May - 2017

How cities can help supply chains perfect the last mile

Urban freight is expected to increase 40% by 2050, going hand-in-hand with the slew of retail stores closing due to e-commerce growth. That means more trucks on the road, clogging precious residential and downtown street space while making deliveries. “Where you now see UPS and FedEx trucks in neighborhood once a day, you will see them four to five times a day, plus the smaller players,” says Andre Pharand, Accenture’s global management consulting lead for the postal and parc

Here’s How Much Trump Wants to Spend Annually on His Proposed Infrastructure Program

WASHINGTON — There are annual spending figures for President Trump’s promised $1 trillion infrastructure plan in the budget proposal the White House will issue on Tuesday. Documents the Trump administration released Monday to reporters show the White House wants $5 billion of spending on the program in the upcoming 2018 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. That amount would rise in the following years, cresting at $50 billion in 2021, before gradually sinking back to $5 billion

Stan the Robot will park your car at Paris-Charles De Gaulle airport

Parisian firm Stanley Robotics has created a robot called Stan that can drop and pick up your car for you at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The robot picks up your car close to the terminals, so travelers do not have to lug their bags to check in, and takes it to a secure car park. The system is connected to your flight details, so your car will be in the garage and ready to leave when you get back from your trip. As well as making things easier for holiday makers, Stan can

Massive tanker's arrival in South Texas makes history

INGLESIDE — A massive crude carrier called the Anne docked at the Port of Corpus Christi on Friday without a drop of oil in its cargo hold. Nonetheless, its visit made history. At nearly 1,100 feet long and 200 feet wide, the French vessel was easily be the largest oil tanker to ever call on a port in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials for Occidental Petroleum successfully navigated the super tanker through the port and safely docked it at the Oxy Ingleside Energy Center export te

Dan Patrick's $20,000 tax savings claim proves incorrect, ridiculous

Texas Lt. Gov . Dan Patrick made such a dramatic claim about "must-pass" tax-rate legislation--$20,000 in savings for the average homeowner every year!--we launched a fact check. Patrick, during 17 minutes of remarks to Capitol reporters May 17, 2017, named Senate Bill 2, authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, as one of two measures--along with the Senate-backed proposal barring local governments and school districts from letting transgender residents use bathrooms of

Surprise: Senate tacks 'bathroom bill,' property-tax reform onto House measure

AUSTIN — In a surprise move, the Texas Senate early Wednesday tacked its controversial version of the 'bathroom bill" and property-tax reform measures into a catch-all House bill. But it was a trap, the House author of the so-called "Christmas tree" bill confirmed, and the measures added to it are now dead. Among the 48 amendments the Senate tacked onto House Bill 4180 were the Senate-passed versions of Senate Bill 6 and Senate Bill 2, two measures the House had watered-down

Gov. Abbott gets $100 million more for budget priorities to avert special session

AUSTIN -- Gov. Greg Abbott obtained an additional $100 million for his office's economic-development programs early Sunday by threatening to veto the state budget and force a special session, according to two people familiar with the late-hour intervention. House and Senate budget negotiators relented, but the House's price was some extra education money it had been pressing for, the officials said. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has insisted savings not be used for any ongoing ex

Chao: Infrastructure Plan ‘Principles’ Coming This Month

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the Trump administration will release "principles" of its infrastructure investment plan late this month, and that the White House Office of Management and Budget is looking for spending offsets to help make up for $200 million of direct federal funding in the plan. Chao made the remarks over several days in a television interview, a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and in a hearing before the Senate Environment and Public

White House tells Congress it will renegotiate NAFTA

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer notified Congress on Thursday that President Trump intends to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Lighthizer said the United States will rework the 23-year-old trade agreement to support higher-paying jobs here and grow the U.S. economy by improving trading opportunities with Canada and Mexico. “USTR will now continue consultations with Congress and American stakeholders to create an agreement that advances

TRUCKING INDUSTRY CONGESTION COSTS TOP $63.4 BILLION

Arlington, VA - Traffic congestion on the U.S. National Highway System (NHS) added over $63.4 billion in operational costs to the trucking industry in 2015, according to research released today by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). Utilizing a variety of data sources including its unique truck GPS database, ATRI calculated delay on the NHS totaling more than 996 million hours of lost productivity, which equates to 362,243 commercial truck drivers sitting i