The Contractor's Best Friend

In this episode, construction guru Brad Humphrey talks with Lonnie Fritz, heavy construction and road building specialist and Scott Hagemann, grade technology and fleet compatibility specialist for Caterpillar. The three discuss ways grade technology can save construction contractors money, through fuel savings, machine utilization, scalability, productivity and other means.

In this episode of The Contractor's Best Friend, the Caterpillar experts talk about the habits of successful contractors, such as keeping workers’ training up to date and staying current with the latest construction technologies.

Brad Humphrey and the Caterpillar experts are back, talking again to Chris Seger, fleet manager for Pavecon, a paving and maintenance company in Texas, this time about what technological upgrades to look for in motor graders, such as intelligent compaction.

Brad Humphrey and the Caterpillar experts talk to Chris Seger, fleet manager for a couple hundred vehicles for Pavecon, a paving and maintenance company with several locations in Texas, about how the latest technology in excavators, dozers and wheel loaders can help his bottom line.

When deciding whether to purchase or lease construction equipment, these are many equipment features to consider. Brad Humphrey and the Caterpillar experts review technology features on excavators, dozers, wheel loaders and motor graders, including grade control, payload, safety features and voice commands. They discuss the newest technological details of those features and how they can improve construction equipment performance.

Although it may seem complicated at first, employee development can be a valuable tool to add to any construction company. Brad Humphrey and the Caterpillar experts share how putting together professional development plans for contractors and other employees can boost productivity, improve skills training and bring new ideas and methods to a construction company.

Brad Humphrey and the Caterpillar experts review the importance of participation and engagement with workers as a method of employee retention. Try to get everyone off the bench and into the game, the experts say. Additionally, many times, employees are doing their jobs the way they always have, when there are better methods available. Coaching and mentoring can increase performance and productivity, while helping to keep employees.

Brad Humphrey and three construction equipment experts at Caterpillar discuss the employee retention trends they’re seeing in the industry. While it seems like many contractors are leaving jobs for a dollar or two more an hour elsewhere, Humphrey and the experts talk about the real reasons behind the departures, and what can be done to help keep employees on the job, including proper onboarding and skills training.

Brad Humphrey and the Caterpillar experts tackle attachments on construction equipment, talking about how attachments can help jobs go faster. Caterpillar is constantly working to improve attachments, improving the time it takes to attach and detach them. The group also discusses how to choose the right attachment for the job. 

Brad Humphrey and the Caterpillar experts talk about where construction contractors are going to find workers. Contractors have been forced to get creative in their hunt for new employees, using social media, talking to high schools and other means. Trade shows, industry organizations and events are also becoming more popular.