Month: April 2022

FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Sets Out Agency Agenda, Priorities.  Jack Van Steenburg, Chief Safety Officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, set out the agency’s agenda and priorities in a presentation at a recent trucking industry meeting.  He started by noting that there were 38,824 highway fatalities recorded in 2020, including 5,125 fatalities involving heavy trucks and buses.  Both of these numbers are expected to increase when the 2021 numbers are final. In addition, some 831 large truck occupants were killed in crashes in 2020, and 43% of them were not wearing seat belts. Van Steenburg noted that the…

Airgas, an Air Liquide company, continues to expand its High School Welding Education Initiative. For the 2022 academic year, 20 returning schools and 16 new schools will be participating. These programs were chosen based on four key factors: high unmet need at the school; a productive welding program with the potential to graduate job-ready welders; passionate teachers; and enthusiastic local Airgas champions. Since the start of the high school welding program in 2012 with a pilot program in Philadelphia followed by a national expansion in 2018, Airgas has assisted 70 total schools, 2,700 students and more than 350 teachers. Participating programs receive…

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To highlight unique careers and companies in the welding and metal fabrication industries, the American Welding Society launches Metal America, a new video series streaming exclusively on YouTube. From roller coaster fabrication to automated welding robots, each episode, ranging from 10-15 minutes, follows AWS’ Stephanie Hoffman as she visits fabricators across the country to explore some of the industry’s most unique careers. Viewers will get a peek inside metal fabrication shops, schools, shipbuilders, and more. “The American Welding Society Foundation promotes the incredible career opportunities available in the welding industry, but until a person sees it for themselves, it’s hard…