Technology Briefs — May 9 - May 15
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The Latest Headlines:
- TMW Names David Wangler its New CEO
- TransCore Unveils Online Dispatch Tool
- Chevron Buys Stake in Texas Biodiesel Plant
- Mass. Turnpike to Toll Violators in Transponder Lane
- Firm Says It Can Turn Trash Into Diesel Fuel
- TransCore Unveils Online Dispatch Tool
TMW Names David Wangler its New CEO
Transportation software firm TMW Systems Tuesday named David Wangler its new Chief Executive Officer.Wangler, 44, succeeds Ken Thompson, who announced his retirement. Thompson will continue to serve on the company’s board.
He has also held senior executive positions in global sales and marketing for a variety of supply chain and logistics software providers, including Baan (SSA Global), SKYVA International and Wonderware Corp., TMW said. Transport Topics
TransCore Unveils Online Dispatch Tool
Transportation software firm TransCore said it has developed a new online tool for small- and mid-sized carriers that combines dispatch, freight matching, asset tracking and mileage calculations into one package.TransCore said April 20 that carriers can use its OpsCenter to handle a variety of tasks. Trucking companies pay one monthly fee for access to the software, the firm said.
“Less time is spent managing operations, tying data together or correcting mistakes that occur while switching between software programs,” TransCore said. Transport Topics
Chevron Buys Stake in Texas Biodiesel Plant
Oil firm Chevron Corp. has acquired a $3.5 milion, 22% stake in a Texas biodiesel facility, the company said Thursday.Houston-based Galveston Bay Biodiesel is building a biodiesel production and distribution facility in Galveston, Texas, scheduled for completion by the end of this year, said Chevron, the second-largest U.S. oil company behind ExxonMobil Corp.
The facility will have an initial annual production capacity of 20 million gallons — about a 27% increase in total U.S. biodiesel production of 75 million gallons in 2005. It will have the capability to expand to produce 100 million gallons a year.
The plant will produce biodiesel from soybeans and other renewable feedstocks and will sell pure biodiesel or biodiesel blended with standard diesel for marine, commercial, trucking and industrial markets in the Galveston and Houston areas, Chevron said. Transport Topics
Mass. Turnpike to Toll Violators in Transponder Lane
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has ended the free ride for first-time fast-lane violators, the Associated Press reported.In the past, one-time warnings were issued, but drivers who again drove through without the transponder were slapped with a $50 fine.
Under the new policy, which went into effect April 24, first-time violators must pay the toll. A second offense still will result in a $50 fine.
The fast-lane program allows transponder users to pay a monthly bill using a credit card or checking account. The state said the MTA could collect $548,000 a year in unpaid tolls by going after the first-time fast-lane offenders. Transport Topics
Firm Says It Can Turn Trash Into Diesel Fuel
A Washington state company said it can turn municipal trash into diesel fuel, the Associated Press reported.Green Power Inc. is one of four companies to respond to a request by the city of Cheyenne, Wyo., to offer waste-to-energy projects, AP said.
Michael Spitzauer of Green Power says his company could build a plant that would use a process called “catalytic depolymerization” to convert the trash to diesel fuel.
Spitzauer said he plans to import a mobile plant from Germany to Cheyenne by the end of the month for a demonstration, and will have a sport-utility vehicle at the site to use the diesel fuel that’s produced, AP said. Transport Topics
