Not only does Caterpillar make construction equipment used ont he roads and other infrastructure projects, but they, along with their dealers and customers, are all users of the transportation system. The condition and efficiency of the U.S. transportation infrastructure is exceptionally important — whether we are importing or exporting, receiving parts at our facilities, shipping products to customers, or driving to and from work. Lack of infrastructure uniformity impedes productivity and safety.
For example, moving a Caterpillar 797 off highway truck chassis from the Caterpillar Decatur, IL plant to a customer in North Carolina requires the plant to remove the enging and the transmission from the chassis prior to shipment. The weight of the overall unit cannot be moved through some states due to different weight restrictions. The unit must then be reassembled, resulting in added cost and delay for our customers.
How does this affect the world?
Every 45 seconds, Caterpillar ships something internationally. Aging infrastructure and shipping inefficiencies add roughly 3-4 days of transit time, costing Caterpillar millions in cash flow. Caterpillar exports over half of what we make in the United States. Caterpillar ships more than 12 billion pounds of product annually all over the world.
North Carolina Infrastructure by the Numbers
North Carolina’s transportation infrastructure system is a prime ingredient in the fuel that fires the economic engine, bringing jobs and business investment.
- 163,000 lane miles of roadway to maintain
- 2,308 structurally deficient bridges
- More than 28 million square feet of bridge deck to maintain
- 33% of bridges older than designed 50 year target life
- 1,150 miles of inland waterways
- 22 freight railroads span 3,245 miles
- 59.6 million annual unlinked passanger trips via transit systems
- Only 1 rail line for each of the 2 ports
The Facts
- 27,800 jobs created from $1 billion investment in transportation
- 1,300 letters sent since 2015 by NC Caterpillar and dealer employees in support of state and federal transportation infrastructure funding
- $84 billion needed for roads to meet quality targets over the next 30 years
- $2.3 billion is the amount that poor roads cost North Carolina motorists per year in vehicle repairs and operating costs
You’re Not in this Alone
Caterpillar actively advocates in support of significant transportation infrastructure funding to address severe shortfalls needed to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.
Caterpillar employees, retirees, dealers and suppliers from North Carolina sent 1,300 letters in support of state and federal transportation infrastructure funding since 2015. Nationally, that number soars to nearly 19,000 letters!