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February 7, 2016 • Vol. IX • No. 3 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Skilled Worker Shortage Costs Industry Billions
Washington, D.C. H osts AED CONDEX Show.. .10
Washington State Ferries prioritized replacing its existing timber trestles. However, the price tag of $40 million was too much even for this critical link, and Washington State Ferries sought a workaround that would still deliver the seismic upgrade at a lower cost. “The initial idea was to replace the trestle, [but] the money was not there. We only had about $14 million and that’s where this innovative type seismic retrofitting of a trestle came in that’s different than just a
The U.S. heavy equipment distribution industry loses at least $2.4 billion each year as a result of dealers’ inability to find and retain technically skilled workers. The figure, based on an estimated 9 percent of earnings foregone by American dealerships represented by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), was included in a report released on Jan. 20 by The AED Foundation (AEDF). The foundation, established in 1991 and directed by AED members, focuses on professional education and workforce development issues specific to the equipment distribution industry. AEDF commissioned a team of public policy researchers from the College of William and Mary to analyze the industry’s technician shortage based on a summer 2015 survey of AED’s members in North America. “This report provides a window into the current state of our industry’s workforce,” AED President & CEO Brian McGuire said. “Distributors have known for far too long that finding the right people is tough and it’s getting tougher. A report like this tells policymakers this isn’t just an anecdotal or local problem, it’s a national crisis.” According to the report, the equipment distribution industry is suffering badly from the mismatch between the capabilities needed to fill technical roles and the skill possessed by prospective employees. This “skills gap” has been the focus of
see TERMINAL page 34
see AED page 22
During the first phase of the Vashon Terminal timber trestle and terminal replacement project, the dock’s deck was cut out in preparation for being replaced. Maverick Equipment’s Custom Water Trucks...25
Seismic Retrofitting Project Saves Taxpayers Millions By Andrea Watts CEG CORRESPONDENT
Equify Auctions Holds Two-Day Sale...52
Table of Contents ................4 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................11-15 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................25-27 Business Calendar ............28
Since its construction in 1957, the Vashon Island Ferry Terminal is the critical link that connects the communities on Puget Sound’s western shore to the Seattle mainland — an average of 30 sailings per day depart to West Seattle’s Fauntleroy dock. With there being an estimated 50 percent chance of the terminal collapsing in the next 75 years, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
Arizona Lawmakers Aim to Repeal JTED Cuts By Bob Christie
Recycling Section ........35-44 Auction Section ............47-59 Advertisers Index ..............58
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX (AP) Veto-proof majorities in both the Arizona House and Senate have signed on as sponsors of a bill repealing a $30 million cut to high school career
and technical education programs. The cut enacted in the current year budget takes effect on July 1 and many of the 14 stand-alone districts that oversee the programs say they will be badly hurt if they lost the money. The 72 lawmakers who have
signed onto Senate Bill 1258 include Republicans and Democrats from rural areas and from the Tucson and Phoenix metro areas. The pushback to the cut that appeared in last year’s budget at the last minute has been growing for months.
Sen. Don Shooter, R-Yuma, who wields power as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is the primary sponsor. “In my opinion, we made a mistake in the last session,” Shooter said Jan. 22. “And I think the see CUTS page 56