Asphalt Pro - November 2021 by Asphalt Pro LLC

The Big Paving Issue

asphaltPRO PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS

SECON Repairs Concrete Barge Deck with Asphalt

Plant Gallery

• Veteran-owned Striping Success Story • Bring the Heat to Recycling in Place • Calculate Backlogs Before Bidding • How that Wavy Screed Works • How to Pave on a Curve

NOVEMBER 2021 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

BUILT TO CONNECT In an industry focused on manufacturing powerful equipment, our business remains decidedly human thanks to one simple belief: that our greatest achievement as a company is in mastering the art of connection. ASTEC helps build the infrastructure that physically connects the world, but the connections we build with people are what make us a true partner to the industry. We know the equipment we build is not our final product, because we’re not really in the business of building equipment. We’re in the business of building connections.

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Connection is at the heart of everything we do The primary use for asphalt is creating pavement for building the roads that connect goods and services to their markets, people to their communities and families to each other. ASTEC asphalt plants are essential to building and maintaining these vital connections. That’s what drives us to design, manufacture, and sell innovative, efficient, and reliable equipment. And that’s what inspires us to connect to our customers through knowledgeable sales, receptive engineering and responsive parts and service.

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GENCOR, YOUR TRUSTED CHOICE!

At Gencor, we’ve led the industry with the most fuel-efficient, environmentally clean and lowest-maintenance design available to the hot mix industry. Gencor Industries remains focused on proactively serving and satisfying its customers from all aspects. Through improved cost-effectiveness, and quality of its products and services, Gencor’s personnel are dedicated to the principle of providing the highest quality to the industry to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage for Gencor. LEADER IN PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY Call 407-290-6000 or visit www.gencor.com

CONTENTS

asphaltPRO November 2021

departments

Editor’s Letter 6 – Pave More Tons

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT 8 – Eyewash Safety Station and Emergency Shower Solutions By AsphaltPro staff

TRAINING 10 – How to Pave on a Curve By Sandy Lender

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 12 – How to Pave on a Moving Surface From environmental stewardship to compaction tips, here’s how one professional crew managed an aggregates barge paving project By John Ball

Feature articles

PRODUCER PROFILE 20 – Aztec Paving, a Family Legacy By Sarah Redohl

WOMEN OF ASPHALT 26 – Meet a Woman of Asphalt: Duval Asphalt’s Rena Deihl By Sandy Lender

PRODUCT GALLERY 48 – Production-Related Products and Services of Note By AsphaltPro Staff

OFF THE MAT 56 – Measure and Manage Months in Backlog By Sean Rizer

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS 60 – Blaw-Knox's PF-7110B Asphalt Paver

30 – Shilling Construction’s Proven Screed By AsphaltPro Staff 36 – APAC Paves US 51 with a Smooth Screed From Wirtgen Group

The Big Paving Issue

asphaltPRO PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS

NEW TECH 62 – Simplify Preconstruction with STACK By Sarah Redohl

ONLINE UPDATE 63 – AsphaltPro Online

38 – Gallagher Paves Ohio Hot In-Place By Sarah Redohl 46 – G-FORCE and BlueSky Create Single-Source Success By Valerie Echter

SECON Repairs Concrete Barge Deck with Asphalt

Plant Gallery

• Veteran-owned Striping Success Story • Bring the Heat to Recycling in Place • Calculate Backlogs Before Bidding • How that Wavy Screed Works • How to Pave on a Curve

NOVEMBER 2021 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM

on the cover

The SECON paving crew cleaned up and paved over a concrete barge deck in Alaska. See related article on page 12. Photo courtesy of John Ball, proprietor of Top Quality Paving & Training

editor’s Letter Pave More Tons

All year long, we bring you paving project stories and paving tips to assist in training your workforce on paving best practices. Twice a year, we devote the edition’s theme to asphalt paving. You could say we place high importance on the best way to "implement” the mix you design and produce. This month, I want to suggest there’s more than one way to increase your tonnage for the department of transportation (DOT) in your state, whether the DOT’s funding increased recently or not. Track with me here. When you place a top quality, high-performing, long-lasting road—be it for the DOT, county, city, residential property manager—the owner pays a specific price for the completed work and does not have to pay exorbitant maintenance costs in the future. An asphalt pavement designed with perpetual pavement performance in mind is likely to last in excess of 50 or 65 years with minimal preservation treatments at year 15 or so. That’s a one-time investment up front with some minimal dollars for preservation later on. That’s smart. If you’re a paving contractor or mix producer, you might be thinking, wait. Where’s the big benefit for me? Here it comes. The agency that saves big maintenance dollars in years three, four, five, six and so on, has big dollars at its disposal. Those dollars can be used for maintenance or upgrading of sub-par pavements (I’m looking at the concrete industry, of course) or for building much-needed infrastructure in new or developing areas. That’s where the asphalt community can step in and provide, again, a long-lasting pavement system that saves dollars down the road, again. It’s like a wise-money-use cycle when asphalt professionals pave with perpetual pavement designs and best paving practices. Indulge me for a moment while I tell you AsphaltPro magazine has an online course that teaches the back-to-basics for best paving. It’s designed to reach the new members of your crew and to give a refresher to the veterans on your crew. Check that out under our Training tab on theasphaltpro.com. Best paving practices run the gamut from in-place recycling and paving along rural highways to pavement maintenance and striping of commercial lots. We’ve taken a look at a number of paving projects in this month’s issue and welcome you to use any or all of them to talk to your crews about the tips and tricks you see as training and growth opportunities. Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender

November 2021 • Vol. 15 No.2

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 sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613 ASSOCIATE 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. SUBSCRIPTION POLICY: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the United Sates, Canada and Mexico to qualified individuals. One year subscription to non-qualifying Individuals: United States $90, Canada and Mexico $125.00. For the international digital edition, visit theasphaltpro.com/subscribe/.

6 / November 2021

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Safety Spotlight

Eyewash Safety Station and Emergency Shower Solutions T

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires the availability of eyewash stations and emergency showers within the work area for immediate emergency use in all facilities “where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials,” states regulation 29 CFR 1910.151(c). At the asphalt plant, eyewash stations and emergency showers are commonly located near the lab, tank farm and control house. However, OSHA’s regulations don’t specify requirements for product selection, installation, operation or maintenance, instead referring employers to ANSI/ISEA Z358.1, a national consensus standard established in 1981 and last revised in 2014.

its own flushing fluid. There are also personal eyewash stations, which include bottles that can be mounted to walls or carried in a toolbox, however, these are not a substitute for required eyewash stations. Eyewash station control valves should be simple to operate, go from off to on in one second or less, and the spray head should be protected from possible contaminants (for example, the cover is removed when the water flows out). The water flow should be between 33 and 53 inches from the surface upon which the user stands and 6 inches away from any obstructions. The unit should be able to wash out both eyes simultaneously. The water flow velocity of eyewash stations shouldn’t injure the user, but is high enough that the user can hold their eyes open while rinsing.

ANSI STANDARD SPECIFICS

EMERGENCY SHOWER SPECIFICS

The standard calls for eyewash stations and emergency showers to be located within 10 seconds of any hazards, which translates to approximately 55 feet; on the same level as the hazard; clearly visible and welllit; with an obstruction-free path of travel; and provisions should be made to prevent unauthorized shut off. Both stations and showers should deliver tepid flushing water, which is considered between 60 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, both stations and showers should be activated once a week to verify operation. Self-contained eyewash units and showers should also be checked weekly to ensure sufficient flushing fluid. Stations and showers should also be inspected annually to ensure they meet all ANSI/ ISEA Z358.1 performance requirements. The standard also instructs companies to ensure all employees are aware of the location of eyewash stations and showers, and have been trained on their proper use.

EYEWASH STATION SPECIFICS

Eyewash stations may include plumbed stations, where an eyewash unit is permanently connected to a water source, or self-contained stations, where the device contains

8 / November 2021

There are two types of emergency showers. Plumbed showers are permanently connected to an appropriate water source, while self-contained showers are standalone devices that contain their own flushing fluid. Regardless of the type of shower, emergency showers should have a hands-free valve that activates within one second that is easily located and no more than 69 inches above the surface on which the user stands. The shower head should be between 82 and 96 inches above the standing surface. At 60 inches above the standing surface, the water pattern should have a minimum diameter of 20 inches. The center of the water pattern should be at least 16 inches from any obstructions, and if the shower is enclosed, the enclosure must be at least 34 inches in diameter. Both types of showers should be able to deliver 20 gallons of water per minute for 15 minutes in the required pattern, with plumbed showers at a pressure of 30 pounds per square inch. – BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF

CRH Americas Materials locates its eyewash stations and safety showers directly adjacent to, or within a short distance of, AC and diesel tanks. Photo courtesy of CRH Americas Materials

Milestone Contractors, Indianapolis, conducts its eyewash training during its first aid/ CPR training. Photo courtesy of Milestone Contractors

THE LEGEND IS BACK

With over a century of innovation to its credit, Blaw-Knox pavers have earned a reputation for quality, durability and performance unmatched in the industry. Today, with its new and improved highway-class designs, Blaw-Knox continues to deliver on its promise with all the performance features you’ve come to expect from an industry leader. BLAW-KNOX, THE LEGACY LIVES ON. Blaw-Knox Corporation 1280 Superior Avenue Chambersburg, PA 17201 Tel. 717-400-7900 www.blawknox.com

Training

How to Pave on a Curve The team at D-Squared Construction Limited, Ottawa, Ontario, shared several pictures for the producer profile in our September quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) edition. While selecting which images would highlight their new hybrid asphalt plant, I noticed an excellent example of attention to detail, teamwork among laborers and quality paving technique. Let’s use those two pictures to show your crewmembers some best practices for paving against a curved supported edge. These two photos are from a project taking place on Heron Road in Ontario, Canada. The crew used live-bottom trailers to deliver mix to a Shuttle Buggy material transfer vehicle (MTV). The MTV fed a hopper insert in the paver. The screed is extended to get the full lane width in one pass, but let’s talk about trying to pave all the way to a curb with an obvious curve in it. The last thing a good crew wants to do is weave with the paver. A good operator will pave in a straight line, which offers the best joint for matching on the next pull. Instead of trying to steer the paver to meet the meandering curb, the screed operator has a couple of options. It’s not recommended to let the screed get out of balance, so he doesn’t necessarily want to extend one side to keep the ski against the curb as the paver travels down the lane. The challenge there is keeping the head of material consistent and feeding non-segregated material all the way to the endgate when you take the screed out of balance like this. The other option, which Paving Consultant John Ball recommended, is to lift the endgate no more than half an inch to allow mix to bleed out under the ski as the paver moves past the problematic area in the lane. This puts extra material in the trouble spot.

10 / November 2021

Paving Consultant John Ball suggested contractors raise the endgate no more than half an inch to let the mix bleed out from under the ski to reach the extra space next to the curb. Notice that the worker wearing the hardhat numbered “2” is indicating with the lute exactly where additional mix is needed. The worker in the white hardhat is casting the material to the lute. Both photos courtesy of D-Squared Construction “If you leave the endgate up a little bit, all you have to do is let the mix bleed out a little and work it with the lute,” Ball explained. When the paver has moved down the lane, the laborer goes into action, leveling the mix with the lute. This is where teamwork is vital. Another laborer should be at the ready to shovel hot mix from the head of material and cast it exactly where the lute artist needs it to ensure even coverage. With the mat level across the mainline and into the curves and crevices, the roller operator and plate compactor operator can ensure a smooth finish. – BY SANDY LENDER

While the roller operator pinches the longitudinal joint, the laborers have taken the high area off the manhole cover. Using a 30-inch lute, the laborer is luting and leveling out the area near the curb. You can see the laborer in the white hardhat getting mix to fill in at the curb, so the lute artist doesn’t have to stop and wait on material. This is a notable example of teamwork.

BUILT TO CONNECT

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project management

The crew paved three passes on the right, two passes on the left, a stub on the left, and in this photo they’re backing into place for the last pass out.

How to Pave on a Moving Surface From environmental stewardship to compaction tips, here’s how one professional crew managed an aggregates barge paving project

Earlier this summer, I worked with the fantastic SECON crew in Alaska to help them fine-tune existing skills and develop new skills to enhance their overall performance. The company asked me to observe and assist the crew during its execution of a paving project on a barge in Gastineau Channel, and it started with a curve ball that the crew handled with professionalism. Let’s look first at the oversized trench the crew took care of, then

12 / November 2021

walk through the steps to pave on a not-sosteady surface for top quality paving. Check out the pictures on the next few pages for a deep dive into the details.

FILL THE TRENCH

Part of a working dock system is the electronics. For this project, the owner needed an electrical trench completed. Originally, they thought it would be a little extra mix in a trough. Not so much. When the crew ar-

rived, the owner had put a large electrical cable in deep trench and filled in 2 inches of aggregate. That left 10 inches for us to fill with hotmix asphalt (HMA). It took about 20 tons. • First, we hand-swept and cleaned off the dirt and dust with a leaf blower to get the sides of the trench clean. • Next, because the distributor truck we had on the project was not equipped with a spray wand, we heated up tack in a kettle and used this to tack the sides.

From left: Mark Davies, Jake Ritter, Eddie Sandifer, Dustin Jacobsen standing behind Vickie Brown, Foreman Daniel Gradin and Kevin Sandifer make up the SECON crew that performed the barge deck paving project.

The crew matches the joint beautifully.

With the leveling course down, compaction is the final touch. www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 13

project management

The deck before tacking or paving shows lips of the concrete slabs and squares that the new asphalt pavement needed to level out. The exposed and damaged steel girder had to be cut down flush with the surface before we could pave over it.

A special note to think about is we also swept the ramp leading onto the barge so trucks didn’t contaminate the surface—the tack or the leveling course— with dirt as they approached the paver. This is a good practice for commercial lots or new residential roadways where trucks can bring all manner of dirt and clay onto the surface to interfere with asphalt’s adhesion to the surface. To be good stewards of the environment, we used a push broom to move dirt to the middle of the deck, then brought a vacuum broom in to suck up the dirt. A leaf blower dried water used in the sweeping process. • Then, we used an attachment from Road Widener on a skid steer to convey HMA into the trench. We placed it 5 inches deep and compacted that lift with a plate compactor. • Finally, we used that same attachment to place the top 5 inches and compacted that with a tandem steel-drum roller. • For this trench-fill, Roller Operator Vickie Brown pinched both sides of the trench, sealing the sides, before rolling down the middle for final compaction. You can read more about Brown in the October Women of Asphalt feature.

14 / November 2021

PREP THE DECK One of the first steps to any quality paving project is to clean the surface to be paved, and this was true for the barge deck in Gastineau Channel as well. Unlike a typical paving project, we had to be extra careful with the material we swept up to ensure no dirt accidentally fell into the water. To get the deck clean in a safe way, we carefully broomed all dirt, dust, leftover aggregate, and so on into rows. Next, we brought in a skid steer to scoop up and carry away material. What material the

skid steer couldn’t carry away, we captured with a vacuum sweeper. Water was an integral part of keeping dust down, so blowing the deck dry was the final step before tacking the surface. A surprise that made this deck different from a parking lot was the steel girder sticking up from the floor. Over the years, the concrete deck had worn and spawled to the point the steel had been exposed to the wheel loader buckets that moved material on and off the barge. Sometimes, that equipment would snag on exposed steel and cause the unsafe protrusion of

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Project management

LEFT: The crew used their brand new Weiler P385B paver for the project. They extended the 8-foot screed to 10 feet for six passes across the 60foot by 280-foot deck. RIGHT: After the first pass, the operator backed the paver for the second pass. Take a look at that smooth straight line for matching the joint. Before paving began, we lined out the job with green paint on top of the tack. We marked out the 4-foot starting pad and ending point to ensure everyone, including truck drivers, knew exactly how to perform for a top quality paving job.

LEFT: The tracked paver SECON used on this project was brand new. While it’s not a full-size highway paver, it’s “beefy” for a commercial paver. The 8-foot, front-mount screed weighs 3,700 pounds and is hydraulically extendable up to 15 feet, 8 inches, although we only needed it out to 10 feet for this project. The tractor is 14 feet, 5 inches long and the 9-ton hopper capacity gave us plenty of working space, too. RIGHT: In this photo, Brown shows us the welding tip cleaner that can be used to clean the nozzles of roller spray bars. They’re an inexpensive tool for roller operators to keep on hand. girders. To keep that from causing a dangerous situation, we cut it flush with the surface with a saw. Just as you would with a parking lot, we mapped out the best way to apply tack to avoid tracking or overcoating. We tacked the deck in long passes from the back of the barge toward the front, stopping at obstructions. We then tacked across the front from the sides toward the center to make sure all areas including the front loading area were tacked. The final pass

16 / November 2021

with the tack wagon moved from the center straight off the barge. This is the same basic layout we used to pave a leveling course and then a top lift of asphalt.

PAVE IT BLACK

The leveling course required approximately 2 inches of HMA, which we placed with a brand new 8-foot Weiler P385B tracked paver. We extended the screed to 10 feet and pulled six passes across the 60-foot

deck of approximately 210 tons. I say “approximately” because this was a base course that needed to fill in some holes and crevices where the concrete had failed or where the concrete plates were not level with one another. This course lived up to its name as “leveling.” The 2-inch surface course required 210 tons of HMA. In almost every article I share with you, I remind you to double-check the slope and levelness of your mat with a four-foot level.

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Project management When this truck arrived, we noticed a pindle hook on the back end. This is a problem because it prevents the paver operator from bringing the push rollers all the way to the tires. The pindle hook basically holds the truck away from the paver a few inches. This can be a pricy problem if mix spills out. The solution, at first, is to dump the truck slowly. You have to let the mix dribble into the hopper slowly so the truck doesn’t fall out of the hopper from the sudden shift of weight. The final solution is to tell the driver he’s off the job. We told this driver we couldn’t use him anymore and sent him off the job. In the heat of production, you might not notice a specific truck’s return and you might start charging the hopper of the problematic truck without realizing it’s setting you up for an expensive, timeconsuming mess. It’s better to solve the problem before it starts. For the barge deck project, we started with five trucks hauling material. Even going down to four trucks, we never had to wait on material. The plant was about 10 minutes from the project and the team stayed in communication with the plant operator sending material to us at 300 degrees F.

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Make Asphalt Better

Before filling in the trench, the crew swept the sides, cleaned it with a leaf-blower, and tacked the sides with tack heated to 160 degrees F.

The crew used a Road Widener attachment with conveyor belt in its hopper, affixed to the front of a skid steer, to put two 5-inch lifts of HMA on top of a 2-inch lift of gravel to fill in the electrical cable trench. Roller Operator Vickie Brown used a plate compactor to get the first lift compacted in the 3-foot-wide trench. To complete it, Brown used the steel drum tandem roller to pinch both joints of the trench before compacting right down the center. Special Note: Keep bottles of biodegradable release agent on hand to keep equipment free of asphalt buildup, as you see in this final picture. Also notice that the team had been cleaning and tacking the bridge deck in the background while the trench project took place. That’s the kind of teamwork that keeps a job on schedule.

The electrical trench required more mix and more work than we anticipated, but the crew got it done ahead of deck paving. When you’re on a ship docked on the water, this isn’t possible. Even with “calm seas,” there’s movement that will affect your instruments. For example, the tide rose while we were paving, lifting the barge. In this situation, you trust your equipment and your teammates to perform at their best. You can read about best practices for starting the paving day at https:// theasphaltpro.com/articles/how-to-trainnew-operators-to-pave/ or take a full online course for back-to-basics paving at https://training.theasphaltpro.com/p/asphalt-paving-101 .

COMPACT WITH CARE

To achieve compaction on a concrete deck above a hollow ship’s hold, we elected to use oscillation in the breakdown rolling position and static rolling for all other compaction. The Cat CB34B that Brown used has a 51-inch drum and achieved compaction beautifully. Look at the smoothness and lack of lines this crew achieved. You can find more tips about sensitive rolling zones at https://theasphaltpro.com/ articles/roll-bonus-part-2-ideas-perfectcompaction/. When all was said and done, paving on a barge took attention to details like ambient temperature, extra environmental stewardship, removing broken rebar, carefully lining out the job, achieving density over a hollow ship, and so on. But the crew was up to the task and have the pictures to show how it can be done. – BY JOHN BALL

John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving & Training, Manchester, New Hampshire. He provides personal, on-site paving consulting services around the United States and into Canada. For more information, contact him at (603) 493-1458 or tqpaving@yahoo.com.

www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 19

producer profile

Aztec Paving, a Family Legacy

Pat Ferry is a fourth-generation asphalt professional. His great grandfather, Peter L. Ferry, performed paving and grading work in California in the early 1900s. “I even have a set of plans he wrote out to pave a street in Glendale, California, in 1912,” Ferry said. In 1960, Ferry’s grandfather, Pat Ferry Sr., opened Ferry Brothers Construction with his brother, Jack. When Jack Ferry wanted to retire in 1970, Pat Ferry Sr. started Aztec Paving Inc., an asphalt paving and maintenance contracting company in San Diego. Today, Pat Ferry Jr. is an estimator/project manager at Aztec Paving, but he’s been hooked on the asphalt industry since he was a kid. “It felt like a sandbox, but with bigger toys,” he said. He

20 / November 2021

remembers sitting at his grandfather’s desk as a kid—the same desk where his father, Bob Ferry, now sits as the president of Aztec Paving—and thinking about when he might one day lead the company. If you ask Bob Ferry, he’ll say he never steered his son into the family business. “But I think any youngster growing up around heavy equipment is going to want to drive it someday,” he said. “That’s probably what steered him in that direction, going to play with those toys on Saturday.” That’s how Bob Ferry got into the business. “If it wasn’t baseball or football season, I was working at Aztec every Saturday,” he recalled. “I was my dad’s shadow.”

LEFT: Aztec Paving performs asphalt paving and pavement maintenance work around San Diego. The company’s bread and butter is homeowners’ associations and property management associations. ABOVE: In the company’s 51-year legacy in San Diego, people have come to recognize Aztec’s name.

Aztec also prides itself on its clean equipment. “First impressions are a huge factor in getting jobs,” Pat Ferry said. “Our equipment says a lot about us.” He began working at Aztec full time after graduating high school in 1974, first with a shovel. He then graduated to a rake, then a roller, then a paver. He even drove a haul truck for four years. By the time he started working in the office, he had seven years of field experience. “How can you estimate a job when you don’t know how to do the job?” Bob Ferry said. “You can’t replace starting from the bottom and working your way up.” That’s what he did when Pat Ferry joined the family business in 2017 after graduating from San Diego State University. “I never saw myself doing anything else,” Pat Ferry said. “I think continuing the family legacy is what hooked me.”

www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 21

producer profile Working for the family business was never a question for Bob Ferry, either. “You’d be a fool not to see how great it is to own your own business and provide for your family,” he said. “Why would I have done anything different? It was never a question.”

Follow Aztec Paving Inc. on Instagram and TikTok @aztec_paving_inc.

AZTEC OVER THE YEARS

Another key to the company’s success is a low turnover rate among Aztec’s employees. Pat Ferry attributes this to good pay and a stable work environment.

Although half of the company’s work is asphalt paving and 10 percent is concrete paving, pavement maintenance (the remaining 40 percent) is perhaps what the company is most well-known for throughout the city.

Today, Pat Ferry Jr. is an estimator/project manager at Aztec Paving, but he’s been hooked on the asphalt industry since he was a kid. 22 / November 2021

Aztec Paving performs asphalt paving and pavement maintenance work around San Diego. The company’s bread and butter is homeowners’ associations and property management associations. Although half of the company’s work is asphalt paving and 10 percent is concrete paving, pavement maintenance (the remaining 40 percent) is perhaps what the company is most well-known for throughout the city. In the company’s 51-year legacy in San Diego, people have come to recognize Aztec’s name. The company’s name recognition reinforces its commitment to quality work. “We’ve been around more than 50 years,” Pat Ferry said. “Our name means something to us.” Aztec is regularly asked to bid apples-to-apples jobs, but if the specs aren’t right, they take time to work with the client to ensure they understand their options. “We walk them through what they can expect to happen based on the original bid versus what we’d recommend,” Pat Ferry said. “We won’t do poor quality work that the customer won’t be happy with down the road.” Often, the client takes their expertise into consideration. For example, a property manager recently submitted an apples-to-apples bid that was off the mark. “I actually laughed when I read the bid specs,” Pat Ferry said. The client’s parking lot had major cracking and tree roots had begun uplifting sections of the asphalt throughout, but the client was asking only for crack filling bids (and specified what Pat Ferry knew to be a sub-par crack filling product). The client took his recommendations. Aztec won the bid and left the client with a superior pavement compared to the original bid. “We often go out to do an estimate and get a phone call back from the customer saying the bids they got are like Mars, Earth and the moon,” Bob Ferry said. “I usually tell them to throw out the high and the low and go with the middle, which is usually where we are. It doesn’t hurt that they’ve usually known us for a long time.” Although the bulk of Aztec’s business is repeat customers, showcasing the quality of its work on social media has helped bring in new customers. “I think maybe half of our new customers come from social media, especially among the younger generation,” Pat Ferry said. Several years ago, the company invested in a drone to capture photos and videos of its projects. “My motivation with posting on social media is to demonstrate the fact that we do quality work,” Ferry said. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

KEYS TO CONSISTENT CUSTOMERS, QUALITY

In order to get (and keep) repeat customers, Aztec is committed to sticking to the schedules it gives its clients. “We finish things when

DITCH THE CHAOS OF PAPER TICKETS

Paving in southern California, where there is no off-season, also helps with employee retention. we say we will,” Pat Ferry said. “Most of our customers are repeat business, and we want them to keep coming back to us.” He attributes the company’s ability to stick to a schedule to its experience working similar jobs for decades. They also don’t have many rain days, which helps keep the company’s schedule on track. Usually, the company only loses around 20 days a year to rain, and that’s mostly because they won’t pave or sealcoat if the chance of rain is more than 20 percent. “People working elsewhere in the country probably laugh at that,” Bob Ferry said, “but we don’t want to take any chances with rain.” Another key to the company’s success is a low turnover rate among Aztec’s employees. Pat Ferry attributes this to good pay and a stable work environment. “No one is fired for making a mistake,” he said. “Accidents happen. If you make a mistake once, nine times out of 10 you’re not going to do it again.” Paving in southern California, where there is no off-season, also helps with employee retention. Aztec’s senior estimator has been with the company for 32 years. The company’s main foreman started at Aztec around the same time as Bob Ferry, and the foreman’s son has been with the company since the 1980s. “It’s a family affair here, both in the office and on the crew,” Pat Ferry said. Some employees have been around so long that they still refer to him as “Little Pat,” his childhood nickname, “even though I’m nearly 30 years old.” Some day, “Little Pat” will be leading Aztec Paving and sitting at the desk where his grandfather and father have worked to grow the company for more than 50 years. “Even though I’ll be leading the company one day, I think I’ll always see it as my grandpa’s and my dad’s company, too,” he said. “I want to make them both proud. I want to see Aztec Paving last another 50 years.”

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Women of Asphalt

Meet A Woman of Asphalt: Duval Asphalt’s Rena Deihl She officially joined the asphalt industry in 2020 at the urging of her father, an employee of Duval Asphalt, Jacksonville, Florida, and has already taken her education at the scale house to a larger role at the company. Rena Deihl is now a plant operator for Duval Asphalt working among all three asphalt plants in Jacksonville and learning new aspects of the job that endears the industry to her more each day. Duval Asphalt’s West 12th Street plant has been featured on AsphaltPro’s front cover to highlight environmental excellence. A spokesperson for the company shared that both the 12th Street plant and the Philips Highway plant Deihl operates have garnered National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) environmental diamond achievement commendations over the years. The 12th Street plant is an Astec 400 Double Barrel. The Philips Highway plant is a Gencor 400 Ultradrum, rated at 300 TPH. Deihl shared that her top production day so far at the Gencor plant was 1,400 tons. She took some time to share her insight as a fairly new woman of asphalt.

AsphaltPro: What did you find most rewarding or most interesting about your job at the scale house when you started out? Rena Deihl: Most interesting was finding out all of the different materials that came into our plant. Understanding what the different aggregates were and learning how “milling” can be recycled. AsphaltPro: Would you say “jumping into” the asphalt industry with the job at the scale house was a good fit for you, and how would you advise or encourage other women who are interested in plant operations for entering the industry?

26 / November 2021

She might be relatively new to the asphalt industry, but she already knows how to keep the asphalt plant clean and dust-free. Here she smiles proudly in front of the facility she operates. Rena Deihl: Most definitely. It allows other departments within the business to see what you’re capable of. Apply for the job, work hard and be open to learn new things.

AsphaltPro: Could you share with the readers how the scale house and materials work prepared you to transition to plant operation? Rena Deihl: Learning the basic knowledge of how to do customer/job tickets, and learning the difference in the aggregates we receive that get fed into our plant to make our asphalt. AsphaltPro: What part of your education relates best to the career track you’re on?

Rena Deihl: I really did not need a degree for what I am doing now as a plant operator. Although, I would really like to take some production courses to further my education.

A spokesperson for Duval Asphalt shared the company suggests both industry consultants—such as TJ Young of T2ASCO LLC—and the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) around the country that offer training for continuing education for workers on the production side of our industry. For example: “Classes are offered by Astec, Gencor, Stansteel. Clarence Richard Company offers online classes.”

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Women of Asphalt

LEFT: Lonnie Couch has served as a mentor for Rena Deihl. His advice: “The only way you will learn is to just do it, literally. If you want to run a piece of equipment, run a plant, jump on it and do it.” RIGHT: Rena Deihl is the plant operator for Duval Asphalt’s Gencor 400 Ultradrum, rated at 300 TPH. AsphaltPro: Could you share with the readers what your job as a plant operator for Duval Asphalt requires of you? Rena Deihl: To make a good quality asphalt mix that paves our roads. Ensure the safety of my crew and to make sure our equipment/plant is in working condition to run. AsphaltPro: Why did you choose to become a plant operator? What about that position is “most cool” to you? Rena Deihl: I wanted to be a part of something big, making something that is used every day, all across the world. Watching my mentors operating our plants and observing what is done to make the asphalt, just seemed very awesome. Honestly, making asphalt is the coolest thing. AsphaltPro: What would you say was the most challenging “obstacle” you, as a female at the asphalt facility, had to overcome in the past 8 months, and how did you overcome that obstacle?

28 / November 2021

Rena Deihl: I have not come across one person that felt I could not do the job. I am not sure what skill could help others other than to prove to the men on the job you can do anything they do.

AsphaltPro: Let’s talk about Teamwork. What is the most challenging project you’ve been a part of and how did you and the plant team overcome the challenge? Rena Deihl: When I was on nights in our Green Cove plant, we had run on two separate occasions, we got a call to fire up a third time to send out another 120 tons. I started everything up, the belts, the drum, the drag, exhaust fan. When I’d get ready to ignite the burner, our exhaust fan would kick out. Took us a bit to figure it out but after inspecting my controls, my ground lead and I went to our breaker room and discovered the breaker had tripped. After resetting the breaker, we were finally able to run.

AsphaltPro: It’s a fact that asphalt paving can be hot and dusty. How do you respond to people who say it’s a “dirty job?” Rena Deihl: It’s only dirty if you make it dirty. When making our mix, it can get dusty but as long as you run your waste auger/dust screws, it pulls the dust from the initial fire up and at time of shut down to eliminate “the dusty air.” AsphaltPro: What is the most rewarding aspect for you of being in the asphalt business? Rena Deihl: Truthfully, making the asphalt and seeing that our test grades come back good. Both for the AC target and air voids. AsphaltPro: Will you tell us about a person who served as a mentor for you? Rena Deihl: Lonnie Couch. He pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to see my potential. – BY SANDY LENDER

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Join us for Hotmix University in Louisville, Kentucky. During the intense exchange sessions, participants enjoy a combination of lectures, hands-on workshops on actual equipment, break-out sessions and discussions, as well as fun times to facilitate networking among industry peers. We limit our class size so we may allow productive interaction with instructors and among asphalt producers and operators. Those who have graduated from HU have raved about the practical benefits received during their time spent learning with us. Our staff of instructors boasts over 1,500 years of combined experience in the asphalt industry but also in the broader rotary processing equipment world. This makes our agenda unique to any other training event. Here are just some of the topics covered: Performance measures Best practices and how to improve Establish FACTS about your plant Specific plant components review Design and operation practices Heating and drying: burners and dryer/drums Baghouse and air systems

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Shilling Construction’s Proven Screed

Shilling Construction has been testing out an innovative textured screed from AXENOX Construction Solutions since April 2020. During that time, the system has moved from social media curiosity to the crew’s favorite screed.

BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF

When Travis Shilling, vice president of Shilling Construction Company Inc., Manhattan, Kansas, first saw a video on social media of a textured screed in January 2020, he was intrigued. Shilling reached out to Stuart and Michael Frost, who invented the unique screed, and asked if he could buy one. The brothers agreed to send Shilling their new screed to help them test the design. When Shilling received his screed in April 2020, it was the first model in operation outside the Frosts’ own paving company, Mountain Construction Company, Powell, Wyoming. To date, only a handful of paving contractors have had the chance to use the Frosts’ screed system firsthand. The Frost brothers are third-generation paving contractors; their grandfather started paving back in the 1940s. Throughout their time in the industry, the brothers have performed a lot of their own

30 / November 2021

equipment maintenance, learning how to fabricate, weld, engineer and eventually invent new machinery. “That’s how we learned so much about paving—through the school of hard knocks,” Stuart Frost said. Although the brothers have had numerous inventions, this is the first time they’ve moved to commercialize one. “We felt this was too important of a technology not to share it with the industry,” Stuart Frost said, citing its potential to increase paving efficiency, reduce compactive effort, and even open up new opportunities in mat thicknesses and nominal maximum aggregate size. They started AXENOX Construction Solutions and began posting eye-catching videos of their products—the OXCLAW textured screed and BULLOX conductor plate—in action on social media. Those videos included the one Shilling spotted.

LEFT: As a result of its tests in 2020, Shilling’s main highway crew used the OXCLAW for the 2021 season. TOP: Although they were able to achieve the same density with both screeds on the Highway 18 job, Shilling said they were able to achieve consistently higher density behind the breakdown roller on the OXCLAW sections. BOTTOM: Shilling used the OXCLAW on a KDOT job on Highway 18, comparing it side by side to a traditional screed. At the end of the job, KDOT gave Shilling permission to use the OXCLAW on other projects as long as the district or area engineer approved.

SHILLING, SHUTTLE BUGGIES & SUPERPAVE Shilling Construction is a family-owned business started by Shilling’s grandfather in 1965. It began as a small family business performing mostly commercial work and grew to a major player in the state of Kansas. Roughly 80 percent of the company’s paving projects are for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). The company also does its own milling and has three asphalt plants. As Shilling puts it: “We take care of anything asphalt.” The company has a history of adopting new technology early and was one of the first to use a Shuttle Buggy in the 1990s. They also got into milling early on, purchasing some of the first Roadtec mills ever produced. Shilling, and the state of Kansas in general, was also early to use Superpave mix designs. “My dad was

a pioneer in Superpave’s early days,” Shilling said. “We were one of the first to have a full-blown Superpave laboratory.” Shilling was mainly interested in AXENOX’s system for its wear capabilities—the OXCLAW is made of chromium carbide—and the ability to change out screed plates quickly. When he saw the videos, his crews had been paving in western Kansas and were quickly running through screed plates due to the harder aggregates used on that side of the state. Not only might the chromium carbide plates last longer, but screed swaps would be faster with AXENOX’s BULLOX conductor plate. The BULLOX is designed to remain on the screed for the lifetime of the paver, with the OXCLAW attaching via a silicone rope. This way, screed swaps take only one third the time as a normal screed swap. Although the quick change screed system was a primary interest for Shilling, it was actually an afterthought for the Frost brothers.

www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 31

LEFT: “The first thing people ask when they see pictures is if the mat is textured,” Stuart Frost said, but he assures them it’s not. He compares the shadows to those left behind after mowing grass; the mower leaves behind a pattern, even though all the grass is 2 inches tall. TOP: The OXCLAW screed plate also has a diamond-shaped pattern on it, which aims to improve density behind the screed by applying multiple force vectors, locking the aggregate together. BOTTOM: Shilling’s local Cat dealer attached the BULLOX and OXCLAW onto its Caterpillar SE60v screed on its Cat 1055F paver They realized that casting was their best option to manufacture textured screed plates economically, but this required creating the screed in two pieces: the textured screed plate (OXCLAW) and the conductor plate (BULLOX). “The BULLOX system offers benefits even for contractors who want to run a conventional screed, because of the quick change system,” Michael Frost said. AXENOX also offers traditional flat screed plates in long-lasting chromium carbide, in addition to their textured screed plates. Shilling thinks the OXCLAW could last his crew four or five years. Because most of Shilling’s paving operations are in eastern Kansas, where the aggregate is softer than the job in western Kansas that had originally piqued Shilling’s interest in the OXCLAW, he thinks the OXCLAW itself might even last the lifetime of the paver.

OXCLAW IN ACTION

After Shilling’s local Cat dealer had attached the BULLOX and OXCLAW onto its Caterpillar SE60v screed on its Cat 1055F paver, the company kept its new setup on jobs near its headquarters in Manhattan in case of any issues. The first project Shilling used it on was a parking lot job at a rural high school. “The crew was pretty skeptical, especially seeing the shadows on the mat,” Shilling said.

32 / November 2021

The screed material and set-up isn’t the only thing that’s different about AXENOX’s product. The OXCLAW screed plate also has a diamond-shaped pattern on it, which aims to improve density behind the screed by applying multiple force vectors, locking the aggregate together. The end result aims to be a smooth mat with improved density; however, the OXCLAW does leave behind shadows that some mistake for a textured mat. “The first thing people ask when they see pictures is if the mat is textured,” Stuart Frost said, but he assures them it’s not. He compares the shadows to those left behind after mowing grass; the mower leaves behind a pattern, even though all the grass is 2 inches tall. “Anytime you organize things, it creates a pattern—sort of like looking down on a bunch of people at a concert versus a battalion,” Stuart Frost said. And that’s what the texture is doing: organizing the aggregates in such a way that they lock together. “If you imagine a traditional screed as a duck boat and ours as a V hull boat, our screed disrupts what’s in front of it, cuts through it and averages it out, leaving behind a smooth mat, whereas a duck boat-style screed is at the mercy of every little thing it hits and then skips across it.” He said the texture also results in a smoother ride on the screed, a benefit Shilling has experienced firsthand. Although it might seem like mix would be more likely to stick to the textured plate, Shilling

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reports that hasn’t been the case. “I think the mix flows through there even better, because the OXCLAW heats more evenly.”

One thing the Shilling crew has to keep in mind when using the AXENOX is that it requires less of a fluff factor. Instead of 1/4 of an inch per inch of the final lift, the crew only adds about 1/8 of an inch per inch of the final lift. “You have to keep that in mind when matching curbs or centerline joints,” Shilling said. Otherwise, he adds, it operates like any other screed.

SOLD ON TEXTURED SCREEDS On the parking lot job, which was a single 4-inch lift, the crew was sold when they realized how good the density was right off the screed. “Normally when you walk on a lift that thick, it’s pretty soft and you leave behind a good footprint,” Shilling said. “With the OXCLAW, there was barely any indentation. The crew quickly saw something was different and it was for the better.” This feature was actually illustrated in one of the videos Shilling saw on social media, which only reinforced his desire to have the OXCLAW on Shilling’s highway jobs where density bonuses were at stake. With the mat being more stable directly behind the screed, the rollers are able to keep closer together. “The rollers are able to finish getting density at higher temperatures with less effort, so they’re less likely to be rolling cooler mats where they risk fracturing the aggregate,” Stuart Frost said. A more stable mat also means stronger

unconfined edges with less shoving and even improvements in longitudinal joint density. Throughout the first season with the OXCLAW, the crew tested it out on everything from parking lots to state highways, including two projects with KDOT. One of those jobs was a 1 ½ inch mill and overlay on Highway 18, between Manhattan and I-70, paved in August 2020. Shilling began talking about the OXCLAW with KDOT in the spring and invited them to a parking lot job the crew was performing with the OXCLAW so they could familiarize themselves with the new design. After DOT staff saw the screed in action, Shilling asked if they could use the OXCLAW on the Highway 18 job and KDOT agreed, asking the crew to do a comparison with a traditional screed. “Originally we were going to do half the job with the OXCLAW and the other half with a conventional screed to compare, but our crew liked the OXCLAW so much that we did three of the four lanes with the OXCLAW and only one with the traditional screed,” Shilling said, which still allowed them to compare the results of the two. Although they were able to achieve the same density with both screeds, Shilling said they were able to achieve consistently higher density behind the breakdown roller on the OXCLAW sections. At the end of the job, KDOT gave Shilling permission to use the OXCLAW on other projects as long as the district or area engineer approved it. “Honestly, we haven’t run into anyone who’s said we can’t use it,” Shilling said. “So far, everyone has been receptive to it and sees the benefits.” As a result of its tests in 2020, Shilling’s main highway crew used the OXCLAW for the 2021 season. According to the Frost brothers, this is only the beginning.

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Throughout the first season with the OXCLAW, the crew tested it out on everything from parking lots to state highways, including two projects with KDOT.

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“Normally when you walk on a lift that thick, it’s pretty soft and you leave behind a good footprint,” Shilling said. “With the OXCLAW, there was barely any indentation. The crew quickly saw something was different and it was for the better.” “We were very conservative with our first texture for testing,” Stuart Frost said, “because this is so new and we didn’t want to scare DOTs.” However, a good reception from the DOTs which have experienced the OXCLAW in action has encouraged them to experiment with different textures. Although pending patents prevent them from going into much detail, the brothers have said newer versions of the OXCLAW are more in line with their original vision. “Our tests have been going better than we imagined they would, so we feel more confident to move forward with our initial vision,” Stuart Frost said. The ultimate vision is to have different patterns for different applications. The brothers hope to launch new models for general sale for the 2022 paving season. Meanwhile, AXENOX has added a new paving contractor to its lineup of trial users for the 2021 season: the biggest competitor to the Frosts’ own paving company. “They heard the hoopla about our new system and wanted to be on the cutting edge,” Stuart Frost said, adding with a chuckle, “We may have lost our advantage against them!”

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APAC PAVES US 51 WITH A SMOOTH SCREED FROM WIRTGEN GROUP

LEFT: “We are ready to go to work in no time with our new paver,” Ricky Morgan, APAC Mississippi paver operator said. TOP: Paver Operator Ricky Morgan commented on the best practice the Big MultiPlex Ski facilitates, implying crew members can’t trip over a ski that’s in the air. AsphaltPro reminds readers not to walk between a paver and haul truck, no matter how convenient a raised ski might make it. When using a material transfer vehicle to charge the hopper, remain vigilant when crossing the paving train. It’s always best to walk across the cooled, rolled portion of the mat or across a cleared, noncluttered screed. BOTTOM: The crew extended the screed slightly to execute the multiple driveways and turnouts along the 10-mile stretch of US 51.

On a 10-mile stretch of US 51 in Holmes County, Mississippi, APAC Mississippi used its new Vögele VF600-3 screed from Wirtgen America, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, to get a smooth finish along some varying paving widths. Here’s how they did it. Mounted on the Vögele Super 2003-3i paver, the VF600-3 is the latest generation of front-mounted extending screeds developed for the 10-foot highway class pavers. New electric screed heating developments have reduced the time required to reach working temperature, reducing APAC Mississippi’s start up time and offering them even distribution of heat along the screed plates. “This stretch (of road) has a lot of driveways and turnouts for fields, so we ran the end gate in and out a bunch,” Fred Course Jr. said. He’s a screed operator for APAC Mississippi. “The controls and hydraulics are smooth, giving us a good-looking job.” The crew was paving 12 feet wide and 1.5 inches thick to overlay US 51 with a 9.5-mm Superpave mix. The stretch of road Course Jr. referred to was between Pickens and Durant,

36 / November 2021

Mississippi. They used the telescoping system on the VF600-3 screed, which offers paving widths of 6 feet to 25 feet, 5 inches, to extend from 12 feet to just a little wider as they encountered drives and turnouts. Using a single tube system, even at maximum extension, means half of the three-part telescoping tube is clamped; this design is to ensure optimum stability. The elevated location of the system also prevents contact with the asphalt mix. Course Jr. continued, “Cleanup is easier with this new screed since the (auger) sensors automatically give the extension the amount of mix it needs, and the (telescoping) tube is up out of the way.” Course Jr. shared some of the crew’s best practices. “Before we get going, I zero out the tow point and add a ½-inch of attack. Then all we need to do is adjust the end gates in and out. There is no better mat, just look.” To ensure a smooth ride, APAC Mississippi equipped their Vögele 2003-3i with the Big MultiPlex Ski option and Niveltronic Plus for automated grade and slope control. The latest version of the Big MultiPlex Ski is designed to

be set up completely in just seven minutes. Its 16.5-foot to 42.5-foot beam can be fitted with three multi-cell sonic sensors as standard— or up to five if required. This enables the Big MultiPlex Ski to scan several reference points along the length of the beam. Vögele’s Niveltronic Plus system for automated grade and slope control calculates a mean from the measurements taken across the entire measuring range, making up for any unevenness over long distances. In this way, the system offers APAC Mississippi greater precision than an individual single-cell or multi-cell sensor. Jim Holland, vice president of sales for Vögele in North America commented, “APAC Mississippi invested in bringing their paving crews to Nashville to see and experience the Super 2003-3i with the VF600-3 screed firsthand before making a buying decision. After speaking with our product experts and operating the equipment on our demo grounds, the crews better understood the thought and engineering that goes into our pavers that make it easier to operate and provides superior productivity.”

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GALLAGHER PAVES OHIO HOT IN-PLACE BY SARAH REDOHL

Gallagher’s custom-built hot in-place recycling equipment includes two preheaters and a process machine. Hot in-place recycling (HIR) is a pavement preservation treatment where an asphalt pavement is heated and remixed on-site and inplace reusing 100 percent of the existing materials. According to the Pavement Preservation and Recycling Alliance (PPRA), HIR reduces greenhouse gases by up to 30 percent and costs anywhere from 20 to 40 percent less than conventional rehabilitation techniques while offering same-day return to traffic and extending pavement life by seven to 15 years. And, the treatment option is growing in popularity. “It seems to us we are doing more and more HIR with each passing year,” said Patrick Faster, national sales director at Gallagher Asphalt Corporation, Thornton, Illinois. Today, the company has six sets of HIR equipment and dedicated HIR crews performing jobs in more than 20 states around the country. Faster thinks demand is increasing both as a result of the increasing cost of asphalt and increasing interest in sustainability. He compares HIR to cold in-place recycling (CIR) and full-depth reclamation (FDR), the common denominator being the use of existing material in place to minimize hauling and use of virgin materials. “HIR fits the niche in a roadway’s life cycle where it doesn’t quite need CIR or FDR,” Faster said. That was exactly the case on two recent projects Gallagher performed for Delaware County, Ohio, where HIR was used to level out the roads and improve rideability at a reduced cost compared to a mill and overlay.

38 / November 2021

HIR is often an attractive option for roads without significant depth, “where the last thing you want to do is mill anything out,” Faster said. “Instead of milling and hauling off a couple inches and then paving on a couple inches, you can use HIR on the existing pavement and then add a couple inches of new asphalt on top of it. Then, it’s a net gain in terms of strength while also reducing tonnage.” HIR can also appeal to parts of the country where aggregate is particularly expensive, as well as for agencies who rely heavily on chip seal. “Many agencies use chip seals on lower volume roads, but there comes a point where chip seal won’t cut it anymore,” Faster said. “That’s where HIR can go in first, and then the agency can go back to chip sealing the road.” Faster said HIR is ideal for roads with poor ride quality, heavy rutting and surface degradation. However, Gallagher is particular about the roads on which it performs the process. They take cores of prospective roads and simulate the HIR method in the lab to see if the treatment works well on that prospective road. “The lab results dictate whether or not that road will be a good candidate for HIR,” Faster said. Gallagher doesn’t perform HIR on pavements with drainage issues and requires that the road be structurally sound, since HIR itself doesn’t enhance a road’s structure. “We’re only working the top 1.5 inches or so,” Faster said. “If you have a deeper problem, you’ll need to look at another treatment method.”

ABOVE: The preheaters are basically semi-trucks towing 300-degree oven decks above the pavement to transfer heat into the pavement, following closely one right after the other. BELOW: The process machine, which follows closely behind the two preheaters, consists of a third semi pulling a smaller oven deck followed by hydraulic tines, a rejuvenating agent distribution system, augers and a screed at the very back of the semi. Depending on the depth and extent of the issues, CIR or FDR might be attractive alternatives, Faster added. Most roads that are good candidates for HIR are up to 12 years old, he estimates, and face moderate issues. The roads in Delaware County had some aging, rutting, and issues with rideability that HIR could address. “When we found a couple roads that were earlier in their life cycles that didn’t have deeper problems and the lab found to be good candidates for HIR, Delaware County was excited to try it,” Faster said. “They’re very forward thinking.” The two two-lane country roads in Delaware County included Troy Road from the city of Delaware to Norton Road, a total of 90,000 square yards of pavement, and Ostrander Road from US-36 and State Route 257, a total of 50,000 square yards of pavement.

HIR IN OHIO

Gallagher began its work in Delaware County June 14, 2021. However, its preparations started much earlier. The company strives to minimize bouncing its crews back and forth across the country, so smart scheduling throughout the season is key. It’s also common for Gallagher’s crews to work HIR jobs on multiple roads for one agency, like they did in Delaware County. In the 2021 paving season, it had three crews traveling around the country to perform HIR projects. Along with the crew, Gallagher uses four lowboys to send its HIR equipment, most of which was built at Gallagher’s own shop, around to each job.

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Gallagher uses the heater scarification HIR method, which requires them to heat the pavement to soften it before scarifying it and introducing a rejuvenating agent and remixing. Gallagher’s custom-built equipment includes two preheaters, which are basically semi-trucks towing oven decks above the pavement to transfer heat into the pavement, following closely one right after the other. “We want to pump as much heat into the pavement as we can, since pavement has a tendency to cool quickly,” Faster said. Its heaters follow closely behind one another and usually run at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, but never more than 320.

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“From the screed on, it’s just like a standard paving operation,” Faster said. Following the two preheaters is the process machine, which is a third semi pulling a smaller oven deck followed by hydraulic tines, a rejuvenating agent distribution system, augers and a screed at the very back of the semi. “From the screed on, it’s just like a standard paving operation,” Faster said. They follow paving best practices, develop a rolling pattern, and compact the mat like they would for any paving job. The crew averages 10,000 square yards of pavement per day, however, this depends on ambient and surface temperature and wind speed. “If we’re working in St. Louis in August, we can move more

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quickly,” Faster said, estimating around 22 feet per minute. “But if we’re in Minnesota in May, we might cover 10 feet per minute.” He said the crew moved at about 15 feet per minute on the Delaware County job, finishing the 150,000-square-foot job in 15 working days. “Our foremen are instructed to get as deep as they can with the tines and then go as fast as they can,” Faster said. “Depth first, then speed.” Most jobs’ specifications, including those in Delaware County, require the tines to get 1.5 inches deep into the existing asphalt, and Faster said 2 inches is the maximum. “If you can get to 2 inches instead of 1.5 inches, you’ll retard negative characteristics on the pavement for longer,” Faster said. Behind the tines are several augers to mix in the rejuvenating agent. “I think there’s some concern that applying heat to the pavement will burn the asphalt and prematurely harden it,” Faster said. “But with this process, we make it harder before we soften it with the rejuvenating agent. So, if the asphalt cores we send to the lab have a softness of say eight, it’ll be closer to a 30 when we’re done with it.” Gallagher blends its own rejuvenating agent and applies it at the rate dictated by its lab, usually one tenth of a gallon per square yard. The older the road, the more rejuvenating agent it will require. However, the crews take care not to apply too much rejuvenating agent to prevent bleeding. “The lab always gives us an approximate shot rate, but it’s always up to the back end guy to turn it up a bit if they see any white rock behind the screed,” Faster said. If the road has been previously chip sealed, he added, they may use a little less rejuvenating agent.

Drum mixers

Behind the screed, Gallagher’s crew develops a rolling pattern and compacts the HIR mat like any standard paving job.

“It seems to us we are doing more and more HIR with each passing year.”—Patrick Faster Behind the rejuvenating agent application and remixing comes the screed. “From the screed back, we’re laying asphalt like it’s virgin material,” Faster said. “It’s just that the source of the material is different.” Although an HIR-treated road can open to traffic almost immediately, a surface treatment must be applied within 14 days. Common surface treatments include chip seal, micro surface and overlays, depending on traffic needs and budget. Shortly after completing the HIR process in Delaware County, the roads were capped with 1.5 inches of asphalt. Gallagher finished the job July 5, 2021. “Not only did the roads look great, but they were leveled out and left behind a very smooth ride for the residents,” Faster said. The Delaware County jobs may also lead to more HIR work for Gallagher in the state of Ohio; representatives from more than 45 agencies came to see the process firsthand. “When they see the pavement before and after, they’re impressed,” Faster said. He estimates that 90 percent of agencies who have roads ideal for HIR later reach out to Gallagher when planning the following year’s work after coming to see one of its jobs in action. “Our best sales tool is bringing people from surrounding counties out to a current job to see the machines work.” Faster said Gallagher continues to perform more and more HIR jobs in Ohio year after year. The Ohio Department of Transportation having its own HIR specification, as do many states, helps give local agencies confidence in the process. However, it can still be an uphill battle sometimes. “The number of people who haven’t heard of HIR still amazes me,” Faster said. “It’s an ongoing education.” Faster said Gallagher’s good name in the asphalt industry also helps, “even if we’re bidding HIR work in places where they may not be familiar with the Gallagher name. If they look us up, they’ll find we pass the test every time.”

www.tarmacinc.com

contact tarmac at 816-220-0700 or info@tarmacinc.com

www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 43

G-FORCE AND BLUESKY CREATE SINGLE-SOURCE SUCCESS

BY VALERIE ECHTER

Pavement maintenance is an expensive (and often stressful) undertaking for any organization. From budgeting for capital expenditure improvements and careful analysis of pavement deformation, to clear and concise planning of striping and signage, there are numerous details and boxes to check before a pavement owner can put out a request for bids. The challenges mount for national organizations that have multiple locations throughout a state, region or the country. Enormous amounts of time and effort are spent finding a contractor that maintains stringent quality control standards and has the bandwidth or geographical reach to complete all their pavement maintenance projects. Dividing up the work between multiple contactors becomes a cumbersome task to manage, which is why many national organizations are putting a renewed focus on single source options when it comes to pavement maintenance.

CREATING A SINGLE SOURCE PARTNERSHIP

In the spring of 2021, Lidl, an international retail chain, approached BlueSky Paving and requested their expertise in developing a single source program to re-stripe 42 of their parking lots throughout the East Coast. BlueSky Paving is no stranger to the organization, as Lidl is a client of their parent firm, Ferrandino and Son. Lidl had worked with smaller local firms in the past but found those organizations did not have a consistent product and lacked quality control. BlueSky Paving, which specializes in national pavement solutions for multi-site facility partners, went to the drawing board and developed a thorough re-striping plan. Included in the plan was a detailed scope of work for all of Lidl’s lots regarding how they would manage the re-striping execution through strategic partnerships with select subcontractors. Once BlueSky Paving received the official approval from Lidl to move forward

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When property managers work with contractors to have lights on and sprinklers off, nighttime work goes smoothly. with their pavement striping plan, Kevin Lenover, vice president of operations for BlueSky Paving, knew that sourcing striping contractors was the first step and that “Jack Child and the team at G-FORCE™ would be [his] first call.” G-FORCE is both a team of industry veterans and military veterans. Each of their 30 locations is veteran-owned, making it unlike any other. With multiple locations across the United States, G-FORCE was an easy choice to cover Lidl’s multi-state project. Having local G-FORCE locations complete the work would eliminate the nightmare of having to arrange call backs, which becomes problematic when working with traveling crews. The result, in those instances, is to bring in a third party to fix mistakes, which can be costly. The potential of additional expenses and planning needed to work with traveling crews, combined with G-FORCE's impeccable attention to product quality and operational consistency, further cemented the partnership for BlueSky Paving.

PROJECT SCOPE

G-FORCE used their Baltimore, Washington D.C., Richmond and Charleston locations to complete the work, with Rich Schafer, owner of the Charleston franchise, taking the lead and completing 25 of the 42 projects. Schafer is a 25-year Air Force and Navy veteran who served in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. G-FORCE has the ability to install signage and parking stops, as well as perform crack sealing, sealcoating and numerous other services; however, the Lidl project scope consisted of re-striping work only. Work completed by the Charleston-based G- FORCE crew included striping of: • Over 250 arrows • Over 150 twelve-inch stop bars • Over 150 STOP stencils • Over 150 handicap stalls and aisles • Over 20,000 linear feet of hatch marks • 120 crosswalks The average lot consisted of striping nearly 150 parking stalls, equating to an average of 80,000 lineal feet of striping at each location.

WE HAVE YOUR HAULING NEEDS COVERED

TOP: Lidl’s U.S. headquarters is located in Arlington, Virginia. They operate more than 100 stores in nine states across the East Coast. BOTTOM: With 30 Veteran-Owned franchise locations across the country, G-FORCE has the experience, training, equipment and materials needed to make the 42 Lidl projects look great.

COMMUNICATION HELPS NAVIGATE UNFORESEEN ISSUES

Like many organizations in retail, Lidl is a very particular client with high demands on schedule. Their project parameters required all striping work to be completed during off-hours, meaning G-FORCE had to coordinate with each store to ensure that busy product delivery nights were not impacted. G-FORCE had requests as well, which were for Lidl to keep parking lot lights on and to turn off irrigation systems. Lenover explains how those requests turned out to be tougher to meet: “We had a few nights where the lights were not left on for the crews. We were able to adjust schedules and come back another night, or sometimes the guys would paint with headlights and moonlight, all while creating an awesome end product.” Weather also led to project delays for the G- FORCE and BlueSky duo; however, the teams communicated shifts in project planning day by day and experienced minimal interruptions thereafter. Lenover attributes much of the project’s success to communication: “The fact that we had a great partner like G-FORCE and

daily detailed communication with them made the project flow well.” He continued, “The G- FORCE team is super easy to communicate with. They were professional and organized from the day we started to discuss price and scope, to the closing documentation.”

APPLYING A MILITARY BACKGROUND TO BUSINESS PRACTICES

As a veteran-owned business, G-FORCE knows the importance of service. Crew members are dedicated to providing firstclass customer service and long-lasting results. By using premium traffic paints and state-of-the-art striping and paint spraying equipment, G-FORCE’s work is designed to withstand the test of time. G-FORCE has the experience, training, equipment and materials needed to finesse any project. When BlueSky enlisted the help of veteran owners for parking lot projects, they received first class, military-style, precision service and responsive communications. For more information, contact (800) GOG-FORCE or visit www.gogforce.com to find a location near you.

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Product Gallery

PRODUCTION-RELATED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OF NOTE A

As we wind down the 2021 construction season, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and service and materials suppliers offer information on products, components and industry moves that could enhance or impact your bottom line. The next few pages contain the latest in plant and production-related services you should have in mind as you shut down for winter and plan your maintenance and upgrades.

This illustration shows the Astec Heli-Tank with mixer motors visible on top of the tank and agitators extending into the tank. polymer-modified asphalt in one compartment, and base asphalt in the other compartment. Each tank can be split into equal sized compartments, or split into compartments of different sizes as needed. Agitators can be added and operated independently to each compartment. Each compartment has its own set of heating coils and temperature controls allowing the compartments to be heated at different temperatures if required. The dual compartment tank is available in 15,000-, 20,000-, 25,000-, 30,000-, and 35,000-gallon tanks. Additional sizes will be considered on an individual basis. For more information, visit www.AstecIndustries.com.

The ALmix split-level control house is comprised of a control cabin and motor control room.

ALMIX

The ALmix split-level control house is a durably built, steel tube construction, two-story unit comprised of a control cabin and motor control room. The split-level control house comes in both portable and relocatable designs, including the ability to be placed on top of a customer’s building. In the control cabin, the facility’s start-stop station, blending process and loadout system are all easily operated in a safe, climate-controlled environment featuring visibility on all four sides of the building. The MCC room is on the lower floor, which is separated by an internal door to help reduce noise in the control cabin. Each ALmix split-level control house is built to keep a plant crew comfortable and safe for years to come. Each building is heavily insulated, lined with tinted safety glass windows and equipped with hurricane-rated external doors. ALmix also offers numerous features including outdoor disconnects, knife/transfer switches on portable models, custom platforms and more. ALmix designs each control center with the latest available safety and plant control technology, customized precisely for your plant and your expectations. For more information, contact ALmix at (260) 672-3004.

CWMF

CWMF, Waite Park, Minnesota, is introducing the CWMF USP-20 AC unload pump. Product features include jacketed pump with jacketed relief valve, 20 HP 230/460V 3ph electric motor, and skid mounted for ease of installation. Additionally, the hot oil circuit is plumbed for easy hook up to your existing hot oil system supply and return. Designed for use with stationary and portable AC tank applications. For more information, contact Wally Olson at wally@cwmfcorp.com

ASTEC

The Heli-Tank from Astec, Chattanooga, Tennessee, is designed to give producers two liquid tanks in one. The dual compartment tank allows two different types of products to be held in the tank such as

48 / November 2021

The CWMF USP-20 AC unload pump is designed for stationary and portable AC tank applications.

The Most Innovative Paver Technology! VÖGELE SUPER 1700-3i / SUPER 1703-3i VÖGELE SUPER 2000-3i / SUPER 2003-3i

The number one on the global market presents the “Dash 3” paver generation for the North American market. The 8-foot SUPER 1700-3i track and SUPER 1703-3i wheel and the 10-foot SUPER 2000-3i track and SUPER 20033i wheel pavers are available with an unparalleled range of screed offerings including front and rear-mounted vibratory screeds to high-compaction screeds. The new pavers include the intuitive ErgoPlus 3 operating system along with a few enhancements including VÖGELE EcoPlus and PaveDock Assistant. www.wirtgen-group.com

WIRTGEN AMERICA, INC. · 6030 Dana Way · Antioch, TN 37013 · Telephone: (615) 501-0600

Product Gallery CURRY

Curry Supply offers the Peterbilt 348 4,000-gallon on-road water truck for your dust control needs. The unit features ASTM A36 steel construction; internal baffles; a 24-inch manway with mesh lift-out grate; water level indicator; 4-inch by 3-inch water pump; two front-flushing, one side, and two rear, independently controlled spray heads with air-operated valves; a manual rewind hose reel with 50 feet of 1.5-inch hose with adjustable nozzle; 2.5-inch hydrant fill with anti-siphon air gap; department of transportation-compliant wiring and lighting; interior tank coating; and powder-coated parts. For more information, contact Curry Supply at (855) 275-8997.

ENERGY CLOUD

With the construction season winding down in parts of North America, owners may be looking at indoor air quality in offices, control houses, labs, and so on. With COVID-19 still active worldwide, eradicating the virus while it’s airborne is crucial to mitigating its transmission. Energy Cloud, a clean-tech company specializing in healthy buildings and energy efficient environments has a solution with its Hummingbird EQ, an air purification system that it states can capture and deactivate airborne COVID-19 virus. Hummingbird EQ with Air Vaccine technology was independently tested by a team of epidemiologists and professional engineers assembled by Black & Veatch. The technology’s deactivation of the virus was independently tested and proven with all Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) work performed within The Hastings Foundation and Wright Foundation laboratories at the University of Southern California (USC), according to the manufacturer.* In the bio-aerosol study, Hummingbird EQ was tested by simulating a real-life airflow scenario, complete with ducting, coil and an air handler/ forced air unit. Testing included infectious aerosolized virus samples with simulated saliva that were more than 3,000 times the average infectious dose to prove hummingbird can thoroughly neutralize and remove any active COVID-19 virus from the air that passes through the system. The goal set out by the Energy Cloud COVID-19 response team was to test a scenario far greater than a normal real-life situation. Testing also was performed with all Hummingbird models, confirming that they all deactivate COVID- 19 with no harmful ozone being produced. Hummingbird does not release or produce any airborne chemicals as part of its inactivation of viruses. It can be installed and scaled to any size heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system or used as a stand-alone unit in all types of commercial and residential settings. Hummingbird EQ includes: • Air purification technology that decomposes VOCs and reduces bacteria, microbes, pollen, dust, dander, allergens, spores, fungi, mold, odors, smoke and toxic fumes without producing any harmful ozone or biproducts. • HVAC remote management with Hummingbird EQ AI technology allows cloud-enabled remote monitoring and management of HVAC systems, saving energy by providing real-time insight to equipment operation and efficiency.

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• Indoor air quality monitoring with real-time air quality information for customers, employees and property owners, for all stakeholders to see the building air quality through Energy Cloud’s air certification. The information can be seen through a QR code displayed on the buildings outside doors and windows as well as web URL links that can be viewed on any computer or smart device. Building owners who invest in having the best air quality for their buildings and business can show proof of their air quality with the QR code and unique URL provided for each building. Funding for the development of the product was provided in partnership with Black & Veatch’s IgniteX COVID-19 Response Accelerator. SARS-CoV-2 BSL-3 resources were supported by a grant from the W.K. Keck Foundation’s COVID-19 research fund. For more information, visit the Energy Cloud website. *Hummingbird EQ was proven to capture and deactivate the airborne COVID-19 virus on the first airflow pass through the system by 99.5% or greater, reducing it to undetectable levels.

EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has invited Environmental Justice (EJ) advocates—and the public—to participate in the agency’s National Environmental Justice Community Engagement calls, now happening biweekly, to discuss and receive feedback on all aspects of EJ at EPA with partners and communities. It would behoove hot-mix asphalt producers to be involved. “The voice of communities is what centers and drives our efforts to advance environmental justice at EPA,” Office of Environmental Justice Director Matthew Tejada said. “Our mission to protect the health and environments of everyone in the United States can only be achieved if we listen to and engage with communities who have not received the same level of protection. Given the historic mandate of the Biden-Harris Administration and Administrator Regan’s leadership, these calls are a direct line for EPA to hear from communities.” By increasing the community engagement calls from quarterly to biweekly, EPA will further encourage an open dialogue with EJ leaders and advocates. These meetings not only serve as an opportunity to give an update on EPA’s EJ work and its resources, but also to listen and learn from communities, partners and stakeholders. Additionally, the biweekly community engagement calls speak to the agency’s commitment to the Justice40 initiative, which vows to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities. To see the calendar for upcoming calls, register for upcoming calls, and view meeting materials for past calls, please visit: https://www.epa. gov/environmentaljustice/national-environmental-justice-communityengagement-calls. You can also follow the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice on Twitter (@EPAEnvJustice) and subscribe to the EPA’s EJ listserv by sending a blank email to join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov.

ERIEZ

The CP-20 and TP-25 suspended permanent magnets from Eriez®, Erie, Pennsylvania, offer cost-saving benefits to operators when installed upstream of crushers, shredders, grinders and other size-reduction equipment, according to the manufacturer. According to Eriez experts, tracking studies and customer testimonials, the expense of one of these

Product Gallery high-powered permanent magnets is justified when considering that the magnet’s price point is significantly less than the cost of downtime and repairs associated with damage to essential equipment. The suspended magnetic separators have proven most effective for the removal of unwanted iron from heavy burdens of bulk materials being transferred on conveyor belts. The tramp iron removal provided by these Eriez magnets safeguards costly processing machinery and assures the purity of the product. Chris Ramsdell, Eriez separation product manager, reported that demand for the CP/TP suspended magnets is expanding in correlation with the growing trend for mobile systems, such as mobile recycling plants and mobile aggregate processing plants. These magnets offer a permanent magnetic field combined with a small installation footprint, making them ideal for mobile systems. The self-cleaning magnets offer hydraulic drives for installation locations where power is not readily available. The SP-20 series magnets provide a magnetic field across the feed belt to remove damaging tramp iron while the TP-25 series magnets use a twin pole magnetic circuit to provide maximum ferrous removal at higher suspension heights. Eriez now offers CP-20 and TP-25 suspended permanent magnets as part of its quick ship program. Models in the line are available in both self-cleaning and manual cleaning designs. Manual clean magnets include a drawer type stripper plate and cable sling suspension. For more information, visit the Eriez website.

HAVER & BOECKER

Haver & Boecker Niagara, St. Catherines, Ontario, launched the next generation Niagara F-Class vibrating screen at MINExpo 2021 in Las Vegas. The vibrating screen is now primarily manufactured with vibration-resistant lockbolts instead of the traditional welding used in previous designs. Bar rails are now fastened to the cross beams with lockbolts. The new machine also permits cross beams to be positioned and lock-bolted every four feet instead of every two feet, allowing for better clearance and easier maintenance, according to the manufacturer. Featuring replaceable polyurethane anchors, the new high open area modular deck is suitable for virtually any pin and sleeve modular screen media. The polyurethane anchors are easy to replace and prevent premature wear on the deck frame, according to the manufacturer. Additionally, the open design of the modular deck prevents material buildup on the bar rails. The F-Class can also be manufactured for side-tensioned or bottom deck end-tensioned screen media. Each new side-tensioned machine comes with Haver & Boecker Niagara’s Ty-Rail™ quick-tensioning system with the ability to cut screen change-out times in half. Supported by double-spherical roller bearings, the machine’s double eccentric shaft assembly creates a constant stroke to maintain g-force during material surging, providing constant material stratification. It also creates a dynamically balanced system that transmits virtually no vibration into the structure—or chassis— preserving the integrity of the structure while allowing for multiple machine installations. For more information, visit the Haver & Boecker Niagara website.

52 / November 2021

The TCI lined auger from Kenco is designed for greatest possible wear life.

KENCO

Kenco Engineering Inc., Roseville, California, has engineered multiple wear solutions for the asphalt industry since its founding in 1957, including its recent tungsten carbide impregnated (TCI) extra heavy-duty augers. Whether used as dust fines reject augers or asphalt transfer augers, Kenco’s use of the unique TCI process is designed to ensure the auger achieves the greatest possible wear life by maintaining the auger’s overall diameter for a much longer period than previously possible. Kenco’s TCI system is shown to drastically reduce “diameter shrinkage” on the auger, thus enhancing efficiency along with wear life. For more information, contact Paul McDowell at (800) 363-9859 or visit www.kencoengineering.com.

MARTIN MARIETTA

Ward Nye, chairman and CEO of Martin Marietta, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been elected 2021-2022 chair of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The announcement was made during the association's national convention, held Sept. 26-29 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Nye has been chairman of Martin Marietta since 2014, CEO and director since 2010, and president since 2006. He previously served as chief operating officer from 2006 to 2009. Previously, Nye spent nearly 13 years in positions of increasing responsibility with Hanson PLC, including as executive vice president of its North American building materials business. In 2019, Forbes magazine named him one of “America’s Most Innovative Leaders” based on his media reputation for innovation, social connections, track record for value creation, and investor expectations for value creation. Nye’s volunteer ARTBA leadership positions include senior vice chair (2020-2021), first vice chair (2019), vice chair at-large (2012-2018), director (2011-present), ARTBA Foundation trustee (2021), Strategic Planning Committee co-chair (2019-2020), and Project 2019 Task Force co-chair (2017). Nye’s goals for his tenure as ARTBA chair center on funding legislation and expanding ARTBA’s safety training programs. “Safety is a core value throughout the transportation construction industry,” Nye said. “The availability of these resources will complement—not supplant—the safety programs utilized throughout our industry, because we can never do too much to protect our team members and the users of the transportation system we build.” Nye is a past chair of the board of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). He is also a board member of the U.S. Chamber

In July 2020, Sapphire Gas Solutions was formed by joining Blue Roads Solutions and Thigpen Solutions into one company. The newly formed Sapphire Gas Solutions is still committed to focus on serving the road construction industry with the same quality product fueling capabilities.

NEW NAME, SAME PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE IN ASPHALT Sapphire Gas Solutions is a Texas based LNG and CNG natural gas in the utility, industrial, and pipeline industries. Through years of experience provide LNG and CNG to asphalt plants, pipeline integrity projects, supplemental winter gas supplies, and a myriad of other applications, Sapphire is a true, national, virtual pipeline solution.

In addition to our emphasis on Asphalt Plants and Remote Power Generation, we now also help with: • Winter supply

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Product Gallery of Commerce, the world’s largest business organization, and chair of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Nye has also served with numerous North Carolina philanthropic organizations, including on the boards of directors of the UNC Health System and the Research Triangle Foundation and on the Board of Governors of RTI International. Martin Marietta is a member of the S&P 500 Index and a leading supplier of building materials, including aggregates and asphalt. Its Magnesia Specialties business produces high-purity magnesia and dolomitic lime products used worldwide in environmental, industrial, agricultural and specialty applications.

PROSTACK

ProStack, a Terex brand, has appointed Comeco as the authorized distributor for Peru. Comeco will represent the full ProStack portfolio of bulk material handling and product stockpiling conveying equipment across the country. Lee Nesbitt, ProStack Global Sales Manager said “I am delighted to welcome Comeco as the latest addition to the ProStack family. They are an excellent distributor to have on board and I am confident this partnership will be a successful one, growing the ProStack brand, and providing quality machines in Peru.” For more information, contact gemma.mckelvey@terex.com.

ROTOCHOPPER

Rotochopper, headquartered in St. Martin, Minnesota, has added the 365R tracked radial stacking conveyor to the equipment they offer to meet the material handling needs of their customers. “As we continue to look for ways that Rotochopper can help our customers streamline their operational processes and improve their bottom lines, the 365R conveyor is a great addition to our product offering. We are excited to provide this conveyor option to our customers,” shared Nicole Klein, marketing manager for Rotochopper. The 365R offers a radial on timer and automatic oscillation. It features a 36-inch-wide belt with a 65-foot radial and a 30-foot discharge height. Meister’s Forest Products Inc. recently purchased a 365R. “The addition of Rotochopper’s new 365R stacking conveyor has allowed us to capitalize on the full production capabilities of our Rotochopper FP-66 horizontal grinder more effectively. The 365R is very impressive. It is easy on fuel, simple to operate, and is saving us time and product space every day,” Cody Meister shared. For more information, visit the Rotochopper website.

STANSTEEL

The Tank Manager System™ from Stansteel®, Louisville, Kentucky, allows plant operators and superintendents to monitor and regulate all their AC tanks and hot mix silos. Users can set individual tank high/low parameters for level and temperature to initiate a pump shutdown, thus preventing tank overflows. In addition, users can operate AC tank supply, return and fill valves with the push of a button. The Tank Manager System also allows users to send emails and texts to specific individuals notifying them during alarm events—

54 / November 2021

The Tank Manager System™ from Stansteel® is designed to allow you to monitor and regulate all your AC tanks and hot mix silos. such as “low hot oil temperature”—that action needs to be taken. The system is designed to be operated on a computer or any smart phone. Essentially, the Tank Manager System gives you the control to run your business while it runs your tanks: • Preventing tank spills and overfills; • Avoiding AC waste and contamination; • Offering remote control of all valves and pumps; • Knowing silo and tank levels 24/7 from anywhere; and • Offering new non-contact accu-level technology. For more information, visit https://stansteel.com/tank-manager/.

TEREX

JP Mitchell has joined Terex MPS, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as regional sales manager for the Cedarapids, Simplicity, and Canica crushing and screening equipment. He brings an engineering background and 15 years of aggregate industry experience to the role. “We are excited to have JP on board as he brings valuable experience to the team with his engineering and dealership backgrounds,” said Russ Burns, sales director, Terex MPS. “With his experience in the industry, I know he is eager to hit the ground running.”

TRU-VU

TRU-Vu Monitors Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois, has released a line of 13.3-inch industrial-grade LCD monitors. The compact VM-13.3G video displays measure 12 inches by 7 inches by 1.5 inches and feature 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution and 400 nits of brightness. The powder-coated steel enclosure and TRU-Vu's exclusive TRU-Tuff treatment ensures maximum shock and vibration resistance for demanding applications, according to the manufacturer. An operating temperature of -4° to +158°F ensures that these units can operate in nearly any environment. The monitors are designed for manufacturing plants, refineries, construction equipment, inspection and surveillance systems, and more. For more information, contact (847) 259-2344.

HAS WHAT IT TAKES JUST LIKE YOU Contractors, suppliers and government agencies all over the globe depend on Evotherm® for fewer problems, better paving and more savings. It’s why Evotherm has been used in over 300,000 miles of paved road. Learn more:

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Off the Mat

Measure and Manage Months in Backlog In this month’s Off the Mat article, we will discuss how the highest performing paving contractors use the months-in-backlog analytic to drive the decision of procuring new project opportunities. Evaluating how much work you have on the books at a given point in time is critical to a paving company being able to accurately predict and project its next few months of operating results. Backlog is an ever-changing calculation. As new work comes in, backlog increases, and as work is performed, backlog decreases. For paving companies that have long-term projects, the months in backlog analysis will be easier to calculate as there are typically fewer projects to have to consider. It is also customarily easier to schedule, coordinate and mobilize on a few larger projects as compared to a multitude of smaller projects. Backlog is considered uncompleted work that is awarded via executed contract. Pipeline open bids, which are open proposals, are not included in the actual backlog figure, because these are not “hard” contracts. Pipeline open bids are important in understanding the historical win rate the contractor has when determining how close the contractor is to its targeted backlog figure. In a previous Off the Mat article—Mitigate Contractor Risk— we discussed contractor failure and contractors who do not understand the relationship of man hours available to work compared to actual contracted man hours to be completed in a given season. This can create significant operational challenges for a contractor to be profitable. For instance, too much work at a low margin may cause the contractor to not hit its profitability goals. Months in backlog can have multiple definitions; let’s review three of those formulas now.

Sales months in backlog is the number of months of backlog a paving company can perform based on the total gross sales (revenue) prior to any expenses deducted. Backlog Months Sales Dollars X Gross Profit Percentage (Avg. annual fixed cost + budgeted net profit)/12 One primary positive of the sales months in backlog calculation is it is the simplest of the three formulas. When communicating goals and expectations with the sales team, sales dollars is often the easiest term for employees to understand. When using sales as the driver for this analysis, it does not factor in the profitability of the backlog. Gross profit months in backlog is the number of months of backlog a paving company can perform based on the total gross profit (revenue less direct costs of construction). Backlog Months X Gross Profit Dollars (Avg. annual fixed cost + budgeted net profit)/12

56 / November 2021

The advantage of this analysis, compared to the sales approach, is it focuses on the actual dollars the paving contractor has left over after performing the work. Challenges in using this method broadly are having to educate the team on the definition of direct costs and the results of the direct costs are not in control of the sales team member. This method is better served to convey to those charged with estimating work and not actually selling the work. Labor hours months in backlog is the number of months of work on the books a paving company has based on the total field labor man hours available. Backlog Months Labor Hours X Avg. Gross Profit Per Labor Hour (Avg. Annual fixed cost + budgeted net profit)/12 In our industry, skilled labor availability continues to be a challenge. When evaluating months in backlog, the analysis that yields the most accurate results uses labor hour months in backlog. This analysis does require the most attention to detail and understanding how accurate the estimates are on a job-by-job basis. The sales figure and estimated cost dollars need to be correct to give the projected gross profit on the project and the estimated number of labor hours needs to be correct for this analysis to be accurate. The main downfall with this analysis is the detailed level of information required is so much greater than the previous two, that it creates additional opportunity for inaccurate information to be used in the analysis. That, in turn, would give an inaccurate projection of the months in backlog. This method is best used to communicate with the operations team tasked with scheduling the projects.

BACKLOG IN PRACTICE

As a case study, using the five variables below and the three scenarios above, these would yield approximately 12 months in backlog. • 30,000 crew hours for the upcoming paving season • Backlog sales of $14,000,000 • An average gross margin of 18% • Fixed costs of $1,200,000 • Net profit budget of $1,300,000 When evaluating months in backlog, it is important to know this is a theoretical formula. An important factor to consider is the timing of the work. Just because the contractor has 12 months backlog of work doesn’t mean the projects will be spread evenly throughout the next 12 months. The next step after determining the theoretical months in backlog would be to take the projects and allocate them over the next several months. This will allow the paving contractor to identify potential

Off the Mat Months in Backlog Labor Hours Labor Available Hours Available

in Backlog Table50,000 1. Case Study withMonths Labor Variable

ABC and ELFA See Different Levels of Confidence

45,000 50,000

BY SANDY LENDER 40,000 45,000

The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) reported in September that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell sharply in August 2021 to 7.7 months, according to an ABC member survey conducted Aug. 19 to Sept. 1. The reading is down 0.8 months from 30,000 35,000 July 2021. It’s down 0.3 months from August 2020. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales, profit 5 10 15 20 25 30,000 margins and staffing levels all fell modestly in August but remained Months in Backlog 5 10 15 20 25 above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations of growth going into 2022. Months in Backlog Another scenario to analyze would be if the average gross profit percentage would increase and all other “Both contractor backlog and confidence have begun to fade,” variables wouldyou remain In this table, can constant. see the effect available man hours has on backlog. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said. “Higher materials prices Another scenario to analyze would be if the average gross profit percentage would increase and all other and labor costs have conspired to put more projects on hold. In many variables would remain constant. in Backlog instances, expanding costs have rendered projects infeasible. Table 2. Case Study withMonths Gross Profit Percentage Variable “That said, it is still the case that contractors collectively Months in Backlog anticipate sales, staffing levels and margins to rise over the next 30% six months,” Basu said. “The expected pace of improvement has softened, however. With so much liquidity continuing to be injected 27% 30% into financial systems, investors have considerable sums to deploy in 24% 27% new investments. Real estate valuations and construction volumes benefit from such dynamics. Recent dips in commodity prices and 21% 24% more normal labor market functioning should help translate into slower cost escalations and rebounding backlog during the months 18% 21% ahead, ultimately reversing the backlog decline sustained in August.” This sense of confidence returning has its roots in more than 5 10 15 20 25 18% sales and margins rising. The Equipment Leasing and Financing Months in Backlog Association (ELFA) released its Monthly Leasing and Finance Index 5 10 15 20 25 (MLFI-25) for the month of August 2021 showing strength in the In this table, you can see the effect grossinprofit percentage has on backlog. Months Backlog year-over-year activity. The Index, “which reports economic activity This tool should be utilized as one of the key metrics management reports on a regular basis to ownership, from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $900 billion sales, operations and estimating as the contractor evaluates its desired net profitability goals, workforce holes or and shortfalls in the schedule as there is always a limiting conequipment finance sector, showed their overall new business volume This tool should be utilized as one of the key metrics management reports on a regular basis to ownership, availability new sales opportunities. straint to how much work getcontractor done in aevaluates month.its desired net profitability goals, for workforce August was $8.5 billion, up 21 percent year-over-year from new sales, operations and estimatingcan as the The months analysis is a fluid formula and adjusting availability and new backlog sales opportunities. business volume in August 2020.” ELFA showed that the August 2021 volume of new business was variables can have a significant impact on the results of the analydown 14 percent month-to-month from $9.9 billion in July, but sis, which is why we recommend performing a sensitivity analysis year-to-date, cumulative new business volume was up 10 percent when evaluating months in backlog. For instance, if the above case compared to 2020. study adjusted the number of man hours available and all other At the time of ELFA’s MLFI-25 report, the association was seeing variables remained constant, Table 1 represents the impact that in its September Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI) a result of 60.5. While that’s an abovewould have on the number of months in backlog. average number, it’s a decrease from the August index of 66.6. As ABC Another scenario to analyze would be if the average gross profsuggests, we’ve got a few more months to watch it curve back upward. it percentage would increase and all other variables would remain ELFA’s president and CEO, Ralph Petta, shared words of explanation constant. See that result in Table 2. and hope: “August data show some softness in equipment demand This tool should be used as one of the key metrics management resulting from a mix of summer doldrums, continued supply chain disruptions and lingering pandemic-related woes. Business optimism, reports on a regular basis to ownership, sales, operations and eswhich peaked earlier in the summer, also has waned somewhat. timating as the contractor evaluates its desired net profitability However, when compared to where the economy and equipment finance goals, workforce availability and new sales opportunities. business were a year ago, with the COVID-19 virus raging throughout the – BY SEAN RIZER country, August new business volume is wholly acceptable.” Jeffrey Hilzinger, the president and CEO of Marlin Capital Solutions, Sean Rizer is the CFO for Harding Group, Indiasaid, “2021, while much better than 2020, continues to be a challenging period for the equipment finance industry. While demand napolis, Indiana, which performs asphalt services, for equipment remains strong, August was the second consecutive supplies hot-mix asphalt and provides dump truck month of reduced origination volume for the industry. Supply chain transportation. Prior to joining Harding Group, issues continue to be a key driver underlying this trend and seem to have Rizer spent over 10 years in public accounting, proworsened in recent months. On the positive side, approval rates have viding operational and transactional consulting. remained at pre-COVID levels and portfolio delinquencies and chargeoffs remain at historically low levels.” He graduated from Valparaiso University with a Gross Profit GrossPercentage Profit Percentage

35,000 40,000

bachelor’s degree in both accounting and finance.

58 / November 2021

2022 NAPA ANNUAL MEETING

SC TTSDALE

January 23-26 The Phoenician AsphaltPavement.org/Annual

here’s how it works

Step 1 The operator extends the operator station beyond the paver deck for best visibility.

Step 2 The haul truck charges the 13-ton-capacity hopper.

Step 4 The 10-foot paving width can extend up to 20 feet with the Ultimat screed from Blaw-Knox.

Step 3 The Tier 4 Final engine offers 235 HP at 1,800 RPMS.

Independent augers feed material to the screed.

Blaw-Knox's PF-7110B Asphalt Paver For highway class paving power, the 10-foot PF-7110B tracked asphalt paver from Blaw-Knox Corporation, Orlando, Florida, features a Tier 4 Final D8 235-horsepower (175 kW) engine designed to improve fuel efficiency by up to 5%. Here’s how it works: First, the paver operator takes his or her position in the rotating and extending operator seat for 360-degree paving visibility, including unobstructed views into the auger tunnel and hopper. He starts the Tier 4 Final D8 engine, which offers 235 horsepower at 1,800 rpms. When the operator signals the haul truck driver to do so, he will charge the 13-ton-capacity hopper and the operator will push forward, paving at a maximum speed of 224 feet per minute.* Material moves along the conveyor system, to the auger tunnel, where independent augers feed it under the screed. For the PF-

60 / November 2021

7110B tractor, several Blaw-Knox screeds are available, ranging in extendable widths up to 20 feet (with the Ultimat screed) and allowing mat depths of up to 12 inches, according to the manufacturer. *Best practices suggest paving speeds not exceed 25 fpm for typical projects. Monitor your speed to match the plant’s production or reliable haul truck delivery to minimize starts and stops during mainline paving. For more information, contact sales@blawknox.com or (407) 290-6000.

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.

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new tech

Simplify Preconstruction with STACK S

STACK Construction Technologies, Cincinnati, Ohio, is a cloudbased preconstruction platform that allows asphalt contractors to perform takeoffs, create estimates and generate bidready proposals, as well as collaborate with their teams in real-time anywhere, from any device. “The ability to create takeoffs, estimates, and proposals in a single platform streamlines the preconstruction process, reduces rework, and increases accuracy,” said Phil Ogilby, CEO and founder of STACK Construction Technologies. “The cloud-based platform means information is available at the entire crew’s fingertips, and they can work from any device: whether in the office, at home or on the job site.” Most of STACK’s asphalt customers previously relied on a mix of manual processes and outdated software for takeoffs and Excel for estimates. “STACK is up to 10 times faster than doing takeoffs by hand on paper plans,” Ogilby said, and it eliminates the need for on-premise desktop software that may be complex to use and tie staff to a single location.

STACK IN ACTION

To use STACK, asphalt contractors can set the scale and measure out the project, including arcs, with a few clicks. “Contractors are able to attach items and assemblies to their takeoffs as well, for an extremely accurate count of materials required for the job,” Ogilby said. “By eliminating manual data entry from takeoffs to estimates to proposals, the potential for human error is also reduced.” STACK offers flexible measurement types so users can adjust the takeoff type for cubic yards, linear feet and more. It also has integrated labor costs and allows users to utilize a library of pre-built materials or add custom materials as needed. “If you know the number of crew members and hours it takes to install a certain amount of materials, you can include those

62 / November 2021

STACK offers flexible measurement types so users can adjust the takeoff type for cubic yards, linear feet and more. labor hours in a unit cost estimate and build the labor costs directly into your takeoff,” Ogilby said. Users can also add separate line items for labor in their estimates. Because STACK is cloud-based, users can confirm job details, add notations, mark change details, and more, while everyone on the team has access to the latest documents, whether they’re in the office, at home, or on the job site.

INTEGRATE WITH EASE

Earlier this year, the company announced that it would integrate its STACK takeoff and estimating tool with other preconstruction products to allow companies to move data seamlessly among various software platforms. STACK’s partner landscape integrates with a variety of plan rooms, invitation-to-bid tools and project management platforms. This includes tools such as ProCore, PlanHub, eSub and Foundation, among others. Integration often improves overall efficiency, Ogilby said, by replacing time con-

suming manual operations. “No longer do teams have to export data from one solution, reformat it and then import it into another,” he said. Integration also minimizes data re-entry and ensures data is transferred between solutions automatically. “Without an automated integration it becomes easy to forget to move data between systems creating out of sync data,” Ogilby said. STACK also recently acquired SmartUse, a software solution that powers document viewing, markup and collaboration in the field. “With this acquisition, STACK extends the reach of our platform to include additional critical phases of the construction process, specifically field operations for general contractors and subcontractors, as well as project turnover for the benefit of owners,” Ogilby said. “With these two bestin-class tools combined into a single platform, ...the transition from preconstruction to the construction phase becomes uninterrupted and transparent.” – BY SARAH REDOHL

Online update

AsphaltPro, Online

Join the conversation with AsphaltPro online, on our social channels, our website and our blog. Headlines from the AsphaltPro blog: theasphaltpro.com/asphalt-blog

Volvo CE unveils CX01 single-drum autonomous asphalt compactor concept at the Utility Expo Minnesota and Dakotas asphalt pavement associations launch Women of Asphalt Minnesota/Dakota U.S. Department of Labor announces annual update to current minimum hourly wage rates for federal contract workers

We Asked, You Answered! How can we pass on our passion for asphalt to the next generation of asphalt professionals? “In Australia, it’s a good, solid living and a niche of the civil construction industry. When working to the best of your ability, there is great opportunity for advancement. There is sense of pride in looking back at a hard day’s work and knowing you built something that will benefit others.” - Andrew Bernardino, General Manager at Road Sure Pty Ltd. “The sense of pride that comes from being part of building something that will be there for years and even decades to come.” - James M. Holland, CMT Project Manager at Arias Geoprofessionals

Do you agree? Join the conversation online! facebook.com/ AsphaltPro twitter.com/ asphaltpro

linkedin.com/company/ asphalt-pro-magazine instagram.com/ theasphaltpro

www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 63

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THURSDAY

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FRIDAY 3

Mix Quality 2-All Day 9

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Mix Quality 1-Morning Production 1-Afternoon Mix Quality 2-All Day Production 2-All Day 22 Mix Quality 1-Morning 23 24 25 Production 1-Afternoon Mix Quality 2-All Day Or Electro-Mech 1 -All day Or Electro-Mech 2 -All day Production 2-All Day

Mix Quality 1-Morning Production 1-Afternoon Mix Quality 2-All Day Production 2-All Day 8 Mix Quality 1-Morning 9 10 11 Production 1-Afternoon Mix Quality 2-All Day Or Electro-Mech 1 -All day Or Electro-Mech 2 -All day Production 2-All Day

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ad index Almix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

KPI-JCI . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

Asphalt Drum Mixers . . . . . . . . . .24

Meeker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Astec Industries . . Inside Front Cover

Meyer Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

B & S Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Minds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Blaw Knox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

NCCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Brock Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Pugmill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Clarence Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Reliable Asphalt . . . . . . Back Cover

CWMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37, 61

Roadtec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

D & H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Sapphire Blue Roads . . . . . . . . . .53

Eagle Crusher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Sripath Technologies . . . . . . . . . . 18

E.D. Etnyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Stansteel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 33

Elementsix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Systems Equipment . . . . . . . 39, 57

Fast Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Tarmac International, Inc . . . . . . . 43

Gencor Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Top Quality Paving . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Green Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

TransTech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

HaulHub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

WEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Ingevity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Willow Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Kenco Engineering . . . . . . . . . . .34

Wirtgen America . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

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.

www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 65

We’re on it.

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

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.

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Asphalt Pro - November 2021

Articles inside

Production-Related Products and Services of Note

Measure and Manage Months in Backlog

Blaw-Knox's PF-7110B Asphalt Paver

Simplify Preconstruction with STACK

G-FORCE and BlueSky Create Single-Source Success

Shilling Construction’s Proven Screed

Gallagher Paves Ohio Hot In-Place

APAC Paves US 51 with a Smooth Screed

How to Pave on a Moving Surface

How to Pave on a Curve

Meet a Woman of Asphalt Duval Asphalt’s Rena Deihl

Eyewash Safety Station and Emergency Shower Solutions