The Operations, Environmental & Safety Committee (OES) of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has named Jeffrey Hinkle, transportation manager of Chandler Concrete Company, Burlington, N.C., the 2017 Joseph E. Carpenter Award recipient. The award is named in honor of Joseph E. Carpenter of Rinker Materials, West Palm Beach, Fla., who was instrumental in the formation and early operation of the NRMCA Committee on Maintenance. The award was instituted in 1988 and is presented annually to persons who have demonstrated outstanding lifetime contributions to the ready mixed concrete industry in the fields of operations, environmental and safety.
Hinkle received the award for his longtime commitment to the OES Committee and the ready mixed concrete industry. He has been involved in the fleet maintenance industry for over 30 years, with the last 18 years coming in the ready mixed concrete industry while working for Chandler Concrete Company. He has been a key member of the OES Committee since 1998. He has served the committee in numerous leadership roles, including as vice chairman from 2012 -2014 and chairman from 2014-2016. He is one of the original developers of NRMCA’s National Mixer Driver Championship and has participated as a judge in every annual competition.
Hinkle has also been a speaker at several ConcreteWorks and NRMCA Safety Courses and a judge in the NRMCA Driver of the Year Award program. In 2013, he testified before Congress on behalf of NRMCA and the industry on the Hours of Service issue. His testimony is credited with helping to include the 30-minute break exemption that the ready mixed concrete industry currently enjoys, saving the industry literally millions of dollars each year. He was also instrumental in developing the NRMCA and the RMC Research & Education Foundation video entitled “A Day in the Life of a Ready Mixed Concrete Driver,” which is being used as a recruitment tool for finding mixer truck drivers. He is active in the Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association and the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association.
