Expert Advice
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When is the Time Right?
Knowing when to replace and upgrade your paver By Jeff Winke Price is a given. But there are other considerations when thinking about upgrading or changing out an asphalt paving machine. “The expectation that the paver will perform and return a profit is the most...
Benefits and Limitations of Cracksealing
The go-to solution extends pavement life and prevents problems By Jeff Winke The superstition has many people avoiding stepping on cracks. Early folk beliefs held that cracks were not something to trifle with because danger lurked in these empty spaces. The cracks...
Do Due Diligence
Before buying anything for the company By Jeff Winke When making a decision to purchase any new product, it is imperative to do research and information gathering in order to ensure the right decision is being made. Yes, there is the upfront cost to consider, but the...
The Infrared Edge, Adds Profit
By Jeff Winke There is agreement among those in the know that incorporating infrared asphalt restoration into a current paving business gives a contractor an edge... adding a service niche that may set them apart from their competition. Infrared allows contractors to...
ADDITIVES an Overview
Understanding and Caution in their Usage By Girish C Dubey The use of additives in sealcoating coincides with the very introduction of sealcoatings in the 60’s. Additives based on specialty latex/rubber polymers have been a part of the FAA Specification since early...
Winter is Opportunity Time
How sealcoating contractors can prep for the new season By Jeff Winke For sealcoating contractors the winter season shut down should not mean that everything stops. It is an opportunity... a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something positive for the...
Company Sweeps Things Up
Expansion into sweeping pavement maintenance pays off By Jeff Winke Facing the unexpected can generally get the heart racing. It can generate panic or excitement and always disturbs the general flow of life. An out-of-the-blue opportunity in business can be good and...
Asphalt Roller Oscillation’s Role
How does it fit into the paving business? By Jeff Winke For many asphalt paving companies, the old Big Joe Turner tune made famous by Bill Haley & His Comets in the 1950’s could be updated to more aptly reflect current compaction roller practices. Bear this out......
Additives
Extending production into colder weather By Jeff Winke As the days click past and the seasons flip from warm... to cool... to cold, asphalt and sealcoating contractors look for ways to extend their productivity. Does everything need to shut down until Spring? One...
Choosing the Right Size Infrared Heater
Is bigger better? By Jeff Winke Sometimes bigger is better. When you’re fishing for pike, perch, or pickerel, or ordering pizza for a hungry high-school team, or building the huge ball of twine for your road-side-attraction, bigger is better. Push the limits...go big,...
Winterizing the Asphalt Paver
Steps to take to guarantee a strong spring start By Jeff Winke The writer and veteran of WW I, Henry Beston has a great way of describing the season change as paving contractors prepare for winter: “The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes...
Adding Milling to Service Capabilities
A tough choice that can reward By Jeff Winke The big decision to jump ahead or not? Many asphalt paving contractors are there at the edge. They teeter ... weighing the pros and cons of adding their own cold planer to their equipment fleet. The question being wrestled...
Key Considerations
Time to upgrade to a better sweeper? By Jeff Winke Timing. The key consideration for everything in life. It governs choices, decisions, and luck--both good and bad. Timing is either in the realm of control--something planned for or it's unanticipated, unexpected... a...
Color Sealcoating Best Uses
Aesthetic appearance improves with color By Jeff Winke A pavement’s condition and functionality speaks volumes about the establishment that it serves. A well-groomed and maintained asphalt-paved parking lot, for instance, will reveal the owner’s value for safety and...
Heat or No Heat Asphalt Repair
How best to proceed in pavement repair and patching By Jeff Winke When facing the need for an asphalt pavement repair or patching project, contractors can choose between reheat technology or no heat methods. The heat / no-heat decision is dependent upon the condition...
It’s Dangerous Out There
Safety Should Be Priority One! By Jeff Winke One issue that surfaces frequently in paving and construction industry websites, magazines, blogs, and books is the issue of safety. It makes total sense when you consider the volatile mix of people, technologically complex...
Adapting During Covid-19
Sealcoating contractors are resilient By Jeff Winke The dang virus is affecting the sealcoating market. The coronavirus is having an impact on the work and when customers want it completed. "Some sealcoat customers want to delay work during the pandemic, while others...
Maximizing A Paver’s Trade-In Value
Demonstrate a well-serviced productive history By Jeff Winke The life of asphalt pavers is demanding. They do not just move asphalt mixtures--a highly abrasive material--they push, shove, heat, flatten and smooth it using a long chain of interdependent subsystems. One...
Sealcoating Performance
Sealer Film Formation Mechanism and the Importance of Proper Cure Conditions By Girish C. Dubey Majority sealcoatings are water-based coatings, either based on refined tar (RTS) or asphalt emulsion (AE). Such coatings are safe to handle, store, and provide years of...
Sealcoat Additives
Enhance both the project and contractor’s reputation benefit By Jeff Winke In his paper, “Sealcoating Additives--An Overview,” Girish C. Dubey, president of STAR, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, wrote: “Simply defined, additives are materials added to enhance the properties of...
Recycled/Reclaimed ASPHALT
Saves money and the environment By Jeff Winke Hands down, recycled or reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is America’s most recycled material. A report from the Federal Highway Administration shows that 80 percent of the asphalt pavement that’s removed each year during...
Communicating the Cost Benefit
of Sealcoating to New and Prospective Customers by Pavement Coatings Technology Council As most successful industry professionals understand, communication is key for fostering business growth. In fact, good communication is often the bridge to move customers from...
The Rental Option
Sometimes renting a paver makes more sense By Jeff Winke The construction equipment rental market has exhibited steady growth in recent years. It has reached record revenues of $93 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $122 billion in 2024, according to...
How COVID-19 is Affecting the Pavement Industry
By Gary S. Goldman, Gary S. Goldman & Associates, LLC We’re living in a time of uncertainty, which is amplified by the global struggle with coronavirus--a novel pathogen that even the world’s top medical researchers do not fully understand. A recent Wells Fargo...
