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2021 marked a new year for “The Dirt” and a new host.

Bryan Furnace began hosting the weekly videos in July, bringing his experience as an equipment operator to a broad range of topics for contractors and the construction industry as a whole.

From interviews to commentary, Bryan delivers his ground-level, straight-forward perspective to bear on everything from retaining employees to the infrastructure bill.

Here are Bryan’s top five Dirt videos from 2021, as determined by the most views on equipmentworld.com:

(Want to make sure you don’t miss an episode of The Dirt? You can do so by subscribing to our Equipment World Daily Report newsletter or the Equipment World YouTube channel. We also post a new episode each week at equipmentworld.com.) 

1. How Does the Infrastructure Bill Affect Contractors?

In this episode of The Dirt, we give you all the important details of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which has since become law, and how it affects contractors. Bryan interviews Daniel Fisher, senior vice president at the Associated Equipment Distributors, to find out what’s in the massive legislation – and what’s not. Though this interview took place before the bill’s passage, the information on the legislation remains relevant. 

2. The Chip Shortage: How Did We Get Here?

The microchip shortage has been contributing to lower inventories for some equipment manufacturers. A variety of factors have coalesced into a perfect storm, creating a scarcity of chips. Long wait times for new chips are just the tip of the iceberg. Bryan breaks down the many reasons why it might be a long while before we see inventories balance out demand. 

3. Construction’s “Weird Disconnect” with Young Workers

The old-timers’ constant refrain that the younger generation doesn’t want to work meets an unspoken reality. Many high school graduates have never done real manual labor and have no idea what to expect on a jobsite. That, combined with construction’s tradition of yelling at workers who make mistakes, is leading many young workers to wrongly conclude they’re just not cut out for construction. So they quit. After spending time talking with young workers, Bryan embarks on a discussion on how the construction industry can bridge this “weird disconnect.” 

4. “No Call, No Show” Employees: Is This the New Normal?

Along with hosting The Dirt, Bryan is a part-time equipment operator who often fills in for employees who don’t show up for work. Not only are he and others throughout the construction industry seeing more no-shows, but there’s a growing trend of those workers not calling to let their employers know they’re going to be absent and when – or if – they’ll return. In this episode, Bryan discusses his observations of the problem – which appears to be more prevalent among worker 25 and under – and a possible solution.

5. Are You Playing ‘Musical Cabs’ With Your Operators?

Moving operators around frequently to different equipment can hurt contractors in the long run. Though it’s not always possible to keep an operator with the same machine all the time, the rewards for doing so as much as possible can mean big boosts for your two biggest assets: your employees and your equipment. 

Equipment World serves up weekly videos on the latest in construction equipment, work trucks and pickup trucks — everything contractors need to get their work done. Subscribe and visit us at equipmentworld.com!

 

 

 

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A backup camera is always a good idea for cars and commercial vehicles. But multiple cameras – side, rear and interior – are even better. Samsara has developed a new product that connects all these camera feeds to the company’s Connected Operations Cloud. And with the Samsara system, you can use your existing cameras.

When combined with Samsara’s AI Dash Cams, customers gain 360-degree visibility in a single dashboard. This increased visibility combined with cloud connectivity allows managers to access video footage immediately and exonerate drivers from false claims. 

Cameras don’t lie

“We can now seamlessly integrate our existing cameras with Samsara’s platform, quickly retrieve video footage through the cloud in minutes, and significantly decrease our volume of backup incidents and associated payouts,” said Sajid Ordagic, safety manager at Rasmussen Group, an Iowa-based heavy construction company.

Trucking companies large and small can face a barrage of insurance claims and lawsuits, everything from backup incidents and sideswipes to major accidents. Without cameras proof of innocence is hard to come by. But, according to Ordagic, his company has seen a 30% reduction in backup incidents since installing Samsara Camera Connectors and expects to save $30,000 by exonerating drivers from false claims.

Coaching drivers

And cameras aren’t just for accident recording, they are also valuable in coaching drivers and improving their habits on the road. This means safety managers can leverage side, rear, and interior footage when coaching drivers, contributing to an enhanced experience because drivers can clearly see how their actions in the cab affect the area around the truck. 

Superior Plus Propane, a propane distributor serving 24 states across the U.S. with 2,300 trucks and more than 1,000 drivers, coaches its drivers with the Samsara system. “Having the Camera Connector will allow us to sit in our drivers’ seats and walk in their shoes. It will give us a much clearer picture of their exposure and the hazards they’re facing,” says Ryan Quiggle, director of health and safety.

Without the need to rip out and replace existing camera systems, customers using Camera Connector can also experience efficiency gains when it comes to installation. According to the company, the Samsara Camera Connector system can be installed in as little as 20 minutes, six times as faster than replacing all the old cameras.

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Josh Burkholder grew up on his family farm and times were tough. Searching for ways to bring in family income, he started mowing lawns and then turned to construction. It’s a move that came out of necessity and he now says it “grew beyond anything I ever imagined.”

This growth shouldn’t be a surprise when you look at his background. “My dad always drilled customer service into us,” Burkholder says. “We’re here to serve the customer. That’s where our bread and butter come from.”

Along the way, several people have given his company a hand up, Burkholder says.

There was the small community bank that loaned him the money for his first piece of equipment: a zero-turn lawnmower. “We still use them, “ Burkholder says, “even though we’ve outgrown them to some extent.”

He also credits an engineering team with a local mining company with seeing Oak Hill’s potential in doing the mine’s reclamation work. In 2010, the mining company hired Oak Hill to move 170,000 yards of dirt, a job that they bid at around $500,000. “That was monstrous for us at the time,” Burkholder says.

“They really went out on a limb for us,” Burkholder adds. “They were instrumental in taking us from a couple of boys with a dozer to a company that could actually compete and perform major jobs.”

Oak Hill used a combination of owned and rented excavators, dozers and articulated trucks along with tractors and pull-behind scrapers to complete that first mining job. “A lot of the earthmoving involved short moves so we could do things efficiently,” Burkholder says.

Family first

Jon (left) and Josh Burkholder along with “assistants” (left to right) Alex, Kaden and Karson Burkholder.Equipment World

Family is a central theme at the company, part of the Burkholder’s deep Mennonite faith. Burkholder’s brother Jon manages the fleet, shop operations and projects. “He’s a lot more detail oriented,” Burkholder says. “It’s a good partnership. There’s a lot give and take, and it’s worked out really well.”

The family also had a narrow escape. While visiting an accounting firm in Pennsylvania, their plane crashed on takeoff. Burkholder, Jon and their dad Eugene all sustained serious injuries.

“We essentially flew into the side of a hill,” Burkholder says. “It’s a miracle we survived because the plane was structurally destroyed even though there was not a lot of visual damage.”

The accident happened in late 2015. “In 2016, our company basically ran on autopilot after coming off a good year,” Burkholder says. “I would go into the office and look at the stacks of paper, and I just couldn’t concentrate.”

The company rebounded in 2017 after another large mining project came through, but that also marked the last year that mining reclamation projects were the company’s primary income source.

Tandem excavators at work on a $4 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineer job along the Ohio River.Equipment WorldThree years ago, Oak Hill was almost 100% devoted to coal mine reclamation jobs. Those projects are now down to 30% of the company’s work as it has expanded into landfill cell construction and U.S. Army Corps of Engineer work. Corps work has stretched Oak Hill beyond it’s normal 150-mile geographical footprint; it’s now performing levee work on the Texas-Louisiana border, something Burkholder sees the company doing only on a limited basis.

Oak Hill crews are currently working a job alongside the Ohio River that involves both earthmoving and marine construction. “When bidding it, there was a question of which approach you would take – working from the land or from the water,” Burkholder explains. “We saw very little work that we couldn’t do from land, and it’s been an awesome contract.”

Oak Hill bid the project with crawler carriers but found that its tractors and 21-yard pull-behind scrapers were a better fit for the soft underfoot conditions. “The difference was in the volume of dirt they could move, but we’re still pulling one instead of two. There’s a lot of rolling resistance.”

Growth ahead?

Oak Hill contractors serves several markets including coal mine reclamation, landfill cell construction and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects.

Oak Hill’s annual revenues are now in the $14 million to $15 million range. “I see a huge variable in the bottom line if we can go from there to $18 million, because we have the infrastructure in place,” Burkholder says. “A lot of the overhead costs are taken care of.”

With growth in mind, Burkholder is considering adding a salesperson and a controller. “We’re trying to get better prepared for the long haul,” he says. “I’m trying to transition out of thinking I have to do everything to training other people so that I’m not so tied down with the nitty-gritty.”

The “long haul,” as Burkholder puts it, is also present as he sees the children – now still quite young – grow up in his family.

“Those who are going to survive in this industry are going to stay in the harness and figure out ways to adapt and get it done,” he says.

“We have finite resources and a finite amount of people. Good technicians are hard to find, so I now look at what investment can we make that makes us flow better and be more profitable each season.”

For example, this year Oak Hill had tractors and pull-behind scrapers available for jobs, but no artics, which prompted him to rent six trucks for a job near St. Louis. “But it’s going to be painful for me to write that rental check,” he admits. “I like to own the equipment we’re using.”

The company built its current office and shop in 2017. “I can’t imagine what we’d do without that shop and its overhead crane,” Burkholder says. “We do a high percentage of our own work.” The company also has an equipment division that manages buying and selling used fleet and trucking services.

“When you’re getting the operator from them, you’re actually getting an operator and not just getting somebody that is sitting in a seat,” says client Chris Russell with Hamilton County Coal. “They are great communicators and that makes a big difference.”

“Josh and Jon are people of their word,” says Kevin Gore with client JennMar Services. “I couldn’t have higher praise for anybody that I work with.”

For an overview of Oak Hill Contractors’ operations, check out this video:

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Crime is on the rise everywhere and with so many construction companies powering down in winter, equipment theft is rising accordingly. Pandemic issues such as reduced staffing and unemployment also raise risks.

Equipment thieves strike fast. They bring their own trucks and lowboys and it takes them only minutes to get a dozer, excavator or backhoe onto a trailer and down the road. In many cases, these stolen machines are loaded into a cargo container before the sun comes up (making it all but invisible to law enforcement) and then put on a ship bound for a country where they can never be traced.

But there are a number of steps you can take to keep yourself from becoming a victim of equipment theft. Here’s a checklist of things you should do short term and long term to protect your iron this winter and all season long.

Short Term Precautions

Fully illuminate your shop building and equipment yard at night and eliminate any shadowed spots where thieves might hide. New LED bulbs cast a lot of light and use less electricity than traditional lights. Install security cameras and alarms. There are hundreds of these available today, so your best bet is to hire a security consultant to help you choose a robust and tamper-proof camera system. Some of today’s security cameras can distinguish between a raccoon and a human being, so you won’t be alerted every time the local wildlife comes searching for a free meal. The price of an expert consultation on these systems is well worth the money.Regularly test your alarms and cameras to make sure they are working properly and you’re getting good images in daylight and dark.Harden your perimeter. Fences should be at least eight feet high. Razor wire isn’t pretty, but it stops people from going over the top, and cutting through a fence is noisy and time consuming. Install tamper-proof bollards at gates, so even if thieves get over the fence, it will be almost impossible for them to drive a truck into the yard or equipment out.

Long Term Solutions

Telematics have made a huge difference in equipment security. These “black boxes” can be programmed to send you an alert anytime a machine moves outside of a “geofence” you designate on the software. The better systems are hidden out of sight and difficult to tamper with and can track the equipment as it’s being hauled down the road. Most OEMs now offer their own telematics systems, but there are plenty of aftermarket vendors as well. And theft prevention is just one of the things telematics are used for. They also provide diagnostic data and information about fuel use, DEF levels, driver monitoring and all sorts of other useful information.Simpler GPS tracking devices can be attached to non-mobile equipment such as generators, compressors, welders and light towers to give you alerts and position information without the full complement or expense of mobile equipment telematics.If you want to master theft prevention as well as you’ve mastered other aspects of your business, consider downloading and studying the National Equipment Register’s Annual Theft Report. Lots of useful information and good reading for these long winter nights: https://www.ner.net/annual-theft-report/When ordering new equipment consider spec’ing machines that have keypad-only access rather than physical keys. With these, the operator must enter his personal ID or pin number to start the machine. Attempts to tamper or circumvent the system on many will result in an alert. A bonus feature on some systems is that they will store operator preferences tied to the individual ID or pin number.As a company owner or equipment manager, make sure you have photos of all your equipment, serial numbers and complete documentation to share with police in case of a theft.On the jobsite or the yard never leave equipment parked on a trailer. That’s just making it too easy to steal.When you leave a jobsite on a weekend, park all your machines nose to tail so that thieves can’t move one machine without moving the others.

In Broad Daylight

While most theft occurs at night, our sources in law enforcement say there are enterprising thieves who concoct sophisticated schemes to steal equipment on the jobsite, right under the nose of your foreman.

The scam works like this. The thieves acquire a truck and trailer, slap a fake logo of some repair shop or hauling company on the side of the truck and drive to your jobsite. They ask for the foreman and then present him with a fake work order to take a piece of equipment in for repairs. The work order may even have the logo of a local repair shop or equipment dealer and forged signatures of people from your company.

The unsuspecting foreman assumes it’s all legit and might even help the thieves load the machine onto the trailer. An hour later, that $300,000 machine might be in a cargo container headed for a port or hidden in a barn down some rural road. The truck and trailer will be sold at auction and everybody in your company starts fighting over who screwed up.

This scam works best when the jobsite is being run by an inexperienced foreman. To prevent this from happening, brief all your managers and crew members on how the scam works. Make sure people in the field clear any transfer of equipment with the shop manager or office before they let go of it.

As an extra precaution ask for the truck driver’s license, make sure the photo matches and write down the number. Also get the truck and trailer tag numbers and DOT numbers, which may help, assuming they’re not stolen as well, lead back to the thieves.

Top States for Equipment Theft

According to National Equipment Register, the top five states for equipment theft are:

#1. Texas

#2 Georgia

#3 Florida

#4 California

#5 Missouri

Top Stolen Equipment

And the equipment most targeted for theft:

#1 Skid steer

#2 Mower

#3 Tractor, wheeled

 If you really want to get into this subject, take a read through our interviews with an actual equipment thief and law enforcement officers who specialize in this type of crime. Some of the technology discussed here is dated, but the insights gained are well worth your time.

And in case you missed it, take a look at this recent article we did about a guy in jail, who conned a dealership out of $2.8 million in equipment.

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Brooks Tractor will now carry the entire line of Merlo telehandlers at each of its seven locations, which serve the major metropolitan areas of Wisconsin, and provide support to upper Michigan. The line covers all segments of material handling.

“Brooks Tractor is always looking for ways to diversify its fleet and add value to the customer experience,” said Truie Brobston, sales manager. “If we can be their one-stop shop, it helps us market the rest of our lineup. We were impressed with the technology the Merlo line has to offer and the overall fit and finish of their product.”

Brooks is also an authorized John Deere, Hitachi, Atlas Copco and Dynapac dealer.

The 20-year-old association has created a new program to support those working toward careers in the servicing and maintenance of construction equipment.Independent Equipment Dealers Association

Heavy Diesel Tech Students Earn $5,000 Scholarships

The Independent Equipment Dealers Association presented three, $5,000 scholarships to students at Western Technical College in Lacrosse, Wisconsin during a recent ceremony at the school’s heavy diesel program shop.

IEDA created the scholarship program this year for students enrolled in a heavy equipment diesel program who are pursuing careers as construction equipment technicians.

Recipients were selected based on academic merit, personal character, and demonstrated financial need. Two $5,000 scholarships funded by the association were presented to David Roberts and Natasha Normand. An additional $5,000 scholarship was donated by Rick Newman, owner of Newman Tractor, which was awarded to Jacob Evers.

MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS

Palfinger and Sany End Cross-Shareholding Agreement

Palfinger and Sany have agreed to reverse their cross-shareholding agreement that began in 2012. The companies say the restructuring will allow each entity to react more efficiently to volatile market conditions.

“Following years of constructive and successful cooperation on the operational joint ventures, the cross-holding is no longer necessary,” says Andreas Klauser, CEO of Palfinger. “In addition, the complexity of our partnership is reduced.”

The operational cooperation will be expanded to support the sales structure and access to the Chinese construction industry.

Berlon Industries to acquire Lowe Manufacturing

Berlon Industries, a manufacturer of buckets and attachments, is set to acquire Lowe Manufacturing, a supplier of auger, trenching and grapple attachments, the first week of January 2022.

The Wisconsin-based manufacturers have complementary offerings for the construction, utility, landscaping, rental and agricultural markets. Dealers will benefit from a broader selection of buckets and attachments available from the combined business.

Richard Lowe will retire from Lowe Manufacturing, while Mary Lowe will remain with the business. Terms of the acquisition transaction were not released.

Genie Racks Up 12 Industry Awards in 2021

Genie brought home twelve industry awards for its innovative aerial equipment in 2021. 

Keys awards included:

Highest Retained Value – EquipmentWatchLowest Cost of Ownership – EquipmentWatchLowest Total Cost of Ownership – Genie Z articulating boom lifts – EquipmentWatchIntelligent Product Award – China Machinery Industry Internet ConferenceTechnical Committee Award – European Rental Association

“For 55 years, the Genie® team has been committed to delivering equipment and solutions that provide the quality and reliability equipment owners need, as well as performance and durability to get the job done on even the most challenging jobsites,” says Genie President Simon Meester. “The recognition we’ve received throughout 2021 validates that we are living up to our commitments, and we are honored to be recognized by so many associations and publications.”

XCMG Named One of the World’s Most Influential Brands

XCMG has been named one of the World’s 500 Most Influential Brands by World Brand Lab. XCMG is the only Chinese construction machinery manufacturer to receive the accolade three years in a row, with a new 2021 ranking of 395, up 14 places from last year.

The rankings take into account the brand influence, market share, brand loyalty and global leadership. More than 15,000 notable brands worldwide are reviewed to select the most influential 500 annually.

Terex Expands S.D. Facility

Terex Utilities is adding 11,400 square feet of additional fabrication, machining and welding space to its aerial device and digger derrick manufacturing facility located in Huron, South Dakota. The upgrade also includes investment in new machining and welding equipment, modernized ventilation systems and remodeled office space.

“This expansion enables Terex Utilities to increase vertical integration of its supply chain for the best lead time and flexibility of key components such as booms, turntables, and pedestals,” says Darryl Niven, vice president and general manager of Terex Utilities.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

Topcon Expands Global Headquarters

Topcon Positioning Group has expanded its Livermore, California-based global headquarters with the opening of a newly constructed training facility and the purchase of a 31,000-square-foot building and 60 acres of land nearby.

“The continued expansion of our Livermore headquarters is in direct response to a global increase in digitalization and technology adoption throughout the construction and agricultural industries,” said O’Connor. “This investment not only demonstrates our commitment to supporting the ever-growing demand for technology in the geospatial, construction and agricultural industries, it also shows our dedication to our local economy in a time when so many companies are choosing to leave the State of California.”

The additions bring the total of land owned in the Tri-Valley area to nearly 80 acres at an investment exceeding $20 million.

Doxel adds Chief Revenue Officer, Head of Commercial Sales

Garrick Ballantine has been appointed chief revenue officer at Doxel, an AI-powered project controls solution that helps contractors avoid delays and cost overruns.

Ballantine brings almost two decades of sales experience, spanning multiple high-growth technology organizations, such as Ouster, Autodesk and Planet Labs.  

In addition, Mike Almeida has joined as head of commercial sales, with a focus on general contractors. Almeida was previously head of sales at StructionSite and has also led sales teams at Procore.