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CalCIMA says 108 operations saved from abandoment
The California Department of Conservation says legislation sponsored by the California Construction & Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA) saved 108 aggregate and mineral operations from having to cease operations. According to a CalCIMA press release, California law broadly required any extraction operation that produced 90 percent below a historical level to file an "interim management plan." Operations that failed to file the interim plan could be considered abandoned and required to begin reclamation. "If the operations had been considered abandoned, there would have been reliance on more distant sources of materials, which would have meant increased diesel emissions, increased fuel usage, increased greenhouse gas emissions and increased wear and tear on our roads to bring the materials to market," says Gary W. Hambly, CalCIMA president and CEO. "If truck haul distances are increased by even 25 miles to transport materials, the Department of Conservation has estimated that half a million tons of carbon dioxide emissions are added." Many aggregate and mineral operations experienced drastic reductions in production when the economic downturn… Keep Reading
Construction drops slightly in June
New construction starts in June receded 1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $489.5 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. As a result, construction start stats produced a Dodge Index reading of 104 – down one point from May. Nonresidential building lost momentum after strengthening during the previous two months, and housing experienced a pause from its recent upward trend. Nonbuilding construction, meanwhile, advanced in June. The start of several very large bridge projects lifted the category. For the first six months of 2013, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $233.8 billion – down 2 percent from the same period one year ago. The 2013 year-to-date decline for total construction was due primarily to a sharp reduction for electric utilities compared to a robust first half of 2012, according to McGraw Hill Construction. “The first half of 2013 revealed a mixed performance by project type, producing a hesitant pattern for total construction starts,” says Robert A. Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction.… Keep Reading
Thompson Pump promotes veteran branch manager
Thompson Pump promoted Bobby Zitzka to sales manager. He will oversee the corporate sales team, including national accounts, international sales, municipal sales and the inside sales department based in Port Orange, Fla. Before being promoted, Zitzka was a branch manager for Thompson Pump in Orlando, Fla. He served in his previous position since 2002. Photo: Bobby Zitzka Keep Reading
Dates for next Work Truck Shows unveiled
The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) announced dates for the next two years of The Work Truck Show, both of which will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. The next show will take place March 5-7, 2014, with educational programming, including the Green Truck Summit, beginning March 4. The 2015 show spans March 4-6, 2015, with educational programming and the Green Truck Summit starting March 3. Registration for The Work Truck Show 2014 opens in October. Keep Reading
Kobelco celebrates brand’s independence
Kobelco Construction Machinery USA held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its North American headquarters July 9 in Houston commemorating the relaunch of its brand as an independent product line. Nearly all of Kobelco's recently signed dealers attended along with local officials and Kobelco employees from around the world. “Houston provided the perfect centralized location to relaunch the brand and to support and service customers and dealers throughout the United States and Canada,” says Ron Hargrave, vice president of marketing and sales for Kobelco North America. “The local community has been receptive and rather excited to have Kobelco back in town after having been a part of the CNH organization for 10 years." Over the last few months, Kobelco opened its headquarters facilities, signed more than 40 dealers, hired a staff and stocked dealer yards, Hargrave says. Keep Reading
Texas putting transportation funding decision to voters
The Texas Legislature plans to ask voters to divert money from the state's rainy day fund for transportation purposes, the Associated Press reports. The measure, which the Legislature is expected to approve, would be added as an amendment to the state's November ballot. If passed, the measure would free $800 million per year for roads and bridges. Still, the $800 million represents only about 20 percent of Texas' annual transportation needs, experts say. According to the Associated Press, the $800 million legislators want to secure for transportation is currently being generated in gas taxes, yet put to use in public schools. The legislation would divert another $800 million per year in natural gas and oil taxes to make up for the loss in public school funds. "When we go to the gas pump, not all of the taxes we pay for gas tax goes to roads. ... What we are saying it that all of the gas tax should go to roads," says Rep. Joe Pickett (D-El Paso), according to… Keep Reading
NSSGA to debut AGG1 webinar series
NSSGA is launching a webinar series to make some of its most popular AGG1 Academy classes available online, as well as offer brand-new sessions to the industry. The first AGG1 online webinar, on performance optimization and measurement, will take place Aug 15 at 1 p.m. EDT. Alan Maio, principal of Orria Consulting, will discuss what performance optimization is, why it is important and how it can help producers get the most out of their facility. NSSGA says Maio will give real-world examples highlighting success stories during the hour. The webinar series will not be a replacement to AGG1 Academy seminars, NSSGA adds, but a way to extend the education beyond the expo. AGG1 Online sessions will be held on the third Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. EDT. Keep Reading
Deere adds mobile website to expedite parts ordering
John Deere launched a mobile version of its parts website to help customers manage their operations more efficiently. The site, which utilizes smart phone technology at jdparts.deere.com, allows customers to access equipment parts information with their handheld devices, from nearly any location. “Our customers are usually on the go, at a jobsite or traveling between sites, and they can’t wait to get back to their desks to order critical parts,” says Shawn Riley, manager of parts marketing operations. “They asked us for a mobile version of the parts site so they could place orders when and where they needed to, so we responded.” Like the desktop version of the website, the mobile version allows customers to quickly access parts information, view pricing, availability and order parts online. Customers can search by parts catalog, model number, part number or keyword to locate the appropriate parts and attachments. Keep Reading
Transportation secretary wants more bang from taxpayers’ buck
Anthony Foxx, the newly sworn-in transportation secretary, emphasized a need to improve the efficiency and performance of the existing U.S. transportation system in a blog post on the Department of Transportation's (DOT) website Thursday. "That's no small challenge," Foxx writes. "The American people are counting on [DOT] to be good stewards of their tax dollars, even as we also build and maintain the roads, bridges, ports, buses, rails and runways they need." Foxx adds that concrete examples already exist in which DOT is better spending money. One example he cites is the Federal Highway Administration's Every Day Counts initiative, which includes a tool called warm-mix asphalt. According to Foxx, warm-mix asphalt is a paving technology that allows asphalt to be produced and placed on roads at a lower temperature. He estimates the use of warm-mix asphalt has already saved about $100 million and that its use should save more than $3.5 billion over the next seven years. As Foxx, the former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., settles into his new position… Keep Reading
