Well . . .*sigh* . . . it's here. Summer's unofficial last week is upon us. Labor Day is next Monday and before you know it, the holidays will be ringing our doorbells needing lots of attention and . . .

. . .  let's not go there. Instead, let's give deserved props to under-appreciated Labor Day. In 1885, the labor movement lobbied for the first Monday in September to be designated as Labor Day. The holiday was "dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers who have contributed to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country" 

But like ranchers vs. cowboys, Deere vs. Cat, plain vs. peanut, who originally came up with the idea of Labor Day is a matter of dispute. 

In the "Better Late Than Never" file, the Tennessee Department of Transportation has been waiting since 1944 to complete a 16-mile section of the Foothills Parkway road, a scenic highway that feeds into Great Smoky Mountain National Park. News broke earlier this month that the Tennessee DOT will receive a $10 million grant from the US DOT to finish the project. Looks like the 72-year coffee break is over for the road crew. 

IronPlanet has plenty of yellow iron to get the job completed, as well as hundreds of truck and trailers. Preview the items now, and make your bid during the Thursday, August 25 auction. 

Quick now, what do these things have in common: Caterpillars. Excavators. Wasps. Wheel loaders. Crawler tractors.

In addition to being charismatic and really fun to watch, each of these items are yellow. Not for nothing, either - many insects and animals with yellow markings have evolved that way as a signal for others to pay attention to them.

Take this opportunity to preview the hundreds of truck and trailers in  IronPlanet's inventory, then make your bid during theThursday, August 25 auction. Volvos and Kenworths and Peterbilts - oh my!  Check them out:

2011 Freightliner Cascadia 125 T/A Conventional w/ Sleeper

Detroit DD15 14.8L Diesel Engine, 455 Adv Horsepower, Engine Brake, Eaton Fuller 10 Speed Manual Transmission, 228" Wheel Base, 12,000 lb. Front Axle, 35,132 lb. Rears, 72" Raised Roof Sleeper, Air Ride Cab, Air Ride Suspension, Sliding 5th Wheel, Cab Extenders, Side Fairings, Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Power Windows, Power Locks, Power Mirrors, Heated Mirrors, Dual High Back Seats, Multifunction Steering Wheel, Tilt Steering Wheel, Telescopic Steering Wheel, Sleeper Workstation, Dual Bunks, Sleeper Climate Controls, Auxiliary Power Unit, Power Inverter.

Frac Spreads, Well Service Rigs, Pick-up Trucks and 1, 2, and 3-Shank Rippers all selling at Auction

August is a heavy-duty month of activity for Kruse Energy with three sales in the oil field. August 9^th – 10^th drew 350+ people on-site to a successful end-of-summer sale in Midland-Odessa, Texas. With many more online, two frac spreads brought more than $4.5 million, combined. Bidders came from as far away as Russia, Europe, Venezuela, and as close as next door. What moved most? Kruse President, David Long, noted that the heavy sellers were frac spreads, oilfield service trucks, and well service rigs.

There's no such thing as a wimpy coal miner. The same goes for their equipment. Coming up in IronPlanet's August 25 auction, we'll feature excellent machinery:  Cat backhoe loaders, Cat wheel loaders, a Case excavator, many Cat crawler tractors, a Kenworth dump truck, and more hard-working equipment previously used in Kentucky's coal mines. And because mining stuff is cool, read this post to the end to learn about the mother of all excavators.

These items are available now to preview, along with the entire slate of IronPlanet's 1,000+ items up for bid in the August 25 auction. Be sure to read inspection reports. 

IronPlanet now offers buyers instant financing on equipment purchases with Express, by Currency Capital and financing options from Cat Financial. Instant financing, along with IronPlanet's IronClad Assurance® equipment condition certification is just another way IronPlanet helps its customers to buy online with confidence.

Don't miss our heavy equipment and truck auction tomorrow, Thursday, August 18, 2016. This week we are featuring great deals on hundreds of pieces of asphalt equipment, excavators, tractors and much more. Preview our selection of Freightliner, Peterbilt, and Volvo sleepers, all maintained by industry professionals. And you won't need to look far to find great deals on Komatsu excavators. All items are available now to preview, and be sure to read inspection reports.

Looking to finance? IronPlanet now offers buyers instant financing on equipment purchases with Express, by Currency Capital and financing options from Cat Financial. Instant financing, along with IronPlanet's IronClad Assurance® equipment condition certification is just another way IronPlanet helps its customers to buy online with confidence. 

As the Tool Time guys used to say, “the right truck for the right job.” Whether you’re transporting important goods for sale, the contents of a four-bedroom home, or helping your in-laws on an inspired project, the right vehicle is essential for keeping everything safe and on schedule. IronPlanet has a range of trucks and haulers available in its August 18 auction that will make any sized move as easy as possible.

Van or a Truck?

Moving trucks are perfect for large equipment delivery, transporting furniture, or moving offices. Moving trucks also have the capacity to tow trailers behind them, so if you need to move cargo and a vehicle, you can do it all in one trip with a solid moving truck. 

Sure, they're handsome and reliable, but excavators also have a lot of depth.

Excavators, aka diggers, aka shovels, are usually the first ones to the jobsite and the last to leave. In addition to digging the foundation and tidying up when the project is winding down, versatile excavators perform all kinds of jobs that require both strength and finesse.

Tearing down a house in a neighborhood without freaking out the neighbors.

Digging a very large pit can be an exercise in coordination with other machines.

The staff at IronPlanet loves a good backstory. Inspired by the selection of mixer trucks on this week's auction, we began thinking, "how did these machines, fascinating to both children and adults, come to be?" To understand the mixers, a little background in cement is helpful.

"I'm so over this."

The original cement haulers were the Egyptians. Around 3000 BC, the Egyptians mixed gypsum and lime to create mortar and immediately got to work on the pyramids.