Over the years, the ready mix industry has fallen into a vicious cycle.  You run your trucks hard, to keep up with your orders.  Your drivers do their best to keep them clean, but because they are needed NOW to batch another load, they don't wash out as thoroughly as they should.  Buildup begins, but you can't worry about it yet.  It's a trade off.  Do you let your drivers spend an extra time on the job site rinsing out, or d you get that additional load out?  Since you don't make money unless you're hauling concrete, you really have no choice but to get your trucks back to the yard as soon as possible.

That little buildup quickly compounds with every load.  To make matters worse, the contractor who insisted on seven sack  mix at eight, doesn't begin pouring until ten thirty.  You get the picture.  Before you know it, that nine yard drum will only haul eight, and you're putting your drivers in the drum or calling in a chipping service to take care of the problem.  

A lot of money is spent each year removing excess buildup from trucks, either by paying your drivers to do it, or hiring a chipping service.  Wouldn't it be better to take that same money, and focus it on prevention?  Preventing excess buildup, as opposed to removing it offers many advantages; from less wear and tear on air and hydraulic system, to extended drum and fin life.  Prevention will reduce overweight fines caused by caring around buildup, and help to eliminate those unsightly dings in the drums inflicted during heavy chipping operations.  Your drivers are paid to drive, not chip concrete.  Prevention will let them do this.  Prevention makes sense.  The question is,  how do you do it?  How can you do it?  How can you prevent excess buildup without adding to your operating costs.

To prevent excess concrete buildup, we propose putting each of your trucks on a regular chipping schedule, and changing our pricing method from a per pound basis, to a flat rate per truck.  For less than the cost of an oil change, we can prevent costly buildup and the downtime associated with removing it.  The way it works is we will chip each truck a minimum of six times a year at regular intervals.  you will pay one rate regardless if we took our 40 or 3000 pounds.** In this way, you are spreading your chipping cost across your entire fleet and you know what you are paying for (no more wondering if that pile on the ground is really 3000 lbs.)  We will assume responsibility for scheduling your trucks for chipping ( you will have final approval schedule).  On average, your trucks would be cleaned every eight weeks, less often in the winter months, more often during summer when buildup is more prevalent.  Cleaning your trucks on a regular schedule will stop the buildup before it becomes excessive, enabling us to remove it efficiently with much less change of damage to your drums.

Instituting a buildup prevention program offers may advantages.  By spreading out your cost across your entire fleet, you will know your annual routine chipping cost up front.  To determine your cost multiply the number of trucks in your fleet by $ (to be determined).  Scales re taken out of the equation except for the odd truck that has more than 3000 lbs of buildup. Preventing buildup reduces your operation costs by increasing fuel economy, and reducing wear and tear on your equipment.  Prevention protects your most valuable asset - your drivers.  Keeping your drivers out of the drum eliminates the possibility of their injury while trying to chip out concrete.  It makes sense.  Preventing buildup rather than removing it, is a much better way of doing business.

For additional information or to provide feedback, please contact:     

Jim's Concrete Chipping Service Inc. 

1-800-284-0414