase in selling, administrative and general expenses and narrower financing spreads, largely offset by growth in the credit portfolio.

John Deere Capital Corporation

The following is disclosed on behalf of the company’s financial services subsidiary, John Deere Capital Corporation (JDCC), in connection with the disclosure requirements applicable to its periodic issuance of debt securities in the public market.

Net income attributable to John Deere Capital Corporation was $78.3 million for the second quarter and $171.7 million year to date, compared with $85.9 million and $169.6 million for the respective periods last year. Results were lower for the quarter primarily due to higher selling, administrative and general expenses and narrower financing spreads, partially offset by growth in the credit portfolio. Six-month results improved primarily due to growth in the credit portfolio and a lower provision for credit losses, partially offset by higher selling, administrative and general expenses and narrower financing spreads.

Net receivables and leases financed by JDCC were $24.558 billion at April 30, 2012, compared with $22.482 billion last year.

NJDOT was able to capitalize on the New Jersey State Police’s (NJSP) new statewide “P-25” communication system that was being installed by Motorola. The MARVLIS System uses using geographic information system (GIS) technology integrated with wireless communication and the Global Positioning System (GPS) to develop successful public safety operations. The system brings fundamental changes and significant improvement to the management and deployment of time-sensitive services, such as with winter maintenance operations. Intelligent routing, live graphic display of current and required resources and on-demand innovative analysis are also part of the system.

For more on this, see the June 2012 issue of Better Roads or check out the June 2012 Better Roads Digital Edition. Click here for a downloadable PDF of the presentation from the 2012 American Public Works Association (APWA) Snow ConferencClick here for a downloadable PDF of the presentation from the 2012 American Public Works Association (APWA) Snow Conference.e.

Environmentalists have opposed construction of the pipeline, and President Obama has said  that he also would oppose any transportation bill that included funding for the pipeline, according to the Transportation Nation report.

However, Shuster is predicting presidential politics would force the President’s hand come the fall — though he acknowledged that for most Americans, transportation wasn’t even in their top five issues, according to the report.

Omni-Brite

Omni-Brite S-9000C is the sister product to S-9000 and is a flexible, microprismatic material suitable for conversion into cone collars and similar products.

6600 Translucent Reflective Sheeting is engineered for all back-lit signing applications including airport runway signs or emergency exit signs where loss of internal illumination could be fatal.

Product Features

Ohio senators voted 25-8 that would make it a secondary offense for adults, but texting, talking or using electronic wireless communications would be a primary offense for drivers 18 and younger.

Several major Ohio cities already ban text messaging while driving and some additional small cities prohibit hand-held cell use and/or texting, according to American Automobile Association.

South Carolina’s Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill April 25 to prohibit calling, texting or reading electronic messages in work or school zones. It also would make it illegal for drivers younger than 18 to use a cell phone without a hands-free device.

In Missouri, House members had an April 2 hearing for a measure to bar all drivers from text messaging while driving unless the device has voice-recognition technology for hands-free texting April 2. Missouri already bars the activity for drivers 21 and younger, according to AAA.

Alabama’s new ban on texting while driving for all drivers is effective Aug. 1, making it the became the 38th state to bar it for all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.