Construction Industry News

WASHINGTON (Nov. 17, 2021) — Now that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has been officially signed into law, contractors and construction businesses nationwide are preparing to tackle the influx of projects that will come as a result of the $1.2 trillion legislation.

HAMILTON, N.J. (Nov. 17, 2021) — Total construction starts pushed 16% higher in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.01 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Nonresidential building starts gained 29% and nonbuilding moved 52% higher in October, while residential starts lost 8%. The month’s large gains resulted from the start of three large projects: two massive manufacturing plants and an LNG export facility.

FAIRFAX, Va. (Nov. 16, 2021) —  In a well-attended White House ceremony, President Joe Biden signed into law on Nov. 15 the historic core infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, or H.R. 3684). Once fully implemented over the next several years, this legislation will deliver a historic amount of added resources to the American utility construction industry.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (Oct.

ARLINGTON, Va. (Nov. 10, 2021) — Rising construction materials prices appear to be starting to drive up the price of construction projects, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) of government data. Association officials noted that despite a big jump in what contractors charge for projects, the rise in materials prices is still much higher.

WASHINGTON (Nov. 9, 2021) — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and its Alabama chapter has filed a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 11th Circuit against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for its COVID-19 vaccination and testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which applies to employers with 100 or more employees.

WASHINGTON (Nov. 9, 2021) —  Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) reports that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.1 months in October, according to an ABC member survey conducted from Oct. 20 to Nov. 2. The reading is up 0.5 months from September 2021 and 0.4 months from October 2020.

The long-discussed infrastructure bill has finally passed Congress, prompting reactions and statement from construction industry associations and contractors. The bill cleared the House on a 228-206 vote. The bill will be paid for with $210 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief aid and $53 billion in unemployment insurance aid.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Nov. 5, 2021) — Construction Business Owner (CBO), the leading business magazine for contractors, is pleased to announce the nine finalists of its Outstanding Women in Construction (OWIC) 2021 honor.

OWIC was designed to recognize industry-leading females and their skills, achievements and contributions to the construction industry. The nine finalists selected for OWIC 2021 are:

HAMILTON, N.J. (Nov. 5, 2021) — The Dodge Momentum Index increased 10% in October to 181.2 (2000=100), from the revised September reading of 164.6. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Construction Network, is a monthly measure of the initial report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. In October, commercial planning rose 14% and institutional gained 3%.

WASHINGTON (Nov. 4, 2021) — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently announced a new emergency temporary standard (ETS) to protect more than 84 million workers from the spread of the coronavirus on the job.

WASHINGTON (Nov. 4, 2021) — Longtime construction industry leader, instructor and military veteran Frank Boecker recently testified on behalf of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development on the indispensable role that community colleges, trade schools and career and technical education programs play in the construction industry.

ARLINGTON, Va. (Nov. 3, 2021) — Nearly one-fifth of U.S. metro areas lost construction jobs between September 2020 and September 2021, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) of government employment data.

ARLINGTON, Va. (Nov. 2, 2021) — Total construction spending declined in September for the first time since February, as both residential and nonresidential construction slipped, according to a new analysis of federal construction spending data from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

WASHINGTON (Oct. 28, 2021) — Investment in nonresidential structures contracted at an annual rate of 7.3% during the third quarter of 2021 and has now contracted during seven of the past eight quarters, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The overall economy expanded at a 2.0% annualized rate during the third quarter of 2021.

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 28, 2021) — Royal Purple Synthetic Oil will be exhibiting this year at the 2021 SEMA Show on November 2 – 5 and at AAPEX 2021 on November 2 – 4.

WEST FARGO, N.D. (Oct. 28, 2021) — Bobcat Company has announced three all-new models to its R2-Series compact excavator lineup. The E32, E35 25hp and E35 33hp compact excavators provide all the productivity and power found in Bobcat’s larger excavators in a smaller frame, making all three models ideal for utility, landscaping and residential construction jobs.

Precise, Productive, Performance-Driven

NEWNAN, Ga. (Oct. 26, 2021) — As of October 1, Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders America is now Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas Inc.

WASHINGTON (Oct. 26, 2021) — The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25), which reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $900 billion equipment finance sector, showed their overall new business volume for September was $9.2 billion, up 6% year-over-year from new business volume in September 2020. Volume was up 8% month-to-month from $9.9 billion in August.

NOVI, Mich. (Oct. 26, 2021) — Hino Trucks is raising the bar once again in customer ownership experience with the introduction of Hino Edge, the company’s all-new, third generation connected vehicle solution. Hino Edge synergizes the digital connection between the fleet customer, dealer network, Telematics Service Providers (TSP’s) and Hino Ultimate Support Center, to provide customers a competitive edge.