Here are five things worth knowing today:
1. The southbound lanes of I-95 in South Carolina reopened on Monday, The State reports; yet, hundreds of bridges and roads remain closed after historic rains and floods ravaged the area. According to the report, Gov. Nikki Haley said 200 truckloads of concrete had originally been sent to repair I-95’s northbound lanes, but another 70 truckloads had to be added. The blockages include major commuter corridors, including the bridge over Gills Creek where Devine Street changes to Garners Ferry Road, according to the report. The State has more.
2. According to the AASHTO Journal, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is expected to approve its version of a highway spending plan later this month. How the House plans to fund the measure, however, is unclear. The deadline for Highway Trust Fund programs to expire is Oct. 29. According to AASHTO, “If the House passes its version of a surface bill this month, House and Senate negotiators would still need to work out differences between their measures in a conference committee, a process that could take weeks this fall. That would mean Congress would still need to pass a short-term extension to keep the trust fund’s highway and transit funds flowing.”
3. Transportation officials in Mississippi are trying to make ends meet when it comes to the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges. The Clarion-Ledger reports that the state hasn’t increased its gas tax since 1987, and DOT officials say they need $400 million a year just to stop deterioration. Farmers and truck drivers in the state are finding it difficult to haul their products over deteriorated bridges that are unsafe for heavy trucks to cross. The Clarion-Ledger has more.
4. An upcoming Oct. 21 webinar will discuss the results of the Jason’s Law Truck Parking Survey and the recently-created National Coalition on Truck Parking that was created to address the survey results, according to DOT. It will include the trucking industry perspective on the importance of truck parking and other challenges that occur when dedicated or secure parking locations are not available.
5. The Class 8 linehaul market has long been untapped for Allison Transmission, according to the company. The company recently announced that it maintains a “dominant position in the fully automatic transmission market for commercial vehicles, but the addressable market has historically not included a significant contribution from Class 8 linehaul equipment.” “We believe the announcement yesterday that Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT), an over the road truckload fleet operating more than 1,200 tractors, has selected the TC10 for its model-year 2016 truck purchases is a meaningful win for Allison (even though the purchase itself, roughly 400 units, is not material) because it demonstrates the TC10, perhaps the company’s most viable new market growth opportunity, is having success—especially considering MVT does not fit neatly into Allison’s target ‘Metro’ market,” the company said.
