Photo courtesy of Albuquerque Asphalt
Albuquerque Asphalt equipment awaits a day’s work.
Heavy highway asphalt paving is a high-stakes dance of people, equipment, traffic, schedules and materials. It requires the best at it to be smart, organized and intentional.
It also doesn't hurt to have a little attitude, be a little lucky — and have a whole lot of commitment — to the work itself and to the team around you.
Having spent time with the team from Albuquerque Asphalt as they completed a deep mill and fill project on I-40 in Albuquerque — it is evident that the company has these traits in spades.
The project included a deep mill across two lanes of interstate and two lifts of fresh asphalt — all put down at night with the road being turned back over to the public at 5 a.m. every morning.
For Albuquerque Asphalt — a team of more than 200 people spread across asphalt, dirtwork, concrete, crushing and production crews — it's an extremely deliberate deployment of people and resources to ensure optimal asphalt quality while also working efficiently enough to make business profitable. That includes the timely and efficient performance of preventive maintenance (PM) activities.
Supported by Four Rivers Equipment, Albuquerque Asphalt restructured its PM work to move away from larger service trucks that required drivers to have a CDL and HAZMAT endorsement because it became increasingly difficult to find those drivers, and those who do have the endorsements don't always have the mechanic's mindset to do PM work.
The solution: a two-person team matched with a truck hauling a Multi-Tank Oil [MTO] 690 trailer from Thunder Creek Equipment.
Night Paving Leads to Daytime PM
In addition to the practical convenience of nighttime paving — especially in New Mexico where the combination of hot asphalt and high daytime temperatures can be brutal — Albuquerque presents a unique logistical challenge as it relates to traffic: There are only so many bridges that cross the Rio Grande River. Minimizing traffic disruption is critical.
Albuquerque Asphalt plans each day of milling/paving intricately to ensure that it can get the day's work milled and covered with at least one lift of asphalt so that it's drivable by 5 a.m.
Photo courtesy of Albuquerque Asphalt
With the deep mill on this project, each section works in a three-day cycle: Day 1: Mill a section and pave lift one; Day 2: Mill a section and pave lift one; Day 3: Pave the final lift across the previous two days' work. All equipment is lined up in the interstate median during the day and brought back to life again after dark to repeat the cycle.
The company has been at the forefront of many trends in the industry that have allowed larger paving companies to streamline operations. It owns its asphalt plant — controlling the production, quality and access to asphalt.
It also does its t quality testing at an in-house lab. And it has been longtime leaders in recycling crushed and milled materials, including using it as road base and by introducing a certain percentage of millings into the hot mix.
With its growth has come more equipment and greater scrutiny on uptime. And a changing mindset on how to perform PM work. The previous method involved larger lube trucks that required drivers with a CDL and HAZMAT endorsement.
As the fleet grew, it became more difficult to find those drivers, and if they did find them — they were not always interested in doing PM work.
"You can find CDL/HAZMAT drivers, but you've got to find the CDL/HAZMAT drivers willing to do this type of work," said Jacky Spencer, vice president of operations, Albuquerque Asphalt. "We've taken younger people with more of a mechanic background and a good work ethic, and we train them to this specific task."
It was this challenge that led Four Rivers Equipment to introduce Albuquerque Asphalt to the MTO 690 trailers. The company now owns three.
"The last few years you can't find anyone," said Robert Wood, president and partner, Albuquerque Asphalt. "So, if you limit yourself to CDL-driven service trucks, that limits your pool of employees. My manager said, ‘We can't find CDL drivers', and these were available, and we thought it was a good idea.
"Now we have three of these units, and we haven't bought any more service trucks."
Thunder Creek, Two-Man PM Crew Key to Success
Spencer and Joseph Otero, a superintendent with the company, have spearheaded much of this new approach to PM. It revolves around the MTO 690 and a two-man crew that pulls up to the median, right-of-way (or wherever the equipment might be staged), and they go methodically from machine to machine performing PM work.
One fuels while the other greases. One fills diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) while the other blows out air filters. One does a walkaround of the machine to identify any issues while the other tops off fluids. And then they move on to the next machine.
The Thunder Creek MTO 690, with its ability to hold critical service fluids in combination up to 690 gallons, is the centerpiece of this operation. Towed behind any of the company's pickup or service trucks, the trailers easily navigate each job site and allow each team member to get close to the equipment they are working on.
"If you take a big lube truck, and you take this setup — this is still a lot easier to get inside of [safety] barrels and get next to stuff," Spencer said. "I like that they're not climbing up and down the side of the truck all the time. That's a big deal for me. Everything is really accessible."
Photo courtesy of Albuquerque Asphalt
The standout feature: Because each fluid compartment holds less than 119 gallons (115 gallons is the max), the trailer does not require a HAZMAT endorsement — and when matched with the right truck, does not require a CDL. Albuquerque Asphalt outfits each of its trailers with a combination of diesel, engine oil, hydraulic fluid, DEF, a greasing system and an oil reclaim system — allowing each team to perform all critical PM work in the field. The on-board air compressor helps with numerous tasks, including blowing out filters.
"What's nice about the Thunder Creeks is, when we go to do oil changes, you get the reservoir where you suck it up and put it in the tank as opposed to putting it in buckets — makes everything more efficient," Otero said. "Greasing, fueling, oil changes. Then, at the end of the day, we regroup and dump everything out. It's just rolling, rolling, rolling — it's all productive."
The two-person crew gives the company flexibility in its staffing and helps ensure that PM work is completed promptly each day — versus being short-handed if a driver is unavailable. If one of the crew calls out, they can be substituted by any team member. This also has helped prevent unnecessary downtime on the weekends.
"We cut down the cost, as far as hours," Otero said. "Instead of working 60-70 hours, you include these bad boys and break up the work evenly … everything gets done across the board and it's not slowing us down."
Four Rivers has helped Albuquerque Asphalt every step of the way — serving as both fleet consultants for the equipment and fleet management consultants as it relates to PM.
"Four Rivers is always looking for a way to improve our business," Spencer said. "When they have new products, they don't push them on us, they bring them to our attention. A big part of our success right now is because of Four Rivers. They always answer the phone. They're available 24 hours, seven days a week, because that's what we run. Having somebody like Four Rivers is huge."
For Spencer, the new approach to PM and the flexibility of the Thunder Creek trailers are critical to the company's highway paving success.
"They've been a game-changer for us," he said. "Servicing equipment is a fast-paced job. Everything's got to be checked. Fueled up. Oil levels checked.
"With the Thunder Creeks," Otero said, "everything's done, everyone's happy, and we don't have to worry about anything."
Eric Swan is the territory sales manager of Thunder Creek Equipment.
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