ForConstructionPros.com

"Everyone knows how difficult it is pulling tape off a roll, and with this machine you can unroll the tape at 10 mph, and a special roller presses the tape down so it doesn't move," Neuling says. "In fact we've found that the faster you run the straighter the tape is, so you can turn a 10-hour job into a one-hour job."

But manufacturers cautions that these types of devices likely won't help contractors save time working on small fast-food or convenience-store-type parking lots.

"There's not much time wasted walking back and forth because the truck is so close to the striper. Everything is right there and that will be a couple-of-hour job whether you push it or drive it," Neuling says. "But once you learn to use it you'll even use it on small lots."

And that, say all the manufacturers, is a key to getting the most out of these driver options. Malloy says to assure productivity improvements keep the tractor hooked up to the striping machine at all times.

"You want to drive it on and drive it off your trailer and use it on all your striping jobs once you've got it hooked up," Malloy says. "You don't want to be hooking and unhooking it all the time."