I’ve never made a point of getting a photo of myself with a piece of equipment like some autograph hound after a celebrity, but I found myself doing just that with Michelin’s X-Tweel for skid steers . In 25 years of covering construction equipment, nothing this simple has ever impressed me with such a profound sense of impending paradigm shift. Demonstrations on Michelin’s proving...

Now that spring has finally sprung in the Midwest, a new energy is in the air. Everything is sprouting new life … trees, flowers and yes, even construction projects. I took note on a recent drive and sure enough, there is “green” all around in the form of sustainable construction projects. Take a look at these two local projects – both are located within an hour drive of our office...

One of the questions I often ask contractors is, “What keeps you up at night?” Over the years the answers have changed a little, but the core challenges that trouble many of the contractors I speak with are the economy, increasing profitability, finding and keeping good employees, maintaining a safe work site, and increased regulations. I suspect these issues are the most troubling for...

Caterpillar  and Komatsu worldwide dealer sales shrank for the third month in a row in February. Caterpillar makes a nifty report available to the public that details the change in dealer retail sales based on a monthly survey. Results are averaged over three months to portray a trend. The latest report dipped below the zero line for the third month in a row. Sales were down in the...

I've just returned from Scottsdale and the annual NAPA meeting. As always, it was a great time for learning, networking and getting inspired. Mountaineer Alison Levine , the keynote speaker on the first day of the meeting, has survived extreme environments and climbed every well-known mountain in the world including Mt. Everest (she did that one twice). She had a very pointed message – that...

I've been going to The Rental Show for 17 years. When I attended my first show -- 1996 in Anaheim, CA -- there was no such thing as United Rentals, the first wave of consolidation had yet to hit, and no one had even heard the phrase "Tier 4." It's hard for me to believe so many changes have happened and so much time has passed. Those of us who've been in the industry for many years have seen a...

Construction industry leaders are wasting little time in expressing their opinions about President Obama's State of the Union address last night. Already two major industry associations have issued statements. Pete Ruane, president and CEO of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association , was largely positive in his comments, expressing appreciation to the President for...

It's been almost three weeks since National Pavement Expo 2013 ended in Nashville -- enough time to let the euphoric buzz pass and take a hard look at what at the time seemed a very good show. And after letting things settle a bit what I've realized is... NPE 2013 was every bit as strong as it seemed at the time. Attendance was up 43% over 2011 in Memphis and up nearly as much over 2010. And the...