Page 60 • May 1, 2021 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Truck & Trailer Section • Construction Equipment Guide
GLTPA Applauds Safe Routes Act Legislation Introduction The Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLTPA) commended Congressman Mike Gallagher (R) Green Bay, Wis., for his persistence to create a safer environment for local communities and truck drivers with the re-introduction of the Safe Routes Act, H.R. 2213 of 2021. “The Safe Routes Act, H.R. 2213 of 2021 provides drivers of product-specific, specialized log trucks a choice of routes by allowing them access to the interstate highway system when available,” said GLTPA President Matt Jensen. When passed by Congress, the Safe Routes Act, H.R. 2213, will allow drivers of state weight-compliant log trucks the option of avoiding urban streets and highways where pedestrian activity is ongoing all hours of the day. Log truck drivers throughout the nation are restricted, under certain conditions, from utilizing the interstate highway systems designed to transport heavy military equipment. This restriction forces drivers to travel on city, town and rural haul routes. Being forced to secondary haul routes increases truck driver exposure to automobiles, bicyclists and pedestrians. In addition to increased pedestrian exposure, driver hours of service are increased, adding to driver fatigue which is some-
“The Safe Routes Act, H.R. 2213 of 2021 provides drivers of product-specific, specialized log trucks a choice of routes by allowing them access to the interstate highway system when available.” Henry Schienebeck Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association
thing concerned safety groups say they would like to see lessened for drivers. In addition to reducing driver hours and fatigue, the Safe Routes Act, H.R. 2213 also reduces the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT). VMT is a measurement used to determine the number of projected accidents based on the number of vehicle miles traveled within a given time frame. Interstate routes are typically shorter and more efficient than secondary routes. As such, fewer miles traveled results in fewer projected accidents, which is promoted by industry and safety advocates alike. “The Safe Routes Act, H.R. 2213 of 2021, is simplistic legislation which will have an enormous positive impact on safety for both pedestrians and log truck drivers nationwide,” said Henry Schienebeck, GLTPA executive director. “In addition to added safety, local routes will see a decrease in traffic, which could lead to increased road life. Along with all the states who are members of the American Loggers Council and Forest Resources Association, Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association fully supports this narrowly focused yet meaningful safety legislation.”
Great Lakes Region... Isuzu North America, Gatik Form Strategic Collaboration for Autonomous Trucks Curry Supply Names John Brun as New Regional Sales Mgr.
Isuzu North America Corporation and Gatik have agreed to collaborate on a project to develop and evaluate fully autonomous medium-duty trucks. Isuzu is a market leader in low cab forward (LCF) trucks in the U.S. and Canadian markets. Gatik is an industry leader in automating on-road transportation networks for B2B middlemile logistics. This collaboration is an industry first in the medium-duty category and will accelerate the commercialization of autonomous delivery fleets while contributing to a safer and more sustainable logistics community in the future, according to the companies. The collaboration will integrate Gatik’s autonomous driving technology into several Isuzu medium-duty NSeries trucks to produce SAE Level 4 delivery vehicles with redundant systems. The first vehicles will be deployed this year due to the cooperative efforts of Gatik’s and Isuzu’s engineering teams. “By bringing these two teams
together, we can create segment-changing technology while positioning Gatik to safely commercialize autonomous delivery technology at scale,” said Gatik’s CEO and Co-Founder Gautam Narang. “Isuzu N-Series trucks have been best-sellers in their class in the combined U.S.-Canadian market for 35 consecutive years, making them an ideal fit for our solution. We are excited to combine our industry-leading expertise and bring a long-term, sustainable solution to the supply chain.” “As customer requirements for the medium-duty product evolve at an increasingly rapid pace, having the ability to collaborate with Gatik, an industry leader in autonomous technology is very exciting for our team,” said Takashi Sadaoka, president and CEO of Isuzu North America Corporation. Rapidly increasing e-commerce sales and a well-documented driver shortage have caused businesses to struggle to meet the expectations of ondemand goods movement. This effort will combine Gatik’s autonomous driv-
ing software and operational expertise with Isuzu’s award-winning truck platform to address these critical industry pain points, ensuring retailers can maintain capacity, lower operating costs and keep delivery times short.
About Gatik Gatik was founded in 2017 by veterans of the autonomous technology industry and has established offices in Palo Alto and Toronto. The company’s mission is to deliver goods safely and efficiently using autonomous vehicles. With its fleet of light to medium duty trucks, Gatik is leading the way in autonomous middle mile delivery. The company focuses on short-haul, B2B logistics for Fortune 500 retailers such as Walmart and Loblaw. Gatik enables its customers to optimize their hub-and-spoke supply chain operations, enhance inventory pooling across multiple locations, reduce labor costs and meet an unprecedented demand for contactless delivery.
In a strategic move to strengthen Curry Supply’s footprint in its Great Lakes sales territory, the company announced John Brun as a regional sales manager. Brun will personify Curry Supply’s corporate values while applying his vast experience in the heavy equipment industry to better serve the company’s valued customers located in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and western Pennsylvania. “I am thrilled to have John [Brun] on the Curry Supply team. He brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge and he will play an integral part in our aggressive growth plan throughout North America,” said Will Buddin, director of sales of Curry Supply. When asked about his appointment to regional sales manager, Brun said, “I’m extremely excited to join the team at Curry Supply. Over my 20 years in the equipment rental business, I have seen the quality of products Curry builds firsthand working out in the field. During those years, I was renting these products to customers, and now the opportunity to sell these quality products has my competitive juices flowing.” For more information, visit currysupply.com.
