Asphalt Pro - August 2022

Aggregates Issue

asphaltPRO PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS

Reducing Upstream Scope 3 Emissions

• • • • •

3D Fabrication Delivery Kokosing Goes All In RAP Crushing Tips Driver Pay Rules Zonar Tracks

AUGUST 2022 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

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CONTENTS

asphaltPRO August 2022

DEPARTMENTS

18

EDITOR’S LETTER 6 – This Too Shall Pass

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT

8 – Drone Safely Over the Paving Train

By Sarah Redohl

MIX IT UP

12 – Kokosing Goes All in with Evotherm WMA

By Patty Jazwiecki

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

14 – Larsen Shares RAP Crushing Tips From EvoQuip

WOMEN OF ASPHALT

28 – Meet a Woman of Asphalt: NSSGA and Bond Construction’s Karen Hubacz

By Sandy Lender

14

24

INTERNATIONAL SNAPSHOT 32 – International 3D Parts

By AsphaltPro Staff

PRODUCT GALLERY

34 – Sripath PGXpand® Used to Reduce Rutting in India From Sripath Technologies Aggregates Issue

asphaltPRO

NEW TECH

42 – Zonar SightIQ Provides Aggregate Operations Analytics

By Sarah Redohl

OFF THE MAT

44 – Retroactively Claim ERTC

By Sarah Redohl

PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS

FEATURE ARTICLES 18 – Aggregates Help Pave the Road Forward A look into scope 3 emissions reductions for aggregates sourcing

By Sandy Lender

46 – Material Suppliers and DOL Changes

By Jay Hansen

24 – Digitize Aggregate Practices

By Kerry Dougan

HHIW

26 – Creating a Fun and Educational Experience

By Therese Dunphy

50 – Astec’s Ranger J20 Mobile Crusher

Reducing Upstream Scope 3 Emissions

• 3D Fabrication Delivery • Kokosing Goes All In • RAP Crushing Tips • Driver Pay Rules • Zonar Tracks

AUGUST 2022 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

ON THE COVER

Clarence Sands, Sydney, Australia, recycles 90% of its water when washing sand at its Blue Mountains site with its new Terex plant.

See related article on page 18. Photo courtesy of Terex Washing Systems

E D I TO R ' S L E T T E R

This Too Shall Pass

August 2022 • Vol. 15 No. 10

A

fter preparing a handful of angstfilled editor notes detailing the effects precision schedule railroading (PSR) has on the supply of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and petroleum, flipping out about a government to our south preventing aggregate production for Summit Materials, and suggesting a federal gas tax holiday gives us no actual relief now in exchange for big problems later, I recognized I was being a bit too negative. I was debating whether to quote Otto Von Bismarck.

You all know I’m getting into dark and foreboding territory when I’m quoting the first chancellor of the German Empire amid it all.

We have enough negativity without a magazine editor pointing out challenges.

What I’d like to do here is remind professionals in the asphalt industry: this too shall pass. That’s not a trite expression from a Southern Belle or someone’s grandmother.

It’s a truism I’d like to hear more of us put on repeat.

The asphalt industry has seen ups and downs in prices of materials—some of those highs have been in recent memory. I’ll point to the summer of 2008 and quickly move on.

We’ve fought multiple battles in Washington for transportation bills to become law for the survival of not just our industry, but also our infrastructure system. Our proactive task forces have engineered safeguards that protect workers from fume and silica dust at the job site. We’re not strangers to adversity.

We’re problem solvers.

Allow me to pull one sentiment from the notes I prepped for this aggregates issue of AsphaltPro and share how the state of Florida is showing off its problem-solving chops.

During spring 2022, it became “difficult” to acquire a reliable stream of aggregate for projects in different portions of the state.

One producer shared that it felt like playing a game of whack-a-mole to get the railroads to deliver rock and lime in a timely fashion.

The problem, which Tim Carter, director of quality control at P&S Paving, Daytona Beach, stated succinctly, is the supply chain issues we’re facing nationally have manifested in the inability to sustain regular, reliable shipments of aggregates into the state. One solution, Carter shared, is the cooperation of industry and Florida DOT.

6 | AUGUST 2022

asphaltPRO 602 W. Morrison, Box 6a Fayette, MO 65248 (573) 823-6297 • www.theasphaltpro.com GROUP PUBLISHER Chris Harrison chris@ theasphaltpro.com PUBLISHER Sally Shoemaker sally@theasphaltpro.com (573) 823-6297 Editor Sandy Lender snapped this photo of her local WAWA gas price signage and saved the photographic evidence for posterity.

This is in Citrus County, Florida, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020.

For example, the DOT is allowing up to 45% RAP in polymer-modified mixes as of press time, which lessens the burden of acquiring virgin materials. Carter told me the state association and DOT work together, “throwing mud against the wall” to see what sticks and to come up with ideas that will lessen pain for the contractor while safeguarding quality for the taxpayers.

That kind of cooperative spirit showed up in the price escalators built into contracts “back in the day” and continued today for many states. That kind of cooperative spirit sees co-workers carpooling to work and job sites to save on fuel; sees plant managers developing creative conveyance systems to ensure material gets from Point A to Point B most efficiently around the quarry and plant; sees trucking foremen planning routes so mix is delivered with least fuel consumption; and so on.

Like I said above, this industry is made up of problem solvers who have seen and survived difficult times. The good news is the cooperative and creative businesses will make it through again. Those owners know, this too shall pass.

Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender

EDITOR Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613 DIGITAL EDITOR Sarah Redohl sarah@theasphaltpro.com (573) 355-9775 MEDIA SALES Cara Owings cara@theasphaltpro.com (660) 537-0778 ART DIRECTOR Kristin Branscom BUSINESS MANAGER Susan Campbell (660) 728-5007

AsphaltPro is published 11 times per year.

Writers expressing views in AsphaltPro Magazine or on the AsphaltPro website are professionals with sound, professional advice. Views expressed herein are not necessarily the same as the views of AsphaltPro, thus producers/contractors are still encouraged to use best practices when implementing new advice.

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S A F E T Y S P OT L I G H T

Kelly recommends keeping a safe distance from the paving train when flying a drone on the job site, adding that it’s easy to crop in on a photo after the fact while still flying at a distance. Photo courtesy of James Kelly

Drone Safely Over the Paving Train

BY SARAH REDOHL

Editor’s Note: It is recommended to review the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) website for regulations related to implementing drones on your job site or plant (faa.gov/uas) and to note there may be additional state and local regulations. It is each pilot's responsibility to ensure that every flight falls within the legal practices deemed by applicable governing bodies and manufacturer guidelines.

A

ccording to a recent survey of construction companies by Dodge Data & Analytics, 37% of contractors are currently using drones on their job sites, with an additional 6% expecting to begin use in the future.

AsphaltPro has previously covered the use of drones for stockpile management and production forecasting, and even for delivery of 3D-printed asphalt repairs. But the use cases of drones on construction job sites are numerous.

During a recent webinar from the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), Yiye Xu of Oregon State Universi8 | AUGUST 2022

ty outlined some additional use cases for drones in construction: mapping and surveying, site layout planning, security surveillance, logistics management, site communication, monitoring of project progress, quality and safety, post-construction inspections and documentation.

James Kelly, superintendent of the asphalt construction division at C.W. Matthews Contracting, Marietta, Georgia, said the company regularly uses drones on its paving jobs for tracking progress and as a marketing tool. Kelly tries to fly his drone at least once a week to capture content for his growing social media following (@JamesPavesIt and @CW_Matthews on Instagram).

“Growing up, I always wanted to see what it was like [to work on a paving crew doing heavy civil construction],” Kelly said. “Now, I get to show what we do every day and tell that story.”

Not only does he see the photos and videos he captures as a marketing tool to attract talent, but also as an employee engagement tool. “Our crews think it’s so cool to be able to see the work they did that day,” Kelly said. “It gives them more buy-in and a sense of pride in their accomplishments.”

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S A F E T Y S P OT L I G H T

“DRONES CAN PRESENT A SAFETY HAZARD IF THE PILOT ISN’T FOLLOWING CORRECT SAFETY PROTOCOLS, JUST LIKE A DRIVER WHO IS SPEEDING ALSO PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD. BUT IF YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO, FLYING A DRONE ON THE JOB SITE IS PERFECTLY SAFE.”—JAMES KELLY The company also regularly hires outside drone pilots to capture progress photos to share with the Georgia Department of Transportation and across teams, a use Kelly expects will continue to grow within C.W. Matthews and throughout the industry. “Drones offer a very different perspective compared to the photos you can take on the ground,” he said. “Those are great for capturing details, but drones can capture scope. I can see a whole mile of road versus just 500 or so feet in front of me.”

Kelly also anticipates that the company will use drones for logistics and surveying applications in the near future, adding that new apps and software are making those practices more accessible.

“I think we’re going to see a huge increase of drone use on asphalt paving job sites,” he said. “It’s no secret that asphalt is laid in large areas, and one of the best ways to tell that story is to show the whole perspective.”

DRONES FOR SAFETY, SAFETY FOR DRONES

Although drones offer a number of benefits, they may also present the potential for new hazards, said Masoud Gheisari, assistant professor at the Rinker School of Construction Management at University of Florida.

“The integration of drones in construction is great, but at the same time, it introduces new safety issues that might make construction even more dangerous than before,” Gheisari said. He’s been studying how drones can be used for construction safety inspections and to monitor safety hazards on construction sites, but also how to ensure safe integration of drones on job sites.

According to Xu, who has been working on a study to measure and mitigate the safety risks of using drones in construction alongside Yelda Turkan, potential incident scenarios include crash/collision, distraction, and psychological or physical stress.

Not only could drones crash or collide, Xu said, but they might distract workers from the task at hand and could also increase psychological or physical stress among workers resulting in long-term health implications.

“There is a psychological impact you put on workers by having drones flying on top of them, and we need to understand that,” Gheisari said. On all projects where Gheisari collected data, at least a couple workers expressed concern about their work being recorded or their productivity being monitored.

“The construction industry is one of the fastest adopters of drone tech and is seeing firsthand how such disruptive technology changes 10 | AUGUST 2022

the construction world,” Gheisari said, “but we need to further study different risks and challenges those drones present to job sites.”

BEST PRACTICES FROM THE FIELD

According to Kelly, the most significant challenge to using drones on construction job sites relates to licensing and regulation compliance. “The drone industry is still in its infancy, especially for commercial applications,” he said. “The regulations are changing all the time. You have to do your research if you want to do this commercially without finding yourself in trouble.”

For example, if you’re flying a drone in any commercial capacity—which includes capturing photos and videos for social media or to share with owners/agencies, Kelly said—the pilot needs a commercial drone license. Other requirements might include developing and even submitting a flight plan to the FAA or receiving special permissions to fly in certain areas.

Flight plans take into consideration a number of factors, including weather conditions and visibility; airspace constraints such as proximity to airports, military installations, or government buildings that may prohibit drone use nearby; and obstacles between ground level and the height of the drone flight in order to establish a safe flight path.

Kelly said having a flight plan can minimize the risk of fly-away events, which can sometimes happen if a drone loses signal with the pilot. “A legal flight is one you can control, see and manage,” he said.

Kelly also recommends taking off and landing from a safe location to minimize the risk of kicking up dust or particulate matter, and keeping a safe distance from people. Kelly also suggests communicating with all the staff in the area to make sure they’re comfortable with a drone flying overhead taking photos/videos.

“Drones can present a safety hazard if the pilot isn’t following correct safety protocols, just like a driver who is speeding also presents a safety hazard,” Kelly said. “But if you do everything you’re supposed to do, flying a drone on the job site is perfectly safe.”

LEARN MORE As part of CPWR’s Small Studies program, Rod Handy of the University of Utah has been investigating nebulizer-retrofitted drone deployment at construction sites as a possible solution to remove particulate matter from the air and assist with heat stress.

During the summer of 2021, a water misting drone was deployed at two residential construction sites in Utah on the corner of the Mojave Desert.

On 12 pilot test runs, Handy’s team discovered the use of water misting drones resulted in a wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) reduction of 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit compared to preflight and post-flight measurements. “This appears to support previous studies employing stationary nebulizers at construction sites,” Handy said. In terms of particulate matter, Handy added, “The air was not significantly cleaner than prior to the misting event.”

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MIX IT UP

Kokosing Goes All in with Evotherm WMA

BY PATTY JAZWIECKI

E

arlier this year, the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) unveiled The Road Forward initiative, which encourages and pushes the industry to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Some saw this program as a mountain to climb, while others saw it as an opportunity to improve and enhance their asphalt mix designs to create a more sustainable, longer-lasting product.

One company that saw opportunity was Kokosing Materials Inc. (KMI), an asphalt producer headquartered in Ohio. KMI saw The Road Forward as the perfect way to improve its asphalt mix design and further its own sustainability goals. Already a leader in the industry when it comes to sustainability, reaching allowed recycling limits and incorporating odor/emission-reducing products as shown in the 2019 article “Kokosing Materials Inc. is a Good Neighbor,” KMI took the step of going 100% warm-mix asphalt (WMA) at its 18 plants in Ohio using Evotherm® WMA technology from Ingevity, North Charleston, South Carolina.

Evotherm’s unique chemistry is designed to allow asphalt application at a temperature that is 50-90°F lower than traditional hot-mix asphalt. By lowering temperatures at its plants, KMI is poised to reduce carbon emissions, lower its overall costs, and further eliminate fumes and blue smoke at its job sites. As an added benefit for KMI, incorporating Evotherm into its mix has been shown to produce a better binder quality, creating a more workable mix and a better pavement design.

“Ingevity’s Evotherm technology will provide numerous benefits at our locations and paving projects throughout Ohio,” Lee Schloss, president of KMI, said. “Using Evotherm will allow us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, provide several asphalt mix benefits, and reduce our overall carbon footprint. Additionally, we can pave in colder weather, which will extend our paving season for the Department of Transportation and our private customers.”

BENEFITS OF WMA

For years, industry leaders have been using more WMA. The benefits of WMA technologies like Evotherm go beyond simply reducing carbon emissions. Lowering production temperatures also creates a fume-free work environment for crews and surrounding businesses.

By eliminating blue smoke, producers can improve employee retention by demonstrating a commitment to their health and wellness.

Additionally, Evotherm WMA has been shown to improve compaction and extend the life of the road by up to 30%. This increased longevity provides state DOTs with savings that can be used on additional paving projects, creating additional work for asphalt producers. Using a WMA like Evotherm also extends the paving season 12 | AUGUST 2022

A Kokosing Materials Inc paving crew uses warm-mix asphalt technology to pave with reduced temperatures, reduced fume in the field. Photo courtesy of KMI

well into the colder months, allows for long-distance hauling and reduces fuel consumption.

“Ingevity’s portfolio of paving products is designed with sustainability in mind,” Andrew Crow, vice president of Ingevity’s Pavement Technologies, said. “Incorporating Evotherm into a mix design and lowering the temperatures is an easy way to meet new industry standards and government regulations. We are seeing an increase in the number of states that are requesting producers to use WMA to increase the longevity of the road, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce costs. Partnering with forward-thinking companies like KMI and incorporating Evotherm into more mix designs will only strengthen the industry.”

WORKING TO EXCEED INDUSTRY STANDARDS

Recently, Ingevity published an environmental product declaration (EPD) for its Evotherm M1 formulation and became the first chemical additive supplier to be included in NAPA’s Emerald Eco-Label tool. The tool is a web-based software program that allows asphalt mix producers to develop verified plant-specific and mix-specific EPDs that quantify the environmental impacts of the asphalt mixes, helping asphalt producers assist their customers in meeting their environmental goals. Integrating Ingevity’s EPD for Evotherm M1 into the Emerald Eco-Label tool provides upstream data for asphalt mixes that contain Evotherm M1.

Ultimately, the goal for the industry is to engage more companies like KMI and encourage them to make the switch to WMA. The use of WMA additive products like Evotherm will be critical as the industry strives to meet The Road Forward goals that NAPA outlined at the beginning of the year.

Patty Jazwiecki is the senior marketing communications manager for Ingevity, North Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, contact her at (301) 801-7000 or visit https://www.ingevity.com/ featured-products/evotherm/

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P R OJ E C T M A N AG E M E N T

Larsen Shares RAP Crushing Tips FROM EVOQUIP

L

arsen Dirtworks LLC, Foreston, Minnesota, prides itself on helping customers run smooth and lucrative operations. A recent project making 1-inch minus reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) for shouldering in Magregor for County Route 3 helped showcase how that work comes together.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Larsen Dirtworks has been running an EvoQuip Cobra 230R impact crusher with an integrated afterscreen system. President Mark Larsen identified some of the advantages this machine offers the company’s operations for a range of applications.

Those applications? The company crushes for contractors and utilities companies in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. They see the benefit in reusing the material on job sites and eliminating trucking. For RAP jobs, Larsen crews typically make 5/8-inch minus product on the Cobra 230R, with production of up to 215 TPH. On concrete crushing jobs, they typically make 18-inch minus infeed resulting in a product of 1 ½-inch minus with production of up to 200 TPH.

APRON SETTINGS

Larsen said that the ability to adjust apron settings, depending on the application, makes a huge difference to them as settings for concrete and asphalt crushing are different. For the shouldering project on CR 3, they had the aprons set at 1 inch and 2 inches with two up and two down.

He also spoke of the ease of adjusting the aprons. “It takes longer to wait for the rotor to stop than it does to adjust them, and it’s so quick and easy.” Aprons can be controlled by remote control from the excavator. He stated that this significantly increases uptime and reduces blockages.

They pre-screened the material for the CR 3 project and were able to reduce the wear cost and increase the production numbers—they went from 200-225 TPH without pre-screening to close to 400 TPH with pre-screening, Larsen shared.

Changing screen media is “quick” as well. “It is super easy to change screens in the machine and they can be changed in under an hour,” Larsen said. “In jobs where no screen is required, we can remove the closed-circuit system in five to six minutes. We also have the ability to unload and be crushing in 45 minutes.”

TEMPERATURE CONSIDERATIONS

Tonnage and temperature play a role in a job’s efficiency.

Larsen has found that on job sites where there is less than 10,000 tonnes, the Cobra 230R can bring savings with its mobility. Jobs can cost over $10,000 in mobilization for portable setups. He shared: “We find we can save up to 70% on mobilization for our contractors 14 | AUGUST 2022

Larsen Dirtworks LLC has been running an EvoQuip Cobra 230R impact crusher for applications such as reinforced concrete, recycled asphalt, construction and demolition waste, and natural rock. The integrated afterscreen system on the Cobra 230R is designed to achieve the required product spec while oversize material is either recirculated for crushing or stockpiled.

and it is a fast setup to begin work quickly. The Cobra 230R can be tracked between multiple piles in minimal time and the machine can be adjusted to make a variety of products depending on the contractor’s needs.”

QUICK TIP: Larsen suggested: If your material has a lot of fines in it, try cleaning twice a day—once at lunchtime and once at the end of the shift.

He also commented on timing, as it relates to weather conditions, to get optimum production.

“RAP is easier to process below 70 degrees [ambient] because it gets gummy at higher temperatures.”

Larsen shared that in higher ambient temperatures, the team will see better production and fracturing early in the day. He also shared that it’s very important for crushing contractors to remember to clean out the chamber at the end of the day as well as cleaning the radiator. He shared that with the Terex chamber, this cleaning is fairly simple, but is essential.

If your material has a lot of fines in it, Larsen recommended cleaning it twice a day—typically at lunch and end of day. For the CR 3 project, the material was dry and there was notably less buildup on the inside of the chamber. The pre-screening helped remove build-up as well.

For more information, contact EvoQuip, a Terex brand, via gemma. mckelvey@terex.com.

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AGGREGATES HELP PAVE THE ROAD FORWARD A look into scope 3 emissions reductions for aggregates sourcing

The Plattsburgh location for Colas Inc. boasts an efficient layout for optimum traffic patterns, most efficient fuel use, and least amount of dust production. Photo courtesy of Colas Inc.

A

BY SANDY LENDER

At the World of Asphalt/AGG1 combined conferences and tradeshows in Nashville this spring, multiple vendors showcased their offerings for introducing a new—or enhancing an existing—recycling component to your vertically integrated asphalt operation. Whether that takes the form of crushing recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), adding a cold central recycling plant to your equipment fleet, or one of the many other recycling related technologies and methodologies practiced within our industry, the options presented in both educational seminars and across the sold-out tradeshow floor gave attendees plenty of opportunity to consider how the new technologies and methodologies could assist on The Road Forward.

Vertically integrated contractors investigate more than their recycling operations. Quarry managers seek new and enhanced options for lowering a carbon footprint and raising an environmental credit score, within the framework of doing business before and after The Road Forward’s launch.

THE SCOPE OF AN INITIATIVE

The Road Forward is the initiative the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) set for the industry during its 67th annual meeting in Scottsdale. The plan outlines four industry goals to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 that include: • achieving net zero carbon emissions during asphalt production and construction by 2050 (scope 1 emissions); 18 | AUGUST 2022

• partnering with customers to reduce emissions through pavement quality, durability, longevity, and efficiency standards by 2050 (downstream scope 3 emissions); • developing a net zero materials supply chain by 2050 (upstream scope 3 emissions); and • transitioning to electricity from renewable energy providers in support of net zero carbon electricity generation by 2050 and reducing electrical intensities (scope 2 emissions).

For this article, we’ll focus on the third bullet point and its further explanation from NAPA’s printed materials, which state: “Supplier partnerships and net zero commitments are critical for the industry to achieve net zero carbon emissions. What the industry asks of and gets from its suppliers counts toward its own net zero goal.”

The tactics for accomplishing this third industry goal include, but are not limited to, engaging “with upstream suppliers to accelerate emission reductions in the material supply chain.”

While the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association (NSSGA) declined to comment on how its membership is assisting the asphalt industry in lowering its upstream scope 3 emissions to develop a net zero materials supply chain by 2050, there are copious examples available of aggregates producers already participating in environmental stewardship best practices and emissions reduction. As mentioned above, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are supplying the equipment to help. Materials suppliers are on point as well.

One example outlined in the August 2020 issue of AsphaltPro showed O&G Industries, Torrington, Connecticut, had not only in-

stalled the first of three solar panel arrays for its Southbury quarry, but the company was leading the way as the first asphalt company to sign up for the ENERGY STAR® industrial program with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and NAPA’s pilot project. And as you’ll see herein, aggregates managers and suppliers are doing their part to reduce emissions in an already low-emissions industry.

Joseph Shacat, director, sustainable pavements for NAPA, explained: “The good news is that the carbon footprint of aggregate production tends to be very low...”

Even with a low carbon footprint, the aggregates industry is an important one for partnership.

“Even though aggregates make up the bulk of an asphalt mix by weight, their impact on the overall carbon footprint of an asphalt mix is minimal in most cases,” Shacat continued. “With that said, we recognize the importance of engaging with upstream suppliers to the industry and we had a good initial conversation with NSSGA on this topic during World of Asphalt in March.

“We’re also making efforts to align the environmental product declaration (EPD) programs between the two industries where feasible and appropriate. For example, during the recent revision of the Product Category Rules (PCR) for Asphalt Mixtures, we adopted the allocation approach for slag aggregates as defined in the PCR for aggregates. Two of the members from NAPA’s PCR Committee are currently serving on the PCR Committee for aggregates, with one of them actually serving as the chair.”

WEB EXTRA Learn how a Harsco Environmental company incorporates slag in the United Kingdom with “SteelPhalt Gives Slag a Second Life” from the February 2022 issue. https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/ steelphalt-gives-steel-slag-a-second-life/

MITIGATE INDIRECT CONSEQUENCES

NAPA is also looking at the indirect effects of aggregates on emissions, such as absorption rates and residual moisture content requiring additional binder contents and additional drying times, respectively. Shacat explained this.

“Although the carbon footprint of aggregate production is fairly low, the indirect effects of aggregates tend to be more significant. For example, highly absorptive aggregates require a higher asphalt binder content, which can have a bigger impact on the carbon footprint of an asphalt mix than the aggregate itself. Another indirect impact is the residual moisture content of washed aggregates, which increases the amount of energy needed to dry the aggregates during asphalt mix production.”

One of these concerns is being addressed by Colas Inc. and is discussed below.

“Emissions associated with transporting aggregates can also be significant, depending on the distance between the quarry and the asphalt plant, as well as the transportation mode utilized,” Shacat continued.

“In markets with limited availability of local aggregates, the most effective emission reduction strategies from an asphalt mix perspective center around reducing the impacts of aggregate transport. In these markets, emission reduction tactics include use of alternative transport modes (rail or barge), and use of locally derived RAP and other recycled aggregates.”

Seminars over the past few years have introduced the concept of modifying mix designs to incorporate local aggregates to not only reduce

costs for agencies but also to reduce transportation-related emissions. If a local aggregate can be proven to perform, an agency may be convinced to make a spec change to a project.

Take the AASHTO PP83 for micro surfacing mix design as one example. Even before a pre-construction meeting, owner agencies will take into consideration changes to the mix design. Jim Moulthrop, a past executive director for the Foundation for Pavement Preservation (FP2) and an author of the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) “Guide Specifications for the Construction of Chip Seals, Micro Surfacing and Fog Seals (NCHRP 14-27),” stated during a TRB webinar that field adjustments to the micro surface mix design are allowed if they are within the overall tolerances set forth in the job mix formula (JMF); changes can be submitted to an owner agency for consideration before work begins.

In other words, if a contractor or agency needs to submit a change order to incorporate a local aggregate for the purpose of reducing

LEARN MORE Track the Scope of Legislation Normative, a company that partners with climate change organizations, has launched an app to help businesses stay compliant with fast changing carbon legislation in the European Union, United Kingdom and United States. The free software is a carbon legislation tracker, which covers existing and upcoming legislation in some of the main markets for many businesses, including: • The EU’s CSRD, which will require all large EU businesses to report their full scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions; • The UK’s TCFD and SECR, requiring all large UK businesses to report emissions, including scope 1, 2, and (in the case of TCFD) very often also scope 3; and • The SEC’s recent proposal, that would require all publicly traded U.S. companies to disclose scope 1, 2, and typically also scope 3 emissions.

“Staying up to date with the changing legislative environment can be tricky. That is why we developed the tracker, to make carbon accounting accessible and easy for all businesses,” explained Kristian Rönn, CEO and co-founder of Normative, the world's first carbon accounting engine and the organization behind the tool.

The Carbon Legislation Tracker will be continuously updated to deliver a real-time snapshot of the legislative environment.

Normative provides science-based carbon accounting software and tailored advice from net zero experts, enabling companies to reduce their carbon footprints. “Many businesses want to do well but lack the resources or knowledge to do so, and this can result in involuntary greenwashing. At Normative we want to help enterprises and their value chains to do the right thing with accurate and truthful carbon emission accounting,” Rönn concluded.

For more information, visit https://normative.io/ carbon-legislation/.

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 19

Dossing sludge with flocculant increases the speed at which clean water can be recycled back into the wash plant for Clarence Sands, Sydney, Australia. Photo courtesy of Terex Washing Systems

transportation-related emissions, this is not unheard of. The onus will be on the agency, of course, to ensure the local aggregate can perform as well as the original/specified aggregate to achieve the long-lasting pavement or treatment, which would lead us to the second bullet point in our list above—downstream scope 3 emissions.

No one wants to trade one emissions source now for a worse emissions source later.

SUPPLIERS LESSEN DIRECT EMISSIONS

“As for direct emission reductions for aggregate production, the most effective strategies will likely focus on electrifying processes that rely on combustion of fuels, such as heavy equipment operation, and purchasing electricity from cleaner sources,” Shacat said.

As mentioned above, O&G Industries was leading the charge in clean electricity sourcing with its first of three solar arrays in 2020.

The team at Colas USA, with headquarters based in New Jersey, has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by at least 30% by the year 2030, according to Brent Morrey, director of aggregate performance for Colas Inc. He shared specifically that this is a group initiative to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and an objective that has been launched in all countries and within all business activities in which they operate, including aggregates.

Morrey wrote: “Over the last few years, Colas has embarked on a journey to strengthen its overall aggregates position, which includes improving plant efficiencies and taking a more proactive role in reducing both energy and water consumption at our facilities. Although quarries have a much smaller carbon footprint to other construction materials activities, there are still many ways we can reduce our environmental impact, and actions are currently underway within all our subsidiaries in the United States to do just that.”

Shacat pointed to measuring or analyzing a company’s status as something NAPA has noticed. “One example of a trend that we are seeing with some of the publicly traded, vertically integrated companies in our industry is an effort to improve their approaches to quantifying GHG emissions. For example, Granite Construction’s 2021 Sustainability Report discusses their efforts to improve the data collection processes. They are also expanding the scope of their GHG emissions reporting to include scope 2 emissions, the upstream emis20 | AUGUST 2022

sions associated with purchased electricity. Similarly, the Summit Materials 2021 Sustainability Report indicates that they’re measuring energy consumption to improve energy efficiency in aggregate production. This underscores the notion that you can’t manage what you don’t measure, so the first step in reducing emissions is to establish a baseline that can be used to measure progress.”

The Colas Inc. team started with an analysis approach to determine the optimum way forward.

Morrey wrote: “It is no surprise that the largest share of energy in our quarries comes from fuel, even when excluding outbound freight.

Before jumping to new technologies and equipment, we first wanted to analyze the layout of our operations in general and to look for ways of reducing haul distances involved in moving materials. This simplistic approach has resulted in a significant reduction of fuel and overall energy consumption. Over the last two years, modifications were made to many of our sites including changing internal traffic patterns, rebuilding haul roads and ramps within the quarries, and moving processing equipment closer to our extraction zones. Some of our installations are quite old and although they are well maintained and run perfectly well, they may have been built without thinking of the things we are today in terms of carbon footprint. Stockpiling is a great example of this, where we are looking at conveying and stacking systems to increase our stockpile capacities and in turn, minimize or eliminate the use of loaders and trucks to stock finished materials.

“The most obvious thing that everyone thinks of when it comes to carbon reductions in our business is the replacement or conversion of trucks and loaders to ones that are more energy-efficient, such as hybrid and/or electric machines. We are looking at this and we have a couple such units within our fleet today that are working out great. We do realize however that we cannot change all our machines at once, and we are working together with our suppliers to help identify the most energy-efficient equipment for our applications. We also want to ensure that we are using the right-sized equipment that matches the production and shipping goals we intend to meet. Given some of the changes mentioned above, we have been able to reduce our total fleet needs and been able to downsize some of the machines that were historically in use. This has been a complete shift in mindset from the ‘bigger is better’ notion that may have existed in the past.

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“When it comes to water usage, we are continuously looking at ways to reduce our consumption. We are looking at areas where traditional washing of aggregates can be replaced with a dry processing solution, and we have eliminated the need for water completely at a few of our locations. In some of our deposits, however, this has proved challenging, and so ways to consume less water in the process and reduce the water content in our finished products are then explored, which is also something that is welcomed by our customers. We continue to develop water recycling solutions at our facilities, especially at our sand operations, and in areas where water has become scarce. Simple things such as minimizing the number of transfer points by reducing the total number of conveyors at some of our larger facilities has also resulted in less dust creation, and the need for water for dust control is obviously reduced if there are fewer of them to begin with.

“Colas just hosted a global convention in Montreux, Switzerland, with the theme ‘Colas in Motion’ reinforcing our CSR corporate objectives launched in 2021 with A.C.T., which stands for Act and Commit Together. We got to see many ways in which our sister companies all over the world are tackling such important topics including energy consumption and energy production within our aggregates portfolio.

Much is being done on a global scale within Colas when it comes to so-

lar-power generation, and also in the use of gravity force to help power conveying systems. We have over 20 ongoing projects in France, Indian Ocean and the UAE that involve contributing power to a grid, and in some cases where the energy produced on site is being used to help power our processing facilities.

“We are not yet 100% carbon neutral, but there are many things our company and our subsidiaries are doing that are steps in the right direction, which not only provide environmental benefits, but economic ones as well. Working in a global company under a decentralized structure has allowed us to find creative solutions to a common issue. Our objective is the same, but how we get there may be different. There is a strong combination of eagerness and optimism on this topic within Colas, and I’m excited to see what the next few years will bring as our operations continue to be transformed.”

For the industry overall, the next few years promise to bring clean and pristine operations across the board for asphalt and aggregate operations. That translates to excitement for some, anxiety for some, but opportunity for all. That opportunity should see an industry marching toward climate stewardship optimization with suppliers like those in the aggregates industry easily assisting in net zero materials supply chain goals.

LEARN MORE Recycle Water for Sand Processing Clarence Sands, Sydney, Australia, installed a sand washing plant from Terex Washing Systems for its sandstone deposit located in the Blue Mountains. The bespoke design of the plant can produce up to 300 tonnes of sand per hour and recycles roughly 90% of the water used during the washing process.

A wash plant can’t do its job without water, which can be a difficult resource to manage in Australia. Terex Washing Systems advised the customer of the need for a water management system that would be both environmentally friendly and save on running costs.

To begin, the wash plant features a H30 feeder that receives the raw sandstone feed material and distributes it evenly on the main conveyor. At this point any stones or rock that are larger than 100 mm are removed from the feed material due to the grid covering the feeder.

The sand on the main conveyor makes its way up to the modular 20 x 8 two-deck rinser screen. A total of 19 spray bars gives the material an initial rinse as the vibrating screener shakes the sand and stone down through the polyurethane decks as it is classified by size. Any larger aggregates can pass through the screen onto oversize conveyors where they are stockpiled as products for sale.

Any sand, silt, clay or other fine impurities that were present within the feed material are washed to the split catchbox of the screener. The material is gravity fed into one of two FM 200C sand plants. Each sand plant receives a separate split—one coarse sand and one fine sand. For this application the standard units were upgraded to separators, rather than the standard hydrocyclones. This was done to cope with larger volumes of fines, as well as to deal with potential variation in feed stocks. Separators use centrifugal force to remove the sand from the silt and clay so that it can be transferred onto the high frequency dewatering screens. These dewatering screens remove the remaining

22 | AUGUST 2022

water within the sand so that only 10-15% of water is left.

The sand that is now up to spec is then transferred onto a 26-metre radial stacking conveyor that offers a large stockpile capacity.

The water that, up until this point, has been used to initially rinse the feed material, wash the sand within the FM 200C and has been recovered from the dewatering screen, is pumped into the 17-metre rake thickener tank. The rake thickener allows the silt and clay particles within the sludge to settle at the bottom of the tank, while the clean water weirs over the edge to be re-used. The integral scrapers aid transportation of material from the outskirts of the tank to the outlet, thus accelerating the removal of sludge from the thickener.

This process is sped up with the use of a flocculant dossing unit, which dosses the sludge on its way to the rake thickener. The flocculant that is added to the sludge causes the waste particles to bind together, creating a particle with a larger mass, which then sinks to the base of the tank faster. Dossing the sludge with flocculant increases the speed at which the clean water can be recycled back into the wash plant.

For more information visit www.terexwashing.com.

DIGITIZE AGGREGATE PRACTICES

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BY KERRY DOUGAN

All of the intricacies that go into running a business operation can be challenging enough, but when you throw in the “unknown of unknowns” during this era that we are living in, quarry managers can really start to feel the heat.

For the last few years, electronic ticketing has been adopted across the industry to facilitate paperless transactions. Having these capabilities enables businesses to optimize operations by getting people in and out of the plant safely and keeping electronic records to track cost, mitigate risk, and reduce manual tasks. Taking advantage of solutions like these also provides new abilities to keep tabs on trucks and the drivers operating them.

Now, with the rising costs of raw materials, scarce labor resources, and an uncertain economic situation, the implementation of new technologies to automate business processes and enable data accessibility is pertinent to success. A combination of automated data capture using network-connected devices and web-based reporting and analytics tools will help support the quarry of the future.

FINDING LABOR

Technology is not only instrumental during this era but is also necessary in addressing the shortage of labor. The labor shortage is genuine across many industries, but is especially tough for contractors, material suppliers, and others struggling to meet hiring requirements.

Even before the COVID crisis, labor was a major issue. It is difficult to recruit skilled workers to work long hours either doing manual labor in the elements or sitting in a truck for extended periods of time. As the unemployment rate has been decreasing, the number of job openings has been increasing, creating huge talent shortages for companies across various industries. As a result, the talent pool for the construction materials industry has shrunk even more, which is why automation and technology is so important. Operations need to do as much, if not more, with fewer people.

Terms like big data, analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) have become buzzwords in the heavy building material markets in recent years, and industry members are learning that they need to abandon a lot of manual processes and embrace this technology-driven era. Luckily, this new generation of workers already has a thirst for technology and the means to better understand it. By nature, this younger generation is adaptive to technology and is interested in taking the data and discovering ways to best utilize it.

Automatic identification of customers onsite helps streamline loading of the right product and invoicing afterward. All photos courtesy of Command Alkon

The scale operator receives, monitors and updates data in real time.

DATA IS LIKE OXYGEN

Access to accurate, timely data regarding safety, quality, maintenance and performance metrics has never been more important.

Managers need up-to-the-minute information from the field to operate with the agility today’s volatile environment requires. Foreknowledge of surfacing trends, critical issues and operational efficiency can make or break the operation. Often, the challenge is not 24 | AUGUST 2022

a lack of access to data but rather the ability to collect the right data and to put it to work in the right way.

Data is the fuel that supports teams in the decision-making process.

Making data easily accessible to business users is the first step in empowering teams to make data-driven decisions. Scaling this capability across the organization can significantly improve productivity and

ASPHALT PLANTS AND

COMPONENTS

In the scale house, loadout operators can get a clear picture of traffic flow.

streamline operations. All constituents can quickly gain insight from the data they are collecting to uncover new opportunities and areas for improvement.

Cloud-based solutions allow all employees and specified trading partners to connect and exchange information from one single source, providing a deeper understanding of what is happening within the operation and the supply chain as a whole.

Now, sharing knowledge has not only become easy, but it’s become a regular part of business. If COVID had happened 30 years ago, life would have been a series of phone calls. Now, because we utilize solutions that offer connectivity across the operation, most plants were able to weather that storm without missing much of a beat.

Aggregate operations are increasingly conducting business through digital collaborative platforms to orchestrate all connections, workflow, and collaboration among all so that everyone works smarter, faster, and more safely. Collaborative digital technologies transform the way internal and external partners work together to turn knowledge into action and create new ways to succeed—and this is a trend that we don’t see going out of style any time soon.

Kerry Dougan serves as the market manager for the bulk materials segment at Command Alkon where he is responsible for the pricing and packaging of new and existing bulk materials offerings, identifying new growth opportunities, prioritizing key initiatives and product roadmaps, identifying key CONNEX platform partnership opportunities, and managing the competitive landscape of the bulk materials segment.

www.tarmacinc.com

contact tarmac at 816-220-0700 or info@tarmacinc.com WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 25

CREATING A FUN AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

I

BY THERESE DUNPHY

Imagine an environment where children play among rocks and a waterfall, cool off in an erosion stream, explore sandstone caves and— along with their parents—learn about the region’s geology. That’s exactly what can be found at the Earth Moves exhibit, which opened in 2019 at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, North Carolina. The exhibit is partially funded by Martin Marietta. The company not only provided $100,000 over a five-year period, but also produced an in-kind donation with materials from a dozen quarries throughout its Mid-Atlantic region.

The donations align with Martin Marietta’s focus on sustainability, which the company views through its four pillars of sustainability: safe operations, environmental stewardship, employee well-being, and community well-being, said John Gillan, head of sustainability. “This really fits largely in the community well-being pillar,” he added. “We want to be a responsible neighbor, and we understand we operate under a social license. We also get young minds engaged in science that’s related to our business.”

“We’re so grateful for Martin Marietta’s support for the construction of Earth Moves,” said Carrie Heinonen, the museum’s president and CEO. “Their partnership with the museum helped us create a fun, immersive, one-of-a-kind experience that helps a new generation of visitors better understand our changing planet.”

She said the goal of the exhibit is to inspire kids to see the practical, fun, and engaging side of science and math, as well as enhance critical thinking. Rather than giving kids the answers, Heinonen said, the museum encourages them to discover answers for themselves.

CREATING A VISION

The partnership between the two groups began in 2018 when the museum reached out to Martin Marietta.

“The museum’s leadership had some requests, and we thought it would be great to partner with them,” explained Lynn Dixon, manager, process excellence.

Over the following months, museum and company officials engaged in communications about the vision for the project and what kind 26 | AUGUST 2022

of materials would create the best display. The result is an educational exhibit that covers approximately one acre and showcases the area’s diverse geology of materials.

“When we started talking about it, we were talking about the main types of rock: sedimentary versus igneous or metamorphic,” said Josh Kirby, Martin Marietta’s senior manager of geological services. “They were very excited about it, and about Martin Marietta’s ability to contribute materials toward their overall goal.

“I think they had a good understanding of what they wanted to do education wise, and were pleasantly surprised by the diverse geology our many regional operations offer,” he added. With the company’s presence in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, the collection of samples was highly successful.

GATHERING SAMPLES

With a clear vision in place, Kirby reached out to plant managers throughout the region to gather boulders and other samples that met the size, dimension, and weight requirements the museum outlined for the exhibit. It needed boulders that children could touch and climb on without creating a fall hazard, but they also had to fit on a four-by-four pallet so they could be moved around the site without the need for additional equipment.

Martin Marietta geologists worked with the plant managers to prepare samples, paying particular attention to gathering unique and interesting specimens such as coastal limestones that were full of fossils and samples with unique structural features.

Kirby said the company provided documentation that described its interpretation and geological knowledge of the materials it donated, including rock type, the original location, and other relevant background details.

Once the boulders were gathered, the company staged them at a local site until the museum was prepared to take ownership. Soon after, the materials were delivered, and the museum’s landscape architect placed them around the site. Donated materials can be found throughout Earth Moves. Exhibit features include a sandstone exploration cave, sculptures, stone walls, and a sheltered classroom space where children can participate in geology-related workshops. A waterfall and

erosion stream not only cool participants but also teach them about how water and rock react to one another. To ensure safe enjoyment of the exhibit, it was built with fall surfaces in areas where children are likely to climb.

BUILDING AWARENESS

Earth Moves opened to the public in 2019 and quickly became a popular fixture for the museum’s approximately 500,000 annual visitors.

Kirby and his family attended a soft opening for the exhibit and saw firsthand how well received the interactive display was.

“They loved it. I think the outdoor exhibits at the museum are among the most popular for parents and children. There were rocks to climb on and water to play in,” he said. “It was pretty clear, from my perspective, that it was going to be one of the favorite exhibits for both the kids and adults.”

While providing a fun experience for families, the exhibit’s educational aspects are every bit as important.

Kirby noted that he knows many people in the Raleigh-Durham area and has been a member of the museum. As a result, he received plenty of feedback from attendees regarding the wide range of geologies used to produce construction materials.

“It’s important to be educational for children, but it’s informative for adults as well,” he explained. “It really brings awareness to our business.”

Martin Marietta donated 14 samples from 12 operations including: Belgrade—Coastal Limestone Bessemer—Spodumene Pegmetite Kannapolis—Granite Asheboro—Slate Newton—Gneiss Rock Hill—Gabbro Benson—Metavolcanic Kings Mountain—Marble & Schist Texas—Marble Cumming—Quartzite & Amphibolite Bonds—Syenite Midlothian—Granitic Gneiss

WO M E N O F A S P H A LT

Meet a Woman of Asphalt: NSSGA and Bond Construction’s Karen Hubacz

BY SANDY LENDER

F

or the annual aggregates issue of AsphaltPro, we’re honored to share with you a woman in construction who has grown up in her family’s small business to join and gain leadership of her state’s Massachusetts Asphalt and Aggregate Association and now the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). Karen Hubacz, president and CEO of Bond Construction, Spencer, Massachusetts, is the first chairwoman of the NSSGA, accepting the gavel during the association’s annual membership meeting at the 2022 annual convention in Nashville in March.

“It wasn’t until I joined NSSGA 14 years ago that I realized I wasn’t alone,” Hubacz shared with the membership. “That there were resources to help me navigate this industry, and that I could be a resource to others—particularly women. There are so many small aggregates companies out there who don’t even realize what they’re missing by not being a member. I want them to see both the benefits of being part of our association and what they can accomplish by joining with us. It’s clear through the success of the past year that we’re truly stronger together.”

Hubacz was kind enough to share some of her story and encouragement for other women in the aggregates and asphalt industry, starting with the passion she has for getting the job done. She explained to us that she was born into the aggregates industry but went to work fulltime in May 1988 as an equipment operator and truck driver.

In those early days, “Every day was like playing in an adult sandbox,” she shared. “It was a lot of work but so much fun at the same time. Because we’re a small business, I learned to handle every job related to the business side and production side of producing aggregates and asphalt.

It was no easy task. I ran into resistance, even at times from my own father, because I was a girl in a man’s industry. I went to college for one year. Everything I know and have learned has been from actually doing and watching and listening to other people in the industry.”

AsphaltPro: You’ve had the opportunity to experience all the jobs at Bond Construction—from equipment operation to the scale house to the office to permitting to everything—which of those responsibilities was the most energizing and why?

Karen Hubacz: It’s true, in my 34-year career I have experienced every type of role that the company has to offer. Even though in my current position as president and CEO I get stuck at my desk and my phone, I would much rather be out in the pit at a hands-on job like 28 | AUGUST 2022

Karen Hubacz, 2022 NSSGA Chairwoman All photos courtesy of NSSGA

on an excavator or a loader or on the road making a delivery. I still do get out of the office and can still do everything I did before, but only when the need arises.

AsphaltPro: What elements or aspects of leadership would you say a woman in construction can nurture to bring her to positions such as director of the Massachusetts Asphalt and Aggregate Association and chairwoman of NSSGA? Karen Hubacz: I am very passionate about this industry, and I think my personality is naturally one that likes to take charge and get stuff done. I have also never been shy about voicing my opinions and have learned it’s important to make sure as a woman with leadership aspirations to always speak up. Women in this industry should feel comfortable sharing their ideas and then use their pedestal if on a statewide or national stage to help lift others up, too.

WO M E N O F A S P H A LT

LEFT: Karen Hubacz addressed the NSSGA membership at the annual meeting in Nashville, March 2022. RIGHT: Karen Hubacz participated in a panel discussion at the NSSGA annual meeting in Nashville, March 2022.

AsphaltPro: What do you think is the most important skill you’ve brought to your position as a leader of a company, of a state association, and now of a national association?

Karen Hubacz: Throughout my career, I have handled different issues first-hand and experienced a range of challenges. From environmental issues to permitting to building community relationships and internally with employee management. It’s important to master successful leadership skills like multi-tasking as well as trusting your team and delegating. Of course, you must have passion and empathy for your job and the people that you are leading, too.

AsphaltPro: What would you say was the most challenging “obstacle” you, as a female in the construction industry, had to overcome in the past 34 years, and how did you overcome that obstacle? How do you think other women in the industry can incorporate that skill or habit into their workdays?

Karen Hubacz: I think the largest obstacle was just proving that I had the right to be where I was. That I could perform the jobs exceptionally well and that I actually had some killer skills to do it. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but always learn from them. Work hard and be diligent and a team player. Most importantly, know you can do anything you put your mind to and know your worth.

AsphaltPro: What would you say is the most important challenge for the construction (or aggregate) industry that you’d like to focus on during your tenure as NSSGA Chairwoman? And why is that the cause you’d like to champion?

30 | AUGUST 2022

Karen Hubacz: It will be important for me to travel to state association meetings and keep spreading the message of exactly what NSSGA does for small producers. There are so many folks out there that don’t understand the true value of membership, and how helpful it can be to them. I want them to hear about the many resources that are available on the issues they face daily, and as an industry we can all work together to succeed. Together we can have a loud voice in Washington—through grassroots advocacy, meeting with our representatives and supporting ROCKPAC. This has truly become my passion project ever since I traveled to Washington ahead of the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and got to tell my own story on Capitol Hill in meetings with members of Congress. It was such a rewarding experience, and I knew I was making a difference for myself, the industry and my entire community.

AsphaltPro: How do you see your experience handling MSHA regulation and ensuring a safety culture at Bond Construction assisting you in your role as NSSGA Chairwoman?

Karen Hubacz: Safety is and always will be the number one priority. Our employees are members of our “family.” Safety will always be the number one priority for any chair of NSSGA. AsphaltPro: What do you think is an incorrect perception that we, as an industry, can re-educate young people about to encourage more women to consider a career in the asphalt/aggregates/construction business? What is something you would tell a young lady to encourage her in this industry?

Karen Hubacz: In my career, I had resistance by those who might not feel a woman should be doing the jobs that I have done. I have very thick skin, and I don’t put up with a lot either. However, I do believe this industry fosters an open environment and welcomes new faces. I encourage anyone, at any level if interested to learn more about the plethora of career options, especially woman.

AsphaltPro: What is the most challenging aspect for you of being in the aggregates business?

Karen Hubacz: The biggest challenges in the aggregates business are the increase in regulations that we as small business owners must deal with. It takes a lot of time and money to stay on top of them. NSSGA provides a critical service by sharing the background and information on the latest regulations so when a major issue does happen, I can let policymakers in Washington know how it will ultimately affect my business.

“EVERYTHING I KNOW AND HAVE LEARNED HAS BEEN FROM ACTUALLY DOING AND WATCHING AND LISTENING TO OTHER PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY.”—KAREN HUBACZ

2023 WofA Partnership Opportunities As the National Women of Asphalt organization expands to 16 Branches across the U.S., we welcome your support to continue growing.

Corporate partnerships are now available for 2O23.

A few benefits are Company logo & link on WofA’s website

AsphaltPro: What is the most rewarding aspect for you of being in the aggregates business?

Recognition at all National WofA events

Karen Hubacz: Having been raised in this industry, I grew up having a passion for our small family business. I always felt pulled to it and throughout my career have met so many people in similar situations. Together we can learn from each other, and this industry is much like a family, as I have been helped along the way to success. Through the community at NSSGA I have even found some of my very good friends that I relate to on both a professional and personal level.

Highlight on WofA’s social media Video inclusion & more!

AsphaltPro: Will you tell us about a person who served as a mentor for you and share a piece of advice from this person that you would pass along to other women in the industry?

Karen Hubacz: I was fortunate to have a few strong industry women who were very encouraging and inspiring to me including: • Anne Lloyd of Martin Marietta; • Cheryl Suzio of York Hill Trap Rock; • Anne Cramer of Casper Stolle Quarry; and • Janet Callahan of Palmer Paving.

Each of these women earned the right to be in the positions that they were/are in their companies and at the board table. They taught me that I too had the right to be seated at the board table and that my opinion would bring value to others. They were always positive and reassuring when I questioned myself. Realizing my aspirations, they were the loudest voices I could hear, always there for me, encouraging and cheering me on. They taught me: “Be yourself and know your worth.”

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WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 31

I N T E R N AT I O N A L S N A P S H OT

International 3D Parts

BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF

A

dditive manufacturing of parts could someday upend the supply of components globally. A small-scale trial of 3D manufactured parts is helping Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions and Swedish mining and metals company Boliden explore the potential.

It’s no secret additive manufacturing—or 3D printing—is a maturing industry. The practice has progressed from printing plastic components for proof-of-concept parts and casts, as discussed in-depth in the article “Here’s How 3D Fabrication Enhances Asphalt Processes,” to now being able to print ceramics and metals. To discover the potential of the technology, Boliden and Sandvik announced prior to World of Asphalt/AGG1 2022 that they’ve teamed up to run a trial to discover the potential of the technology for machine parts printed digitally and installed on underground drill rigs.

OUR COMMON PAIN POINTS

Delivering drill rigs, slat conveyor sprockets, or other parts to remote areas where quarries or asphalt plants are often located isn’t always easy. Now add in a global shortage of key components such as semi-conductors, bottlenecks in transportation, COVID-19, soaring freight and material prices, and so on.

Robert Van der Waal is the vice president of logistics at the parts and services division within Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.

His job is to make sense of the madness in the logistics sector and ensure customers get the parts they need.

“In 20 years, I’ve never seen anything like it, the whole world of logistics has been turned upside down,” Van der Waal said. “We just need to figure out how best to operate in this new dynamic.”

With the introduction of a new warehouse management system at its central distribution center in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Sandvik is on track to reshape its supply chain to suit the new dynamic, with the support of up-to-date systems, according to Van der Waal.

With the Eindhoven facility pushing out 40% more volume than before the system upgrade, as of April 12, even products stuck in ports such as California’s Long Beach and China’s Yantian were slowly moving through the supply chain. Geopolitics was still causing headaches, such as Mali closing its borders after a recent military takeover, meaning mines couldn’t be supplied via standard routes.

Van der Waal explained the company has changed its shipping methods to keep customers supplied. “In the past we sent 40% by air, 40% by sea and 20% by road—now as much as 70% of parts are being flown in. This is faster but the costs are enormous.”

It’s not just the cost of freight rising.

Everything from screws and bolts to the wood used for packaging is increasing in price. Ocean freight prices have skyrocketed from roughly $2,000 a container a few years ago to $18,000 today, and while Sandvik is absorbing much of these increases, the pressure is on. With even next-day couriers facing challenges, Van 32 | AUGUST 2022

der Waal sees the need to adjust supply chains to still provide customers with the right product at the right time. “Where historically a supply chain was built around efficiency, the disruptions due to the pandemic and new market dynamics makes companies, including Sandvik, transform their supply structures to make them much more robust. Ones that are better able to handle disruptions and unexpected disturbances,” he shared.

That robust structure includes getting back to basics. New technology and processes undoubtedly have a role to play in ensuring Sandvik’s parts and equipment get to where they are needed. But rather than take big leaps of faith in new technologies (such as Artificial Intelligence), Van der Waal is counselling caution, and a more “back to basics” approach.

“New technology is going to play an important part in our future success, but we will only take steps we know we can manage—no more leaps of faith in IT. Getting parts to our customers on time is too important a priority to take risks with.”

“IN 20 YEARS, I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT, THE WHOLE WORLD OF LOGISTICS HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.”—ROBERT VAN DER WAAL MAKE THE PARTS

The trial with Sandvik and Boliden involves a set of specially redesigned components printed digitally at a Sandvik-managed facility in Italy, with their performance being monitored on machines in Boliden’s underground mine worksites. The first components had been put into operation in the Garpenberg mine prior to WOA/ AGG1 2022, with performance still to be evaluated.

“Additive manufacturing shows a lot of potential, both in reducing carbon footprint within the supply chain, through reduced or eliminated need for transport and storage of parts and also shorter delivery times,” said Ronne Hamerslag, head of supply management at Boliden.

Although in theory any part could in future be 3D printed, it is likely to be maintenance and repair operating items that are the first to get the additive manufacturing treatment.

“If you ask me, it’s the most exciting thing that’s happening in the supply chain,” Boliden’s Hamerslag said. “Its efficiency, speed and climate friendliness mean that we have to investigate additive manufacturing closely. We are only at the proof-of-concept stage with Sandvik right now, but it’s already clear that it could become a game-changer for the spare parts business in mining—for both miners and equipment manufacturers.”

Time to Protect the Middle of the Road

Rumblestrips + J-Band + AMIGUARD = Longer Lasting Safer Roads

AMIGUARD™ is a rapid penetrating emulsion (RPE) that is specially formulated to penetrate quickly and thoroughly. Its reduced surface tension allows it to seep into the pavement voids quickly, so drivers can get back on the road sooner.

AMIGUARD Penetrate-CL and J-Band together can provide many years of protection for your pavements.

AMIGUARD should be applied soon after the rumble strips are ground.

Because of distracted driving, centerline rumble strips are becoming increasingly common. They can reduce head-on collisions by up to 50% and can be installed without compromising road life when J-Band and AMIGUARD are applied.

Centerline joints are particularly susceptible to air and water damage. For new pavements that will have rumble strips, it is critical to treat them proactively to avoid negative consequences in the future.

Applying J-Band®, an industry leading VRAM, at the time of construction, under the surface where centerline rumble strips will be installed, will reduce permeability in this most critical area.

This will extend the life of the joint and improve the performance of the entire pavement.

J-Band is a materials approach that is applied prior to paving under the eventual location of the longitudinal joint. As the hot mix is installed on top, J-Band migrates upward because of the heat and pressure.

www.asphalt-materials.com www.thejointsolution.com

P R O D U C T GA L L E RY

Sripath PGXpand® Used to Reduce Rutting in India

B

itpath Pvt. Ltd., located in Mumbai, India, is an affiliate of Sripath Technologies LLC, New Jersey, USA. Recently, Bitpath and PATH India Ltd. successfully completed a roadway trial, incorporating PGXpand modified bitumen into the wear layer, on a four-lane kilometer stretch of the Agra-Gwalior Highway in India. Lion Engineering Consultants were retained by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to assist with the project.

Sripath® develops, manufactures and markets a range of innovative additives used to enhance performance of bitumen.

Sripath is a global company, with offices, affiliates and agents in USA, India, Australia, UK, Brazil, and South Africa.

PGXpand®, a specially engineered polymer, is designed to interact with bitumen in a very unique and innovative manner.

PGXpand enhances high temperature properties of bitumen without impacting low temperature properties. “PGXpand delivers outstanding rutting resistance, fatigue properties, long-term durability, and overall roadway performance,” said Krishna Srinivasan, president of Sripath Technologies.

Prior to the field trial, PGXpand was evaluated by PATH India and an independent renowned research facility. Based on this evaluation, a mix design for the field trial was finalized and approved.

According to Sachin Raje, general manager of Bitpath, “PGXpand is highly dosage efficient, about 1.5 weight percent of PGXpand was added to a VG30 grade bitumen for this trial to create a PMB. The mix based on this PMB was used to pave a 30-mm wear layer on a 4-lane-km stretch of the Agra-Gwalior highway near Morena, Madhya Pradesh, about 40 km from Gwalior.”

The Agra-Gwalior Highway is part of major arterial expressway connecting the northernmost tip of India to its southernmost tip. Gwalior is a major city in the State of Madhya Pradesh, about 120 km south of Agra and 340 km south of New Delhi. The highway is subject to heavy truck and vehicular traffic all year round and is exposed

34 | AUGUST 2022

Sripath PGXpand® modified bitumen is placed on a field trial to improve rutting performance of a major highway in India.

to high air temperatures, in excess of 45 degrees C, for extended periods of time.

“Rutting has been our main concern on this highway,” said Mr. Dharmendra Mishra, quality control manager, PATH India. He further stated: “With PGXpand, we hope that our problem is resolved successfully.”

PGXpand was easy to incorporate into the bitumen, mixed within one hour at a temperature of 160 degrees C. The polymer lowered the viscosity of the bitumen and allowed for reduction of the paving temperature from 160 to 130 degrees C. Overall, it was helpful in reducing both energy consumption and overall costs.

“The PGXpand Modified Bitumen trial was very successful. It was hassle-free to manufacture the PMB and the Mix, it was simple to transport the Mix to the site, and the roadway was easy to pave. We are waiting for the post-trial evaluation results and, if everything looks good, we will surely use PGXpand on our other projects”, remarked Mr. Nakul Agarwal, Project Head, PATH (India) Ltd. Samples of the loose mix, PMB, and post-compaction field cores were collected and submitted to the independent research facility for evaluation and testing. The

Agra-Gwalior Highway section from the marker at 71 Kms to the marker at 69 Kms, when travelling from Gwalior to Agra, will be monitored over the next few months to gauge the effectiveness of the trial.

Deepak Madan, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Sripath Technologies elaborated on other applications of PGXpand, he said: “PGXpand is also used to manufacture hybrid PMB systems, allowing engineers to design mixes with lower levels of elastomeric polymers while delivering better or equivalent roadway properties. PGXpand Modified Bitumen can also be used in hot spray seal applications on roadways, allowing for improved workability and better performance. PGXpand Modified Emulsions are used for repair and maintenance applications in the paving industry to deliver long-term durability and reduce frequency of road repairs.”

“PGXpand has been tested, evaluated, and vetted by leading experts in academia, industry and transportation agencies from around the world. It has been trusted and effectively used on roadways across the globe since 2015.”, remarked Sachin Raje, General Manager of Bitpath.

For more information, visit https:// sripath.com

If this looks familiar, we’d like to talk.

“Overall, we have cut our downtime due to control issues to zero hours across three plants!”

Brandon Watson, Quality Control & Asphalt Plant Operations Manager

The MindsTronicTM family of automation systems optimizes production, collects key performance indicators, standardizes workflows, simplifies maintenance, allows the standardization of operator training, and improves workplace collaboration.  Drums, Batches, Combos, Emulsion, and Liquid terminals  Loadout, (e)Ticketing, Cloud-based Desktop, and Mobile Apps  Proven industrial PC, Fieldbus, and sub-concepts technology  Professional hotline and remote support

Better data.

Increased control.

Higher profits.

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P R O D U C T GA L L E RY 15,000 square feet to sales and rental, 25,000 square feet to a service shop with 14 super bays and so on.

The Hills Machinery dealer has opened two new facilities in Mills River and Leland, North Carolina, to focus on new and used equipment sales, rental, support, service and parts access. Both new locations are now open, provide opportunity for expansion and strengthen the CASE dealer network in the Southeast.

B2W

B2W Software, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has added application programming interface (API) features to its B2W Estimate platform to automate data transfer for customers. The API feature automates connectivity between B2W Software’s flagship estimating application and data sources used to generate estimates. The API also enables a new Production Rate Actuals feature within B2W Estimate, giving estimators streamlined access to current and historical performance data from the field. The information from B2W Track, an application for field tracking and analysis, can be used to improve accuracy of rates applied within current bids.

“The B2W Estimate API allows our users to create automated connections between the B2W Estimate database and other systems like accounting, bid collection and contact management applications,” explained Pat Reitz, product manager for B2W Estimate. “This eliminates the need to enter the same data in multiple places and ensures that all systems are always up to date with each other.”

Reitz cited automated updating and retrieval of labor rates, equipment rates and burdens as examples of how the API can eliminate the need to search for and enter data. The API can also automatically update pricing and other information from organizations such as vendors and subcontractors and keep job-cost identification codes up to date and in sync between estimating and accounting systems.

For more information, visit the B2W website.

BOMAG

Bomag, Ridgeway, South Carolina, has released the BOMAG BM 2200/65 large planer, weighing in at 60,296 pounds for halflane milling. It has a 58-inch milling radius.

Its conveyor offers a 16-foot discharge height plus larger, 130˚ conveyor slewing angle—65˚ to the left/right of center—allowing material to be discharged into trucks on both sides of the mill. To facilitate transport, the conveyor retracts to a length 23.6 inches shorter than previous designs. The mill’s 630-horsepower engine meets Tier 4 Final/Stage V emissions standards, according to the manufacturer.

The slim profile of the BOMAG BMS15L quick-change cutting tooth holder system is designed to reduce resistance and deliver up to 20% fuel savings. The BM 2200/65 planer offers a range of milling drum designs and the 36 | AUGUST 2022

CM LABS

The BM 2200/65 cold planer from Bomag

choice of three different rotor speeds to tailor rotor speed to a range of asphalt and concrete milling jobs. The manufacturer states: “To simplify milling control, BOMAG Easy Cut technology automatically regulates the height of the rear drive, so the rear of the machine follows the front to its set depth, making the operator’s work simpler. BOMAG Easy Level clearly displays grade and slope settings on the large 7-inch display, and settings are quickly changed with minimal screen navigation.”

The standard water spray and dust extraction systems, complete with conveyor shrouding, remove fine particulate matter from the machine. Removing up to 80% more fine dust particles smaller than 10 microns in size, the optional Bomag Ion Dust Shield—described in the July 2021 issue—is a pioneering technology designed to meet stringent fine dust regulations.

For more information, contact your local Bomag dealer or visit www.bomag.com.

CASE

CASE Construction Equipment, Racine, Wisconsin, expands its dealer network with the opening of a new 48,800-square-foot facility in Little Elm, Texas, and with two new facilities in Asheville and Leland, North Carolina. with focus on new equipment sales, rental and service.

ASCO Equipment Company (ASCO) has opened the facility in Little Elm to provide the growing Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Denton County with additional service, support, and equipment sales and rental. The new facility will be the largest of ASCO’s 24 locations with an expansive showroom dedicating

CM Labs Simulations, Montreal, Quebec, has announced the release of its Compact Track Loader (CTL) Simulator Training Pack. It is simulation-based training that replicates machine instability and lift clearance. The vertical lift CTL training pack comes with fork and bucket attachments with progressive learning exercises designed to gradually build the trainee’s skill and confidence. Trainees work on skills such as controls familiarization, addressing the risk of tipping, handling view-blocking material, live attachment changing, loading and unloading, dealing with difficult terrain, and working with small margins for lift clearance while dumping dirt into a truck.

The training pack runs on all of CM Labs’ simulator platforms, including the motion-enabled Vortex Edge Max, the fully immersive Vortex Advantage, and the desktop Vortex Edge Plus. Performance metrics are tracked during training exercises including safety violations, load control, and operational efficiency. The simulator training pack rounds out the range of CM Labs’ earthworks machines, making it ideal for training schools or companies with a wide range of equipment in their fleet.

“With no training certification required to run a CTL, operators are often at risk,” explained Alan Limoges, product manager at CM Labs. “With this in mind, we designed our learning program based on the most stringent labor competency recommendations to deliver the industry’s best training.”

For more information, contact info@cm-labs.com.

CRAFCO

Crafco Inc., an Ergon company, Chandler, Arizona, introduces two new equipment innovations for its melter/applicators. Crafco’s new Work Area Camera is designed to improve crew safety and efficiency by providing drivers towing any Super Shot™ Series, Patcher II

CRUSH RAP COSTS with the

HONEY BADGER From replaceable abrasion-resistant steel wear liners to a 1/2" steel pulverizing hopper, this machine is ready for wear and tear. And by reducing material handling and minimizing moisture, the Honey Badger increases production and saves on fuel costs. Average return on investment is 1/8 the cost of other crushing operations.

Fully-equipped with max power, reliable operation, and easy maintenance, the Honey Badger is ready to crush your costs!

Reduced RAP moisture = lower fuel consumptions Reduce or eliminate crushing costs Typical 6 month ROI (300,000 ton/season plant)

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P R O D U C T GA L L E RY or EZ Series II melter with instant feedback on crew location.

The waterproof backup camera with infra-red night vision attaches to the rear of the melter, while the 5-inch LED digital monitor’s suction cup mount adheres to the towing truck’s windshield. The Work Area Camera provides live, wireless transmission so the driver can see what’s happening in and around the melter in real-time. The new Driver Alert System allows a crew member operating an applicator wand a more effective and efficient way to communicate with the team and driver towing any SuperShot or EZ Series II melter with an electric heated hose.

A signaling device similar to a vehicle backup alarm, Crafco’s Driver Alert System releases a short, high-pitched tone that signals the crew and driver to move forward, stop, accelerate or slow down. The new Driver Alert System is powered by a conveniently located wireless switch easily adjustable to the operator’s dominant hand.

“Crafco melter/applicators consistently answer pavement preservation challenges through innovation,” said Crafco’s vice president of national sales and marketing, Tom Kelly. “Our Work Area Camera and Driver Alert System are two new equipment innovations that work to support safe and efficient crack sealing operations for contractors and agencies alike.”

For more information, visit www.crafco.com and https://ergon.com/sustainability.

DYNAPAC

The Swedish National Road & Transport Institute (VTI) confirmed the fuel-saving performance of the new CA3500D SEISMIC soil roller from Dynapac, xxxx.

In any compaction job, finding the right balance of factors for the best results has always been a science. The CA3500D SEISMIC soil roller, designed to achieve fast, cost-effective compaction while reducing both fuel and emissions automatically enables the roller to determine the optimum frequency for material to be compacted. At the heart of the system is an onboard machine control unit, as well as a next-generation compaction meter.

This feature lets SEISMIC sense the dynamic characteristics of the material and then calculate the optimum frequency required for the best compaction results. The entire process is achieved using an advanced data flow from the SEISMIC Compaction Meter to the on38 | AUGUST 2022

board machine control unit, which regulates the machine’s hydraulics. By working together with the soil, the SEISMIC feature applies the correct amount of energy where and when it’s required and hydraulically changes the vibration frequency, every 0.2 seconds for maximum performance.

The fuel efficiency performance has now been verified by the Swedish VTI, which supervised a series of fuel consumption tests on the CA3500D SEISMIC soil roller. It was tested in three different settings over a period of two weeks.

There are three different settings on the CA3500D SEISMIC: • Standard mode where the engine runs on high RPM and the vibration frequency is 29Hz in high amplitude and 33 Hz in low amplitude; • Eco mode where the engine runs on lower RPS that is automatically adjusted to the engine needs; and • Eco + SEISMIC mode, which has a lower RPM controlled by the Eco setting and automatically adjusts the vibration frequency to maximize the compaction effort.

The two test weeks were identical regarding procedures and were performed twice to validate that similar test results were reached.

The results VTI measured showed a fuel reduction consumption of 28-35% compared to conventional compaction (fixed frequency).

Moreover, they registered a good alignment with the onboard telematics, which reported savings of 36-38%. This means that under real job site conditions, there is an overall savings of around 55% to complete the job.

For more information, visit the Dynapac website.

ELGIN

Elgin Sweeper, Elgin, Illinois, has officially announced the new RegenX1®. The RegenX1 is a customer-driven design, mid-dump regenerative air street sweeper. The RegenX1® is a single-engine, truck mounted regenerative air sweeper designed to eliminate the work of maintaining two engines and the cost exposure resulting from “missed” auxiliary engine regenerations. The new sweeper also uses a dust separator and large screen surface area to reduce carryover and sand blasting.

A 56-inch roll-off container dump height with 50-degree dump angle and 8-cubic-yard hopper helps avoid double handling and reduces the need to drive back to the facility

to dump. They also help avoid environmental ground-dumping restrictions. Additional features are designed to make it easy to clean, including a simple hopper with rounded corners and an external self-dumping dust separator.

For more information, visit the Elgin website.

FAE

The team at FAE USA Inc., Flowery Branch, Georgia, displayed four attachments for the paving and quarrying market during World of Asphalt/AGG1 2022 in Nashville. One of those attachments that the company suggested for use in the growing cold in-place recycling (CIR) market is the FAE MTL 225, a “light” version of the multi-task line, which includes the MTM and MTH machines.

These machines are a multi-function attachment that combine the mechanisms of a soil stabilizer, rock grinder, rock crusher and asphalt shredder in one compact machine.

The MTL is designed to be compatible with a wide range of tractors on the market. It is designed for rock crushing and full depth reclamation (FDR) up to 11 inches deep.

The main features of the unit include: • A variable displacement chamber with technology that allows the ground to be penetrated with the hydraulically adjusted rotor while the skids maintain ground level for better depth control. This results in minimal traction stress, optimized fuel consumption, increased operational speed and homogeneously stabilized soil at all working depths, according to the manufacturer.

• Adjustable Hardox® counter-blade.

• Hardox steel wear plates.

• Rear grids to optimally control the size of the output material.

• Dozing blades with spring system to further level and compact the crushed material into a uniform base.

• Two options for water spray system with dual function of cooling and mixing.

• Multiple tooth options.

• Optional hydraulic top link.

For more information, call (770) 407-2014.

FLEETWATCHER

Earthwave Technologies, Indianapolis, offers the FleetWatcher telematics platform to monitor four key safe driver metrics, allowing companies to track and amend driver behavior. This GPS-based platform captures vehicle

P R O D U C T GA L L E RY data from either the FleetWatcher App or from an in-vehicle device. It simplifies safe driver programs by focusing on four key metrics: • vehicle speed relative to posted speed limits; • fast starts; • hard braking; and • hard turns.

This data is reported continuously and can be used to assign a numeric or letter grade to drivers, who can then be commended or counseled for their performance. Whether required by insurance carriers or as company policy, FleetWatcher customers using this feature have reported significantly improved driver grades when this is added to their safe driver programming.

Speed, which is continuously monitored, can be categorized by vehicle type. For example, a pickup truck driving up to 10 MPH over the posted speed limit may be deemed OK (shown in green), while 11-15 mph over is unsatisfactory (shown in yellow), with anything over 15 mph over the speed limit flagged as excessive (shown in red).

A tri-axle dump trailer, on the other hand, may be deemed safe while travelling up to 5 mph over the speed limit, with anything over that flagged as excessive (shown in red). Speed ranges and grades are assigned by user administrators and can be varied by vehicle type.

To assess hard-braking, fast stops are also monitored, as are fast starts and hard turns. Each are similarly assigned numeric or letter grades. Administrators can select how important the various safe driver aspects are, and how to aggregate them into an overall score, which can then be used in driver counseling.

For more information, visit the FleetWatcher website.

HAULHUB

HaulHub Technologies, Boston, announced the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a notice of allowance for its patent application, serial number 17/513,745. This patent application is directed to the use of a digital chain-of-custody system for construction materials that is resilient to wireless connectivity disruption. HaulHub reported on its website: “State transportation agencies nationwide are leading the charge to implement e-Tick40 | AUGUST 2022

eting as a standard operating procedure on construction job sites across the United States. However, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) estimates that 68% of the nation’s lane miles are in rural areas, often the same areas which lack reliable cell phone coverage, ensuring operational connectivity is still a massive challenge and prevents technology adoption.”

“DOT field staff need a reliable solution they can use under any circumstance.

Even job sites with 5G phone service still lose internet access from time to time,” said Joe Spinelli, HaulHub’s CEO and founder. HaulHub’s DOTslip application, relies on the newly allowed patent application to ensure that the inspector can accept, reject, and record quality information or other load details without reliance on internet connectivity, allowing the project to continue seamlessly.

HaulHub’s technology is designed to ensure that industry participants have an easily accessible, reliable and cost-effective solution that works on all job sites. The newly allowed patent application more specifically covers the ability for any information about the load to be used to reconcile the work performed by the inspector into the chain of custody for construction materials. This innovation goes beyond connectivity issues, as it also directly aligns industry participants with Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) objectives and guidelines for using e-Tickets as source records for payment on Federally funded projects.

The underlying technology covered by the newly allowed patent application is designed to work in tandem with the technology behind US Patent No. 11,210,635 to provide simple, inexpensive, and intuitive options for supply chain stakeholders to participate.

For more information, visit the HaulHub website.

JOHN DEERE

John Deere and Wacker Neuson will collaborate on the development of excavators less than 5-metric-tons, including battery electric excavators, that will be manufactured

by Wacker Neuson. Additionally, John Deere will have control of the design, manufacturing and technology innovation, for the 5-9-metric-ton models.

Distribution, parts, service and support will continue through the John Deere dealer network.

“We’re excited about the expanded agreement as it supports our goal of bringing productivity-driven features and industry leading technology to customers with greater agility,” said Jerred Pauwels, vice president, excavators, strategy and business development, John Deere. “Through this relationship, we’ll innovate faster, and offer additional features and performance differentiation for our customers.”

The Wacker Neuson Group is an international group of companies headquartered in Munich, Germany, employing around 6,000 people worldwide. As a leading manufacturer of light and compact equipment, the Group offers its customers a broad portfolio of products and a wide range of services.

For more information, visit your local John Deere dealer.

SEALMASTER

SealMaster Pavement Products & Equipment and Pioneer Industrial Systems (PIS) have introduced the CrackPro Robotic Maintenance Vehicle (RMV). Minimizing labor and keeping crew members off the road, it requires a driver and a person who stays on the back of the unit to monitor application and replenish the crack sealant.

The CrackPro RMV’s AI vision system measures and scans cracks, controls material flow, communicates with a robotic arm, and guides the wand and shoe of the heated hose to dispense crack sealant, after the automated blower system cleans cracks for sealing.

The RMV features a full truck chassis, equipped with a FANUC R2000 robot, generator, integrated blow-off system, custom Crack Pro 260, LED safety lights and rear safety cage to alert drivers.

Todd Hendricks of PIS came up with the concept when he saw a crack sealing crew on his way to work in late 2019. Then, he proposed a challenge: “How could we apply our robotics expertise to increase safety and efficiency in routine road maintenance?”

The company soon established its RMV division, and ultimately partnered with SealMaster on the venture.

For more information, visit the SealMaster or PSI websites.

THE 1 0 0

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 WE ARE A LICENSED MANUFACTURER FOR THE STEEL TANK INSTITUTE (STI). We are the recipient of STI’s Quality Award 16 consecutive years and inspected two times annually.

 ALL ASPHALT TANKS ARE BUILT

TO THE UL-142 CONSTRUCTION CODE. We keep records of the steel purchases, welding practices, pressure tests and other quality control measures.

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AND SIDEWALLS OF OUR TANKS. The bottom of our tanks are insulated with foam glass block.

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OUR TANK DESIGNS. The only way to keep our tanks better than any other tank on the market!

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Contact Information Your Preferred Asphalt Equipment Resource The Meeker Family

Meeker Equipment Headquarters 4381 Front Mountain Road Belleville, PA 17004 Phone: (717) 667-6000 Fax: (717) 935-2389 E-mail: info@meekerequipment.com

NEW TECH

Zonar SightIQ Provides Aggregate Operations Analytics Zonar’s SightIQ consolidates asset diagnostic and work site metrics to reveal areas to reduce cost-per-ton, drive uptime and unearth profits.

BY SARAH REDOHL

Z

onar SightIQ is an analytics solution for construction aggregate operations launched March 2022 by fleet management solutions provider Zonar, based in Seattle.

The asset productivity and health solution aims to increase efficiency and cycle times in pits and quarries by delivering real-time insight into an operation’s equipment, machines and vehicles regardless of make, model, year, manufacturer or asset location.

“The future of construction-aggregate site operations is in leveraging not only more but better data and technology for improving the speed of business and growth of production while ensuring best practice safety and environmental conditions are met,” said Nick Grandy, general manager of vocational and industrial services at Zonar.

Grandy said these abilities have only become more important following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). “With the federal funding that’s coming, the aggregates industry will need to produce more material, which requires greater efficiency and more assets to monitor and maintain to meet those demands,” he said.

PREDICT & MAINTAIN

SightIQ includes both SightIQ Predict and SightIQ Optimize.

SightIQ Predict collects diagnostic information and OEM data from all assets within a fleet at multiple work sites in one continuous data stream, providing predictive and preventive maintenance guidance with asset health scoring.

SightIQ meets the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Professionals (AEMP) 2.0 telematics standard, pulling asset data from all major yellow-iron OEMs (including data for assets that do not have a factory ECM) into a singular unified view accessible through Zonar Ground Traffic Control.

“Typically, the customer would have to go to several websites to pull all the information they need,” Grandy said. “With SightIQ, all that information is available in one place.”

Grandy gave the example of a customer using SightIQ to monitor its loader. “The loader is the quarterback for the whole site,” he said. “If it goes down, it’ll stop production until a spare loader arrives or the existing loader can be repaired. This can result in thousands of dollars lost. With SightIQ, the shop could essentially predict what would happen next based on the codes they received. They knew that if a certain maintenance activity was delayed by a week, there was likely to be a breakdown in the pit and they'd lose money and time.”

Another customer was able to use SightIQ to identify why they were tearing up tires on one side of all their equipment. “The haulers were going too fast with a heavy load at too tight an angle,” Grandy said.

With that insight, the company was able to mandate speeds and enforce a specific route through the area using traffic cones.

42 | AUGUST 2022

OPTIMIZE WITH EVIDENCE

The SightIQ Optimize feature set connects previously manually captured production study data with telematics and OEM data streams from all fleet assets to help increase productivity by reducing the cost-per-ton of aggregate while saving time and money with reporting on operator management, idle times and fuel efficiency.

To determine cycle time without SightIQ, Grandy said the foreman would have to sit in a truck at the bottom of the pit with a clipboard and stopwatch to check cycle times throughout the day.

“There is a cost to having someone do that,” he said, “but there’s also the matter of it not being a true representation of cycle time if everyone is doing a particularly great job while the boss is watching.”

With SightIQ, cycle time is monitored constantly and automatically. Grandy said this can help a company more easily identify issues that might be causing delays. “Maybe you’re seeing bunching because the road down to the pit isn’t wide enough or the dump area for the plant isn’t big enough,” he said, adding that a company isn’t likely to spend money to correct such issues without proof they are causing a delay. “Bunching is a significant root cause of unnecessary idle time and fuel use.”

One customer invested in SightIQ for this very reason, to gather evidence that the site needed a new pit road to improve cycle time.

“No one was listening to him, so he used SightIQ to prove it,” Grandy said.

Zonar has estimated, based on its customers’ experience, that even a 58-second longer cycle time can cost quarry fleets more than $180,000 in lost productivity per day. One customer was able to save 4 cents per ton for a total savings of $236,000 on 5.9 million tons since they began using SightIQ.

SIMPLIFY & STREAMLINE

Another benefit of SightIQ, Grandy said, is the simplicity and customizability of the platform’s user interface. “Our customers are very busy,” he said. “They aren’t usually sitting at a desk looking at a computer screen, so we want to make sure when they pull up SightIQ on their device that the dashboard they see reflects what’s most important to them so they don’t have to dig through different reports to find what they need.”

In the future, SightIQ hopes to bring its abilities to plant equipment. “We want to pull in data not just from yellow iron, but from the plants,” Grandy said, adding that OEMS are now putting telematics control units (TCUs) onto those assets so owners can pull API data from belts, crushers, etc. “The plant is like any other piece of yellow iron. As long as we’re aggregating data in the correct way, there is a high value to having all that data.”

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O F F T H E M AT

Retroactively Claim ERTC Although the Employee Retention Tax Credit ended for most businesses Sept. 30, 2021, eligible businesses have up to three years to retroactively claim the credit.

BY SARAH REDOHL

W

hen Jim Lundy spoke to his clients in the asphalt business at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were already committed to keeping as many employees as they could.

Lundy is the construction services leader at the accounting firm Marcum LLP and specializes in heavy highway construction companies.

“Labor is the biggest constraint most of my construction clients are currently facing, so they were very concerned to keep their people when it looked like the economy was going off a cliff,” he said. Then, the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) passed and provided some relief to help them do what they were already planning to do: keep their workers working.

The ERTC is a refundable tax credit against the employer's share of certain payroll taxes. To be eligible for the ERTC, a private-sector employer or tax-exempt organization must have fully or partially suspended operations during any calendar quarter of 2020 due to orders from an appropriate government authority related to COVID-19 or experienced a significant decline in gross receipts during the calendar quarter.

At first, Lundy thought PPP provided more support for his clients than ERTC—and initially businesses could only take advantage of one program or the other. But then, a tax law change late in 2020 allowed businesses to take advantage of both. For 2021, the conditions to qualify for the ERTC were adjusted from a 50% decline in revenue from preCOVID levels to a 20% decline. Instead of being limited to companies with fewer than 100 employees, companies with up to 500 employees became eligible for the credit. The maximum credit amount was increased from an annual amount of 50% of qualified employee wages on the first $10,000 per employee in 2020 (a maximum of $5,000) to 70% of up to $10,000 of qualified employee wages per quarter ($7,000 per quarter).

And companies no longer had to choose between PPP and ERTC, so long as wages paid with the PPP loan don’t qualify for the ERTC. Businesses that began operations after Feb. 15, 2020, and whose annual gross receipts are less than $1 million that are not eligible for the ERTC under the categories of suspension of operations or decline in gross receipts may be eligible for ERTC as a Recovery Startup Business. The ERTC for RSBs ended Dec. 31, 2021, one quarter later than for other businesses.

All of a sudden, the tax credit became an attractive option that has benefitted Lundy’s clients to the tune of millions of dollars. “If a company has 500 employees and receives $7,000 per employee for each of the three quarters the ERTC was available in 2021, the company could conceivably receive credits up to $10,500,000,” Lundy said.

Lundy said that although many of his asphalt clients ultimately experienced relatively minor annual drops in revenue, some did experience 20% drops quarter over quarter when comparing 2020 or 2021 to 2019.

44 | AUGUST 2022

“And if they are down one quarter, they can still qualify retroactively for the ERTC,” he said.

HOW TO CLAIM ERTC

Trevor Genereux, tax department director for Marcum’s office in Hartford, Connecticut, said the first step to claim the ERTC retroactively is to file a 941-X to amend your payroll tax return for the quarter in which you qualify for the ERTC. “Subsequently, once they have amended their payroll tax return to claim the credit, they will also need to amend their 2020 or 2021 income tax returns to report the income,” he said. “So if a company received $100,000 in ERTC credits in Q4 of 2020, they’ll have to amend their 2020 income tax return to reduce their deduction for wages by that amount.”

Lundy said companies have three years from when the initial return was due to do so. For example, a payroll tax return for Q2 2020 due at the end of July 2020 would need to be amended by July 2023.

Unlike PPP loans, the ERTC is taxable. “That doesn’t outweigh the benefit of the ERTC, but it is a factor,” Lundy said. Not only is the ERTC taxable, but recipients have to pay taxes on ERTC money before they know if they’ve received it.

“You have to have the money available to pay the tax on the ERTC,” Genereux said, and it can take up to a year to receive the refund. “There is a cash flow consideration, but it’s ultimately still worth it.”

Lundy points out that the IRS is not requiring companies to pay interest for amended returns related to the ERTC since the rules have changed. “Normally if you amend a return and owe taxes, you have to pay interest.”

Genereux said that although the IRS isn’t analyzing the 941-Xs being filed, it reserves the right to examine them at a later point in time. “Make sure you have the documentation to support that you qualify and that you’re following the guidelines on what can be claimed for each employee,” he said. “Just because you get a refund check doesn’t mean they won’t audit you later.”

“As essential workers, contractors aren’t qualifying for the ERTC under the government shut-down and are instead qualifying based on gross receipts,” Genereux said, “especially in the asphalt industry.”

“The IRS will audit these at some point in time, so make sure to cross your Ts and dot your Is,” Lundy said. “However, a lot of companies are entitled to these credits and they should be able to take advantage of them.”

Sources: • Jim Lundy, Trevor Genereux and Israel Perez of Marcum LLP • Internal Revenue Service irs.gov/coronavirus/employee-retention-credit • Thomson Reuters tax.thomsonreuters.com/en/glossary/employeeretention-credit • Investopedia investopedia.com/what-is-the-employee-retention-creditand-how-to-get-it-4802575

FE ATURED EQUIPMEN T

GTB-5543E Hauck® StarJet 580 Burner with TBA-36-100 Blower

GTB-5542 Dillman® 400 TPH Highly Portable Parallel Flow Drum Plant

GTB-5489 Astec® 400 TPH Partial Portable Counterflow Drum Plant

GTB-5513 Astec® 300 TPH Portable Counterflow Drum Plant

GTB-5516D Astec® 200 TPH Double Barrel Stationary Counterflow Drum

GTB-5540I Cedarapids®/Standard Havens® Nominal 60,000 CFM Portable Baghouse

For more information on the items above and more, call or visit our website.

Our trusted and knowledgeable asphalt experts will come to your site and appraise your equipment or plant. All you will have to do is sit back and let us bring approved buyers to you!

Turn your surplus asphalt plant equipment into much needed plant upgrades.

Inspection Marketing Showing Sales

Availability, price and condition subject to change by Stansteel®. Specifications are accurate to our knowledge, however; they are not guaranteed. All prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. Equipment is sold on the basis of as is, where is, therefore, Stansteel® recommends inspection by buyer of any used equipment to determine suitability to their requirements.

O F F T H E M AT

Material Suppliers and DOL Changes

BY JAY HANSEN

E

arlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the publication of a proposed rule, “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations.” The Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) requires contractors to pay locally prevailing wages to laborers and/or mechanics employed on federally funded construction projects. If the proposed rule is finalized and implemented by the DOL, the updated DBA will have a significant impact on material suppliers in terms of costs, compliance and administrative responsibilities.

According to the DOL, the proposed rule represents the most comprehensive review of DBA regulations in 40 years. The reach of DBA is significant since there are 71 DBA laws applicable to federal and federally assisted construction programs that require payment of locally prevailing wage rates for 1.2 million U.S. construction workers. DBA requirements currently cover approximately $217 billion in federal spending on construction annually.

Since 1930, “material suppliers” have never been treated by DOL as contractors or subcontractors under the DBA or related Acts. As proposed, the new DBA rule would complicate this long-held understanding by including “transportation” under the proposed rule, adding unnecessary complexity and regulations to material suppliers.

Under the rule, for the first time, contractors would have to monitor transportation involving hauling material at the site of work and pay prevailing rates for the time spent at the construction site. The DOL proposes to cover a driver’s “onsite activities essential or incidental” to offsite transportation “where the time spent is not so insignificant that it cannot be practically recorded.” The essential or incidental activities related to the transportation of material include loading, unloading, and waiting time where time is not so insubstantial that it is not practical to precisely record.

This rule change, as complicated as it is, would significantly expand DBA coverage for material suppliers. That is why the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) joined with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) and the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) in submitting joint comments to DOL on the proposed rule before the comment period ended May 17.

The regulatory burden on contractors to track each haul of material for DBA compliance along with tracking and complying with Hoursof-Service rules would be considerable. Every day, millions of material hauls take place to supply billions of tons of aggregates, asphalt and concrete to build our nation’s infrastructure. In the joint comments, the three associations urged DOL to make clear that material suppliers are not covered under the new transportation requirement.

The DOL rule would also expand DBA coverage to temporary material production facilities. Under current law, while fixed plants open for commercial business are not covered by DBA, portable plants were always a gray area. Under the proposed rule, DBA coverage would include portable equipment at construction sites. Material suppliers that place portable crushers and plants at a work site would no longer be exempt from DBA if the proposed rule were to become final. NAPA, NRMCA and NSSGA have urged the DOL to reexamine the definition in the proposed rule to ensure portable processing and material production facilities are treated by the agency as material suppliers and not contractors or subcontractors under DBA. Finally, the three associations expressed concern with DOL’s proposal to continue using voluntary wage survey responses from contractors to make wage determinations. Low participation rates in the surveys have resulted in a lack of data and results in prevailing wages that poorly reflect the construction labor markets in many parts of the country. The associations are urging the DOL to use certified payrolls to establish minimum wage and fringe benefits, which would update wages and fringe benefits more accurately than survey responses. Material suppliers already submit this information to state agencies.

As of press time, the DOL was pouring over 40,000 comments on an extraordinarily complex rule and was expected to issue a final rule in the following months. Contractors should follow this rulemaking process closely as it would change the costs of doing business and complicate the bidding process for anyone doing business with the federal government in the future.

Jay Hansen is the executive vice president—advocacy for the National Asphalt Pavement Association.

46 | AUGUST 2022

WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM | 47

AD INDEX ALmix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Asphalt Drum Mixers, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17 Asphalt Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Astec Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover, Inside Back Cover, 11 B&S Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Blaw-Knox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 BROCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 CWMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3, 37 Fast Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Gencor Industries, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Greenpatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 GSSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Holly Frontier Sinclair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Meeker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Minds, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 National Credit Card Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Reliable Asphalt Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover Stansteel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 45 Systems Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 47 Tarmac international . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Weiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Willow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Wirtgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Women of Asphalt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 AsphaltPro’s advertiser index is designed for you to have quick access to the manufacturers that can get you the information you need to run your business efficiently. Please support the advertisers that support this magazine and tell them you saw them in AsphaltPro magazine.

Elise Posillico 781.738.5805 Peter Brickman

516.353.9177

48 | AUGUST 2022

We’re on it.

BROCK is proudly manufacturing equipment and supplying parts for hot mix asphalt plants. www.brock.llc | 2011 West Polymer Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37421 | 1.800.441.9528 | 1.423.476.9900

H E R E ’ S H OW I T WO R K S

Step 1 A loader feeds material into the 5-cubic-yard-capacity rear hopper.

Step 2

Optional Conveyor

Material feeds through the 34by 2-inch crusher opening.

Step 3 Sized material drops to an under-crusher conveyor.

Optional Conveyor

Step 5 For the closed-circuit option, additional conveyors remove fines and return oversize to the hopper.

Step 4 Hydraulic drive moves the discharge conveyor.

Astec’s Ranger J20 Mobile Crusher

T

he Ranger™ J20 mobile jaw crusher from Astec Industries, Chattanooga, is designed for the smaller to midrange contractors working in tight spaces for applications such as recycling concrete or asphalt; processing sand and gravel, aggregate; or screening topsoil and other materials.

Here’s how it works: The crew brings the mobile jaw crushing plant to the site and unfolds and sets up the machine from a centrally located control panel at ground-level. The crew can choose closed-circuit operation or choose open-circuit operation to feed material into another screening or crushing plant.

When the crew is ready for work, a loader (or other equipment) feeds material into the rear hopper, which has a capacity of 5 cubic yards and opening of 6 foot, 6 inches by 13 feet, 5 inches.

QUICK TIP: REMEMBER WHEN FEEDING CONCRETE THAT YOU WANT SLABS TO BE NO MORE THAN 18 INCHES.

50 | AUGUST 2022

Material falls through the crusher’s opening, which is 34 inches by 20 inches.

The crusher, powered by a CAT C4.4, 172-horsepower (129kw) or a Volvo Penta D5, 172-horsepower (129kw) engine, reduces material size as it drops to an under-crusher conveyor of 36-inch width.

The conveyor uses hydraulic drive to carry material to a discharge height of up to 9 feet, 10 inches.

SHOW US HOW IT WORKS

If you’re an original equipment manufacturer with a complex product, let us help you explain its inner workings to asphalt professionals. There’s no charge for this news department, but our editorial staff reserves the right to decide what equipment fits the parameters of a HHIW feature. Contact our editor at sandy@theasphaltpro.com.

WEB EXTRA Listen to a product expert share important details at this link: https://youtu.be/BJAWiGSq2-8

BUILT TO CONNECT

Power and Portability Our portable plant configurations feature a variety of components including jaw crushers, cone crushers, impact crushers and a variety of screening plants. Without sacrificing power or productivity, portable options deliver efficient and reliable performance with extra portability and adaptability.

Scan to see all our portable products