Your Feb. 22 Pre-Trip: ScoopMonkey, the Yelp of transportation?

Here are five things worth knowing today.

Feb. 22, 2016

2 min read

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. ScoopMonkey, a website that offers a way for transportation professionals to post and review ratings for carriers and brokers, is looking to be the transportation industry’s version of Yelp, Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. According to the report, ScoopMonkey aggregates government data while offering a review and rating system for those in the industry – similar to what Yelp does for restaurants. The company hopes the database of information will also help improve safety.2. According to the International Energy Agency, oil production in the U.S. will reach a record high by 2021, Reuters reports. According to the report, efficiency gains will help domestic oil producers combat the low prices that “are likely to force hefty output cuts this year and next.” In its medium-term outlook, IEA said output is expected to climb to 14.2 million barrels per day after an initial drop this year and next. Reuters has more.3. The CEO and chief engineer at Worldwide Aeros is working on creating airships, or blimps, to transport cargo, The New Yorker says. According to the report, airship designers are embracing the notion of creating a blimp to carry cargo and are convinced that given new technologies and new materials, the public can be sold on the idea. The New Yorker has more.4. Godfrey Trucking in West Valley City helped haul a “mountain of coats” to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, according to the Deseret News. The coats will be donated to the porters of Mount Kilimanjaro who don’t have any. According to the report, the shipment will be delivered to 10,000 certified porters, guides and cooks at Kilimanjaro. Deseret News has more.5. According to WA Today, the Washington Department of Transport has launched a pre-emptive strike on motorists taking advantage of the new “1F” series license plates. According to the report, the department has listed a ban of three-letter combinations that are considered “too rude” to issue. The exclusions are part of a campaign to keep Washington’s license plates clean.