P.M. Executive Briefing - April 19
This Afternoon's Headlines:
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Highway 401 Stalling Blasted
At a transportation-related public meeting held Tuesday in London, Ontario, by the provincial Liberal party, two survivors of an 80-vehicle crash that took place on Highway 401 in September charged that Transportation Minister David Turnbull is taking too long to live up to vows of safety upgrades to the highway. One said that many motorists are giving up on the 401 because just-in-time delivery demands have crowded the highway with trucks.Liberal provincial legislator Pat Hoy said many constituents have supported safety improvements that go further than Turnbull's plans and questioned why, if the economy is so good, "do we only spend $5 million on a stretch of road that has taken 33 lives?"
Speeds Inching Up on Iowa Highways, Fatalities Down
The Iowa Task Force on Speed Limits reports that traffic deaths in the state between 1996 and 1998 were 5.9% below the figure for 1993 to 1995, when speed limits were 55 mph rather than 65 mph, even as speeds increase and almost half of drivers break the speed limit.When the limits were increased in 1996, 31% of rural freeway drivers were speeding, but that figure has risen to 47%, and the top speed traveled by 85% of freeway drivers has risen to 69.4 mph, up 7.8 mph.
Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin have all maintained 65 mph as their maximum speed limit; like Iowa, Illinois saw fatalities fall during the periods measured – by 5.7% – while Wisconsin's fatality count rose 1.2%.
Five other midwestern states that hiked limits to 70 mph or 75 mph saw more fatalities as well, including a 19.3% rise in Nebraska, which Iowa Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Richard Drake (R-Muscatine) said supports his opposition to hiking the state's maximum speed. Associated Press (04/19/00)
Snow Closes I-90 in SD
About 60 miles of Interstate 90 from Rapid City, S.D., to the Wyoming border have been shut down due to snow; forecasts were calling for snowfall between 8 inches and 2 feet depending on elevation, and levels ranging from 8 to 18 inches were already seen at 8 a.m. TruckingInfo.com (04/19/00)Don't Adjust the Ride
Overinflation of an air-bag suspension system can lead to severe damage to a tractor, trailer, or straight truck, including "bind," a type of driveline damage that affects the rotational pivoting of the universal joints. This fact conflicts with popular belief that power units and straight trucks will not be harmed by adjustments to the air bag.When truckers overinflate the air bag, the bag often breaks, an unpleasant outcome for a loaded vehicle that is far from a repair facility. Overinflation can also cause bucking and "hop" in trailers, which can damage the jaw.
According to Bill Keen, director of leasing for Houston-based Performance Leasing, the near-zero or zero-delay control valves commonly available today will automatically set the correct ride height. In addition, manufacturers are making it harder to get to the control valve to discourage drivers from trying to adjust the ride height. Trailer/Body Builders (03/00) Vol. 41, No.5; P. 78
Fight Looms Over DOT Funding
A budget battle is in the cards for Congress and the Clinton Administration over FY2001 funding for the Department of Transportation.The administration's budget requests a record $54.9 million for transportation programs, up 9.3%, including an 83% hike in intelligent transportation systems funding and a 79% increase in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration operations and research funding. The budget request would also raise certain Federal Aviation Administration research funding 18% and hike transit
esearch to $110 million from $107 million.
A bigger fight between the White House and Capitol Hill could concern allocation of gas tax revenue, some of which the administration would like to divert to highway safety and passenger rail funding. TEA-21 provisions earmark the money for states' highway funding, but the strong economy has meant tax receipts have exceeded what was forecast when TEA-21 was passed.
The White House lost a fight over gas-tax diversion last year and probably will once again, as it is opposed by both Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.), who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.), who heads the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Mechanical Engineering (04/00) Vol. 122, No. 4; P. 32; Dietz, Francis
Is Robotics the Answer? It's a Balancing Act
Chris Schilb, platform manager at Genesis Systems Group, discussed the benefits, disadvantages, and costs of robotics in manufacturing at the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers convention in February. Genesis' robotics systems range from $64,000 to $500,000, so a manufacturer should determine if the benefits of having robotics are worth such expenditure.Sundowner Trailers found a way to divide a trailer wall into six to eight subassemblies with certain common pieces, bringing the company the volumes that allowed it to afford robotics.
The benefits of robotics include better health and safety for workers and reduced medical expenses; reliability; precise schedules; and labor management, because robotics makers also retrain a company's present staff. Other factors are uniform quality; speed; and increased productivity because workers freed up from jobs done by robots can perform other tasks.
Most trailer makers would not be able to use robotics because robots' tolerances are tighter than those found in trailer manufacturing, said Hans Bowker of fencing-systems maker Everett Contruction. Kent Hall, assistant plant manager for Sundowners, said most of that tolerance can be adjusted in redesigns.
According to Schilb, fixtures are the most vital factor in robotics, while parts and fixtures are the priciest components. Trailer/Body Builders (03/00) Vol. 41, No. 5; P. 108; Weber, Rick
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