BUSINESS CALENDAR

Y EXCLUSIVEINDUSTR TIC TAUTOMA TRACK TENSIONING SYSTEM

Star Equipment, Ltd.

starequip.com

1401 2nd Avenue Des Moines, IA 50314 515-283-2215

2950 6th Street SW Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 319-365-5139 2625 W Airline Hwy. Waterloo, IA 50703 319-236-6830 2100 E Lincoln Way Ames, IA 50010 515-233-9500

To view our Business Calendar online, go to www.constructionequipmentguide.com.

For information on CRANE SAFETY COURSES: Contact Information: cranesafe@gmail.com Telephone: 800/654-5640 Address: 224 W. Central Parkway, Suite 1024 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS (AGC) AGC EVENTS CALENDAR: All AGC Web-Eds are scheduled in Eastern Standard Time (EST) Conferences are scheduled using the local time zone where the event takes place. • AGC EDGE Construction Supervision Fundamentals (CSF) Education

Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vcsf220901/) Date: Friday, September 9, 2022 – 9:00 AM EST ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE Project Manager Development Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vpmdp22904/) Date: Monday, September 12, 2022 – 6:00 PM EST ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE Lean Construction Education Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vlea220901/) Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 – 2:00 PM EST ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE Project Manager Development Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vpmdp220901/) Date: Monday, September 19, 2022 – 10:00 AM (EST) ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE Project Manager Development Program https://training.agc.org/course/vpmdp220902/) Date: Monday, September 26, 2022 – 2:00 PM (EST) ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • Five-Part Webinar Series: Top 10 Safest Construction Companies in

America (https://www.agc.org/learn/education-training/events/five-part-webinarseries-top-10-safest-construction-companies-America) Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2022 – 3:00 PM Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE Project Manager Development Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vpmdp220903) Date: Friday, September 30, 2022 – 10:00 AM EST ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE BIM Education Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vbim221001/) Date: Monday, October 3, 2022 – 5:00 PM EST ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • 2022 CLC Leadership Development Conference (https://clc.agc.org/) Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2022 – 3:00 PM Point Clear, Alabama • AGC EDGE Lean Construction Education Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vlea221001/) Date: Tuesday, October 11, 2022 – 11:00 AM ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE Construction Supervision Fundamentals (CSF) Education

Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vcsf221001/) Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2022 – 3:00 PM (EST) ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE BIM Education Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vbim221002/) Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2022 – 11:00 AM (EST) ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE Project Manager Development Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vpmdp221101/) Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2022 (1:00 PM) ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development • 2nd Annual National Construction Industry Workforce Summit (https://fallsummit.agc.org/construction-industry-workforce-summit/) Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022 (8:00 AM) Place: Phoenix, Arizona Training/Professional Development • The Construction Leadership Advancement Summit (https://fallsummitagc.org/) Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022 (8:00 AM) Phoenix, Arizona Training/Professional Development • AGC EDGE Construction Supervision Fundamentals (CSF) Education

Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vcsf221101/) Date: Monday, November 7, 2022 – 5:00 PM (EST) ONLINE, Virtual Training/Professional Development For further information, contact AGC: Phone: 703/548-3118 Fax: 240/3962470 Email: info@agc.org

19th Annual Old Construction & Mining Equipment Show Dates Saturday, Sept. 10 & Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022 Place: Harrison Coal & Reclamation Historical Park Grounds 43672 Stumptown Road, New Athens, Ohio Website: WWW.HCRHP.ORG Old trucks, crawlers, construction, and mining equipment, operating equipment digging and moving the earth. Bring your truck, construction, crawler, surface or underground mining equipment for some digging fun or static display. Plaques to all exhibitors. Exhibitor camping available on site. Discounted hotel rates available. Swap & vendor area. Food will be available on the grounds. Show hours: Saturday: 10 AM to 6 PM Sunday: 9 AM to 4 PM Admission: $5.00 For show information, contact: HCEA-OVC: 740/312-5385 Or Email: OLDIRONSHOW@YAHOO.COM. www.Facebook.com/OCMES

SHEET METAL, AIR CONDITIONING NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (SMACNA) SMACNA ANNUAL CONVENTION 2022 DATES: Sunday, Sept. 11, 2002 – Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022 TIME: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Place: The Broadmoor 1 Lake Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 Description: This event will showcase products like Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning, Architectural Sheet Metal, Industrial Sheet Metal and much more. This trade show at the SMACNA Annual Convention is its premier event that blends exceptional education with world-class networking and social events. Estimated Turnout: 100 – 500 Delegates For more information: Phone: 732/329-0330 or 303/832-4224

2022 FARM SCIENCE REVIEW DATES: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 - Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 TIME: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EST) Place: Molly Caren Agricultural Center 135 State Route 38 NE • London, OHIO 43140 Website: https://fsr.osu.edu Description: Throughout its history, Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review has been at the forefront of showcasing the future of agriculture. The Molly Caren Agricultural Center (MCAC) near London, Ohio is home to the Farm Science Review and attracts over 100,000 visitors from all over the United States and Canada, who come for three (3) days to peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors and learn the latest in agricultural production. The educational programs feature Ohio State specialists and are second to none in the agricultural exhibition world. The 100-acre exhibit area allows visitors and exhibitors to experience all aspects of agriculture production. The first show was held in 1963 at the Ohio State University Don Scott Airport in Northwest Columbus, Ohio. Media: After last year’s virtual event, the 2022 Farm Science Review will once again be an in-person experience on September 20 – 22, 2022. Celebrating its 60th year, the three-day show will include several newsworthy events, exhibits, and presentations. Event tickets and media parking passes will be mailed out in the beginning of September. For more information contact: The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Farm Science Review Phone: 614/292-4278, Email: fsrinfo@osu.edu

CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN (CAM) Formerly Builders Exchange of Detroit and Michigan. CAM is a professional association of design and construction professionals which provides service, information, and assistance to the construction industry. Members include architects, engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, and contractors. • Construction Association of Michigan 2022 Golf Season Registration is Open! Dates: September 26, 2022 - Edgewood Country Club These outings are perfect opportunities to bring your staff and clients out for a great afternoon of golf!

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTORS (AED) (https://www.aednet.org) 2022 Leadership Development Institute • SESSION: October 12 – 14, 2022 Leading Self-Leading Others . How to have coaching conversations . Leading self and others through change Relational Capital . Building relational capital . Connecting with others – your team and your customers . Collaboration over command . Making every interaction matter Program Review . Final capstone presentations For more information on this session, contact AED: Phone: 630/574-0650

No one in the construction industry needs to be made aware of rising diesel prices over the past year. They’ve felt the pain. Through the first week in July, the average price of diesel fuel was nearly 70 percent higher than the year prior.

There’s no single magic bullet to reduce fuel costs, improve fuel efficiency or help you navigate through these unprecedented times; however, a group of strategies can certainly help. Dig Into Telematics

Shop Around for Fuel,

Insist On Transparency

Roberta Wright, CEM and fleet coordinator of the city of Lynchburg, Va., has learned to shop around when it comes to fuel prices.

In 2018, when she discovered she could get a better price from other vendors than the vendor on contract, she broke the contract and started to get quotes for every load of fuel. The net savings added up to more than $103,000 over 5 years.

With an increasing number of supply chain issues, this year Wright has returned to contract purchasing, but with a twist. She asked participating vendors to show documentation of what they paid for the fuel, plus their constant, delivery fees and the total price per gallon of fuel for each load.

“It’s not that I am trying to undercut everyone. It’s my job to get the lowest price.”

While your business may not have the buying power of a municipality, the point is to keep vendors honest by keeping the fuel pricing transparent.

“Anyone can do it,” said Wright.

If you’re fueling at retail, several apps can help you identify the lowest price for gas and diesel near you such as Gas Buddy and Drivvo.

Track Fuel Costs With Fleet

Management Software

Wright highly recommends fuel management software to help managers keep an eye on costs. Reports from FuelMaster software show the vehicle number, who fueled the vehicle, the number of gallons, date, time, pump and product. She adds in the fuel costs, which change every time they load their two on-site tanks.

“Having some type of monitoring system reduces theft,” said Wright.

When she sees fuel efficiency decreasing, she can have the maintenance team identify any issues.

Telematic data offers valuable insight into fuel efficiency and machine utilization.

“Across the industry, telematics data is often underutilized,” said Larry Herman Jr., telematic support supervisor at RDO Equipment Co., which represents ConExpoCon/AGG exhibitors John Deere and Vermeer.

According to Herman, many factors can contribute to fuel burn rate and excessive fuel consumption.

“Telematics systems, like John Deere’s JDLink, can track utilization data including idle time, fuel consumed while in idle, and compare that data across the fleet to identify opportunities for improvement,” said Herman.

JDLink’s Machine Analyzer tool allows managers to compare data for the entire fleet, specific groups of equipment or machine types.

Another area to focus on are the gears or modes the machine is being operated in.

“If a machine isn’t being operated in the optimal mode [eco, production, etc.] or in the optimal gear, it won’t achieve maximum fuel efficiency,” said Herman.

According to Herman, John Deere’s JDLink system allows managers to see where their machines are hitting key utilization on job sites. This is based on machine load factors, engine loads and gearing.

“Too much hard utilization and you are wearing the machine and burning more fuel,” said Herman. “Too low utilization and you are burning excessive fuel where a smaller machine could better perform that work.”

With telematics data in hand, managers and foremen have the information they can use to coach their operators to maximize productivity with utilization.

Herman encourages managers to sit down with a specialist at the dealer who can offer in-person or remote support to help customers delve into their data and capabilities. The answers aren’t always clear-cut.

“Auto-idle/shutdown can be beneficial in some situations, but not every situation as each business and use-case is different,” said Jacob Koon, an RDO telematics consultant based in Texas.

“For example, an excavator on a pipeline job may be continually digging and have relatively low idle. That machine may be a good candidate for auto-shutdown because its job is to be constantly ‘working.’ However, another excavator on that same job may have very high idle because it’s being used to hold the pipe in place while it’s being attached.” Be Transparent With Customers When Implementing Fuel Surcharge California-based, Graniterock burns through approximately 3 million gallons of diesel fuel each year, producing and delivering concrete and other materials to customers in the San Francisco Bay area. “We pride ourselves on setting a price and sticking to it,” said Rich Sacher, executive vice president of the materials division. “However, this year, we could never keep up with the velocity of change.”

As a result, the company did something it has never done before — it instituted a fuel surcharge. The fuel surcharge is based on a publicly available data source and adjusted monthly.

According to Sacher, Graniterock chose a fuel charge, because it believes it is the fairest option that offers full transparency to its customers. To ease the burden, it stood behind customers with long-term commitments.

“Anytime you have a challenge in a supply relationship or a contractual relationship it forces you to reach out and challenge each other,” said Sacher. “Customers appreciate that the fuel surcharge is something they can clearly show to their own customers.”

The company announced the surcharge in a letter to customers and explained the decision in both a video and podcast.

Across the industry, fuel surcharges have become more common. In some cases, contractors and government agencies are delaying projects and/or spreading out work over a longer time period in the hopes that fuel prices drop and work can be completed more efficiently. “If a machine isn’t being operated in the optimal mode or in the optimal gear, it won’t achieve maximum fuel efficiency.” Larry Herman Jr. RDO Equipment Co. It’s never a good idea to skimp on machine maintenance, especially those tasks with a direct impact on fuel efficiency.

Convert Trucks to Compressed

Natural Gas Hybrids

With compressed natural gas (CNG) priced at $2.52 per gallon, converting your trucks to run on CNG and gas, or CNG and diesel can bring significant savings, all while reducing emissions. Conversion kits from Green Energy Solutions effectively convert your trucks to dual-fuel hybrids, running approximately 20 to 30 percent CNG.

According to Business Development Manager Kyle Flint, one of its clients, Oklahoma-based B&H Construction, has seen fuel costs go from $11,600 per employee to $4,800 per employee after converting most of their truck fleet.

“Everything more than a half-ton has been converted,” said Flint. Conversion kits are easily installed and include a tank package suited to the vehicle, plus hoses, tubes, fittings, pressure regulator fuel delivery system, sensors and processors. The cost for a diesel assist kit is approximately $15,000 to $20,000, while the cost for a gas kit is $13,500 to $15,500. There are a number of government incentives for organizations that convert their vehicles to CNG because it is a renewable, cleanburning biofuel. Green Energy Solutions will have products on display at ConExpoCon/AGG 2023.

Don’t Overlook

Machine Maintenance

It’s never a good idea to skimp on machine maintenance, especially those tasks with a direct impact on fuel efficiency.

According to RDO’s Herman, air filters should be cleaned daily and changed regularly. Fuel filters should be monitored for water or sediment that could lead to poor fuel economy. Lastly, be sure track tension and tire pressures are set to the proper points to avoid overworking your machines and burning more fuel than is necessary. 