Asphalt Answers
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Stop and Smell the Asphalt (and Profits)
By Brian Hall Strange days, indeed. I’ve been in this business for 25 years and thought I had seen it all. Recessions, inflation housing booms and busts. But in all my born days would I ever think that the construction industry would be so robust that it would outrun...
Set Yourself Up For Success
By Brian Hall Perfection. It’s what we all strive for, whether it’s on the jobsite or in our personal lives. Sometimes we get close, many times we fall short, but the pursuit never should cease. When talking to contractors, I always tell them, “give yourself the best...
Where’s Your Dealer?
By Brian Hall Let’s take a break from the strange goings on in the country, shall we? Here we are in August and we are putting down asphalt as fast as the plants can fill the trucks. Life is good, but something doesn’t seem right. Ah, that’s it. Time for the old 250...
Sweating The Small Stuff
By Brian Hall I was working in the southern part of the US a few weeks ago wondering to myself who would choose to work in 95 degree heat with 300 degree asphalt, and then choose to get up the next morning and do it again. At least I can get back in the air...
Chip Sealing: It’s Not Just For Municipalities Anymore.
By Brian Hall Well, summer is here. I know, it’s not technically summer, but it really feels like we went from pushing snow to laying blacktop in a matter of days, completely bypassing spring. During my travels, it is really great to see the smiling faces on the crew...
What a Difference a Year Makes
By Brian Hall In thinking about this month’s article, I considered a couple of different topics, many of which have been hashed and re-hashed over the last couple of years. But after attending this year’s World of Asphalt, I scrapped it all and said that it’s time to...
Let’s Hit the Ground Running
By Brian Hall As much of the country is thawing out and ready to get back to work, both contractors and customers are eager to get asphalt on the ground. I live and work in an area that is fortunate enough to pave year-round, but most of the country is calling their...
It’s Trade Show Season
By Brian Hall February brings many seasons, football playoffs, basketball, baseball spring training. But there is another kind of training I am thinking about – winter training for our industry. Chances are, you are reading this article while you are attending one of...
It’s 2022. So Now What?
By Brian Hall Welcome to 2022. We are almost 2 years separated from “Two weeks to flatten the curve.” While the past 20 months or so have been a challenge for most, one thing that has stood the test is the construction business. We are staring down the barrel of a...
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
By Brian Hall Well, it happened again. We blinked and it’s December. In talking to contractors around the country, it seems to have been a good paving year. Supply chain issues and cost of materials has surely affected us all, but the work is there. With the new...
Is It Time For A New Piece Of Equipment?
The answer may surprise you. By Brian Hall 2021 has certainly been a roller coaster ride. What started out to be the end of a historic pandemic, has turned into the biggest supply chain challenge many of us have, or will ever, see. As a manufacturer, we have had to...
Tack Coats:
Yes, No or Maybe. By Brian Hall Since the main thrust of our articles have been heavily focused on “Best Practices” (Whatever that is), I thought we would spend some time discussing one of the items that gets more overlooked, but gets most of the blame for failure....
Buckle Up
It’s Going to Be a Wild Ride. By Brian Hall As we (seem) to be nearing the end of the pandemic and getting back to whatever normal is, the paving industry has had a different set of challenges. While work seems to be plentiful, other “opportunities” have reared their...
Long Summer Paving Days Are Here
By Bryce Davis We all love the smell of fresh asphalt or we wouldn’t be in this business. Often riding in a car with family or friends I’d often hear oh, what’s that smell? And I’d respond with what smell? ... it smells good to me. I think once you’re in the asphalt...
The Real Truth About Buying New Equipment
By Brian Hall Well, we blinked and it’s July. Now that we are finally adjusting to life as we used to know it, many contractors are breathing easier and looking at adding to their fleet. With all the good news concerning infrastructure and building, the demand for new...
Where Does Safety Rank On Your Jobsite?
By Brian Hall During the past year, we have heard so much about keeping safe that we have almost become oblivious to the dangers around us. Construction workers, specifically in the asphalt sector, are statistically at a higher risk for injury than most occupations....
PROTECTING YOUR IMAGE
In Today's Competitive Workplace By Brian Hall While most of the country is trying to figure out what the “New Normal” is, paving contractors have already figured it out. It’s full steam ahead. With all the competition out there today, how do you insure a full...
To See Where We are Going, Just Look At Where We Came From
By Brian Hall Usually during this time of year, I would be asking if everyone enjoyed their time at the trade shows. Not this year. While it seems that we are coming out of this historic time, we still have a ways to go. While we weren’t able to see each other in...
Better Decisions Equals Better Results
By Brian Hall It seems as if our industry is different than most. The winter months, it seems, is the most popular time to invest in machinery, attachments and accessories. Typically, (whatever that is these days) the first quarter is chock full of local and national...
Grade Control
By Tony Wight As we at LeeBoy like to say, “Paving is still the same as it was from day 1, but the specs and tolerances have changed.” We are all called to give a better product and we are all subject to testing for density and thickness. Being off just a little can...
How do you know what you need before you need it?
By Jeremiah Reinhardt As we are in a unique time here, you may be asking “What do you need right now? That could vary depending on the sector you are in, or the current situation in your area. What opportunities are available to you with your current customer base?...
What to look for when buying a new commercial class paver
By Bryce Davis 2020 has been a very different type of year for most of us in the paving world, to say the least. We’ve all had to adjust to our own new normal way of doing business for the most part. For one, with social distancing and wearing masks or gaiters/buffs...
The Basics of Screed Management
By Brian Hall Too many times, on the job site I hear problems such as “I can’t get my screed to do what you told me me it would do”. Many times this can be corrected by an easy screed setup or just a few twists and turns. Every screed, no matter who the manufacturer,...
Why the Asphalt Paving Business?
By Bryce Davis In today’s world, why would anyone want to start a paving business? For one it’s extremely messy, hot, dirty, and very hard work. And that’s just the paving side of the business. Then on top of that you have the stress of sales, accounting bookkeeping,...
