Source: Concrete Products Concrete Products’ Craig Yeack takes stock of the energy metrics and costs behind diesel fuel and battery electric power for ready mixed delivery in July’s column, “Are We Ready for Electric Concrete Trucks?” In the most comprehensive such examination to date for North American producers, he presents the comparison in terms of Btus, a common unit of measure for…
Read MoreDay: July 9, 2024
MIT CSHub proposes concrete carbon uptake accounting framework
Sources: Concrete Sustainability Hub at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; CP staff A new report from the MIT-hosted Concrete Sustainability Hub probes statistical and scientific methods for measuring carbon dioxide uptake in hardened concrete and other cement-based products (CBP). It proposes a framework to account for carbon uptake in Product Category Rules (PCRs), documents key to creating verifiable environmental product…
Read MoreAre We Ready for Electric Concrete Trucks?
The economics of switching from diesel to electric—and what must be done to reach viability The Ford flathead V8 from 1932 is near-mythical. The engine’s rumble and power transformed road vehicles into speedsters that were often favored by moonshine runners. The 1909 Harley-Davidson V-twin engine, with its patented sound, is equally iconic. So why are we messing with the fabled…
Read MoreMore Pain in the Office Space Sector
I have written extensively about the one large hole in construction that has put a lid on a certain sector of concrete production, and more and more news continues to cause worry about its future: the office space industry. If there is one legacy from the pandemic that may linger for years to come, it is the Work-From-Home/Hybrid Work/Return-to-Office struggle…
Read MoreFederal judge affirms truck drivers’ absence from Davis-Bacon lanes
White House and Department of Labor (DOL) staff attempts to lower contractor margins and raise public-construction costs hit a roadblock late last month in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division. Associated General Contractors of America-led plaintiffs prevailed in a challenge to three provisions in the DOL’s “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations” final rule,…
Read MoreTechnology conference to spotlight materials production, AI prospects
The publisher of Concrete Products, Rock Products, Cement Products and North American Mining magazines will team with On the Rocks Digital, a specialist in social media and artificial intelligence platforms, to stage AggNexus, September 9-10 at the University of Texas, Austin. The event will focus on the latest advancements in high technology for construction materials and aggregates, giving attendees insight…
Read MoreEngineers’ positive market projections inch upward
The American Council of Engineering Companies’ newest Engineering Business Sentiment report shows engineering firm executives have an extremely positive outlook on their firms’ financial standing (+86), the industry (+83), and the U.S. economy (+39). Optimism about the U.S. economy, specifically, has increased four points from last quarter and is up 54 points from its low of -15 in Q3 2022.…
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