NRMCA, with the support of the RMC Research & Education Foundation, is launching a project to not only gain a better understanding about mixer driver recruitment and retention challenges but to also develop materials to support efforts to build and maintain Producer members' driving staff. Please help by completing this online survey.

NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Phil Kresge recently participated in a Concrete Applications Workshop with NRMCA member Cemex held at the Cement and Concrete Technology Center at Cemex’s Mexico City facility. The workshop was an in-house training program for Cemex sales and technical support personnel from Mexico and Central America.

Kresge contributed to the pervious concrete portion of the program, presenting the topic Designing, Specifying and Acceptance Testing of Pervious Concrete. Much of the content for the presentation was taken from the NRMCA’s Pervious Concrete Contractor Certification Program. Other presenters on pervious concrete included Rafael Jimenez and Michael Kohout, both from Cemex USA, and Nathan Mitchell from Bunyan Springs, Inc. Kresge and Mitchell also assisted in a pervious concrete demonstration placement organized by Jimenez and Kohout. As part of the training, attendees were tested on their pervious concrete knowledge, using the review questions from NRMCA's Pervious Concrete Contractor Certification training manual.

NRMCA paving engineer Amanda Hult and Vice President, National Resource, Amy Miller combine to host a free, one-hour Design Assistance Program (DAP) Webinar on Thursday, April 9, at 11 a.m. Eastern time. This Webinar will detail the free services provided to the industry through the design assistance programs. NRMCA staff will discuss in detail the information provided in the deliverables as well as how to use this information as a part of the promotional effort for parking lots and streets and local roads.

This Webinar is ideal for those involved in the promotion of concrete pavements or looking for assistance in gaining market share in concrete parking lots and streets and local roads. Designers and specifiers looking for information on how to submit for pavement design assistance are also invited to attend.

Oman paving volume shares finished strong in 2014, closing out the fourth quarter with a share of 18.2 percent. Oman shares serve as an indicator for concrete paving market share. This represents a large increase compared to the third quarter’s share of 10.6 percent. The fourth quarter bump brought the 2014 year-end share to 15.3 percent, an improvement from 14.8 percent in 2013. Total concrete pavement volume for state highway projects is up 5.3 percent from 2013, while asphalt in this market only increased 1.3 percent. 

Source: Portland Cement Association

The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete production in January 2015 is 19.7 million cubic yards, 12% higher than that in January 2014. Ready mixed concrete production is estimated from cement shipments published by the U.S. Geological Survey. Production details for 2014, including production by state, is posted on the NRMCA Web site for access by NRMCA members.

NRMCA is joining with the American Concrete Pavement Association and the Portland Cement Association in exhibiting as The Alliance for Pavement Competition during the upcoming National Association of County Engineers Exposition and Conference to be held April 19-23 in Daytona Beach, FL. (The event this year is being held jointly with the Florida Chapter of the American Public Works Association.) Using the theme "Competition Paves," the associations will exhibit during the exposition portion of the event on Monday and Tuesday (April 19 and 20). The associations encourage any members attending the event to stop by booth 204-206 to learn more about the benefits of competition in the paving marketplace.

Federal transportation safety officials have approved a 30-minute break exemption for ready mixed concrete truck drivers, effective April 2, 2015, a decision long awaited by NRMCA which led the industry effort for the exemption. The decision by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) is effective through April 3, 2017 and is specific solely to mixer truck drivers who possess a sufficient safety rating with both FMSCA and the CSA program.

The decision comes after more than 18 months of discussions among NRMCA staff, Producer member company officials, FMSCA officials and key members of Congress. While noting the welcome news, NRMCA cautions that the exemption as written is still only temporary. Making it permanent still involves convincing members of Congress; the TCC Fly-In taking place later this month in Washington, DC, is a prime opportunity to do so, said NRMCA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Kerri Leininger (please click here for more information).

"As a result of NRMCA’s efforts, much needed regulatory relief has been realized for the ready mixed concrete industry," said NRMCA Chairman Allen Hamblen.

Further details of the exemption include language stating that if a driver passes the 12-hour threshold contained in the 100 air-mile logging exemption, he or she does not have to take the break, but rather can apply a previous 30-minute "waiting time" period toward the 30-minute break. Drivers utilizing the exemption must keep a copy of the exemption document in their truck. To view the exemption language, please click here.

Due Wednesday, April 15 - 2015 Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey Entry Forms: The Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey has for years been a safety performance and incentive/award program aimed to foster safe practices at ready mixed concrete plants across the nation. The Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey is a per-plant contest open to all facilities operated by NRMCA member companies in good standing in 2014. Companies with more than one division are encouraged to distribute entry blanks to individuals responsible for keeping safety records at each plant location.

Please e-mail entries to Karen Bean at kbean@nrmca.org. Click here for more information, including staff contact.

Due Wednesday, April 15 - 2015 Fleet Benchmarking Survey Entry Forms: The survey is filled out by industry fleet managers and/or financial managers early each year, based on data gathered from the previous calendar year’s performance. This year’s form includes new question on mixer drum composition, idle time and types of fuel being used. The Fleet Benchmarking Survey is used to establish industry benchmarking norms and procedures. Information gathered from the annual Fleet Benchmarking Survey is published in a full report in Concrete InFocus magazine each autumn. A shorter Executive Summary of the survey is also made available to all.

Please e-mail entries to Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org. Click here for more information, including staff contact.

Due Friday, July 31 - NRMCA 2015 Environmental Excellence Awards: NRMCA’s Commitment to Environmental Excellence Awards competition offers producers national recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment and maintaining sound management practice in their operations. The program salutes companies that have not only met, but surpassed governmental compliance measures and demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through plant and staff investment. Any NRMCA member company producing ready mixed concrete from a fixed plant location in the U.S., its territories or Canada is eligible to enter. Awards will be determined upon individual plant merits; companies may choose to enter plants from any or all the five production volume categories. All entries and photos must be received (via email to gmullings@nrmca.org) by Friday, July 31, 2015.

Please e-mail entries to Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org. Click here for more information, including staff contact.

The next NRMCA Plant Manager Certification will be held June 2-5 in San Antonio, TX. There will not be another class until December 8-11 in Orlando. Both classes are open for registration; both classes are expected to fill, so do not delay reserving your seat.

Click here for more information, registration options and staff contact.

Media articles on Congress, transportation infrastructure, regulation, taxes and other subjects, each of which relate to the ready mixed concrete industry, are updated each week by NRMCA's Government Affairs staff. To access the most recent compilation of articles for March 30 - April 3, 2015, please click here.

One week from today, the National Labor Relation Board’s "ambush election" rules will take effect. Yesterday, the Board’s Acting General Counsel Richard F Griffin, Jr. published official guidance on how regions should implement representation case procedural changes. According to the document, the rule will not "establish new timeframes for conducting elections or using decisions...until we have had some experience processing representation petitions under the final rule." However, later in the guidance document it states "that within 2 business days after service of the notice of hearing, the employer must post a Notice of Petition for Election." 

The "ambush election" rule, finalized by the NLRB in December 2014, becomes effective next Tuesday, and implements sweeping changes to union elections. It allows a labor union to hold an election in as few as 11 days – the current election is held in an average of 38 days -- after the Board receives an election petition, prevents workers from receiving balanced information from both sides of the bargaining table and requires employers to disclose their employees’ personal contact information. 

NRMCA continues to push back on implementation of the NLRB’s rule by supporting the federal lawsuit to block the ambush-election rule filed by the Coalition for a Democratic Workforce (CDW). The CDW consists of over 600 organizations representing millions of businesses, which employ hundreds of millions of employees nationwide in nearly every industry. CDW members are joined by their mutual concern over recent actions by the NLRB, which threaten entrepreneurs, other employers, employees and economic growth. The CDW has been leading the charge on court challenges to the onerous rules and regulations being pushed out of the NLRB like "ambush elections". This is one of many changes the NLRB is forcing on businesses like the ready mixed concrete industry.

Please join NRMCA for the first Highways Materials Group (HMG) briefing to be held during the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) Fly-In next week in Washington, DC. The briefing will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, April 14, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. During the briefing, special guest speakers will address important issues impacting construction materials, producers and equipment suppliers essential to building and maintaining America’s roads, highways and bridges. Those issues include the Environmental Protection Agency’s Waters of the U.S. rule, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Hours’ of Service rule and pending tax legislation.

Members of the HMG include NRMCA, the American Concrete Pavement Association, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Associated Equipment Distributors, Concrete Steel Reinforcing Institute, National Asphalt Pavement Association, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association and Portland Cement Association.

The TCC 2015 Legislative Fly-In on Capitol Hill will take place from April 14-15, also at the Hyatt Regency, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001. To make your hotel reservation, please contact the hotel at 800-421-1442 or 202-737-1234 and ask for the TCC Fly-In rate of $315 per night.

Click here to register. For more information, please contact Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org or 240-485-1159.

The NRMCA April Internet Spotlight, which will be good through Tuesday, May 6, is the Pervious Concrete Pavement Maintenance & Operations Guide. Sold in packages of 10, 25 and 250, this 8-page guide is a culmination of the collaborative efforts of the NRMCA's Pervious Concrete Promotion Subcommittee. This is neither a promotional brochure nor a design guide. Rather, it is intended to provide direction for owners and property managers whose sites include pervious concrete as an integral part of their stormwater management. The guide explains the role that proper maintenance plays with regard to pervious concrete's effectiveness and its durability. It then identifies the owner's responsibilities to provide that maintenance. Every pervious concrete contractor should consider providing this guide to each of his or her customers.

Use Discount Code: ISAP15 and Order your packaged set of 10, 25 or 250 online today and receive 20% off the member price:

• Regular member price for a pkg. of 10 is $10, Internet Special $8, plus shipping.
• Regular member price for a pkg. of 25 is $25, Internet Special $20, plus shipping.
• Regular member price for a pkg. of 250 is $250, Internet Special $200, plus shipping.

April 9, Free Webinar

Design Assistance Program

Email: Amanda Hult

 

April 13, Webinar

Introduction to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

April 13, Webinar (Part I) (Part II is April 20)

Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

April 20, Webinar

Roller Compacted Concrete: Another Choice for Pavement

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

April, 28, Orlando, FL

Handling Concrete Specifications

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

April 28, Columbus, OH (Presented by Ohio Concrete)

Pervious Concrete Contractor Certification

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

May 11 - 13, Miami

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

May 13, Webinar

Sales Management 101...

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

May 19, Wheaton, IL

Building Green with Concrete

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

June 2 - 4, Nashville, TN

Concrete Durability Course

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

June 2 - 5, San Antonio, TX

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

July 6, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

July 13, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

July 15, Webinar

Personal Leadership and Coaching

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

July 20, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

July 31, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

August 14, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

Email: Jacques Jenkins, 240-485-1165

 

September 9, Webinar

Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

September 20 - 22, San Antonio, TX

ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors' Meeting

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

October 13 - 16, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module I: Concrete 101

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

November 2 - 6, Silver Spring, MD

Annual Concrete Technologist Training and Certification Course "Short Course"

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

November 10 - 12, Silver Spring, MD

Effective RMC Supervisor Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

November 18, Webinar

Sales Performance Assessments and Reviews

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

December 1 - 3, Orlando, FL

Environmental Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

December 1 - 3, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

December 8 - 11, Orlando, FL

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

 

February 23 - 25, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

March 15 - 17, Silver Spring, MD

CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152