For today’s toolbox tip, let’s teach new crew members the basics. Refill. And top it off.

Make sure each piece of equipment on the job gets a good walk-around to ensure it’s ready for the shift. You don’t want a loose hose bringing the roller to a stop on a hot mat this afternoon.

Make sure each machine is fully fueled. Operators should know to keep an eye on fuel gauges during the day. General laborers should help track fuel needs as equipment gets into hour 5, 6, 7, and so on, so the fuel truck, lube truck or whatever auxiliary vehicle you use can be on the spot to keep things moving smoothly.

Make sure each machine with a water tank has sufficient water. Once again, operators will keep an eye on tank levels, and general laborers should know they’ll be helping with this task. Bring the water truck close enough at the requisite time to get rollers, mills, sweepers, etc., refilled and back to duty.

Use the tailgate talk at the beginning of the shift to make sure all members of the team are starting up fully fueled as well. Did everyone get a good night’s rest? These workers need to be present and alert, ready to react if a distracted driver is heading into the work zone. Make sure everyone knows where the potable water sources are and everyone has his head in the right space for a safe and productive day of paving.

Recycling Enterprises Inc. (REI), Towanda, Kansas, announced the acquisition of Cutler Repaving Inc., Lawrence, Kansas, effective Jan. 12, 2026. The transaction effectively places Cutler Repaving and Dustrol Inc., Towanda, Kansas, under the REI umbrella, creating what the company refers to as the world’s largest hot in-place recycling contractor. This acquisition strategically provides both companies with greater opportunities to serve their individual customers in their geographic markets.

Dustrol serves department of transportation (DOT) and county customers in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Arkansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Colorado, and Montana. Cutler Repaving serves city, county and state DOTs in Florida, South Carolina, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. Both companies will continue operations from their current locations in Towanda and Lawrence, Kansas.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Foundation is seeking eligible students for its 2026-27 “Lanford Family Transportation Construction Worker Memorial Scholarship Program.”

The program provides post-high school financial assistance to children of transportation construction workers killed or permanently disabled on the job. This includes industry professionals who worked on projects in these sectors: airports, bridges, marine, ports and waterways, public transit, roads, railroads, tunnels, and utilities.

Applications are due Friday, April 3, and are available here.

Established in fall 1999 by Roanoke, Va., contractors and brothers Stan and Jack Lanford, the fund has provided nearly $1 million in aid through 230 scholarships to students in 33 states.

Students must attend a post-secondary institution of learning that requires a high school diploma or its equivalent. This could include any public or private four-year accredited college or university; two-year accredited college; or vocational-technical college or training institution.

Graduate students who meet eligibility criteria are also able to apply. Scholarships have a value of up to $10,000 annually.

For more information, or if you have a student who might be eligible, contact ARTBA’s Carrie Halpern at chalpern@artba.org.

Just about every project this season will need a broom to prep the surface for treatment, clean away stray millings, make way for striping and so on, so let’s take a minute to ensure the broom is ready for duty. Your new laborers need to know that allowing this machine’s bristles to wear and fray (or neglecting to grease vital rotation points) means less efficiency on the job.

1. Lubrication. The general laborer who is assigned to run the broom should take responsibility for keeping up with its greasing schedule. Make sure you don’t over-grease, of course. By this machine’s very nature, dust and debris will collect everywhere, especially in the fittings for articulation, if they’ve been over-greased.
2. Lights. Take a look at lights. Change out bulbs before you get to the project so you have safe lighting when you need it.
3. Tires. Check the tires for wear. When you inflate to optimum air pressure (for most brooms, you’re looking at 32 pounds), does the tire hold that?
4. Bristles. Inspect the broom core and bristles. It only takes 90 minutes or so to change that out. An hour and a half today during other maintenance activities is nothing; an hour and a half in the middle of a mill-and-fill operation will feel like an eternity.
5. Water System. Another vital system to check is the water system. Because worker health is dependent on having a functioning water system (and OSHA has rules), double-check this. Clean the filters, hoses and tanks before you get to the job site.

What else does your operator’s manual include so you have all parts of the broom ready to go for safest, smoothest and cleanest operation? Let’s talk about it online and share ideas. And if any of the steps above feel unfamiliar after the winter break, you can get a refresher course online from AsphaltPro. It’s a one-time cost to have lifetime access for your entire crew at https://training.theasphaltpro.com/.

In a speech in Clive, Iowa, in January, President Donald J. Trump announced two new John Deere facilities based in the United States. This includes a new parts distribution center in Hebron, Indiana, and the expansion of the campus in Kernersville, North Carolina.

“Our investment in these new facilities underscores John Deere’s dedication to strengthening the backbone of American industry and supporting local economies,” said John May, chairman and chief executive officer of John Deere. “We believe in building America, and these projects represent our intent to continue driving innovation and job creation in the United States.”

John Deere recently broke ground on the new distribution center near Hebron, Indiana, strategically located to enhance its supply chain capabilities nationwide. This facility will be designed to streamline operations and ensure timely delivery of equipment and parts. The Indiana project is anticipated to generate significant employment opportunities with approximately 150 jobs, contributing to the state’s economic growth.

The Kernersville, North Carolina, factory will assume production of future generation John Deere excavators previously produced in Japan.

The new $70M factory in Kernersville, North Carolina, will bolster John Deere’s manufacturing capabilities, leveraging advanced technologies to produce excavators for the construction market. The North Carolina factory will assume production of future generation excavators previously produced in Japan.

This facility will employ over 150 people and will help meet equipment demand and strengthen the company’s commitment to U.S. manufacturing innovation.

In other news, Deere & Company (NYSE: DE), Moline, Illinois, entered into an agreement in December to acquire Tenna, New Hope, Pennsylvania, which is a construction technology company, and a holding of The Conti Group, that offers mixed-fleet equipment operations and asset tracking solutions.

Tenna offers an integrated construction technology platform (“Tenna”) designed to automate and optimize construction operation workflows. The platform gives contractors a near real-time, full-picture view of their equipment operations and a greater understanding of equipment trends and maintenance needs, while also improving visibility, planning, and job site coordination.

Tenna will continue to operate as an independent business marketed directly to construction customers under the Tenna tradename and will focus on scaling and growing the business through its mixed-fleet business model.

This acquisition is pending regulatory approval and is expected to close in February 2026.

The Reason Foundation has released its 29th Annual Highway Report, which ranks all 50 states on the cost-effectiveness and quality of their road and bridge systems. Within it, we find facts to bolster highway funding conversations ahead of September’s expiration of the IIJA.

The author, Baruch Feigenbaum, mentioned urban interstate pavement conditions improved slightly nationwide in 2023, the most recent year for which complete data are available. Hawaii and Louisiana ranked at the bottom, each reporting more than 13% of their urban interstate pavement in poor condition, followed by California (10%) and New York (9%). Several states are failing to properly maintain urban arterial roads, according to the data. California, Nebraska, Rhode Island and New York collectively accounted for nearly 40% of all urban arterial mileage rated poor nationwide, with California reporting 32.35% of its urban arterial mileage in poor condition.

Massachusetts Moves Up

The report isn’t all gloomy. Massachusetts showed the most improvement of any state, year over year, moving up 23 spots to 17th overall in the state rankings. MAAPA Executive Director Chuck Latvis shared with AsphaltPro that he has seen the emphasis on maintenance increase in the state.

The report reflected his observation. The executive summary states: “Massachusetts improved 23 positions from 40th to 17th in the overall rankings, as the state made double-digit improvements in multiple categories. Maintenance disbursements improved by 26 positions, rural arterial pavement condition improved by 14 positions, and rural fatality rate improved by 22 positions.”

Let’s Save Some Lives in September

Even with bright spots like Massachusetts, the data shows concern for the nation’s infrastructure. For example, more than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges (nearly 7%), are still structurally deficient. Nine states have more than 10% of bridges rated structurally deficient: West Virginia, Iowa, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Maine, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Michigan and North Dakota.

There’s also the issue of the end user. Commuters in New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York lose more than 60 hours a year to traffic jams. Drivers in Delaware, California, Georgia, Illinois and Maryland also lost over 40 hours to traffic congestion. Twenty-five states recorded urban fatality rates at or above 1.0 per 100 million vehicle-miles.

AsphaltPro Magazine Publisher Chris Harrison applauded the timing of the report. “With the road-building industry reaching out to members of Congress to work on a new, long-term highway funding bill ahead of September, the information in this report is well timed. For contractors, the issue isn’t just funding levels—it’s having the consistency and long-term visibility needed to plan work, invest in their operations and keep projects moving efficiently.”

Data Gathering

The 29th annual report is primarily based on data that states reported to the federal government for 2023. The executive summary explains: “Since states have different budgets, system sizes, and traffic and geographic circumstances, their comparative performance depends on both system performance and the resources available. To determine relative performance across the country, state highway system budgets (per mile of responsibility) are compared with system performance, state by state.”

The Reason Foundation’s annual report is one more data source proving our nation requires reliable transportation funding to keep roads and bridges safe and efficient for the traveling public. With its March 19 release, members of the road-building industry can share its facts with their representatives as we go into a summer of funding talks.

Read the full 29th Annual Highway Report