“After years of inaction, we are glad to see that both houses of Congress are now making progress on surface transportation reauthorization. It is critical that lawmakers build on the momentum and work together in a bipartisan manner to complete a new multi-year highway bill that restores certainty to federal infrastructure programs and lays a solid foundation for America’s future economic growth.”

The for-hire trucking industry added 5,300 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in January, while payroll employment in the entire U.S. economy surged by 243,000 civilian nonfarm jobs, according to preliminary numbers released Friday, Feb. 3, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent.

Payroll employment in for-hire trucking is up by 51,500, or 4 percent, from January 2011. Employment is up by 89,100, or 7.2 percent, from the bottom in March 2010, but it remains 130,100, or 9 percent, from the peak in January 2007.

The latest report from BLS includes the annual benchmark revision in the size of the U.S. work force, adding 162,000 jobs to the number estimated in March 2011. For for-hire trucking, this meant that the revised BLS figure for payroll employment in December was 1.318 million jobs — 22,000 more than what BLS initially reported for December. The January figure is about 1.323 million.

The BLS numbers for trucking reflect all payroll employment in for-hire trucking, but they don’t include trucking-related jobs in other industries, such as a truck driver for a private fleet. Nor do the numbers reflect the total amount of hiring since they only include new jobs, not replacements for existing positions.

Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) is a sister publication to Aggregates Manager, Better Roads and Equipment World magazines.

The current nation is currently operating under an extension of Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), the surface transportation bill enacted by George W. Bush on Aug. 10, 2005. The bill originally expired on Sept. 30, 2009, has undergone a series of extensions since then. The latest extension is set to expire on March 31, 2012.

On Feb. 1, the T&I Committee began consideration of the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill introduced in the House by Transportation Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-Fla.) and Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman John J. Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.). The legislation was approved early this morning.

“No other bill this Congress will create jobs, lower energy costs or improve our deteriorating infrastructure as effectively as this legislation,” Mica said in a written press statement. “With millions out of work, particularly in the construction industry, Americans deserve a long-term transportation, energy and jobs bill from Congress.

“The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act will be the most significant reform of transportation programs in decades,” Mica continued in the written statement. “This bill will cut red tape, reduce the federal bureaucracy, move major infrastructure projects forward, attract more private sector participation, and give states the flexibility they need to address their most critical transportation needs.

A year ago, the Committee began holding bipartisan hearings and meetings around the country to gather input from state and local officials for a bill to reform and improve federal transportation programs, Mica said.

“Since then, we have worked to incorporate as many ideas from our Republican and Democratic colleagues as possible,” he said. “With today’s extensive and open debate, we have adopted many amendments, including 21 Democratic amendments, and we will continue to work with our colleagues as this bill moves forward.”

He likens this step forward to the progress that has been made on a long-term Federal Aviation Aviation (FAA) bill. “Some thought our committee would never complete a long-term FAA bill, but we have reached a bipartisan bicameral agreement on that critical measure,” Mica noted. “The President also recently signed a bipartisan pipeline safety bill that we sent him. We can also find common ground on this essential legislation to move our country and economy forward.”

Duncan points out that job creation is the No. 1 priority for voters across the United States, and he says this bill gives state governments a long-term funding stream that will put Americans back to work by improving our Nation’s highway and transit systems.

“In the last Congress, the President and Democratic leaders were unable to bring their reauthorization proposal to the floor,” Duncan said in the written statement from Mica’s office. “Their proposals for funding the bill were unrealistic.  I can assure you that this bill is realistic and will ensure that the Highway Trust Fund does not go broke.”

The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act authorizes approximately $260 billion over five years to fund federal highway, transit and safety programs, consistent with current funding levels. This will provide long-term stability for states to undertake major infrastructure projects. The bill also includes provisions to improve programs for freight and passenger rail transportation, and calls for funds collected for maintaining the nation’s harbors to be invested for that purpose – not redirected for other unrelated government expenditures.

In addition, this legislation contains no earmarks. The last surface transportation law approved by Congress in 2005 contained over 6,300 earmarks.

The House is expected to consider H.R. 7 later this month.

According to Mica’s office, The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act improves transportation programs in a number of ways, including the following:

Program Reform & Consolidation

Currently, there are more than 100 federal surface transportation programs, many of which were created during the last 50 years to expand the scope of the original programmatic goals. Many of these programs are duplicative or do not serve a national interest, according to Mica.

The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act reforms surface transportation programs by consolidating or eliminating about 70 programs that are duplicative or do not serve a federal purpose.

Increased State Flexibility

The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act eliminates a number of mandates that prevent states from being able to fund their most critical infrastructure needs.  The bill ensures that states will no longer be required to spend highway funding on non-highway activities, although they will be permitted to fund such activities if deemed to be priorities. The bill also delegates more project approval authority to states.

Cutting Red Tape & Streamlining Project Delivery

Due to the federal bureaucracy and red tape, the project approval and permitting process creates needless infrastructure delays and cost increases. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), highway projects can take up to 15 years to complete, and a lengthy project approval process accounts for a majority of these delays.

The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act streamlines and condenses the project review process by cutting bureaucratic red tape, allowing federal agencies to review transportation projects concurrently, and setting hard deadlines for federal agencies to approve projects, in addition to providing states with more approval authority.

More information from the markup of H.R.7 can be accessed here, including information regarding amendments.

(For a PDF of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, click here.)

(For the 14-page summary of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act in a downloadable PDF format, click here.)

Click here for the report, Federal Surface Transportation Reauthorization:Moving Beyond SAFETEA-LU, by Joung H. Lee, associate director for finance and business development, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and deputy director, AASHTO Center for Excellence in Project Finance.

Mica is the chairman of the T&I Committee.

More information, including details on amendments, will be forthcoming later today, according to a written press statement released in the early morning hours Feb. 3.

For a PDF of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, click here.

For the 14-page summary of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act in a downloadable PDF format, click here.

This auction is open to the public. Registration to bid is free, though a refundable bid deposit may be required. Interested buyers can go to the auction site to inspect, test and compare items beginning February 10 at 8 a.m.

“The auction attracts one of the largest, most diverse audiences of consignors and bidders from around the world,” says Steve Kriebel, regional sales manager for Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers. “Because of this, the selection of equipment featured in the auction is plentiful and there is something available for all types of buyers everywhere.”

Thousands of late model equipment items from manufacturers such as Caterpillar and Volvo will highlight this year’s auction. Attendees can expect to see products such as forklifts, loader backhoes, wheel loaders, articulated dump trucks, motor graders, motor scrapers, crawler tractors, crawler loaders, pavers, skid steer loaders and multi-terrain loaders.

For more information about the auction, visit rbauction.com. For information about selling equipment, call 863-420-9919.

Researchers at the College of William and Mary’s Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy determined each dollar spent on infrastructure generates roughly 35 cents in indirect economic activity for manufacturers, 20 cents fro professional and business services providers and 10 cents for the finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing sector. Over 20 years, one dollar in aggregate infrastructure spending generates 96 cents in taxes. Each dollar invested in highways and streets returns approximately 35 cents in tax revenue over two decades. The study was commissioned by Associated Equipment Dealers.

Most diesel engine manufacturers chose to use Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) aftertreatment technology to meet the required emissions levels. Navistar diesel engines use an in-cylinder exhaust gas recirculation technology to reduce exhaust emissions and is the only North American engine manufacturer to do so. Currently, Navistar diesel engines emit more grams of N0x than their competitors’ engines. But because Navistar exceeded the performance parameters set for earlier emissions reduction regulations, the company was awarded emissions credits by the EPA that allow them to do.

Last week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued a public letter to Navistar informing them that its emissions credits for the MaxxForce 13 engine were about to expire. The move by CARB is highly unusual, but Jack Allen, president of Navistar’s Engine Group declined to comment on the agency’s motives. “The bottom line is that Navistar will sell engines in 2012 that are fully certified in all 50 states,” Allen said. “And any issue between Navistar and the EPA will remain between us and the EPA. Our customers will not be brought into that. We’re going to open and transparent about that’s going on with the EPA. But in terms of those issues impacting the customer, it will be a non-issue.”

A spokesman for Navistar noted that EPA emissions credits to not apply across the company’s engine line in a blanket fashion. Each individual engine platform has its own individual “bank” of credits. So, Navistar’s DT medium-duty engines, as well as the MaxxForce 11 and MaxxForce 15 engines are not included in CARB’s announcement and will continue to be sold under using their existing bank of EPA credits. Additionally, once an engine is submitted for testing, Navistar notes, EPA will not penalize the submitting company if credits expire before the certifcation process is complete. In that case, credit extensions will be issued to insure EPA compliance.

“We will work through the normal certification process for the MaxxForce 13 with the EPA and follow up with our additional engine platforms later this year,” Allen said. “We will continue to use the credits we have selling our engines going forward. This is an on-going process and a continual refinement process of our engines and our emissions technology. But we are confident the MaxxForce 13 will be certified as compliant by the EPA, validating our in-cylinder emissions reduction technology and without any degredation in terms of performance, durability and fuel economy for our customers.”

“The goal of this phase of ‘Rules to Live By’ is to reduce numbers of deaths and injuries from the targeted standards by having mine operators identify and correct all hazardous conditions, direct MSHA enforcement toward confirming that violations related to these conditions are not present at mines, and ensure miners are better trained to recognize and avoid these particular hazards,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, in an MSHA press release.

From 2001 through 2010, 609 miners lost their lives in workplace accidents. Violations associated with eight coal standards contributed to 75 deaths during this period, while violations associated with six metal and nonmetal standards contributed to 50 deaths.

The coal standards are as follows:

75.362(a)(1) on-shift examination

77.404(a) machinery and equipment; operation and maintenance

77.405(b) performing work from a raised position; safeguards

77.1000 highwalls, pits and spoil banks; plans

77.1605(b) loading and haulage equipment; installations

77.1606(a) loading and haulage equipment; inspection and maintenance

77.1607(b) loading and haulage equipment; operation

77.1713(a) daily inspection of surface coal mine; certified person; reports of inspection

The metal and nonmetal standards are as follows:

46.7(a) new task training

56.3130 wall, bank and slope stability

56.3200 correction of hazardous conditions

56.15020 life jackets and belts

56.14100(b) safety defects; examination, correction and records

57.14100(b) safety defects; examination, correction and records

Beginning April 1, MSHA will focus more attention on these 14 standards with enhanced enforcement efforts, increased scrutiny for related violations, and instructions to inspectors to more carefully evaluate gravity and negligence – consistent with the seriousness of the violation – when citing violations that cause or contribute to mining fatalities. MSHA inspectors will receive online training to promote consistency in enforcement activity across the agency.

As with the first two phases of “Rules to Live By,” online training will be available to the mining industry and the public on MSHA’s website, and MSHA will provide operators with program and resource information. The agency also will reach out to engage miners and their representatives during the course of MSHA inspections to disseminate appropriate compliance assistance materials – including engineering suggestions, safety target materials packages and other resources – so that they have the appropriate information to address and eliminate workplace hazards.

“In 2011, mining deaths fell to the second lowest annual total on record – a testament to the commitment of miners, mine operators, miners’ representatives, labor and industry organizations, state agencies and grantees, members of the mining community and MSHA,” said Main. “While the mining community achieved near-record low numbers of mining deaths in the United States and has seen a significant decline in fatal mining accidents during the past 10 years, too many miners still lose their lives in preventable accidents. The loss of even one miner causes devastation and pain to the victim’s family, friends and co-workers.

“Compliance with safety and health standards is the responsibility of mine operators, with the assistance of miners. Ultimately, all of us must focus on why these accidents happen and how to prevent them,” he added.

The first phase of “Rules to Live By” began in February 2010.

For additional information about “Rules to Live By,” visit http://www.msha.gov/focuson/rulestoliveby.asp.

The initiative is a long-term bill that reforms federal transportation programs and promotes increased domestic energy production to create American jobs, according to the Office of Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The largest transportation reform bill since the creation of the Interstate Highway System, this is a five-year bill that streamlines the federal bureaucracy, cuts red tape that delays projects across the country, gives states more flexibility to determine their most critical infrastructure needs, provides states with the long-term stability to undertake major improvements, and encourages private sector participation in helping to finance transportation projects.

To access bill text, click here.

The bill, which authorizes surface transportation programs through Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, seeks to increase the truck weight limit from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds.

Altmire issued the following statement regarding the bill:

“Proof that America’s roads and bridges cannot sustain an increase in truck weight only requires a look at the crumbling infrastructure in western Pennsylvania,” Congressman Altmire said.   “Our region has some of the most structurally deficient bridges in the country, and allowing heavier trucks only puts Pennsylvanians at an added risk.  Until we can come up with necessary funds to update and repair our transportation systems in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it would be irresponsible to allow this change to take effect.”

“We are very pleased that Congressman Altmire has taken a firm stance in support of highway safety and law enforcement in the Commonwealth” said Tom Armstrong, Member Services Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. “Longer and heavier trucks are more dangerous and would threaten the roads and bridges we all use every day.  We applaud him for rejecting the sweeping changes proposed in the House transportation reauthorization bill.”

According to a September 2010 report from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania has the largest number of structurally deficient bridges in the country.  Of the 32,000 bridges in Pennsylvania owned by the state and the 7,000 highway bridges owned by local municipalities or other agencies, more than 5,490 were classified as structurally deficient.  To meet the national average of structurally deficient bridges, PennDOT would need to reduce that number to approximately 2,700.

For more information from PennDOT, please click here.