Recent Articles

• 8 questions every aspiring business owner must ask

  Patrick Burke Transportation Technology & Automotive

  Do you have what it takes to own a business? Your first answer might be that it depends on the market, but that's only part of the story. So is thinking it depends on your product. The bottom line is it depends on you. If you don’t focus on your own drive, abilities, and tolerance for stress and uncertainty, you’re missing a key part of the equation. And if you start a business without really finding out if you should, you’re making a grave mistake. Say you've got a great idea. You've got a niche service. You've done the research and there’s space for you to grow a company. Before you start looking for a storefront, look in the mirror — by asking these eight simple but vital questions of yourself.

• 4 steps to empower yourself to accomplish your goals

  Rob and Steve Shallenberger Transportation Technology & Automotive

  People who have a sense of direction and purpose feel empowered. Yet only 10% of people have written professional and personal goals. Imagine how great it would feel to take all your good intentions and make them a reality. In other words, to get laser-focused on the things that matter most — and have the motivation to actually do them! To set your own roles and goals, follow these four steps.

• Infographic: How to set work boundaries to avoid burnout

  Pia De Los Reyes Transportation Technology & Automotive

  With remote work being the new professional normal, it can be especially challenging to stay productive and separate job stress from our personal lives. When stress is high and maintained over a period of time, it can lead to burnout or a type of work-related stress that can have a myriad of negative effects on your health and productivity. Those experiencing burnout can suffer from fatigue and mental exhaustion, and it can also lower work performance and cause job dissatisfaction. Over time, burnout can increase your vulnerability to disease and even potentially cost you lost income because of unpaid sick leave or a missed promotion.

• A German car heritage, now electrified

  David Newton Transportation Technology & Automotive

  If you traced the family tree on my mother’s side, you would find only Irish decedents. There are virtually no citizens from other countries (that any of her family will admit to). On my father’s side there’s far more diversity — though that may just prove that I’m a mutt. On this list are random nationalities such as Swedish and French-Canadian, but most definitely German. Although by definition I am only fractionally so, I believe that I can claim in a court of law that I am German by birthright. Because like DNA, a smidgen of ancestral evidence is all I need to prove my case. And if lifetime percentage of vehicle ownership means anything to anyone, I am fully one-third German.

• National Scenic Byways get a boost from Congress

  Dave G. Houser Transportation Technology & Automotive

  Just in time for an expected onrush of road trips this summer, the Federal Highway Administration has unveiled 34 new National Scenic Byways (NSB) and 15 new All-American Roads (AAR) across 28 states — bringing the total number of byways to 184 in 48 states. The flurry of new byway designations came in February, following passage by Congress of the Reviving America’s Scenic Byways Act, aimed at bringing new jobs, tourism, and other benefits to communities along these scenic routes, many of which are well off the beaten path and in serious need of additional resources.

• Global tourism recovery gets boost from industry leaders at WTTC 2021

  Lark Gould Transportation Technology & Automotive

  The world's tourism leaders gathered for the 2021 World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) summit on April 26 to get a shared perspective on how to handle the ongoing crisis in world tourism numbers — a global condition of the 2020 pandemic that has seen the disappearance of more than 60 million jobs. "The impact of Covid in the travel and tourism sector had an impact 18 times stronger than the impact of the global financial crisis that occurred in 2008. This is why the event is so important, because it is the global platform for recovery," said Gloria Guevara Manzo, CEO and president of the WTTC.

• Are you ready to plug in?

  Dave G. Houser Transportation Technology & Automotive

  If predictions from auto industry experts are right, your next set of wheels could well be powered by electricity. According to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on U.S. roads is projected to reach almost 20 million by 2030 — up from just 1 million in 2018. There is no question the future of electric transportation is evolving at a breakneck pace. Incentivizing the adoption of EVs in the U.S. is a federal tax credit for most electric vehicles for up to $7,500. That is, except for Tesla and GM, whose output has exceeded the credit’s cutoff of 200,000 vehicles sold.

• Supply chain disruptions are causing havoc in the auto industry

  Bambi Majumdar Transportation Technology & Automotive

  The global semiconductor chip shortage has sent the auto world into a frenzy. The pandemic and stay-at-home lifestyles have created soaring demand for electronic devices, which has increased the demand for semiconductor chips. Semiconductors form the core of an increasing number of electronic devices, large and small. They help power large machines like space shuttles and automobiles as well as everyday devices like cameras, smartphones, vacuum cleaners, and refrigerators. Automobiles have relied heavily on semiconductors since the 1970s.

• On the roads again: Transit after COVID-19

  Jeremy Zuker Transportation Technology & Automotive

  During the pandemic, many workplaces have switched to telecommuting, schools tried online learning, and theaters, parks, and beaches stood empty while restaurants had to survive on takeout-only transactions. Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) dropped by 16.3% nationwide in July 2020. Now, with vaccination rates growing, entire states have begun lifting emergency measures. As social distancing and mask mandates become a thing of the past, a whole world of cooped-up people will burst back out onto the streets. However, various factors will influence just how transit looks in the post-coronavirus world.

• What’s the BIG Idea? Episode 2: Steve Jurash on leading through crisis

  Hank Boyer Transportation Technology & Automotive

  In this video, Hank Boyer visits with Steve Jurash, president of the 5,000-plus member Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia (MAP). MAP represents several hundred thousand manufacturing employees. In March 2020, Jurash led MAP through an incredibly challenging period of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, an event that brought manufacturing everywhere to a sudden halt. With several hundred thousand employees' lives affected by his decision-making, Jurash faced one of his most challenging periods of leadership. He shares more than 20 best practices effective leaders use to navigate during periods of crisis.

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