Like civil and structural engineers of the past (short-sleeved shirts with ties and pocket protectors), the information technology crowd has borne a few lighthearted references to “geeks” or “nerds.” But as that crowd programs more advanced communications systems and software to concrete production and delivery, technology-driven operators will hold their laughs and add up returns from higher fleet output, better data management, and new ways of reducing their legal exposure.

2002 ConExpo-Con/Agg's Concrete Central hall was teeming with innovations ready mixed producers can use to improve truck productivity and build enterprise systems to interface batching, dispatch and back-office functions. This month's coverage of trucks and fleet management tools includes much input from ConExpo-Con/Agg, along with a visit to technology-savvy Maricopa Ready Mix (page 22) of Scottsdale, Ariz.

The three-year-old producer has completed the first turn of its fleet, yet we find much more to discuss than delivery of 60 new mixers mounted on automatic transmission and electronic engine-equipped 2002 chassis. Maricopa Ready Mix is a pilot user of key items in the ConExpo-Con/Agg spotlight: 1) a fleet management system that combines GPS tracking and wireless data transmission to automate recording of task or function status independent of drivers; 2) a quality control package that organizes material and performance data logged from the batching phase to product finishing; and, 3) a new version of industry-specific accounting software that curtails manual billing processes.

The payback Maricopa is realizing from its technology investment embodies administrative and operational gains, plus a liability shield. The fleet management system, for example, maintains data from which a mixer's speed and location can be pinpointed in the event of an accident or a motorist's windshield claim.

The quality control package could prove to be even more useful in product failure-related liability. Maricopa serves a desert market where the addition of water to loads is customary. While the producer typically accommodates customers, mix modification requests on any order now have longer data and paper trails. Maricopa is using the quality control software to process weights and volumes culled from three points: actual vs. target water (and all other mix constituents) from batch computer; water added at slump racks and measured by soon-to-be-installed meters; and water tank sensors standard on each truck with the fleet management system.

Maricopa's mix modification tracking coincides with the Arizona legislature's passage of a bill (HB 2620) affecting home builders and their suppliers. In the event of product failure, the legislation provides a 60-day period for builders to repair defects before owners can file suit. The measure surfaced in response to a trend the Arizona Republic editorial staff underscored in a March 19 column: “Teams of trial lawyers, most of them Californian, are establishing offices in Arizona to organize lawsuits against builders. Their motivation is much, much less a desire to defend embattled home buyers than it is to exploit a new market that promises extraordinary return on investment.”

In the face of litigious fervor that can engulf builders and suppliers, hats off to concrete operators — or other building material sources — who invest in technology that upholds the integrity of their product in court.

e-mail: dmarsh@primediabusiness.com