 | Understanding and Managing Price Swings in Used Equipment | | A dealer posts two identical crawlers on the lot. One sells at auction for 20% more than the other a week later. The difference isn’t mystery or luck; it’s a stack of measurable forces: higher new-equipment list prices, sharply higher interest rates, tighter supply, and a small mechanical issue that went unnoticed until the buyer did a proper load test. Why that matters now New machines in some sectors have risen 40–70% since 2017 while financing costs have jumped even faster—interest rates are… | | Read more | | |
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US refiners are being pushed into one of the most intense operational periods in modern history |  | | Tradelink Publications • Gordon Barratt • Aug 24, 2026 | | US refiners are operating at over 95% utilization for eleven consecutive weeks—the highest sustained rate in over 25 years—driven by geopolitical disruptions that have crippled refining capacity in Iran and Russia, forcing global markets to rely on American output. While this has generated record profit margins exceeding $50 per barrel for major operators, the intense operational pressure has forced refiners to defer maintenance and push equipment beyond normal limits, creating significant risk of equipment failures similar to those that ended previous high-utilization periods in 1997-1998 and 2018. Unlike past episodes, the current strain stems from structural global refining capacity shortages rather than temporary demand spikes, making the system more precarious and vulnerable to supply crises if US refiners experience major disruptions. | | Open Article | | |
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Feds: USPS carriers stole nearly $24M in checks, shipped them through FedEx |  | | Freight Waves • Phil Brink • Aug 24, 2026 | | Federal prosecutors charged five individuals—three USPS carriers and two accomplices—in Houston with stealing approximately $24 million in checks from mail routes between October 2022 and September 2024 and selling them through an encrypted Telegram channel called "slipsandchips." The stolen checks were shipped to buyers nationwide via FedEx, with one check valued at over $1.5 million. All five defendants face conspiracy and bank fraud charges, with the three postal employees also charged with theft of mail matter. | | Open Article | | |
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Ohio Poultry Association makes record-breaking deviled egg sales during state fair |  | | Farm and Dairy • Other News • Aug 25, 2026 | | The Ohio Poultry Association achieved record sales of more than 46,000 deviled eggs at the 2026 Ohio State Fair, with Birthday Cake Deviled Eggs (13,082 units) as the featured flavor commemorating America's 250th birthday. Top-selling varieties included Birthday Cake, Brisket, Dill Pickle, Maple Bacon Crunch, and Mac & Cheese, along with 1,667 Americana-themed deviled egg flights. Ohio ranks among the nation's largest egg-producing states, generating approximately 11 billion eggs annually. | | Open Article | | |
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Perception Moves to the Machine as Edge AI Reshapes Off-Highway Autonomy |  | | Highways Today • Anthony Davis • Aug 19, 2026 | | Aetina has launched two compact, ruggedized edge AI systems based on NVIDIA Jetson modules that enable real-time multi-camera vision processing directly on off-highway vehicles and robots without cloud connectivity. These fanless systems deliver up to 100 TOPS of performance, support four camera connections, and hold automotive certification and military-grade durability standards, eliminating traditional barriers to fleet deployment. The launch reflects a broader industry shift toward modularized edge AI infrastructure, with major manufacturers like Caterpillar and John Deere standardizing on the NVIDIA Jetson stack to compress development cycles and move autonomy perception capabilities onto the machine itself. | | Open Article | | |
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Strait of Hormuz Commodity Vessel Transits at Three-Month Low |  | | Offshore Engineer • Aug 25, 2026 | | Only two tankers transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the lowest daily count in three months, falling sharply below the 10-day average of 14 vessels. Iran blacklisted 45 tankers for violating passage rules and threatened enforcement action, while the U.S. expanded sanctions targeting Iran's economy, raising concerns about potential escalation affecting the critical waterway that handles approximately one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas flows. | | Open Article | | |
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Merlo forecasts U.S. construction growth trends |  | | Heavy Equipment Guide » News • Aug 24, 2026 | | U.S. construction spending is projected to grow from $2.22 trillion in 2026 to $2.85 trillion by 2031, driven largely by AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure investments. Five states—California, Texas, Florida, New York, and New Jersey—will account for approximately 42 percent of total spending, with the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area leading at $230 billion. The report helps contractors, dealers, and rental companies identify growth opportunities and make informed decisions on equipment investment and expansion strategy. | | Open Article | | |
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Colombia coal output could rise 40% by 2030 with right measures, group says |  | | Tradelink Publications • Gordon Barratt • Aug 21, 2026 | | Colombian coal industry association Fenalcarbon projects production could increase 40% to 90 million tons by 2030 if the new government implements favorable policy changes, up from the current 53 million tons. The organization attributes the decline from 2016 levels to restrictive taxation, high freight and port costs, and licensing issues under the previous administration. New Energy Vice Minister Luis Francisco Madrinan indicated the incoming government plans to review hundreds of mining-related decrees and reverse the coal export ban to Israel to restore Colombia's competitiveness. | | Open Article | | |
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New $2.1bn Tennessee Titans Nissan Stadium Advances with Seats and Connector Bridge Installations |  | | Construction Review • Joel Mairura • Aug 24, 2026 | | The $2.1 billion Tennessee Titans Nissan Stadium project in Nashville is progressing on schedule, with the Metro Sports Authority confirming multiple key milestones. Construction teams are installing seating and a connector bridge, with the stadium roof expected to close by mid-October. The megaproject continues advancing as planned. | | Open Article | | |
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Collapse of Atlantic Currents Could Drive a Surge in Warming |  | | Yale E360 • Aug 18, 2026 | | The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is weakening due to ocean warming and freshwater from melting Greenland ice, which could cause dramatic cooling in northern Europe while paradoxically driving global warming elsewhere. New research modeling past AMOC weakening periods reveals that rather than merely redistributing heat between regions, a collapse would cause the Earth to retain more heat overall, functioning as a planetary "heat valve." Historical weak periods in the AMOC produced warming equivalent to 10 years of current human emissions, offering insights into potential future climate impacts. | | Open Article | | |
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When Construction Starts Learning When Construction Starts Learning |  | | Highways Today • Anthony Davis • Aug 22, 2026 | | Modern construction projects generate extensive digital records through machine control, telematics, survey data, and project management systems, yet 62% of collected data goes unused in business decisions. Knowledge management research spanning three decades highlights the ongoing challenge of systematically capturing and retrieving project experience as teams disperse after completion. Advanced technologies like retrieval-augmented generation and knowledge graphs show promise in preserving contextual project information for future applications in estimating, planning, and risk management. | | Open Article | | |
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