The transportation and warehousing industry continues to lead as Indiana's fastest-growing business sector, and has been for over a decade now, but the companies, like many others, don't have enough employees.

The Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University said despite hiring bonuses and "help wanted" signs posted at trucking companies, too many jobs remain unfilled.

Carla Rogers, director of the center, said at the onset of the pandemic, the demand for goods could not keep up with the low supply of workers.

"We suddenly started getting more and more stuff delivered," Rogers recounted. "Instead of going to a store, we were getting it delivered. That needed more trucks, more truck drivers, more people in the warehouses to do the stocking."

Rogers pointed out Indiana's Department of Workforce Development has received federal money to create "WorkOne," an online center arranged by county where people can get information on choosing or changing a career, job training and apprenticeships.

She is also optimistic Indiana will continue to offer a "high school to community college to commercial training" pipeline for the next generation of workers in these fields.

Rogers thinks the trucking industry still has some barriers to address, to help people understand truck driving can be not only a safe experience, but also a well-paid career.

"We really ought to be looking at women, young people and people of color," Rogers urged. "These are the folks that could really benefit by what trucking is doing - and also train people up to become digitally literate."

According to the Business Research Center, between 2011 and 2021, Indiana's transportation and warehousing sector grew by almost 37%, adding more than 46,000 jobs, bringing the total number of statewide transportation and warehousing jobs to more than 171,000.


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Utah saw 13 railroad-crossing collisions that included three fatalities in 2020, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Railroad Administration.

Every five days, a child in the United States is killed in a train collision, said Buck Russel, manager of public safety for Union Pacific Railroad. So, Safe Kids Worldwide has new resources and materials to help raise awareness for families to prevent railroad-related injuries and deaths involving children.

Since 2018, Russel said, there's been a 35% increase nationwide in the number of trespassing collisions on railroads. He explained that railroads are private property, so people on railroad tracks are considered trespassers - not pedestrians.

"It's not a place to take wedding pictures, graduation pictures, record albums," he said. "They have that nostalgia feeling, the train tracks, they continue on forever into the sunset. But when you get on the train tracks, you're exhibiting those bad behaviors that our little ones are going to pick up on."

Russel encouraged Utahns to slow down and look both ways when approaching a railroad track, and said to expect a train "in any direction at any time." He reminded people that freight trains don't run on set schedules as passenger trains do.

Russel said a recent report released by Safe Kids Worldwide found that a majority of parents don't realize the importance of addressing railroad safety, despite the alarming statistics. Whether it is a railroad crossing or a collision on the tracks, he said nearly all incidents are preventable.

"Approximately every three hours, either a person or a vehicle is struck in the United States," he said. "I know personally, when I pass it on to my family members, they're just, like, 'There is no way it can be every three hours.' And it, unfortunately, really does come down to that."

Russel said most of the collision incidents take place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects around the country to improve railway safety.

Experts say consumer interest and sales of electric vehicles in Arizona and across the country aren't slowing down.

Arizona is among the top 10 states for EV auto registrations. Year-to-date, EV sales are up more than 50%, year over year, which Chris Harto, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports, said is impressive, considering how much fuel prices have come down. However, in Arizona, the average gas price is currently $4.25 per gallon - about 40 cents more than the national average - which may entice Arizona drivers to make the switch.

Harto said interest rates might also turn out to be a factor in sales.

"Interest rates have gone up quite a bit, and I think that is going to have an effect on the whole vehicle market, regardless of vehicle type," he said. "We're not quite seeing a slowdown, quite yet."

He said he suspects the market is still trying to adjust and "catch up" after EVs - and vehicles in general - have been in such limited supply in recent years. While many have speculated that EV inventories are high, Harto countered that the "EV only" companies - such as Polstar, Rivian and Tesla - report "very low inventory."

Harto said affordability is top of mind for many people shopping for an electric vehicle. Consumer Reports found 70% of EV sales so far this year have been from just nine models, all of which start at less than $45,000 when incentives are factored in. He also said he recognizes many are concerned about the lack of charging infrastructure, but said that is changing. Arizona has nearly 1,000 charging stations, although more are in the works.

"You definitely have a group of consumers who are waiting for the federal funds that are going out to the states to really build out that national charging network," he said, "to give them that little extra bit of confidence."

He said a number of new requirements have either limited or changed which EVs can qualify for tax credits. So, of course, those that are eligible for tax credits seem to be selling better than those that don't.


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Parking lots dominate the landscapes in many cities, but state lawmakers across the country are looking to reduce the number of unused parking spaces. More than a dozen states that considered ending or reducing parking mandates in 2023 legislative sessions, following Oregon's lead. Nearly every city in the U.S. requires a certain number of parking spaces be built for each new business and housing complex.

Michael Andersen, a senior researcher with Sightline Institute, a Northwest think tank focused on sustainability, said policymakers are reconsidering past efforts to overbuild parking lots.

"People are saying, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute, there are a bunch of unintended consequences here," he explained. "There are a bunch of longer-term side effects of building our cities with these expanses of parking lots everywhere. Let's let cities evolve as they will.'"

Andersen added creating too many lots has environmental, social and economic costs. The boom in legislation, from Vermont to Oklahoma, addressing this issue comes after Oregon approved a law last year reducing parking mandates. In the state's eight largest metro areas, mandates are eliminated completely in certain situations, such as within a half-mile of frequent public transit.

Andersen said this issue is an extension of the larger housing affordability problem gripping cities both big and small and added the upsurge in telecommuting that accompanied the pandemic prompted a large migration of people from big to small.

"These housing shortages have rapidly become more bipartisan because they're manifesting in new areas, and I think people are just looking for ways to cut the cost of housing," he said.

California also eliminated or reduced parking mandates last year.