NPE 2008 Nashville!

In addition to choosing from more than 50 educational sessions, the almost 2,200 contractors attending this year's National Pavement Expo, Jan. 30 - Feb. 2 in Nashville, got an eyefull of equipment and products on one of the show's most diverse exhibit floors in years.

Here's just a sampling of what contractors saw as they made their way through the crowded aisles.

A first-time exhibitor at NPE, Kaplan Technology Products, Inc. showed off its new FastMeasure product which can "turn your vehicle into a giant measuring wheel." FastMeasure was developed for the paving industry and mounts in trucks, cars, on crack routers, and on concrete saws. Once mounted, the FastMeasure measures the distance the vehicle travels, which helps save time on measuring and estimating. Also on display (and able to be taken for a brief test ride) was the FastMeasure Scooter, which featured the measuring device attached to a motorized scooter as another lightweight option to measure and lay out patching and paving work.

Technical Coatings Inc. showcased its one-of-a-kind high build liquid thermoplastic Plastech at the show. This cold-applied thermoplastic can be applied with a conventional sprayer or airless machines and has a fast dry and cure time. Technical Coatings pitches Plastech as tough and abrasion resistant, with low VOC and high solids, and up to 120-mil buildup. They say it has excellent bead retention, has water and solvent base, and is great for nighttime reflectivity. Other products drawing interest at the Technical Coatings booth included Dura Stripe Aerosol Paint, Sharp Stripe machines, Aerosol Layout Chalk, Stampcrete asphalt and concrete overlays, and Supreme Curb Paint.

The new Cushotrac Clamp-On Track Pads from Superior Tire & Rubber Corp. are made for crawler cranes, excavators, trenchers, directional or vertical drills, or other steel-tracked construction equipment. The Cushotrac Clamp-On is designed to fit steel double or triple bar grouser shoes. Superior's ALS (Active Leveraging System) forces the dual clamps to continuously tighten, virtually eliminating track pad failure due to mechanical breakdown. The Cushotrac Clamp-On installs quickly and easily using two floating clamps and no drilling.

At Elgin Sweeper's exhibit contractors could get an operator's-eye view from the cab of the Eagle situated on the new UD3300 Nissan Diesel American chassis. Designed specifically to accommodate Elgin sweepers, the UD chassis was introduced on Elgin equipment to contractors at the National Pavement Expo West show last November. Standard features include right-hand steering, a three-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, and a vareity of operator comforts such as air conditioning and air-ride seats.

WEP Asphalt introduced to visitors at its booth the WEP Wizard crack cleaning tool, which WEP Wizard says was developed for contractors looking for a new way to clean cracks. They say the WEP Wizard is designed to help relieve physical stress and reduce hours spent on crack cleaning. The tool can be used on both concrete and asphalt commercial parking lots and residential driveways. Contractors can buy just the WEP Wizard or the tool and a complete tool kit, which includes a hose reel and 100-foot 3/8-inch hose, a steel skid platform, and an air compressor.

RoadKare International displayed its ADA warning mats and rubber traffic calming devices to all passersby. The detectable warnings can be useful for any contractor to help its customers meet ADA Accessibility Guidelines on a project. RoadKare offers contractors two types of detectable warning mats. The retrofit model glues to any dry surface. Another option is the insert model, which is placed directly into wet concrete. Also on display was RoadKare's rubber speed breakers. These speed bumps, made of recycled rubber, are secured to the road or parking lot surface using metal dowels.