Trucks
The Illinois DOT (IDOT) must find a safe route for trucks traveling in the state of Illinois and issue an oversize/overweight (OS/OW) permit for trucks carrying large loads. With slow, manual permitting processes, IDOT sought to update and automate its permitting system. IDOT implemented the...
Image: Village of Long Grove
A box truck crashed into the historic covered bridge in Long Grove, Ill., Wednesday afternoon, just two weeks after the bridge was made a historic landmark.
At 3:54 p.m., the truck struck the top of the covered bridge, according to local reports. The truck was driven by a 30-year-old Chicago man...
In April 2015, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced plans to replace part of its aging infrastructure on the outer loop of I-40 in downtown Nashville.
The project, better known as “Fast Fix 8,” included demolishing and reconstructing eight bridge decks over a 13-week period...
Construction projects in dense urban or suburban areas are among the most crucial to our national infrastructure, yet they also tend to be the least applauded.
There are no gorgeous vistas to consider in photographs, no access offered on completion to theretofore unreachable beauties. Mostly,...
News
February 26, 2016
Caterpillar Inc. announced that it will discontinue production of its on-highway vocational trucks. Based on the current business climate in the truck industry and a thorough evaluation of the business, the company decided it would withdraw from this market. This is also in line with the company’s...
News
June 04, 2015
California raised its fuel economy standard for state agencies that purchase passenger vehicles to 38 mpg starting July 1, according to a memo from the Department of General Services.
The rule replaces the 2008 minimum fuel economy standard of 27.5 mpg. The standard for light-duty trucks, vans,...
News
December 04, 2014
With roads seemingly crumbling everywhere, the demand placed on those roads is a logical bone of contention—notably in the state of Michigan, where lawmakers have decided that truck weight restrictions are just fine the way they are.
A bill introduced by State Sen. Steve Bieda (D-Warren) called...
Article
August 14, 2012
Expanded lineThe tractor model is the seventh and latest addition to Western Star’s 4700 line of trucks suited for a variety of applications. Options are offered for a number of features, including engines (260-470 hp), transmissions (Allison automatic, Eaton manual or Eaton UltraShift PLUS) and...
Article
August 05, 2011
Like everything else these days, trucks are becoming smarter, with more built-in electronic features to take some of the guesswork out of operation or deliver real-time information to the operator.
Caterpillar’s B-Series trucks offer a fully customizable display that can deliver fuel levels, load...
Article
July 15, 2011
Scott Haines, CEO of the H&K Group, likes a challenge. So when the New Jersey Department of Transportation asked if his company could cut the time to refurbish a 21-mile stretch of I-295 in half, Haines immediately got to work. At stake was a $99 million contract with bonuses and penalties of...
Article
March 26, 2010
ASL Paving Ltd. added five new Kenworth T370s to its fleet in 2009, and for good reason. Since 1950, ASL Paving has provided commercial paving services to cities and towns across Saskatchewan, Canada. Often operating in tight quarters and crowded corridors, the T370 delivers right-sized performance...
Article
August 14, 2009
Interstate highways around Montgomery, Ala., are about to be slammed with thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of extra trucks every month, but it isn’t because Montgomery is growing.
Instead, it is because Montgomery is on the shortest path between the Port of Mobile’s expanded container port (up...
Article
June 11, 2009
IBM or Mac? Paper or plastic? VHS or Betamax? Republican or Democrat? EGR or SCR? Like a two-pan balance for comparing weights, the human brain seems to be able to weigh two—and no more than two—competing options at a time.
Given a problem, the free market seems to naturally develop two competing...
Article
June 05, 2008
There is little denying that an expansion of rapid transit in the Dallas area is sorely needed. It is reported that northern Texans spend, on average, about 61 hours of every year sitting in traffic.
Meanwhile, projections for traffic volume on I-35E, the main artery into and out of the city from...
Article
April 02, 2008
When Vestas Wind Systems, a company specializing in the siting and construction of wind energy farms, sought to capitalize on the winds of eastern Oregon and Washington, it faced a logistical challenge. Vestas needed to transport 127 wind turbines from the Port of Vancouver, Wash., nearly 300 miles...
Article
November 01, 2005
Last month I wrote about the regulations governing eligibility of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and mentioned they contradict the edicts on “good faith effort” and they are ambiguous. This month I will discuss counting DBE participation.
Section 26.55 covers counting DBE participation...
Article
May 10, 2005
Feel sorry for landfill owners if pavement contractors get a hold of a new report from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Landfill business might go into a substantial decline if more people find out about how pavement can be recycled and used in new roads. The report, Transportation...
Article
October 18, 2004
The new CXT can haul 6 ton, can seat a football team’s offensive line and, for kids over 20 who miss playing with trucks in the sandbox, is the ultimate toy for extreme work and play, according to International Truck and Engine Corp., Warrenville, Ill. The International CXT, according to the...
Article
October 23, 2003
Truck manufacturers often produce vehicles that are
customized by truck equipment manufacturers (TEMs), or body builders, as part of
the integration process that combines a truck cab and chassis with specialized
body equipment designed for specific applications. For example, state
governments and...
Article
February 21, 2003
Last year, the public and private sectors were in the same
boat. Now there seems to be different ideas on how to run a ship.
The ROADS & BRIDGES 2002-2003 Truck Acquisition and
Maintenance (TAM) Survey shows a market still determined to bring back some old
magic through maintenance, but in...
