Navistar, Warrenville, Ill., announced on July 28 that it will be raising prices on its International trucks by $6,000 to $8,000 in order to comply with new Environmental Protection Agency emission requirements for diesel engines. Prices for vehicles with midrange diesel engines will increase by $6,000, while prices for heavy-duty diesel engines will jump $8,000. Increases will come as a non-discountable surcharge applied to the vehicle’s base price.
Makers of portable navigation devices continue to add features to attract buyers. Now, there may be appeal within the construction industry for a wireless backup camera that is becoming almost standard equipment on many commercial vehicles. Photo: Andrew G. Wright / ENR Video appears when reverse gear is engaged. Related Links: Latest Product Snapshot Nextar, La Verne, Calif., considered the construction market as one potential target when it developed and recently began selling the I4-BC GPS. Manufactured in China, the device is attracting interest with its camera fixed on the rear license-plate frame. The camera’s view automatically displaces the GPS
The world’s first hybrid dozer will cost about $100,000 more, or 20%, than a comparable non-hybrid of the same size but will do more work and pay for itself in about two and a half years, say Caterpillar Inc. managers. Performance is tracking well in field trials, said the managers on June 23, as Cat rolled out the machine for press evaluation at the firm’s training facility in Edwards, Ill. The D7E starts production in October and carries a list price of $600,000, says David E. Nicoll, product execution manager. That is 20% more than the conventional D7R but 12%
Nationwide research is firming up the case for “intelligent” compaction (IC), a construction method three decades in the making that could save billions of dollars a year in potholed roads, cracked bridges, broken dams and blown-out tires. But as it represents a huge cultural shift in project delivery, the industry is struggling to find a standard way to roll it out. Slide Show Photo: Iowa State University Researchers test a ‘smart roller.’ With today’s busted public budgets, IC is a promising tool with global implications. “I’ve studied where we spend money in the U.S. to fix our infrastructure, and a
The world's first diesel-electric hybrid bulldozer will carry a price tag that is about $100,000 more, or 20% higher, than a comparable non-hybrid machine. But will pay for itself in about two-and-a-half years, Caterpillar Inc. managers said June 23 at the company's training facility in Edwards, Ill. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton Hybrid dozer comes with a 20% price premium. Related Links: LeTourneau's Electric Legacy Haunts Las Vegas Mega-Show VIDEO: Big Electric Cat � Bulldozer Buzz at CONEXPO The D7E, which begins production in October, will come with a manufacturer-recommended list price of $600,000, said David E. Nicoll, product execution manager.
One week after New York City announced it would shepherd a national database of tower cranes to improve jobsite safety, a crane-rental executive in Pennsylvania has built the world’s first Internet site for tracking crane repairs, inspections and other critical details. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Bardonaro wants spotlight on safety. The site is the industry’s first voluntary effort to make crane tracking more transparent in the wake of major accidents last year. “I wanted to get something out there that answers these cries for tracking cranes,” says Frank Bardonaro, president of Bensalem, Pa.-based AmQuip. He has spent about
One week after New York City announced it would shepherd a national database of tower cranes to improve jobsite safety, a crane-rental executive in Pennsylvania has built the world�s first Internet site for tracking crane repairs, inspections and other critical details. Related Links: Three Cities Plan Tower Crane Tracking Cranefacts.com The site is the industry’s first voluntary effort to make crane tracking more transparent in the wake of major accidents last year. “I wanted to get something out there that answers these cries for tracking cranes,” says Frank Bardonaro, president of Bensalem, Pa.-based AmQuip. He has spent about $40,000 and
While bankrupt General Motors is discontinuing its line of medium-duty trucks, the clock is ticking for others to clean up tailpipes in January. The clean-air regulation has Warrenville, Ill.-based Navistar International Corp. asking a U.S. appeals court in Washington, D.C., to review a February ruling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA action provided guidance to diesel-truck makers on how to certify engines using selective-catalytic reduction. Navistar alleges EPA in 2001 did not deem SCR permissible due to the use of liquid urea, of which distribution and handling was questionable. Other producers argue urea is proven. Navistar is the
Aviad Shapira, civil engineering professor, textbook author and former project engineer for his family’s concrete construction business, is not afraid to climb hundreds of feet up a rickety ladder to get a bird’s-eye view of the world. “I climb tower cranes whenever I get the chance,” he says. “Too many of us researchers are detached from the subject.” Photo: Aviad Shapira Shapira is helping builders plan for tower-crane risks. The high-level view has afforded Shapira a unique perspective. The teacher at The Technion-Israel Institute of Tech- nology, Haifa, says many crane accidents can be attributed to what he calls a
A vehicle invasion is coming from Turkey that may take the U.S. business community by storm. Starting next month, Ford Motor Co. will be importing and selling its Transit Connect small van in the U.S. and Canada. The Turkish van’s flexible design allows it to be configured for a variety of businesses, and it is aimed at those in urban areas that need maneuverability in tight spaces. On May 28, ENR took one for a test drive in New York City and found that it does deliver the goods promised. Slide Show Photo: William G. Krizan / ENR Small van