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Three miners die in aggregates plants in one week
Three aggregates workers died at stone, sand and gravel facilities in a one-week span in late September. According to MSHA, the first miner died in Kentucky when he fell into a hopper at a quarry. The victim was attempting to remove a rock from the pug mill hopper when material in the hopper engulfed him. A second death occurred in Missouri, where a haul truck driver leaving a quarry crossed a berm and went over a highwall. A third death occurred in Pennsylvania, where a 2.5-ton truck overturned and killed a driver. The three fatalities increased the aggregates industry's total to seven for 2013. Keep Reading
Former secretary of state to keynote truck show
Condoleezza Rice, the 66th secretary of state of the United States, will be the keynote speaker of The Work Truck Show 2014. Her address is part of the President's Breakfast & NTEA Annual Meeting on March 6. Rice's speech at The Work Truck Show will include insights from both the political arena and her educational and managerial career. Rice is currently a professor of political economy in the Graduate School of Business, the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution. She is also a professor of political science at Stanford University. Tickets for the President's Breakfast are included in several registration packages or can be purchased separately. For more information, visit www.ntea.com. The Work Truck Show will take place March 5-7, 2014, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Educational programming, including the Green Truck Summit, begins March 4. Keep Reading
ARTBA president warns senators of highway-funding crisis
American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) President Pete Ruane testified before the Environment & Public Works Committee, telling senators that the federal surface transportation investment to the states could be dealt a crippling blow unless Congress acts following the expiration of MAP-21 in September 2014. ARTBA President Pete Ruane told senators that federal highway funds account for nearly 52 percent of state roadway and bridge capital outlays annually. Eleven states rely on the program for 70 percent or more of their road and bridge capital improvements, and 20 states rely on federal reimbursements for 50 to 69 percent of their capital outlays. For the remaining 19 states, federal investment accounts for 35 to 49 percent of their highway construction activities, Ruane said. “Although the amount of reliance on federal funds for needed road and bridge improvements may vary state by state, it is clear that for the vast majority of states the effectiveness of their highway construction programs are heavily dependent on a strong and reliable federal partner,” Ruane said. According… Keep Reading
Ellicott Dredges names spare parts distributor in Mexico
Ellicott Dredges LLC appointed Makisur S.A. de C.V. its dredge part distributor for Mexico. Makisur will distribute parts and provide technical and onsite support for all of Mexico’s existing and new Ellicott dredge owners. According to Ellicott, Makisur will maintain a stock of critical spare parts for the 370 Dragon and 670 Dragon model dredges. Keep Reading
W.S. Tyler expands into the Southwest
W.S. Tyler opened a new sales and service center, Haver & Tyler Grand Canyon, in Gilbert, Ariz. The center is near Phoenix and will serve Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The center is the third one W.S. Tyler has opened this year. According to the company, the new office provides a direct commercial and technical connection to W.S. Tyler's headquarters in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, making it possible to provide customers in the Southwest local access to factory-supported services. The new facility will provide service and parts for customized, customer-specific equipment, including the F-Class, H-Class and XL-Class vibrating screens, as well as the Hydro-Clean washing system. Technicians based there also perform Pro-Deck consultations, including W.S. Tyler’s vibration analysis and plant and screen media audits. Haver & Tyler Grand Canyon had its entire second floor transformed into a training center, where customers can learn how to get the most out of their Haver & Tyler equipment. Keep Reading
Vulcan lands investor support for four Georgia quarries
Vulcan Materials Co. sold an interest in future production at four quarries in Atlanta to Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc. Vulcan Materials will receive $154 million in exchange for a percentage royalty interest in 255 million tons of aggregate production over about 25 years. "In Plum Creek, we have a partner that shares our long-term view of the value and growth in the aggregates business and is investing based on that view," says Don James, Vulcan Materials chairman and CEO. "This transaction provides us capital to deploy in strategic investments in our aggregates business and to strengthen our balance sheet." Keep Reading
Technology Spotlight: Linear crushers
These non-traditional portable plants produce aggregate from recycled road material – on the fly. Portable rock crushers are often used to provide the material needed to maintain primary roads because they have large production capabilities and they’re able to meet Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements. These same crushers are also options to provide material for secondary and tertiary roads, as well as roads that do not require DOT-spec gravel. But considering costs are a driver of nearly every business decision, road contractors likely seek alternatives that can help them win bids and boost their bottom lines. One such alternative on the market is linear crushers, a technology Roadtech Inc. is touting as a means to achieve an average cost savings of between 200 and 400 percent compared with traditional portable plants. Linear crushers move along a road that is being repaired, crushing existing oversize material along the way. The result is typically mixed with existing gravel and soil that resurfaces the road and generally improves its subgrade at a lesser… Keep Reading
North Dakota governor pays visit to NDPC annual meeting
The 32nd annual North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC) meeting was held Sept. 17-19 in Grand Forks, N.D. According to CRS (Crushed Rock Sales) North America, one of its highlights at the meeting was a visit from Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R-N.D.). Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, was among the speakers who addressed attendees. Matt Rose, CEO of BNSF Railway and William Maloney, executive vice president of Statoil, also addressed more than 800 oil and service company executives. Keep Reading
CEMA belt conveyors book released
The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) published the seventh edition of its "Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials." The new edition includes 100 additional pages to accommodate new additions and a change in format that will have imperial and metric units in the text, figures and tables. The publication is also now available with metric conversion. Comments accumulated during the life of the sixth edition have been incorporated into the seventh edition, as well. For more information or to order a copy, email kim@cemanet.org. Keep Reading
