Navistar to Build New Truck Plant in San Antonio

United States truck maker Navistar International Corp. announced it will build a manufacturing facility for Classes 6-8 trucks in San Antonio, Texas. The company will invest more than $250 million to create a new and more efficient truck plant. This new plant intends to add to Navistar’s recently announced plan to invest $125 million in its Huntsville, Alabama engine plant. Navistar will need a large network of suppliers to help serve the plant to make three different sized trucks. They hope to make Class 6, Class 7, and Class 8 trucks (8 being the largest truck, often carrying goods along the...

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The Bubble

A start-up named The Seabubbles has created a solution for contributing less pollution in the city of Paris. The creation is called “The Bubble,” which is a flying taxi powered by electricity. Media around the country have been discussing this new transportation solution, which takes 35 minutes to charge and has a 2-hour battery life. So how does this “flying taxi” work? The Bubble lifts out of the water on wings and makes no noise and no waves. It does not emit CO2, which wins the approval of French transport officials looking to endow the capital with new clean transport options...

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FMCSA Crash Fault in Carrier Scores

As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) program, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is making plans to remove certain types of crashes from a carriers’ score. FMCSA is scheduled to share their plan soon and will then allow comments for 60 days. If the rule is made final it would begin on October 1, 2019. The rule allows carriers, including owner-operators, the ability to dispute 15 types of crashes and have the associated points in the disputed crash removed from their Crash Indicator BASIC percentile ranking (which is essentially their “score”) in this category....

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Uber Freight: Simplifying the Entire Booking Process

Since September of 2018, Uber Technologies has been testing Uber Freight in the Texas Triangle area for van and refrigerator deliveries. In June of 2019 the full truck-load freight brokerage announced their nationwide roll out. Their goal is to help owner-operator shipping carriers book loads more easily. Its purpose is to simplify the entire booking process. All you have to do is log in to your account, enter your pick-up and drop off information, and then you receive an instant quote. If you like the quoted rate, you can book the shipment. This platform matches commercial shippers with truck drivers looking...

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Shopping Habits of Millennials is Helping Boost the Trucking Industry

Consumers, especially millennials, are becoming more dependent on online shopping. Traditionally, “big” items, such as mattresses, furniture, and appliances were purchased in stores where the buyer could browse options, try it out, and use the store’s own delivery service. Times are changing. Studies have found millennials are comfortable purchasing everything online. eMarketer reported that online furniture purchases were expected to grow by 18.2% in 2018 hitting $50.32 billion total. In 2017, Amazon’s furniture sales more than doubled year over year. Searching for the best price, reading reviews, and setting up a delivery all with a few clicks makes online shopping all too easy...

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Startup Culture is Appealing to Millennial Law Graduates

Growing up, many of us were told to stay on track, whether it was in school or your career path. For most attorneys, this meant attending a 4-year university, obtaining internships, moving onto law school, and then securing a position at a law firm. Samantha Von Hoene, however, decided not to “stay on track” and picked a different route instead. Samantha Von Hoene was in her second year of law school at UC Hastings when she was offered a summer internship at a medium-sized firm. This was her plan until she decided to politely turn the offer down. Instead of the...

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What Do Rising Law School Applicant Numbers Mean for 2018?

Law schools have an encouraging start to the new year! As of December 1, 2017, the Law School Admission Council reported the number of applications was up by 15% to 93,932, and the number of applicants was up by 12% to 16,784. In recent years, the number of people applying to law schools has been on a downward trend. In the last 10 years, the number of applicants has decreased significantly by at least 33%. Applicants dropped from 84,000 in 2007 to 56,500 in 2016. According to LSAC data, in September of 2017, 37,100 people took the LSAT and in June 2017,...

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Voice Reporting in the Courtroom

Shorthand or stenography is often used for court reporting, but there is another type of reporting being used in courts across the nation: voice reporting. Although the concept of voice writing (aka verbatim or stenomask reporting) has been around since the 40’s, this form of court reporting has been gaining popularity in recent years thanks to the continuing evolution of voice recognition technology. Voice writing is unlike traditional stenography which involves using shorthand skills and a stenotype machine. Today, voice writing reporting involves the use of a stenomask (many of us joke about its funny appearance), which is placed over the...

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FOLLOW UP: CA Bar Exam Cut Score – Still Inconclusive

In July 2016, the California Bar Exam’s pass rate reached an all-time low record of 62%. California has historically had the highest cut score of all 50 states, resulting in the lowest pass rates in the nation. As we’ve previously reported, this caused many California law schools and professors to argue to change the standards so more people pass. In February of this year, following these complaints about the cut score, the California Supreme Court asked the bar to study whether 144 remained the appropriate score for passage or to make any recommendations for change by December 1st. In October, California state...

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The California Bar Exam Standards: Too High or Just Right?

The California bar exam has historically had the highest cut score of all 50 states, resulting in the lowest pass rates in the nation. California’s multistate bar exam cut score is currently 144. Last July, California’s pass rate reached an all-time low record of 62%. For reference, New York’s pass rate was 83%. Even more shocking, the overall passage rate for the February 2017 administration of the California bar exam was a 34.5%. Although California has always been known to have low pass rates, the recent results caused an outcry, and law professors and students alike have begun to ask...

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