Position Title: Transportation Specialist, GS-2101-13 / 14 CAH (Open to US Citizens)

Job Announcement Number: FHWA.HOP-2013-0010

APM Terminals, Portsmouth, VA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Open Period: Friday, January 11, 2013 to Monday, January 21, 2013

Duty Locations: Washington, DC, US

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen.

There is an open position for a Transportation Specialist assigned to the Office of Freight Management and Operations, in the Office of Operations of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Within a team environment, the Transportation Specialist is recognized as a national expert in developing and delivering a freight-related programs and initiatives program. This includes working closely with the public sector at all levels of government and the affected industry sectors to conceptualize and implement this programs and initiatives. You will be considered an expert in the field of intermodal freight operations and will have the ability to manage technology-based programs; and will serve as lead for activities related to integration of freight into transportation infrastructure and operational improvements. You will serve as the lead for public sector freight transportation activities, programs and initiatives throughout the United States and with Canada and Mexico and our partners in other countries of the world.

The ideal candidate is a mid-career to senior professional with knowledge and experience in transportation and intermodal freight operations, with knowledge of supply chain logistics, the economic factors that drive industry liaisons and drive business relationships, and intergovernmental relations as conducted with other Federal, State, MPO and multi-jurisdictional entities. For complete information and to apply, click here.

 This position is a Transportation Specialist assigned to the Freight Analysis and Research Team within Office of Freight Management and Operations (HOFM) of the Office of Operations of the Federal Highway Administration(FHWA).  The Office is responsible for analyzing trends and developing policies concerning multimodal freight transportation,

APM Terminals, Portsmouth, VA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Within a team environment, the Transportation Specialist is responsible for providing expertise in data, modeling and analytical techniques for  analyzing  and forecasting freight activity and its economic and environmental consequences, to support FHWA headquarters, FHWA field components, state DOT personnel, and professional staff of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and other stakeholders in establishing a comprehensive program for improving freight operations within the country’s transportation network.supporting freight transportation planning and project development at all levels of government through information and professional development programs, enforcing vehicle size and weight laws, and promoting improvements in freight operations and technology.  Its mission is to provide programs, policies, research, and technology transfer that promote efficient and effective freight flow on the highway system and its intermodal connectors within the United States and across its international borders.

An interesting competition announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation encourages college students to design a better way to help consumers make smart decisions when booking their bus travel.  This is what you need to know about the challenge:

• Who: Creative college students with imaginative ideas.
• What: A mobile app or web-accessible tool that presents our safety information in a simple, intuitive way that would help the average person choose the safest bus available.
• When: January 31st, 2013

Here is an embed of the announcement, as seen on USDOT Sec. Ray LaHood’s blog.  Please share widely.

[clip id=”LQWmcbZxCv5hZfnsH78P2j8yezvHUCgfZiTe” width=”642″ height=”1524″ scale=”disabled”]

(via YPT)

Cambridge Systematics, Inc. is a national leader in developing high quality, innovative solutions to the transportation industry. They are seeking a Freight Transportation/Logistics Analyst to w

Freight Train (Photo credit: Duncan Brown (Cradlehall))

ork on a variety of transportation consulting assignments, focusing in the area of freight movement. This position would be based in our Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, or Tallahassee offices.

Job Description:  The successful junior candidate should be able to: collect quantitative and qualitative data from public and industry sources; perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of goods movement and general economic/industry data; develop recommendations for clients regarding goods movements strategies; possess strong writing, research, and communications skills; and assist in project management, project administration, client support, public outreach/presentations, and project documentation.

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in transportation planning, policy, logistics, engineering, or related field; Master’s degree is preferred.  Ability to able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team; strong written and oral communication skills; and proven analytical and problem solving skills are a must.

CS is employee-owned with exceptional compensation and benefits. Qualified candidates please send resume to resume@camsys.com and reference Job Code CVO000304. CS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

(Source: TheTruckersReport.com via SCM-Operations.com)

Came across these interesting infographs that offered some great insights into the trucking business..

Image Courtesy: SCM-Operations

Image Courtesy: TheTruckersreport.com

(Source: Reddit)

A tractor trailer hauling printer ink rolled over on the morning of March 9, 2011 spewing its contents across the highway and forcing the closure during the morning’s rush hour of the ramp linking Route 128 and Interstate 95 in Peabody, MA. Here is what it looks like – a beautiful colorful mess. Read more here.

Image Courtesy: Reddit.com

Trucking industry stakeholders are invited to participate in a free webinar to discuss key policy and institutional challenges that could impact fleet adoption of new wireless communication technologies.  The particular technologies being discussed include communication technologies that allow trucks to “talk” to other vehicles and roadside infrastructure.  Through this webinar, motor carriers will be able to provide the U.S. DOT with direct feedback on technology implementation issues.

Presentations will include 1) a brief introduction on the U.S. DOT’s Truck Technology Policy program of research; 2) an overview of the potential value of the wireless connectivity technologies to the trucking industry and 3) a summary of related policy issues identified to date.  Feedback gathered from participants will be used to develop the Truck V2V/V2I Policy Roadmap and Research Agenda.

• WHAT:            U.S. DOT’s Truck V2V/V2I Technology Policy Issues Webinar
• WHEN:            Wednesday, February 23, 2011 1:00 to 3:00 EST
• HOW:              Participants will need access to the internet and a telephone.  For your free registration, use the link below.  An automated email with instructions for joining the webinar will be sent to all registrants.

Please visit the TIMTC website at www.freightmobility.org to register for the webinar or click here

Interested in becoming involved with TIMTC?  Participation is free and provides the latest information and updates on trucking industry initiatives that improve the industry’s safety and mobility.  Send your contact information to TIMTC@trucking.org to receive your free membership.

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The Trucking Industry Mobility & Technology Coalition (TIMTC) is jointly managed by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the  U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA).  The TIMTC is sponsored by the U.S. DOT.  Members include motor carriers, commercial drivers, law enforcement, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, transportation planners and policy makers at the local, state and federal levels.

(Source: Gizmodo via Telegraph)

Image Courtesy: Gizmodo.com

At 26.4 miles long, the Qingdao Haiwan Bridge would easily cross the English Channel and is almost three miles longer than the previous record-holder, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in the American state of Louisiana. The vast structure links the centre of the booming port city of Qingdao in eastern China‘s Shandong Province with the suburb of Huangdao, spanning the wide blue waters of Jiaozhou Bay.

Here is a collection of some amazing and interesting factoids gleaned from the parent articles cited above:

• You can easily run a marathon, entirely on the bridge span, and still will have 0.2 miles left before you set foot on Terra Firma (Marathon = 26.2 miles)
• Built in just four years at a cost of £5.5 billion ($8 Billion USD)
• Will feature a six-lane road bridge that is supported by more than 5,200 columns
• When it opens to traffic (in late 2011) , the bridge is expected to carry over 30,000 cars a day
• Expected to cut the commute between the city of Qingdao and the sprawling suburb of Huangdao by between 20 and 30 minutes.
• At least 10,000 workers were involved in building the bridge, in shifts around the clock
• Built with 450,000 tons of steel, which is roughly the equivalent of steel used in almost 65 Eiffel Towers
• 2.3 million cubic meters of concrete, which is roughly the equivalent of filling 3,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools
• The bridge will be strong enough to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake, typhoons or the impact of a 300,000 tonne vessel.
• With its economy growing by 16 per cent a year, Qingdao is one of China’s fastest-growing and most prosperous cities.
• The main port of the Chinese navy and home of Tsingtao Beer, China’s best-known brew, it hosted the sailing events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

What’s more astonishing. It would be this: “China is already home to seven of the world’s 10 longest bridges, including the world’s lengthiest, the 102 mile Danyang-Kunshan rail bridge, which runs over land and water near Shanghai.  And with Beijing pumping billions into boosting China’s infrastructure, the Qingdao Haiwan Bridge will not be the world’s longest sea bridge for very long.  According to the Telegraph,  work started in December 2009 on a 31 mile bridge that will link Zhuhai in southern Guangdong Province,  China’s manufacturing heartland, with the financial centre of Hong Kong. The £6.5 billion project is expected to be completed in 2016.”

Now, building the infrastructure at this break neck pace and still flush with more cash than a machine can count, China is not too far from becoming the Numero Uno aka the Big Daddy of the World economy.

Related articles

• China builds world’s longest bridge (telegraph.co.uk)
• China has built the longest bridge in the world… so you don’t have to dig that hole (engadget.com)
• World’s longest bridge completed (thesun.co.uk)
• China claims longest bridge over water with whopping 26-mile span (dvice.com)

(source: Washington Post’s Federal Eye)

This is very disconcerting, to say the least. But I’m glad at ths ame time they are working to fix the problem.

Federal agents responsible for driving nuclear weapons and other sensitive materials sometimes got drunk and were detained by police while on the job, according to a new watchdog report.

A report released Monday by the Energy Department’s Office of Inspector General found 16 alcohol-related incidents between 2007 and 2009 involving personnel with the National Nuclear Security Administration‘s Office of Surface Transportation (OST). About 600 OST agents are responsible for safely transporting or shipping nuclear weapons and other materials across the country.

Two incidents involved extended overnight missions where OST agents parked convoy vehicles in safe harbor before checking in at nearby hotels, the report said. In separate incidents, an agent was arrested in 2007 for public intoxication while two agents were handcuffed and temporarily detained by police officers in 2009, according to the report.

Click here to read the entire story.

(Source: BBC)

Somali pirates are reported to have received a total of $12.3m (£7.6m) in ransom money to release two ships. They are believed to have been paid a record $9.5m (£5.8m) for Samho Dream, a South Korean oil tanker, and nearly $2.8m (£1.7m) for the Golden Blessing, a Singaporean flagged ship.

“We are now counting our cash,” a pirate who gave his name as Hussein told Reuters news agency. “Soon we shall get down from the ship.”

News reports indicate the drop was made by a Helicopter. All crew members of the two vessels (five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos in the Korean vessel and 24 Chinese nationals in Singaporean vessel) were reportedly unharmed and sailing out of the area.

Click here to read the entire story.

Note: I have a serious question – Now that Security agencies know the location of the pirates, can they be intercepted enroute to the shore?  That would be somewhat cruel but a priceless ordeal to watch. After all, the Wall Street folks get taken to task when their bad work comes to light and it makes for great TV.

Related articles

• Report: Somali pirates releases SKorean ship (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Report: Somali Pirates Release South Korean Ship (foxnews.com)
• Pirates accept ransom, release supertanker with $160M cargo: report (thestar.com)
• Kenyan court frees 17 suspected Somali pirates (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Somali pirates hijack ship with 20 passengers (sfgate.com)
• Somali pirates hijack ship with 20 passengers (ctv.ca)
• Somali Pirates Seize Cargo Ship With 24 Aboard (foxnews.com)
• “Somali pirates get record ransom” and related posts (rocketnews.com)
• German ship freed by Somali pirates (reuters.com)
• Kenya Frees 17 Pirates Caught by U.S. Navy (abcnews.go.com)