John LattaRoadbuildingConstruction employment year-over-year nosediveAll but 12 communities nationwide saw declines in construction employment between September last year and September this year (and only had had double digit gains). This from a new analysis of metropolitan area employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Check out the report and […]October 27, 2009RoadbuildingWho, near you, is doing ARRA workWant to know which contractors near you are working with stimulus money? Here’s a sitethat can tell you and give you a hat-full of details about the work. It’s Pro Publica which describes itself as an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. To build this database of stimulus contractors ProPublica obtained two […]October 26, 2009RoadbuildingArticleOctober 20, 2009RoadbuildingConstruction Costs Climb AgainConstruction costs, which had been relatively low for much of the past year, are beginning to climb at an increasing rate, signaling the end to the “limited-time” sale for construction, according to a new analysis of the latest producer price index released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today. The analysis by Ken Simonson, […]October 20, 2009RoadbuildingRelax. Take a world cruise. Stop in Detroit.Secretary of transportation Ray LaHood speaking in Detroit earlier this week: “Yesterday I visited the Detroit Public Dock and Terminal Project, a terrific example of what we can accomplish when federal, state and local governments team up with the private sector to invest in the future. “This is truly an exciting project that will help […]October 15, 2009RoadbuildingCell Phone Ban This Year?Step away from the cell phone! New moves have been made in the Senate to take cell phones out of drivers’ hands, moves that might be more palatable to Congress than the blunt bill introduced by New York Senator Charles Schumer who wants federal funds withheld from states that don’t enact a ban. Senators John D. Rockefeller IV […]October 15, 2009RoadbuildingUnsigned ARRA workPerhaps it’s a (ahem) sign of the times. Back in the Great Depression, the one that looked a little bit like this one, there were red,white and blue “U.S.A. Work Program” signs and the ubiquitous “We do our part” blue eagle emblems which can still be seen in the credits of films of the era. So […]October 14, 2009RoadbuildingToday’s vehicle audio systems – Bah!What makes travel on our highways more enjoyable. Music of course. You know what sort of sound systems are out there, and you know what they cost. But has technology gone further than it needs to? Remember this? You’re driving and feel the need for a little relaxing music. No, you don’t go to the […]October 14, 2009RoadbuildingWatch a road crumbleIts called a life-cycle video. The entire life of a road in a short movie. The years race by and the road deteriorates, and so does the tally of what it will cost to repair it that hums along in the little on-screen counter. Its a Missouri DOT video running at high speed showing a new road steadily […]October 14, 2009RoadbuildingUnemployment in Construction: “Devastating”Today’s U.S. “Employment Situation Report” that unemployment is at 9.8 percent is very bad news for the overall economy, but the situation in the construction equipment industry, which includes manufacturing, distribution and repair stations, is much worse, says Dennis Slater, President of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). “The industry is in a depression, not […]October 2, 2009Previous PagePage 42 of 43Next PageTop StoriesCompact ExcavatorsMecalac Rolls Out 12MTX Combination Wheeled Excavator-Loader-TelehandlerThe multi-purpose machine can perform digging, loading, and material handling tasks and run a variety of high-flow attachments.TelehandlersBobcat Unveils Electric Telehandler PrototypeSafety & ComplianceContractor Faces $394K in Fines After Worker Dies in TrenchWheel LoadersLiebherr Debuts World's First Large Wheel Loader with a Hydrogen EngineDozersHyundai Breaks into the Dozer Market with HD100