http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:27:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en “Significant reductions in battery cost are imperative for the electric vehicle industry to grow.” –Pike Research It’s no secret that some of the major impediments facing the electric vehicle (EV) industry – with range and sticker price among them – all largely devolve from the limitations imposed by today’s battery technology. For ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/02/10/its-all-about-the-batteries/ “If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.” –Comedian Steven Wright Despite a truly knockout employment report last month, many clouds still darken the U.S. economy’s horizon – and that of the world’s as well. This uncertainty is in no small measure being largely driven by ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/02/09/what-the-tea-leaves-say/ It’s a truck! No, it’s a boat! No, it’s the AMPHITRUCK! Agggghhhhh! Actually, in all seriousness, this is a pretty neat – and unusual – piece of equipment. Built around the proprietary High Speed Amphibian (HSA) technology developed by the Gibbs Amphibians company, the Phibian (pictured at right) joins the firm’s ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/02/08/attack-of-the-amphitruck/ “We need to be careful not to become so obsessed with the challenges of the moment that we give up on the opportunity of the future.” –Bill Graves, president and CEO, American Trucking Associations There’s a wry (and ancient) Chinese curse that I am sure Kyle Treadway (at right), the outgoing ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/02/07/channeling-the-winds-of-change/ “Unlike traditional utilities, roads and bridges have no rate payers to fall back on. Politicians and the public seem to attach a low priority to fixing aging transportation infrastructure and this translates into a lack of support for raising fuel taxes or imposing tolls.” –C. Kenneth Orski, noted public policy ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/02/06/taking-infrastructure-for-granted/ The “Super Bowl” is more than the culmination of the National Football League (NFL) season and one of the most watched televised spectacles in the world (though soccer is by far the more popular global sport ... just sayin'!). It’s also considered the ultimate moment in television advertising – and ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/02/03/of-gears-and-giggles/ “Everybody needs to keep an open mind as the only way to get a highway bill done is for both the House and Senate to pass a bill. This is a critical first step and as such should not be condemned. We passed the last highway bill in 2005, so ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/02/02/between-two-bills-a-very-hard-place/ “The global recovery is threatened by intensifying strains in the euro area and fragilities elsewhere. Financial conditions have deteriorated, growth prospects have dimmed, and downside risks have escalated.” –from the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook update this month “Optimism among U.S. industrial manufacturers regarding the prospects for the U.S. economy ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/01/26/optimism-vs-pessimism/ “Our economy spends over $300 billion a year on imported petroleum and the cost in economic activity in this country over the last couple of decades has been measured in the trillions of dollars of lost purchasing power.” –Frederick W. Smith, president and CEO of FedEx Corp. and co-chairman Energy ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/01/25/looking-for-an-energy-change-up/ “Citizens now trust one another more than they do established institutions." –Richard Edelman, president and CEO of global public relations firm Edelman, in the company’s 12th annual trust and credibility survey Is it any surprise that faith in government institutions worldwide is on the rocks? Or that trust in business, particularly ... http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2012/01/24/the-trust-factor/