The former owner of a Massachusetts construction company pleaded guilty to a tax scheme and making false statements at an Occupational Safety and Health Administration hearing. Mauricio Baiense is scheduled to be sentenced July 25 and faces a maximum of more than 45 years in federal prison. He was facing seven counts of willful failure to collect or pay over employment taxes, and individual counts of conspiring to defraud the United States, aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return, and making a false statement at an OSHA hearing. As owner of Contract Framing Buil ..read more

Volvo Construction Equipment reported sales in the first quarter of 2024 were either negative or flat, depending on the region. Compared to the strong sales in Q1 2023, the company says market demand is softening, with lower deliveries and order intake in Europe and North America compensated only slightly by stronger performance in Asia. According to Volvo CE’s Q1 report, net sales dipped by 9% to $2.09 billion (22,877 M SEK) from $2.29 billion (25,109 M SEK) in 2023.  Compared with Q1, 2023, a negative brand and market mix was partly offset by price realization and lower material costs ..read more

The first thing you notice about Bob Dietz & Sons is bright red, shiny trucks and spotless yellow iron with no scratches or dents. As you delve deeper into the second-generation, family-owned excavation contractor in New Paltz, New York, you realize that the philosophy behind their gleaming jobsite presence guides every facet of the company – from the boots-on-the-ground laborer to the top leadership. It all boils down to one simple statement: “Our goal is to be above industry standards for everything.” Brian and Tony Dietz have carried forward that guiding principle learned from their fat ..read more

BOMAG has introduced the CR 1030 T-2 highway-class paver that features multiple design updates to improve operating efficiency and increase mat quality, the company says. Available for the 2025 paving season, the CR 1030 T-2 comes with several new features including an independent auger/conveyor system and a new human-machine interface (HMI). In conjunction with the updated paver, BOMAG also introduced the new Versa 20 front-mount screed to its line. Aside from some of the technological advances made by the company, BOMAG paving product manager Zach Watson said the update operators were most i ..read more

Liebherr has launched its new Used Equipment Marketplace, an online platform offering a wide range of used construction and material handling machines, used attachments and accessories as well as used spare parts – directly from certified Liebherr sales partners. Used machines from all over the world are available on the platform, including a wide range of earthmoving and material handling machines, mobile and crawler cranes, tower cranes, maritime cranes and concrete technology from both Liebherr and other manufacturers. Used attachments and accessories are also available, making it simple to ..read more

Three highway construction workers died early Wednesday morning in a work zone crash on Interstate 83 in Fairview Township, Pennsylvania, Fox 43 reports. The crash occurred around 3:30 a.m. April 17 when a 24-year-old man driving a box truck hit a construction vehicle in an active construction zone. Reports state that after hitting the vehicle, the truck continued onto the shoulder where it struck the workers. All three were pronounced dead at the scene. Following the incident, all southbound lanes of I-83 between Exit 36: PA 262 - Fishing Creek and Exit 35: PA 177 - Lewisberry were closed unt ..read more

The billionaire philanthropist, investor and co-founder of Microsoft was in unfamiliar territory recently pushing a wheelbarrow filled with asphalt. Bill Gates announced on social media that he had “filled a pothole,” and at the same time, “reduced greenhouse gas emissions.” It was part of Gates’ visit to Washington-based startup company Modern Hydrogen, of which Gates is an investor, to show off its “carbon-sequester asphalt.” Modern Hydrogen has developed a system to remove carbon from natural gas at the meter for commercial and industrial operations, before it is burned and produces carbon ..read more

A forklift carrying steel rebar tipped over, crushing and killing a construction worker in Los Angeles on Monday, April 15. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at 1:27 p.m. about an adult male trapped under a forklift at 970 N. Moraga Drive in Bel Air. Reports do not indicate whether the worker was operating the machine or near it at the time of the incident. The worker, identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office as 42-year-old Tony Gallegos, died on the scene from his injuries. "Despite the quick response of LAFD crews, including those specially trained, ce ..read more

The largest floating crane on the Eastern Seaboard has begun removing debris from the wreckage of the collapsed I-695/Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Baltimore Port channel. The Chesapeake 1000 crane, nicknamed Chessy, can been seen in the video at the end of this story hauling off large debris from the collapsed bridge. The crane, which has a lifting capacity of 1,000 tons, was contracted out by the Naval Sea Systems Command for the task of removing debris after the cargo ship Dali struck a pillar of the bridge March 26 causing its decks to collapse into the Patapsco River. Donjon Marine Co ..read more

Dynapac has joined in the effort to shine a brighter light on the issue of mental health challenges and suicide within the construction industry. The company was one of the first manufacturers to sign the Suicide in Construction Awareness Proclamation spearheaded by Dr. Vince Hafeli, president of Ajax Paving Industries of Florida. He has taken the lead in a national campaign promoting awareness of suicide and mental health wellness in the construction industry. Combined, Dynapac and Hafeli used World of Asphalt 2024 as an opportunity to shine some light on the topic. Read more ..read more