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Michigan’s D+ infrastructure grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers is indicative of funding challenges the state has faced for years, according to one of the engineers.

Robert Gomez Jr. has been driving the UPS Inc. signature big, brown trucks around Southern Arizona since the mid-1980s. He also has the distinction of being crash-free for 25 consecutive years behind the wheel.

The replacement of two freight rail approaches in Indiana, and the replacement of three bridges in rural Maine were among the projects recently awarded grants, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced March 9.

The work of servicing and maintaining a fleet of trucks presents a wide assortment of potential dangers to technicians, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “lockout-tagout” regulations provide guidance to reduce the risk of injury or death.

Today’s fleets are increasingly shifting toward LED headlights, not only for truck drivers’ safety but also to improve maintenance and the overall operation of the truck, industry experts said.

The trucking industry needs to hire about 30,000 maintenance technicians to keep up with demand.

With the increasing complexity of modern trucks and an even higher premium placed on drivers’ time, Glen McDonald, maintenance director at Ozark Motor Lines, knew he needed to maximize shop labor and move trucks through his fleet’s maintenance shops more ­quickly, all of which required an updated approach.

Ryder System Inc.is one company whose fleet maintenance technicians are using mobile lifts to get under big rigs.

Although trucking is undergoing rapid advancements in technology, Jeff Harris, the new general chairman of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council, said the industry needs to get “back to the basics” when it comes to repairing equipment amid a massive industry shortage of technicians.