Posts Tagged ‘Jul-2009’

July 1st, 2009

Bad News Bearers

Companies win when they are honest with their drivers

We’re continually hearing about freight being off, trucking operations laying off workers, businesses closing and firms going into bankruptcy. Even trucking companies with years of strong performance are failing. All too often, trucking companies — especially the larger ones — deliver bad news that affects their employees via email, paycheck stuffers, recorded phone message or some other impersonal means. Often, they choose those methods so company officials can avoid having …

READ THE STORY

July 1st, 2009

Book Star

A children's book by Navistar employees now available to public

It can be hard to tap into your creative side after a long day at work, but for Navistar employee Kyle Rose, being immersed in the world of heavy duty vehicles got his juices flowing. With a background in marketing, he began to see big rigs as the perfect vehicle for a children’s book. He created a cheerful truck named Brutus, who unthinkingly went through his day looking down on smaller or duller trucks, only to see their strength later.While the words flowed freely, art is not Rose&rsq…

READ THE STORY

July 1st, 2009

Cost & Effect

Funding the next highway bill and making sure it addresses key issues

Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) is the ranking member on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Highways and Transit Subcommittee, which oversees the construction of roads and transit facilities and the development of national surface transportation policy. Rep. Duncan also holds seats on the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He has represented the state of Tennessee in Congress since 1988. Duncan is am…

READ THE STORY

July 1st, 2009

Slow Down, Power Up

A speed bump with something extra

What do you get when you combine the green movement with renewable energy researchers and outside-the-box thinking? You get the Electro-Kinetic Road Ramp, a speed bump that generates electrical energy when vehicles drive over it. The device operates through a series of articulated plates set in a pad that is practically flush to the road. When a vehicle’s weight is exerted on these plates, they move up and down by means of a special mechanism, which drives a generator capable of producing…

READ THE STORY

July 1st, 2009

Work in Progress

Warm weather means driving through a lot of road construction

by David A. Kolman

With the high volume of traffic on roadways these days, more stress is being added to a mature infrastructure system that is in need of regular repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Summer is prime time for maintenance and repairs, as anyone who has tried to navigate a route without hitting construction delays can attest. One solution is to drive off hours. Yet, in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and travel delays, an increasing amount of roadway work is being done at night. This i…

READ THE STORY