Loading Up on the Web — 2011 Edition

Happy New Year!…Er, wait. It’s February. We’ve been so busy in the Compact Equipment offices that we can’t believe the first month of 2011 is in the books. After putting together a most excellent, and extensive, 2010 Ultimate Equipment showcase — a web exclusive — in December, we delivered an awesome and informative January issue that investigated engines and just put the finishing touches on our February issue.

Regular readers of the Machine Works Blog will know that we’ve also been lean, mean posting machines — putting news online before it’s even marked as read in our inboxes. In case you’ve been hard at work or trapped in an ice storm, we’ve compiled the hottest topics from the last month.

As always, follow us on Twitter @Compactequip and feel free to leave a comment below any story.

Toro Selects Winner of 2011 Super Bowl Sports Turf Training Program — One student will help prepare the field at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, February 6 for Super Bowl XLV. The Toro Co. is pleased to recognize Casey Dallas as the recipient of its annual Toro Super Bowl Sports Turf Training Program.

Daimler Trucks North America Celebrates Production of 1,000th Hybrid Electric Vehicle — The green vehicle movement is trucking along at Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA). A few days ago, the company marked the production of its 1,000th hybrid electric vehicle with a celebration at its Mt. Holly, N.C., plant. The 1,000th vehicle — a Freightliner Business Class M2 106 Hybrid truck — is manufactured at the Mt. Holly location

Rental Rebounds in 2011, Say Industry Experts — A large majority of rental store owners and managers — more than 80 percent — expect 2011 to be a much better year than 2010 according to the latest quarterly American Rental Association (ARA) Economic Survey of members.

More Construction Companies Plan to Hire, Instead of Cut Workers in 2011 — More construction firms are planning to hire workers this year than are planning to make layoffs, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released earlier this week by the Associated General Contractors of America and Navigant. The survey, conducted as part of the Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook, shows the industry may finally be emerging from a severe downturn that has left millions of skilled workers unemployed.

ABC Challenges the President to Fix Regulations Impacting the Construction Industry — “Mr. President, the nation’s construction industry is prepared to hold you to your word,” said 2011 ABC national chairman Michael J. Uremovich, president of Great Lakes Energy Consultants, LLC, Manhattan, Ill. “The construction industry has been hard hit by the economic downturn with an unemployment rate of 20.7 percent – more than twice the national average,” said Uremovich. “Unnecessary and burdensome regulations have stifled the industry’s recovery and its ability to grow. The president must now make the necessary changes to federal regulations and the rulemaking process to get construction workers back to work.

Win a Hunting Trip with Ted Nugent at CONEXPO — It’s a hunter’s dream come true: a three-day hunting trip for you and a buddy at the famed Y.O. Ranch in Mountain Home, Texas, with Ted Nugent as your hunting host.

Caterpillar Announces Sweepstakes to See New Cat Vocational Truck at CONEXPO — Want to win a trip to Sin City? Before you pack your bags, head on over to www.DriveCat.com for your chance to win a trip courtesy of Caterpillar. The company is set to unveil the first model in its full line of Cat Vocational Trucks, the Cat CT660, in Las Vegas at CONEXPO-CON/AG in March. As part of the celebration, Caterpillar is holding an online sweepstakes featuring a trip to Vegas.

Pain at the Pump — Gas prices are once again in the headlines. And it looks like the diesel prices are also on their way up for 2011. Projected retail diesel fuel prices average $3.14 per gallon for this winter, an increase of 35 cents per gallon over last winter, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2011, higher crude oil prices combined with higher refiner margins push annual average prices for motor gasoline and diesel fuel to $3.00 and $3.23 per gallon, respectively.