The Contractor's Best Friend

In the latest episode of The Contractor’s Best Friend podcast, longtime construction expert Brad Humphrey talks about proactive safety with Morgan Grigsby, Caterpillar’s safety expert, and Jason Hurdis, Caterpillar’s global market professional for quarry and aggregates. According to Grigsby, the construction safety talk on jobsites is shifting away from what was done incorrectly, to what’s going well and where there is room for improvement. A proactive discussion about safety can be profoundly more effective than a reactive one, and Grigsby explains why.

In this episode of The Contractor’s Best Friend, construction expert Brad Humphrey sits down with Sam Meeker, Caterpillar’s dozer and compact track loader specialist, to talk about what construction contractors should consider when buying or leasing heavy equipment. Sizing and intended applications are a good start, but there are other considerations, as well. The pair delves into more of the complex intricacies of what to consider in this episode. 

As the use of cameras in work vehicles, including heavy equipment, continues to increase, their use brings up a host of issues, from improved safety to questions about how operators are impacted on the job. It's what host Brad Humphrey calls "the good, bad and the ugly of cameras in vehicles." Humphrey is joined for this episdoe by Caterpillar safety expert Morgan Grigsby and Lonnie Fritz, Caterpillar senior market professional for construction industries, specializing in heavy equipment and road building.

While employers and contractors want to have a video record of what's happening on the jobsite, there is sometimes resistance from the operator perspective that the recording could be used punitively. The three talk about the realities, including the positives, to using cameras in work vehicles.

Whether moving rock, gravel or other heavy loads on the jobsite, each payload cycle is an opportunity to increase profits and decrease costs. In this episode of The Contractor’s Best Friend Podcast, longtime construction expert Brad Humphrey sits down with Jason Hurdis, Caterpillar’s global market professional for quarry and aggregates and Lonnie Fritz, Caterpillar’s senior market professional construction industry expert with a focus on heavy construction and roadbuilding, to chat about how the latest heavy equipment technology can improve payload profitability. 

In the latest episode of The Contractor’s Best Friend Podcast, longtime construction expert Brad Humphrey talks about 3D Factory Grade Solutions with two heavy construction specialists from Caterpillar. He is joined by Lonnie Fritz, Caterpillar’s senior market professional construction industry expert with a focus on heavy construction and roadbuilding and Sam Meeker, Caterpillar’s dozer and track loader specialist. The three discuss advances in grade control, such as factory integration, and how it can bring the operator up to speed as fast as possible on the job site. 

In this episode, construction guru Brad Humphrey talks with Jason Hurdis, quarry and aggregate expert and Lonnie Fritz, heavy construction and road building expert for Caterpillar. Every piece of equipment eventually slows down and becomes no longer viable for the jobsite. Contractors should keep track of a machine's number of hours to get a better idea of when it might need to be replaced. There's also lots of new technology -- both software and hardware -- on the market that increase a number of efficiencies, which may persuade a contractor to replace equipment sooner than planned. 

In this episode, construction guru Brad Humphrey talks with Jason Hurdis, quarry and aggregate expert and Lonnie Fritz, heavy construction and road building expert for Caterpillar. They discuss the importance of capturing the true operating cost of each machine on the construction jobsite. Construction companies, no matter the size, need to establish a budget for equipment maintenance throughout the year to remain profitable. Talking to the equipment dealer is key to knowing maintenance and extended oil intervals.

In this episode, construction guru Brad Humphrey talks with Jason Hurdis, quarry and aggregate expert and Lonnie Fritz, heavy construction and road building expert for Caterpillar. The three discuss fuel efficiency and how contractors can be more fuel efficient on the jobsite through the use of data. It's important to measure fuel usage, determine where fuel is being used and create a plan of action for the future. Contractors need to be aware of their equipment's true idle and warm-up time needs. Knowing those times may help improve fuel efficiencies. 

In this episode, construction guru Brad Humphrey talks with Jason Hurdis, quarry and aggregate expert and Lonnie Fritz, heavy construction and road building expert for Caterpillar. Fewer people are growing up with a farming, mechanical or construction background like in years past. It's no small hurdle, but most contractors are dealing with it today: teaching construction skills to young and new workers without construction experience. Pro tip: It's going to take a tailored approach to education and mentorship to bring the new hires up to speed. 

In this episode, construction guru Brad Humphrey talks with Jason Hurdis, quarry and aggregate expert and Morgan Grigsby, safety expert for Caterpillar. There are several aftermarket safety devices and techniques that can be applied to construction equipment that can greatly enhance the overall safety of the construction jobsite.