b'18American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(FACEScontinued from page 14) structureimpactsbusiness.Ifroads(INSIGHTcontinued from page 16) productionsuchaslithium,cobalt, A study by the Specialized Cranecannot withstand more motorists, howdumping its steel in the U.S. marketnickel, and graphite. POSCO Interna-& Rigging Association in 2022 esti- can heavy haulers get products to theirand harming their interests.tional,handlingthegroupssecond-matedthattheextracostsresultingdestinations without potential issues? Goncalvescalledforremovingary battery material business, signed a from this lack of harmonization wereIrecentlyhada65-mileroutetheM(Mexico)fromtheUSMCAlong-term contract on sourcing graph-an average increase to customers ofturn into a 98-mile route due to failedtradepact.thereshouldbenoite from Tanzanian mines last year.45 - 82% or $4,245 - $5,440. loadingonbridges,saidBrovont.negotiationswithMexicobecauseitFor its steel business, POSCO is The good news on the regulatorySince we were 19 feet tall, it can addis providing a route for shipping heav- pushingitsHyREXtechnology,its front is that 42 states are adopting 24/7quite a bit of time to the move whenily subsidized and polluted steel to thesteelmaking method for manufactur-automatedpermitting.Thischangeyou count tree-trimming, utility lineU.S, he later told the American Journaling molten metal using iron-ore fires canpotentiallyreducethePermitlifting, and traffic control. of Transportation at a press conference.and hydrogen and moving towards its TurnaroundfromdaysorhourstoWhenaspecializedcarriersuc- HisviewsaboutMexicoweretarget of net-zero emissions by 2050, minutes,greatlyboostingefficiency.cessfully navigates the disparate statealso echoed by Kevin Dempsey, thebesides accelerating the introduction It also improves accuracy eliminatingregulations for ground transportation,President/CEO,AmericanIronandof artificial intelligence and robots in the need for manual updates. morechallengesariseasthecarrierSteel Institute (AISI) who, while wel- its steel plants. However, gaining agreement withattempts to reach a port or railyard. coming President Bidens suggestionForStephenD.Laxton,chief all states is difficult, with seven statesSomeportsareequippedtoto treble tariffs against subsidized andfinancialofficerandexecutivevice and the District of Columbia havingaccommodate oversized vehicles whilepolluted steel imports, said that morepresident of Nucor Corp., automotive no plans to adopt an automated 24/7others are not, said Paul Short, Presi- steel in the U.S. needed to be decar- manufacturing would be an important permittingsystem.Onceagain,dent, of North America, Combilift. bonized.Dempsey called for betterend market for Nucors annual 3-mil-heavy haulers must navigate multipleOceancontainerprovidershavedocumentationforemissionssincelion tons sheet mill in West Virginia permittingprocessesandmaintainlimitedslotsandsailingschedules.natural gas was the single largest itembut it is not the mills main focus. detailed information about the intrica- Ifacarriermissesanappointment,for energy production.Automotive, now accounting for cies of each states regulations. securing another spot could take days,about 7% of all the companys steel Whilepermitsarechallengingweeks, or even months. When a spe- shipments, is not going to be the focus forroadtransportation,portpermitcialized carrier cannot access a portin West Virginia, not the majority of requirements are even more complex.throughtraditionalways,someuseproduct shipments, Laxton said.The The driver must have a current Trans- barges, or other options to get ship- US$ 3.5 billion West Virginia project, portationWorkerIdentificationCre- mentstotheirdestination,anotherexpected to start in 2026, will produce dential, known as a TWIC card. factor that impacts the efficiency and84 sheet products. Heavyhaulersmustalsocomplyprofitability of specialized carriers. GSDF also attracted service pro-with permitted route requirements. Theviders,representativesofportsand ports, especially the larger ones, are gov- T hinkingo uTside TheB ox regionaldevelopmentagencieswho erned by multiple agencies. Both stateSpecialized transportation carrierscourted U.S. and foreign steel com-and municipal departments only allowoperate outside the traditional confinespanies.MikeCulbertson,President/travel on certain routes. Adding to theof many aspects of routine transporta- CEOofCorpusChristiRegional time-consuming process of planning ation. Yet, this industry remains strongKevin Dempsey, President/CEO,EconomicDevelopmentCorp,said port delivery, a permit is needed for eachbycreatinginnovativesolutionsandAmerican Iron and Steel Institute hisagency,attracting$57.4billion street the carrier plans to travel. thinking outside the box. In an interview with the Ameri- in the past decade, had helped in oil One area of innovation is the usecanJournalofTransportation,and gas exploration, as well as related h ours ofs erviCe andh eavy of warehouse space. Shrinking avail- Dempsey said that government allo- midstreamlogistics,petrochemicals, d uTyT ruCks ablewarehousespacehasincreasedcationshadbecomeslowerbutmanufacturing/fabrication, warehous-Theheavy-dutytrucksaregov- costs,especiallyinlargercitieslikethemoneyforinfrastructureproj- ing, distribution/logistics, steel manu-ernedbythesamepoliciesasless- Los Angeles. Thisdynamicrequiresects is still coming.He urged thefacturing, etc.than-truckloadortruckloadcarriers,companiestooptimizetheirspace,U.S. administration to take a seriousAnotheragency,MississippiEco-althoughthewaytheheavy-dutywhich is even more challenging whenapproach to the Mexico problem. nomicDevelopmentCorp.,pitched trucks operate is vastly different. warehousing oversized products. Chinaisexportingsteelviaforitssuperiorlogisticsfacilities. The 30-minute rest break doesntCombilift addressed this need byMexico.Wearehavingelections,MEDCsExecutiveDirector,William cause much of an issue, said Brovont.developinglifttruckequipmenttoand this may slow down negotiationsCork, said in a telephone interview: We HaulinganOS/OWloadismoreaccommodatenarrowaisles.Shortwith themMexico also had elec- are surrounded by waterways facilitat-tiring with the constant attention thatstates,Optionsincludearticulatingtions recentlybut discussing Chinaing shipping, complemented by excel-must be in place, so everyone is happytruck and wire-guided turret trucks. later will be crucial for the U.S. whichlentrailservices.Wehaveabundant with a 30-minute break once a day. Equallyimportantarethedesignshould work out some solution aboutlow-costpower.Europeanandcom-The problem comes when an OS/ services offered by Combilift. The com- Chinas shipments of subsidized andpanies from other regions have evinced OW load is delayed causing the driverspany will evaluate the number of palletspollutedsteelviaMexicooncethegreat interest because of availability of hours to expire not at the destination oror trailer loads that need to be shippedU.S. elections are over, he noted.iron ore, bauxite, low power and labor point of origin. This means that heavyout of a facility per day or shift and theAddressingthedelegates,Changcosts, etc. Two international automak-haultruckersmustlookforparkinginbound flow. They will use these num- InHwa,chairmanofSouthKoreaners,ToyotaandNissan,alreadyhave places, that are in short supply, accord- bers to devise a narrow aisle layout andsteel giant, POSCO Groupthis wasplants in Mississippi. ing to the American Trucking Associa- recommend the Combilift solution besthis maiden appearance at an interna- The last item on the GSDF agenda tion. It is even more difficult for heavysuited for that companys needs. tionalconferencesincetakingofficewas an on-stage conversation between haulers to find parking places. ThesamecompanyhascreatedinMarch-emphasizedthatPOSCOPhilipp Englin, CEO of World Steel In our business, we have 19-axleequipment to serve the growing windwouldcontinuetoinvestinitssec- Dynamics,andDavidBurritt,CEO flatbedscarrying280,000pounds,farmindustry,whichrequirestheondary battery materials business andof U.S. Steel, about the Nippon Steel-said Craig McGraw, Vice President oftransportationofturbinesandotherexpand the application of eco-friendlyU.S. Steel merger.Burritt defended Sales and Marketing for Trans Ameri- uniquely shaped parts. steel-makingmethods.ChangsaidU.S. Steels merger with Nippon Steel, can Trucking and Warehouses. Somethattheglobalautoindustrywouldarguing that it would protect workers, of our units are a city block long. T railers andh eavyh auling shifttowardselectricvehiclemanu- preserve national security and bolster To gain efficiency in loading andfacturing, despite a recent slowdown.the companys technological strength i nadeQuaTei nfrasTruCTure and unloading heavy equipment and otherIndeed, POSCO sees this slowdown aswhile meeting U.S. Steels fiduciary a CCess Tof reighTf aCiliTies OS/OWfreight,thetypeoftraileran opportunity to strengthen its busi- obligations to its shareholders. Numerousleaders,includingused to transport the load makes a dif- ness and to make new investments inBurritt explained before the large President Biden, have acknowledgedference.Forexample,Trans Ameri- theindustry.Itwouldcontinuetoturnout of delegates that the deal was thatthenationsinfrastructureiscan Trucking and Warehousing offersfocus on strengthening its value chainthe best path forward for the Pitts-aging and inadequate. The collapse ofa variety of flatbed trailers. by stabilizing and increasing the supplyburghsteelmaker.Forone,hesaid, a major bridge in Baltimore on MarchDue to the design of a flatbed trailer,of lithium and nickel products acrossNippon Steels US$14.9 billion cash 26 of this year shines a light on theworkers consume less time and effort totheworld,alsomakingnewinvest- offerprovidesatremendousreturn infrastructure problem. load and unload cargo compared to aments in technologies for the develop- toshareholders.Butmoreimpor-There are many roads that are notdryvan,explainedMcGraw.Transmentofnext-generationcathodeandtantly workers would be protected as largeenoughoringoodconditiontoAmericamaintainsadiverseinven- anode active materials, Chang said.Nippon had committed to upholding accommodateheavy-dutyvehicles,tory of trailers, ranging from tandemThePOSCOGroupistryingtotheUnitedSteelworkerslaborcon-said McGraw. Low bridges are anotheraxle to extendable, hydraulic-steeringsourcerawmaterialsfromAfricatract, running into 2026, and promised problem, particularly in the Northeast. lowboyscapableofmovingoversizeand Latin America. Korean sourcesto forgo any layoffs. Manycarriersaddressthisbyfreight up to 180,000 pounds. at the GSDF told this correspondentBesidesinvestingUS$1.4bil-modifying their trucks routes, result- ThecompanyalsooffersCon- that Chang recently met with Tanza- lioninU.S.Steelsassets,Nippon ing in circuitous routes that can delayestoga trailers equipped with rollingnianPresidentSamiaSuluhuHasanSteelwouldshareitstechnological shipments from reaching their destina- tarp systems that can be easily openedto strengthen the partnership for theexpertise; Nippons annual allocation tions, add miles, and ironically causeand closed, saving time compared tosupplyofkeymineralsforbatter- of over US$500 million for research morewearandtearonthenationstraditional tarping methods, accordingies. Tanzania is an important sourceand development, more than all of the roads.Thenationsoutdatedinfra- to McGraw. forkeymineralsneededforbatteryU.S. steelmakers combined.'