A last-minute proviso to delay California’s diesel regulations made it into the final state budget, which the state Legislature passed late last month. The state Air Resources Board’s decision to start replacing or retrofitting off-road diesel engines beginning next year is now delayed two years thanks to some extreme lobbying by the construction industry, including the Associated General Contractors of California and Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition. The new guidelines will give contractors full credit for any vehicle retirements made between March 1, 2006, and March 1, 2010. Contractors also may carry forward credits for reduced fleet activity, and fleets
Cashman Equipment Co., Nevada’s Caterpillar dealer, recently inaugurated its new multimillion-dollar headquarters in Henderson, 15 miles southwest of Las Vegas. The timing could not be worse. Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar’s fourth-quarter profit dropped 32% from a year ago, prompting over 20,000 job cuts amid reduced demand. Cashman, a privately held dealer with seven locations statewide, similarly trimmed its workforce by 63 people, or 8%, in December. Photo: SH Architecture The shop’s 20 service bays feature illuminating glass and skylights, while fabric ducts provide ventilation. Photo: SH Architecture Four-hundred geothermal wells exchange heat underground, using 45% less energy, while "Remann and His
Using one of the largest marine cranes on the East Coast, contractor teams on Jan. 18 carefully but quickly orchestrated the lift of a US Airways airplane from New York City’s icy Hudson River. The damaged Airbus A320, whose pilot miraculously and safely brought the plane down on the waterway three days before, weighed 100 tons and had filled with another 350 tons of water. Its 155 passengers and crew survived the landing. Slide Show Photo: Stephen Mallon Plane was picked up intact from river (top) using large revolving marine cranes. The retrieval operation was masterminded by Weeks Marine Inc.,
For many of us, the New Year in today’s economy means eating out less often, putting off big purchases and perhaps laying off a few employees. Everyone is on the lookout for efficiency wherever it can be found, including the latest in work-truck vehicles. But a new hybrid pickup, while intriguing from a fuel-sipping and technology standpoint, still falls short of delivering the goods. Slide Show Photo: General Motors The hybrid system consists of a 6.0L V8, a two-mode transmission and a 300-Volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack. Energy prices ran contractors through the ringer last year, and among the rides that
Retail and office construction are in decline. Banks are playing Scrooge with new bailout bucks. For-sale signs line the street, and housing starts keep receding.These are tough times, when every dollar spent on capital equipment must be spent wisely. For working people in need of a new truck, that need translates into a pickup that not only leads in raw grunt but also fuel economy and utility. ENR evaluated two redesigned models, the 2009 Ford F-150 and 2009 Dodge Ram 1500, to determine which workhorse truly deserves a spot at the jobsite. Slide Show Photo: Chrysler LLC Ram packs heavy