As electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular around the world, researchers are trying to find ways to adapt the technology to heavier duty applications.  Due to the large size of projects and amount of money in the industry, the mining industry has seen its fair share of technological advancement. Several manufacturers, like Komatsu, have developed and released driverless dump trucks for mining operations in the past few years.  A team of companies in Switzerland is now working on a gigantic battery powered dump truck that will be tested for 10 years.

Rapid growth and the industrialization are the major contributors to China’s noted air quality issues. 4 years ago, the Chinese government issued a “war on pollution” aiming to improve air quality and reduce other environmental hazards, such as land and water contamination.  Air quality is at its worst in the winter months across the country, due to households relying more on coal power to heat residents’ homes.

Hurricane Irma ripped through the Caribbean and landed in South Florida a little over a week ago, sadly killing at least 50 people in Florida and causing plenty of property damage.  High winds that accompanied the storm also caused the collapse of 3 construction cranes – two in Miami and one more in Fort Lauderdale.  The crane in Fort Lauderdale was recently dismantled and the action was caught on video.

After sharing average hourly wage data for construction laborers, ranked by state, a little over a week ago, I’ve decided to begin doing the same for the other many different construction related professions.  Our second profession that we’ll be analyzing will be heavy equipment operators.

The Atlanta Falcons will play their home opener against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, 9/17.  As exciting as that is on a normal year, this year will be that much more special as it will also mark the opening of their brand new $1.4 million stadium, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.