Friday roundup: permitting challenges, Aussie crane deal, AI leadership, IC100 rankings

Sitting trucks don’t make money. This is an important axiom in the realm of specialized transportation in which time and again, “time is money.” This is why permitting is such an important aspect of the oversize and-or overweight hauling spectrum. West Chester Permit president Scott Boehm writes that “delays cost valuable time and money, including driver pay, escorts, fuel, sitting trucks, rigging crews and cranes.

Read more about the challenges and solutions to permitting obstacles.

Tuesday brought you the latest news and moves from across the crane and specialized transport sector with our Crane and Transport Briefing Extra newsletter. The top story this week detailed an acqusition by Australia-based Universal Cranes, as the team put its recently acquired 1,200 tonne capacity Liebherr telescopic boom crawler crane straight to work on a project to modernise a railway crossing.

As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms the construction and transportation industries, leadership must evolve, writes SC&RA’s Joel Dandrea. While AI can optimise processes, reduce inefficiencies and enhance decision-making, it lacks the ability to replicate human intuition, ethical reasoning and emotional intelligence. For leaders, it is not just about adopting AI, it’s about redefining the role of leaders in an era of human-AI collaboration. Dandrea insists that leaders who can blend AI-driven understanding with human foresight will have a competitive edge. But how can leadership strike the right balance between technology and human expertise? And what strategies will ensure AI serves people, rather than the other way around?

Read more about how to embrace AI not as a threat but as an opportunity.

For 30 years, the IC100 has been the definitive ranking of the world’s largest crane-owning companies. Published annually by International Cranes and Specialized Transport (ICST) magazine, the IC100 (formerly the IC50) charts our industry’s biggest players, showcasing their lifting capability and market presence. The IC100 was the first of its kind. Its development has charted major change among the world’s top crane owners and includes an element of sporting rivalry between contenders with the greatest capability which generates anticipation each year prior to publication.

Read more about the history of the IC100.