27.10.2009

Crane joins rally

A Link-Belt HTC-8660 telescopic truck crane will support the ‘Start Us Up USA’ rally in Washington DC later today.

The ‘caravan’ of equipment will circle Capitol Hill in order to pressure Congress to swiftly re-authorise and fully fund federal road, bridge, transit, and rail programs to spur a jobs recovery. The Start Us Up USA initiative is a collaboration of the Association of Equipment Manufactures (AEM) and the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED).

The Link Belt HTC-8660 will be transported by Keen Transport from New Kingstown, Pennsylvania. The current government highway funding programs, called SAFETEA-LU, will expire on Saturday October 31st. Many legislators are leaning towards an 18-month extension, while the construction industry feels that an 18-month extension makes it impossible for highway officials to plan ahead and if they can’t plan, they can’t hire equipment companies to supply the equipment and do the work.

In addition to participating in the rally, Link-Belt urged its employees, customers, and distributors to sign the Start Us Up USA petition, contact their representatives in congress, or write letters to the editors of their local newspapers.

Jeff Weller, general manager of Richmond, Virginia based, Link-Belt Mid-Atlantic, the distributor supplying the HTC-8660 for the rally, said: The industry is not asking for a handout. The intent is to demonstrate to our elected leaders that the industry needs some decisive action on their part to pass a multi-year highway bill that will give the industry the confidence to invest in new equipment and job creation.”

Chuck Martz, Link-Belt’s chief executive added: “This funding is critical, long-term, not just to our industry, but to our country. It directly affects our international competitiveness. Similarly, delaying this funding not only affects the industry, but also the overall employment rate and our prospects for economic recovery.”