Michigan

Check Call: Peace out, 2021; it wasn’t nice knowing you

Hot Take

image: Reddit

I think it’s safe to say that 2021 wasn’t the bright shining star we hoped it would be. If anything, 2021 has taught us a few more lessons to keep us humble. I, for one, had no idea that 100-plus ships could sit waiting for a time to come into port and thousands of flights a day could be canceled due to a covid outbreak. The past year is bound to give us some wild stories to tell for years to come, and here are the top 10 ways, in no particular order, I was a little...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-peace-out-2021-it-wasnt-nice-knowing-you

Rail Roundup: STB sees flurry of activity ahead of holidays

A photograph of intermodal containers parked in a rail yard.Senate confirms STB nominee to take spot of outgoing board member Begeman

President Joe Biden appointed Karen Hedlund last week to serve as a member of the Surface Transportation Board after the Senate confirmed the nomination. 

She replaced Ann Begeman, whose time at STB ended on Friday with Hedlund’s appointment. Hedlund has yet to be sworn in. 

When Biden nominated her last April, Hedlund was described as a rail expert who has served as a legal adviser at the federal, state and local levels and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rail-roundup-stb-sees-flurry-of-activity-ahead-of-holidays

Michigan lawmakers introduce train crew size legislation

A photograph of a Union Pacific locomotive and a tank car rolling by a railroad crossing.

Two Democratic state lawmakers in Michigan have introduced legislation that would require freight trains to have at least two individuals operating them.

State Rep. Tim Sneller introduced H.B.5596 and Sen. Erika Gross introduced S.B. 767 on Dec. 2. Both bills have been referred to their respective transportation committees.

Both bills call for a railroad to operate a freight train or locomotive engine with no fewer than two crew members.

Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/michigan-lawmakers-introduce-train-crew-size-legislation

Most dazzling fall foliage spots for truckers

Tractor-trailer on a highway surrounded by fall foliage.

Fall officially began Wednesday afternoon in the continental U.S., ushering in the season of football, fun and foliage. For truckers on the road, it’s a chance to enjoy the beauty of the leaves changing colors across the country. In a FreightWaves Twitter survey, this is how they ranked the following four places that feature some of the best fall foliage in the country.

Great Smoky Mountains

Truckers said the Great Smoky Mountains straddling the Tennessee-North Carolina border is the best place...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/most-dazzling-fall-foliage-spots-for-truckers

Watco to take over CN’s noncore operations in Ontario, Upper Midwest

A photograph of a CN train hauling large metal pipes.

Canadian railway CN (NYSE: CNI) and short line operator Watco have agreed to allow Watco to take over the freight operations at one of CN’s passageways between the U.S.-Canadian border. 

CN will sell to Watco its noncore lines and assets that are on the Soo division, which consists of approximately 250 miles of track and runs from Sault Ste. Marie to Oba, Ontario. The sale also consists of approximately 650 miles of branch lines of the Wisconsin Central in Wisconsin and Michigan. The Wisconsin...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/watco-to-take-over-cns-noncore-operations-in-ontario-upper-midwest

REV-1 robot takes on snow for last-mile delivery

Refraction AI entered into the $80 billion robotics market in 2019 with a mission to bring a practical, economical and deployable robot to the last-mile delivery space. 

While working at the University of Michigan’s Robotics Program, co-founders Matthew Johnson-Roberson and Ram Vasudevan noticed a gap in autonomous vehicle (AV) mobility: extreme weather conditions. The pair developed their “Goldilocks of autonomous vehicles,” REV-1, a last-mile delivery robot that could handle the harsh weather...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rev-1-robot-takes-on-snow-for-last-mile-delivery

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