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May 23, 2015 • Vol. IXX • No. 11 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
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Inside
Indiana Steps Up Road, Bridge Preservation By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT
Ditch Witch Conducts Training Days...12
Foley C elebr ates 75 Years on Top...24
The state of Indiana is being proactive in its efforts to preserve its road (pavement) and bridge infrastructure with an infusion of funding that is providing work for contractors across the state, be they small, medium or large. And it is not only urban areas that are being targeted, but rural areas as well where people and businesses depend on key roads and bridges that are also aging. Known generically as the Preservation Program, INDOT operates on a rolling four-year capital program where future projects are
The state of Indiana is being proactive in its efforts to preserve its road (pavement) and bridge infrastructure with an infusion of funding that is providing work for contractors across the state, be they small, medium or large. And it is not only urban areas that are being targeted, but rural areas as well where people and businesses depend on key roads and bridges that are also aging.
identified in the timeframe needed to develop them using the latest condition and traffic data available. This also is a case where investments today will extend the lifespan of these structures and permit the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to save money by immediate intervention so that funds can be used more efficiently to repair and upgrade even more infrastructures in need of attention. “The engineering was pointing us towards investing as much of our traditional funding as we could into preservation,” said Will Wingfield, an INDOT media see INDOT page 42
Confidence Eases in April Confined Spaces 2015 From Four-Year High Rule to Increase Nit ke Reache s Mil eston e at Sale ... 89
Table of Contents ................4 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................39-41 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................43-49 Recycling Section ........67-81 Auction Section ............85-97 Business Calendar ............96 Advertisers Index ..............98
The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) released the April 2015 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $903 billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 70.7, easing from the four-year high of 72.1 in March. When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent Valerie Hayes Jester, president, Brandywine Capital Associates Inc., said, “We have seen an increase in requests for equipment financing this month. We attribute this demand to increased confi-
dence in the economy and potential concern that interest rates may begin to rise in the fourth quarter. Our economy has shown tremendous resilience in these last years and that has influenced the mindset of those that need to purchase equipment for businesses. Capital and credit windows are at historic points; business owners know that this time is a good one to invest.” April 2015 Survey Results The overall MCI-EFI is 70.7, an easing from the March index of 72.1. • When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 44.4 percent of executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, down see RESULTS page 92
Worker Protection The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a final rule to increase protections for construction workers in confined spaces. Manholes, crawl spaces, tanks and other confined spaces are not intended for continuous occupancy. They also are difficult to exit in an emergency. People working in confined spaces face life-threatening hazards including toxic substances, electrocutions, explosions and asphyxiation. Last year, two workers were asphyxiated while repairing leaks in a manhole, the second when he went down to save the first — which is not uncommon in cases of asphyxiation in confined spaces. “In the construction industry, entering confined spaces is often necessary, but fatalities like these don’t see RULE page 92