Smart solutions to help you be better prepared today so you’re more secure tomorrow.
While again urging the Department of Transportation to grant agricultural haulers a waiver and limited exemption from the electronic logging device mandate, Farm Bureau in recent comments responded to the department’s efforts to provide clarity to the 150-air mile agricultural commodity exemption and the hours of service regulations. Read about the 150-air mile agricultural commodity exemption here>>>
The National Safety Council’s Stop Everyday Killers campaign is a powerful tribute to the lives lost to opioids. Pittsburgh – According to National Safety Council analysis of federal data, 1,086 more Pennsylvanians died accidentally in 2016, an increase of 15% over 2015, and 78% of those deaths were caused by opioid overdose. In response to the epidemic – recently declared a statewide disaster emergency by Gov. Tom Wolf – the Council made Pittsburgh its first stop on a nationwide tour of the NSC exhibit, Prescribed to Death: A Memorial to the Victims of the Opioid Crisis. Read more >>> Everyone has a story of how addiction has touched their life. That is why Murray Associates chose to partner with Compass …
Article by Kim Slowey for “ConstructionDive” High-rises, large residential multifamily projects and infrastructure projects are major buyers of steel and aluminum. Construction companies are likely to begin bracing for a wave of cost increases and the possibility of having to decide whether certain developments are now too expensive to build. Read the article >>>
By Ballard Spahr for “JDSUPRA” The White House released a 53-page framework on Tuesday setting forth its legislative goals for rebuilding America’s infrastructure (the Infrastructure Plan). The Infrastructure Plan is intended “to lead to at least $1.5 trillion in investments to rebuild our failing infrastructure and develop innovative projects” through $200 billion in federal funding to promote state and local governmental and private sector investment over the next 10 years. This would largely shift funding for infrastructure away from the federal government to state, local and private sector funding sources. Read the article >>>
In the U.S., commercial drone use has accelerated across many industries. In the last two years, one million new pilots have registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, and by 2020, experts expect seven million drones to be in use. The 2017 Drone Market Sector Report found that construction (design, building inspection or monitoring) is in the top three uses for commercial drone-based services, behind aerial photography, surveying and mapping, and geographic information systems (GIS). The number of construction and engineering companies using drones is expected to continue to grow, as use cases emerge that offer further business value and competitive advantage for companies with drone programs. Read more here >>>
Behind the gleaming glass façade of LaSalle’s new civic centre lies a tangled mess of construction liens and lawsuits still making its way through the courts three and a half years after the building opened to the public. Battling in the civil courts are Piroli Construction, the general contractor on the $13.8-million project, and the Town of LaSalle, as well as several subcontractors who claim they were never paid for work they completed. Tuesday, a Superior Court judge ordered that seven separate lawsuits be dealt with together when and if they ever go to trial. They include Piroli’s $319,000 claim against the town, the town’s counterclaim of $75,000 against Piroli for breach of contract and six construction liens totalling $613,604 naming …
As an employee-owned insurance broker, Murray administers an affinity insurance program for executive liability insurance. This program is open to insurance agents and brokers throughout the country, and is endorsed by The ESOP Association (TEA) and underwritten by Great American Insurance Group. The Program has been providing coverages to Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) companies since 1989, and now offers cyber liability insurance. ESOP companies in need of director’s and officer’s (D&O), fiduciary liability, or employment practices liability (EPL) insurance often struggle with the limits of insurance to purchase. This report – the third of its kind in the last ten (10) years – benchmarks limits of liability based on: Company asset size (D&O); ESOP plan assets (fiduciary liability); and Employee …
Groundbreakings on several mega projects late last year lifted ConstructConnect’s 2017 total U.S. starts to +11.1% versus 2016, more than the +7.9% set out in the previous quarterly forecast. The out-front timing of those mega project starts also caused trimming of ConstructConnect’s expectations for 2018, which is now being projected at +3.0% year over year versus the prior projection of +4.8%. Read more about the forecast >>>
WASHINGTON – President Trump will unveil his long-awaited infrastructure proposal Monday to shift $200 billion over the next decade from other federal programs to pave the way for $1.5 trillion for roads, bridges, waterways and railways. Trump’s approach is to let Congress negotiate the details. His four objectives are to stimulate new investment, streamline federal permitting, invest in rural projects and improve the workforce, according to four senior administration officials who briefed reporters Saturday. Tell me more >>>
Mahoning County commissioners have filed a lawsuit which claims a local excavating company and a Cincinnati bonding company have failed to meet the terms of their contracts. The lawsuit filed Monday in common pleas court claims X-Press Underground Inc. of Petersburg failed to complete its $418,075 contract to replace a pump station in New Middletown. A pump station contains pumps and equipment for moving sewage from a lower to a higher elevation to a treatment plant. The commissioners voted to terminate their contract with X-Press in October. Read what happened next >>>
