In an April 28 article, the Chattanooga (TN) Times FreePress reported on local mixer drivers' reaction to federal transportation authorities having exempted them from taking mandatory, unpaid 30-minute breaks for the next two years. Among the industry officials interviewed for the story was NRMCA Producer member  Phil Johnson, safety manager for Ready Mix USA's East Tennessee and Atlanta regions.

Cement production contributes an estimated 6% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, say scientists who are trying to chip away at the pollution problem. Two start-ups, one in Canada and another in Arizona, are among the newer entries in the effort to produce cleaner cement and concrete.

Say what? The headline is taken from the brand name of a Corning Glass product that the author here said is one of the great success stories in modern materials. "Pretty much everyone with a mobile phone, tablet or other touchscreen device benefits from this amazingly robust, scratch-proof glass (or one of its competitors). Provided you don’t drop your phone onto a stone floor, it feels close to being an immortal material," he writes. What does this specifically have to do with concrete? You'll have to read to the end to find out.

During a recent trip through Virginia, NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Phil Kresge participated in a series of lunch-and-learns sponsored by the Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association. Kresge met with representatives from BC Consultants, Urban Engineers and Bowman Consulting, each time to discuss Designing and Specifying Pervious Concrete. Each discussion generated strong interest, Kresge reported.

The meetings were arranged by VRMCA's Hessan Nabavi.

Despite the depressed level of oil prices and the historical relationships between oil and asphalt price changes, asphalt prices reached a record high in December. Indeed, since June of 2014 oil prices declined 52 percent, but during the same time asphalt prices decreased just 0.4 percent with only a slight regress since the end of 2014.

The cement and concrete industry was concerned that as oil prices decay, concrete’s relative price position against asphalt would erode. Asphalt paved roads should have regained a competitive advantage over concrete pavement on both an initial bid and life-cycle cost basis. This  may be explained by the impact of the increased introduction of cokers at oil refineries, which reduce or eliminate bitumen or liquid asphalt production. This could result in substantive reductions in asphalt supply at a time when cycle demand is increasing. In such an environment, the market dynamics could mask the lower input cost typically associated with low oil prices.

Source: The Portland Cement Association's Executive Report e-newsletter for April 27.

NRMCA is now accepting applications for the popular 2015 Excellence in Quality Award. A company must be a NRMCA Producer member in good standing to participate. Companies can enter as a company or a division. Applicants are asked to respond to a multiple-choice type application form that generates their score, which will then be evaluated by a panel of industry judges. Companies or divisions that achieve a score of 75% or greater will be recognized at NRMCA's ConcreteWorks in September in San Antonio, TX. 

There are several advantages to participating in this award program:

1. It provides recognition to the companies that maintain high quality standards;
2. The award criteria can serve as an excellent quality improvement tool for companies; and

3. Companies have used the award criteria for conducting internal quality audits.

Do you have questions about the Hours of Service 30-minute break? Did you know the ready mixed concrete industry now has an exemption from the 30-minute break? Answers, explanations and guidance on these questions and more, are now part of NRMCA’s Compliance Guide for the Federal Drivers' Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. More than 10 years ago the U.S. Department of Transportation issued revisions to its Hours of Service (HOS) rules which had been in effect and virtually unchanged since 1939. However, shortly after they were adopted, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia voted to throw out the new federal drivers' HOS rules. The rules have been subject to numerous court actions ever since. Do you know how will these rules affect the ready mixed concrete industry? Is your company in compliance? NRMCA's newly updated guide covers the new a mandatory 30-minute break, the July 2013 and December 2014 34-hour restart changes, egregious violations for both company and drivers, and much, much more.

NRMCA's revised 2015 Drivers' Hours of Service Regulations Compliance Guide has all the answers to help you and your company be prepared for complying with Hours of Service regulations.

NRMCA is proud to announce the return of the NRMCA Antique Mixer Truck Calendar! For use in a 2016 calendar, NRMCA is compiling pictures of refurbished antique mixer trucks. If you have an antique mixer truck, NRMCA encourages you to submit it via a high-resolution picture(s) along with a short description of the truck (make, model, year, location, etc.). NRMCA is also looking for black and white pictures from years gone by of your fleet to supplement the calendar.

All images must be submitted by e-mail no later to either Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org or Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org no later than Monday, June 1. Thank you in advance for your participation. We look forward to seeing your submissions.

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.

Entries and photos must be received by e-mail via email to Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org Friday, July 31. Click here for more information, including 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 April 27 - May 1, 2015, please click here.

Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) passed the FY16 spending bill out of the THUD subcommittee. The largely Republican bill easily passed and provides $55.3 billion in funding, reflecting an increase of $1.5 billion from FY15 but well below President Obama’s budget request of $9.7 billion. The bill also contains many key provisions dealing with commercial motor vehicle (CMV) regulations. Included in the bill were provisions to extend last year’s suspension of the hours of service 34-hour restart rule, increase truck length limits in Idaho, use tandem 33-foot trailers and add Kansas to the Nebraska-only waiver of truck lengths for farm vehicles during harvest time.

More importantly though, the bill included a provision to suspend the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s rulemaking ability to increase insurance requirements for CMVs, which would include ready mixed concrete trucks. NRMCA requested the THUD subcommittee include the insurance requirements provision to prevent any finalization of an onerous rule that aims to increase CMV insurance by an arbitrary figure and needlessly drive up costs on CMV industries; and with no increase in safety on our nation’s roadways. The provision to suspend the rulemaking in the final bill marks another victory for NRMCA. The full committee markup of the bill is expected to take place after the House returns from the May recess.

The NRMCA May Internet Spotlight, which will be good through Tuesday, June 2, is the ever popular Concrete In Practice (CIP) sets – CIP100 (20 collated sets) and CIP Single Sets. Concrete In Practice is a series of 43 one-page information sheets on important technical topics, written in a non-technical "What, Why and How?" format. Give them to contractors and they'll know that you deliver quality and value and make them a part of your promotion and education program. The CIPs are written in English (43 topics), and in Spanish (41 topics).

Use Discount Code: ISMAY15 and Order your CIPs online today and receive 20% off the member price.

• CIP100 - English (20 collated sets) Regular member price for is $230, Internet Special $184, plus shipping - order here.
• CIP100 - Spanish (20 collated sets) Regular member price for is $230, Internet Special $184, plus shipping - order here 
• CIP Single Set - English Regular member price for is $30.00, Internet Special $24.00, plus shipping - order here 
• CIP Single Set - Spanish Regular member price for is $30.00, Internet Special $24.00, plus shipping - order here

May 11 - 13, Miami

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

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 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 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 4, Webinar

STEPS A Long Term Career Tool for the RMC Industry

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

 

November 17 - 19, Silver Spring, MD

Effective RMC Supervisor Course

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

 

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

 

May 15 - 18, Washington, DC

International Concrete Sustainability & Self-Compacting Concrete Conference

Email: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101