For Construction Pros

History-making Machine's Final Voyage

By Becky Schultz - Wednesday March 14, 2012

I came across a news item in the Sunday edition of the Wisconsin State Journal ("The Final Frontier", Associated Press, 3/11/12) discussing perhaps the most notable piece of equipment in our country's naval fleet, the USS Enterprise . The world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the "Big E" is actually the eighth U.S. ship to bear the name. Yet, it is without a doubt the most memorable for its history and longevity – not to mention its being immortalized in both television and film. Commissioned in late 1961, the massive vessel set out on its maiden voyage the following January, requiring 200,000+ hp to propel its 1,123-ft.-long mass at a top speed of 30+ knots. Designed to last 25 years, the historic warship is now...

Smartphone Apps and Your Business

By Kimberly Hegeman - Monday March 12, 2012

Technology is everywhere in our daily lives and in the construction industry. While some may be taking full advantage of what new technology can offer, others in the industry put it on the back burner. But if you're not at least exploring your options, you might be missing out on ways to improve your business and maybe even speed up your business processes. If you own or use a smartphone then you are probably familiar with apps. The amount and variety of apps available is endless, and new ones get created everyday. But apps just aren't games and entertainment related. There are quite a lot of business apps available - and many specific to the construction industry. Do a search on the Internet for top construction apps and you're find lots...

How No Snow Means More Maintenance Work

By Allan Heydorn - Tuesday March 6, 2012

Settled into an aisle seat of the smallest plane I'd ever flown, heading back from NPE in Memphis, I was lucky enough to sit next to Frank DeLuca, of A. DeLuca Paving in New Providence, NJ. Frank was also heading home -- via Chicago -- and it was a nice opportunity to learn about his 40-year-old business that provides everything from site prep, milling and paving to pavement maintenance and brick pavers. The company does driveways as well as commercial work and he had a plan to put in place as soon as he got to work. Turns out Old Man Winter has been relatively kind to New Jersey this year, and DeLuca says that means money budgeted for plowing snow and deicing streets and parking lots was still in the bank. That's especially true, he...

Why Caterpillar Sales are So Much Better than the Market

By Frank Manfredi - Wednesday February 29, 2012

The latest of Caterpillar's monthly dealer sales statistics showed a January increase of 47% in North America, following a 51% gain in December and 41% November gain (see the graph below). Cat aggregates and publishes these numbers for all of its global regions based on reports from the dealers. Data is in terms of constant dollars of unit sales compared with the same period in the previous year. The past three months' sales gains are remarkable for several reasons. First, I have been mystified since the beginning of 2011 by the strength of Caterpillar’s retail business in view of the fact that traditional markets underlying construction equipment demand are not that strong. Every economic recovery since World War II has been led by a...

"Take politics out of transportation!"

By Lisa Cleaver - Tuesday February 28, 2012

While Congress took a President's Day break in late February, Ray LaHood traveled to the sunny state of Florida to be the keynote speaker at this year's Preservation & Rehabilitation meeting in Bonita Springs sponsored by the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association (AEMA) , Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association (ARRA) , International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA) and the Pavement Preservation & Recycling Alliance (PPRA) . As he addressed the meeting, his frustration over the long and winding road the transportation bill has been on seemed palatable. There have been eight extensions spanning 880 days since the last long-term bill ran out. "If the people who are elected to Congress really want to put people to work...

NPE Hints at Encouraging 2012

By Allan Heydorn - Thursday February 23, 2012

One of the best things about attending National Pavement Expo -- or any industry event for that matter -- is the opportunity to connect face to face with many of the people who make the industry work. These informal in-the-hallway, on-the-exhibit-floor, or at-the-bar meetings provide for frank exchanges and can give a sense of what contractors and exhibitors from throughout the country are experiencing. Here's just some of what I learned last week at NPE in Memphis: * Preseason estimating is up. I can't tell you how many contractors told me they were doing more estimating earlier than they'd done in years -- and there is a good deal of optimism. Is this a sign of a resurgent economy? Property managers waiting as long as they could to...

Construction Safety Training Online

By Kimberly Hegeman - Tuesday February 21, 2012

The main goal of ForConstructionPros.com is to provide contractors and businesses in the construction industry with information, news, products and how-to articles they can incorporate into everyday life to help improve their businesses. One huge concern in the construction industry is safety. Contractors and businesses need to know how to keep their employees safe as well as what they need to do in order to be compliant with the changing safety rules and regulations. Contractors and businesses not only need to keep up to date on safety information, but they need to make sure their employees are trained for safety on the jobsite and how to safely use construction equipment. Even if an employee has been working in the industry for years...

Dwindling Gas Tax Revenues Equal Bumpy Roads Ahead

By Becky Schultz - Friday February 17, 2012

With all the discussion in Washington over proposed highway funding legislation, there seems to be an elephant in the room that everyone is trying to avoid – mainly, how will future investment in our roads, bridges and highways be funded long term? Current proposals, such as using funds resulting from the troop pullout in the Middle East or levying higher fees on offshore drilling, are stop-gap measures, not long-term fixes. An interesting blog from theatlantic.com points to the larger issue. In "Why Your Prius Will Bankrupt Our Highways" , author Jordan Weissmann points to the rather obvious problem with the current funding mechanism, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). The HTF is dependent upon the federal fuel tax as its primary revenue...

Occupational Health Risks in Road Paving

- Wednesday February 8, 2012

Last fall, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a statement assigning occupational exposures to straight-run asphalt cement and its emissions during road paving as "possibly carcinogenic to humans." This classification puts asphalt road paving in the same category as numerous exposures, including cell phones and coffee. During NAPA's recent annual meeting in Palm Desert, CA, a session was held discussing the IARC classification. "The asphalt paving industry has always taken questions about workers' health and safety seriously," said Mike Acott, NAPA president, during the session. "Our goal has always been, first and foremost, to protect the workers by reducing their exposure." But should you be concerned? I know...

A Unique Celebration

By Becky Schultz - Friday February 3, 2012

There are a lot of organizations that talk about "celebrating diversity" in the workplace, but only a handful really take action. Gilbane Building Company is apparently one of them. Last month, Gilbane kicked off its annual Diversity Week, a companywide focus on promoting and strengthening the role of diversity within its organization and the construction industry. This year's theme was "People. Power. Potential. Empowering All of Us Through Teamwork, Diversity and Inclusion." Gilbane issued the following statement from William J. Gilbane, Jr., president and chief operating officer, regarding its efforts: "Diversity is an important part of our strategic focus. During Diversity Week, we have fun together celebrating the strength that...