News - page 53

Once again, mankind has redeemed itself and we’ve met some of the coolest human beings alive.

We stopped at a rest stop on I-10 near Ft. Stockton, Texas where I noticed the old trucks immediately. I still don’t know a lot about trucks, but I know cool when I see it and these trucks were cool like Steve McQueen.

George and I ooohed and aaahhed over them on our way into the rest stop, I snapped a few phone pics, we went and did our business. We were still talking about how pretty and unique the trucks were while we were climbing back into our own truck. I noticed a group of people congregating around them and decided I had to get out and ask about these trucks. This magazine article thing was still pretty new to me, but I knew if I could get something written with pictures about these awesome trucks, the ever elusive and sometimes famous Max Heine (my editor) would be extremely happy with me.

“I’m going to interview those people about their trucks. I need pictures.”

George looked a little startled at my proclamation. This magazine article thing was still pretty new to him, too, and I had never actually done an interview.

“Are you sure? You just want to walk up to those people and start asking questions and taking pictures? Do you even have a pen? What will you ask them? Please don’t say anything about Sasquatch.”

“Gah. I think I can handle asking a few questions about some old trucks without completely losing my mind. I used to work with dementia patients, I can be reassuring and normal when I need to.”

“Reassuring and normal to dementia patients isn’t the same as interviewing strangers.”

“Pfft. I’ll be fine. Take pictures.”

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General Electric (GE) and Clean Energy Fuels have announced a collaboration to expand the infrastructure for natural gas transportation in the United States.

As part of the collaboration, Clean Energy Fuels will initially purchase two ecomagination-qualified MicroLNG plants from GE Oil & Gas. The plug-and-play modular units, which are designed to rapidly liquefy natural gas while minimizing a site’s physical footprint, will support fueling stations along critical transportation corridors that run across the U.S. Further underscoring GE’s commitment to expanding natural gas transportation infrastructure, GE Energy Financial Services is providing up to $200 million in financing for the two GE MicroLNG plants.

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Despite Sandy’s destruction to the Northeast, AAA reports a slight drop in national diesel prices over the past week, even in New Jersey, where many pumps are closed.

On Nov. 1, AAA reported the average nationwide retail cost per gallon of diesel was $4.047 compared to $4.053 the day before.  A week ago, the national average was close to $4.095, and a month earlier it was slightly more than $4.082 . (more…)

America, I like the way you move…move products that is. Freight, otherwise known as cargo or the transportation of goods, is the backbone of our country’s consumer driven economy. Without the dedicated delivery of essential products, the landscape of the retail industry would be dramatically altered. The indispensability of transport is often overshadowed by miscellaneous reports of accidents, theft and strikes. Current shortages in both the transportation and logistics industries gently remind us of the integral role these industries play in our everyday lives.

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With nearly a quarter of a million job openings nationwide for long-haul truck drivers, the call of the open road is going largely unheeded. During these tough economic times with layoffs, pay cuts, and high unemployment, trucking companies are still struggling to fill their open positions. As David Heller, director of safety and policy for the Truckload Carriers Association, tells CNN money, “Nobody wants to drive a truck.” (more…)