Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released on December 10 a long-awaited rule mandating the use of Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) to complete paper records of duty status for drivers’ Hours of Service (HOS) rule compliance. In a preliminary analysis of the 516-page document, NRMCA Government Affairs staff cites how provisions will encompass ready mixed concrete delivery:
Read MoreSources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
Taking stock of highway and transit program funding levels in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, signed into law earlier this month, PCA Chief Economist Ed Sullivan sees attendant increases in cement and concrete demand for FY 2016–2020.
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Sources: American Concrete Pipe Association, Irving, Texas; CP staff
American Concrete Pipe Association members will open 2016 with the Pipe School and companion trade exhibit and networking activities centered at the University of Texas at Arlington, site of major research advancing concrete drainage products.
Sources: Concrete Industry Management / National Steering Committee; CP staff
Mack Trucks Inc. and McNeilus Cos. are approaching 2016 World of Concrete in customary manner by dispatching a Granite Axle Forward-mounted 11-yd. Bridgemaster mixer truck to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Their donation will anchor the pool of equipment, material and sports/travel packages available in live or silent bidding at the 11th Annual CIM Auction, February 3 in a meeting room above the World of Concrete exhibit floor.
Responding to National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and allied stakeholders, the U.S. Green Building Council has adopted LEED rating system pilot credits that provide incentives for project teams to plan, design and build for resilience. NRMCA proposed a pilot credit in September 2013, working with a group headed by the Resilient Design Institute’s Alex Wilson, a longtime resiliency advocate who had submitted a pilot credit proposal with similar goals.
A new Water Environment Federation report, “Rainfall to Results: The Future of Stormwater,” details challenges, opportunities and pathways to improving the nation’s drainage infrastructure and yielding a more resilient and effective stormwater sector. Its release during the WEFTEC 2015 conference in Chicago dovetailed the launch of the WEF Stormwater Institute, billed as a new center of excellence and innovation.
Many of us in the California construction industry spent time this fall with one eye on the capital, Sacramento, hoping our legislators would at long last address the state’s crumbling highways, roads and bridges. Editorial boards, local agencies, citizen groups and construction industry and union leaders alike pressed for additional funding to improve our infrastructure.
Three developments tracked since January stand out at year’s end: 1) overall concrete shipments did not pace projected level; 2) among global operators, the annual revenue bar for cement, aggregate and ready mixed concrete shipments is moving from the $10 billion–$15 billion to $15 billion–$20 billion range, with the top players deriving about 20–25 percent of sales in North America; and, 3) U.S. and Canadian wood interests’ multi-story building market pursuits are reverberating among ready mixed and manufactured-concrete producers.
Read MoreSources: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Cement Sustainability Initiative, Geneva; CP staff
Backed by 16 major producers—nine with significant North American market stakes—the WBCSD Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative (LCTPi) outlined at the UN Paris Climate Conference a Cement Action Plan to clip worldwide industry carbon emissions 20–25 percent by 2030.
Read MoreSources: American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
An ARTBA analysis of the five-year, $305 billion Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) that President Obama signed December 4 notes: “While the total core highway investment increase during the [five-year] life of the bill will be just over 15 percent, yearly assessments are a better gauge of market impact.
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