From sampling to data reporting and every test in between, automating various processes in the asphalt QC/QA chain offers consistency and safety along the way

In and around the asphalt testing lab, there are repetitive tasks that can be relegated to a machine, thus freeing the human technician for other tasks in the quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) and testing sphere.

Solterra Materials uses InstroTek and Humboldt loading frames to support balanced mix design (BMD) testing for the accurate evaluation of mixes. Both photos courtesy of Solterra Materials

Automated Sampling Example

One of the automated QC/QA procedures that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have offered for decades is that of collecting hot-mix asphalt (HMA) samples from the truck bed in a safe and controlled manner. This process could involve a laborer climbing onto scaffolding, plunging a shovel into the back of a truck to get a few scoops of mix that he hopes represent the whole load. He then takes the bucket to the lab to be split and tested, etc. Or this procedure could be made more consistent and safer.

For example, Pavement Technology Inc., Covington, Georgia, includes its remote truck sampling device (RTSD) within its automatic quality control system. This setup, to be erected immediately beyond the loadout area at the plant, sinks a mechanical arm into the fresh load of mix to safely capture a representative sample from the haul vehicle. The arm then retracts and travels along a rail to deposit the mix through a chute to a waiting field ignition oven, where the sample is weighed, burned and re-weighed. A test report produces the asphalt content of the sample. The burned sample is deposited into the field gradation unit, which performs a complete sieve analysis of the sample. All test data is displayed on an excel spread sheet and sent to the asphalt plant’s control house without anyone having to shovel mix, split samples or remove pans from the ignition oven.

Of course, truck sampling devices don’t have to be that complex. In today’s changing environment, QC/QA personnel can select how much automation they desire and how much “hands-on” work they maintain control of from sampling to testing to reporting. Here’s how some of your peers are removing variability and introducing efficiencies in, and around, the lab setting.

Solterra Materials uses InstroTek and Humboldt loading frames to support balanced mix design (BMD) testing for the accurate evaluation of mixes. Both photos courtesy of Solterra Materials

Taking Automation Into the Lab

In a July 9 blog post for Humboldt Manufacturing, Zameer Syed wrote, “Laboratory technicians bring experience and judgement [sic] that no machine can replace. But many of the tasks they carry out every day are repetitive by nature. Handling specimens, recording measurements, moving samples between stations, and repeating the same process over and over again all take time. They also introduce opportunities for small variations between operators. If those repetitive tasks can be carried out automatically and consistently, technicians can spend more time where their expertise really adds value.”

While the technicians use their expertise where it’s needed most, automation can be applied to more mundane and repetitive tasks. Tanya Nash, director of engineering for Asphalt Testing Solutions & Engineering (ATS), Jacksonville, Florida, spoke of how she’s seeing this in action around the country, but specifically in her state.

ATS Laboratory Specialist Tanner Nestle prepares asphalt samples for the oven. Photos courtesy of ATS

“Automation seems to be everywhere from the binder lab, to design, to QC, to mix performance,” she said, sharing that some of the technology is now being evaluated across the country for its impact on how technicians are trained and how expertise is being passed down. She listed these four areas where she sees automation already changing asphalt labs in the Southeast, particularly Florida:

• Binder Lab: “On the production side (suppliers), the idea is turnaround. The use of automated equipment is high—flash point, penetration, specific gravity, and even some viscometers.”
• QC Labs: “The use of automated truck samplers has been approved in Florida and being used by some contractors. The automated binder samplers used at the asphalt plants are in use. Although the automation of different volumetric tests are out there, I am not aware of anyone in Florida using the systems to date.”
• Performance: “The same volumetric automation is used, more for research purposes—universities and proof of concept ideas. Systems are currently being built to look at other performance tests and sample fabrication devices to assist in reducing variability and technician time.”
• Mix Design: “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is in place, and some contractors are using it for their design processes and optimizations in Florida.”

ATS Laboratory Specialist Tanner Nestle prepares asphalt samples for the oven. Photos courtesy of ATS

No matter what part of the country you’re in, Syed noted in his blog, “As testing becomes more demanding, consistency becomes just as important as speed.”

The consistency and speed that Syed wrote of were on the mind of Sathish Banda, P.E., the technical services manager for Solterra Materials, Phoenix, Arizona. “Solterra Materials uses infraTest automatic analyzer to improve the speed, accuracy and consistency of binder extraction testing,” Banda shared. “Automation reduces manual handling, minimizes operator variability and improves safety. This allows laboratory staff to perform other tasks while the analyzer is performing binder extraction.”

ATS Laboratory Specialist Tanner Nestle prepares asphalt samples for the oven. Photos courtesy of ATS

The technicians at ATS also incorporate automation during extractions. Tanya Nash, director of engineering, shared: “ATS uses automation during their binder extractions—where it is not fully automated, some of the process is. This step is primarily for safety (solvent exposure), productivity, and for repeatability. We don’t have many ‘outside the normal’ automations when dealing with our mixtures. For example, the ignition oven; our ovens all have internal scales with automatic printout systems, which is an automation, just one the industry is so acclimated to. One automation that removes the human error is our DSRs. The programing on the instruments allows little room for error during setup and helps ensure the samples are performed the same every time.”

Banda shared that Solterra Materials also uses InstroTek and Humboldt loading frames to support balanced mix design (BMD) testing for the accurate evaluation of mixes. “Fully automated loading sequences and data collection minimize human error and allow technicians to process more samples and focus on data analysis.”

“ATS is always looking at different automated systems to improve efficiency,” Nash shared. “The key is making sure it is as good as the real thing.”

ATS Asphalt Binder Technician Rebecca Kohl measures the hardness of the asphalt binder during the penetration test. Photo courtesy of ATS

Keep People in the Loop

“Whenever people hear the word ‘automation,’ the assumption is often that it’s about replacing people,” Syed wrote. “I don’t see it that way.”

The people in the lab are integral to its success.

Austin Futrell, P.E., of Prairie Contractors LLC, Opelousas, Louisiana, shared that each of the company’s plants has its own lab with a semi-permanent lab technician. “However, we do have to move around quite often due to night work, multiple projects going on simultaneously, vacations/sickness, or other reasons.” To share files, they use Dropbox. “It connects all of our testing, designing, aggregate properties, and other documents so that each technician has access to every plant. It makes it easy to swap technicians if needed.”

In the Solterra Materials lab, fully automated loading sequences and data collection allow technicians to process more samples and focus on data analysis. Photo courtesy of Solterra Materials

The idea of communication and file sharing is integral to successful automation. This is the cornerstone of the connected work site.

While the Prairie Contractors’ labs don’t use automation “fully,” according to Futrell, they “have a long list of history with our materials that makes it easier for designing and comparing trends.” Futrell has already created multiple spreadsheets for designing and computing results and stated that the highly experienced team is comfortable with the system.

When it comes to that kind of communication and file sharing, whether your team participates in round robin testing out of a central lab you share with multiple contractors or you have a dedicated lab at each of multiple plants, you’ll be sharing data and test results with multiple entities. That data requires reliable transfer.

“Solterra Materials uses R18LabQMS to streamline its asphalt laboratory operations by centralizing quality records, automating calibration and maintenance reminders, and simplifying AASHTO R18 compliance,” Banda shared. “The platform reduces paperwork and keeps teams audit-ready with organized digital documentation. This allows laboratory staff to spend more time ensuring quality and less time managing administrative tasks.”

R18LabQMS isn’t the only system Solterra Materials has in place for digital documentation. The team also uses Stonemont Solutions Software to streamline asphalt QC by managing mix designs, test results and production data in a centralized system. “It provides real-time tracking of quality control results, simplifies reporting and helps to ensure compliance with agency specifications,” Banda shared. “By giving laboratory and production teams quick access to data, Stonemont supports QC personnel to make more informed operational decisions.”

One of the truck sampling devices on the market is the Safe-T Sampler from Stansteel Hotmix Parts & Service, Louisville, Kentucky. This structure is to be erected immediately beyond the silo loadout. When a haul truck pulls alongside the device, an operator stands on the anti-skid tread-plate platform where he has a clear view of the material in the back of the truck, the hydraulic sampling arm, and the receiving splitter chute to the side of the structure, which uses the 180-degree motion capability of the Safe-T Sampler. The operator uses joystick controls to move the hydraulic sampling arm into the material and collects a 20-pound sample. He then uses the joystick to hydraulically move the jaw containing the sample to the splitter chute where the sample can be safely retrieved.

“When the automation is done correctly, the efficiency it can introduce can be high,” Nash said. “It frees up time in which technicians can be performing other tasks or analysis that does not have to be done by manually moving data around. Some of the efficiencies come from product use (our solvent extraction mentioned above), where we do not use as much consumable product as we would with a manual process. Other automation is about the workers’ safety. It prevents downtime from injuries or other issues.”

While sources have stated clear benefits to automating processes for efficiency, quality consciousness or safety, Nash offered a smart caution.

“Automation can be an asset but can also be a crutch,” she shared. “As long as you have the checks and balances in place to verify the automation and what kind of data it is producing, there should be no hesitation to use it. There should always be a basic understanding of the task that is being automated to know when there are issues to be addressed or problems with the system.”

The foundational knowledge she speaks of is one of the many core values humans bring to the table. And one of the many reasons industry professionals from laborers to operators to lab techs to inspectors can rest assured automation is a tool to assist, not to replace, employees in the workforce, making them and their work more consistent and safer.

Hillhead 2026 brings new crushing tech to global audience

Hillhead, which took place June 23-25, 2026, in Buxton, England, is the largest quarrying, construction and recycling equipment exhibition in the United Kingdom. It takes place every two years in a working Derbyshire quarry and brings together 600 exhibitors and nearly 20,000 visitors for three days of demonstrations, big iron and new technology.

Some of those exhibitors are, naturally, based in the European Union and offer services to our European colleagues. Some of those exhibitors display and demonstrate innovations that cross the Atlantic. They all showcase advances in construction for the aggregates and asphalt industries’ edification.

New for 2026, Hillhead introduced a new way to experience the latest big kit in action at the Quarry Face demonstration area. Three each day, leading manufacturers showcased their machines as part of a dynamic curated live show hosted by broadcaster and technology presenter Nikki Dean. Combining live machine operation with expert commentary and manufacturer interviews, all the action was streamed onto a giant LED screen set against the dramatic quarry face backdrop.

Visitors were able to see exactly what the machines could do in real working conditions, while learning more about the latest product developments, technologies and innovations directly from the experts operating them. Curated live demonstration sessions took place with the following participants: JCB, Hitachi, LiuGong, Hyundai, CASE, McHale, Komatsu, SANY, Develon, XCMG, SBM and Corgin.

OEMs exhibiting at Hillhead 2026 included, but were not limited to, the following:

ASTEC

Astec’s leadership team was on site throughout the event to work directly with customers and partners.

Astec put customer performance, productivity and profitability at the center of its presence at Hillhead 2026, unveiling eight new innovations for the European market across crushing, screening, washing and material handling. Astec’s Hillhead showcase was focused on solving real operational challenges reducing downtime, improving throughput and lowering cost per tonne. Attendees experienced eight key launches and innovations, including:

• The global launch of the Kolberg® Eco-Scrub modular washing solution, delivering efficient wet processing with a design especially suited for semi mobile locations.
• The global launch of the Telestack® LF527 low feed hopper feeder, reducing double handling and ensuring smooth, controlled material flow.
• The European launch of the new Frontier™ tracked mobile crushing and screening range and the European launch of the patented Vari-Frequency Technology, designed to minimize blinding and maximize output, which was showcased on the Pioneer 6203LPV horizontal screen.

ERIEZ

Eriez exhibited its 75B‑HC high-capacity electromagnetic vibratory feeder at Hillhead 2026, as well as a conveyor system equipped with an Eriez metal detector, along with a suspended magnet and additional material handling solutions.

Eriez®, Caerphilly, United Kingdom, featured its latest material handling technology, including the B‑HC high-capacity electromagnetic vibratory feeder. Designed to extend the capabilities of the Eriez B-Series range, B‑HC feeders offer high-capacity electromagnetic feeders for demanding bulk material handling applications. The feeder incorporates a high-power electromagnetic drive with a rare earth armature, applying force in both forward and reverse directions of the tray to produce controlled, linear material flow.

EVOQUIP

In 2016, EvoQuip made its debut at Hillhead with the introduction of the Bison 120 jaw crusher, a compact machine designed to simplify crushing operations for smaller contractors and recycling applications. Since that launch, EvoQuip has steadily expanded its portfolio from a single jaw crusher into a broad range of compact equipment covering crushing, screening, shredding and conveying.

EvoQuip®, a Terex Corporation company, celebrated 10 years since the brand was officially launched at the show. EvoQuip made its debut at Hillhead 2016 with the introduction of the Bison 120 jaw crusher for smaller contractors and recycling applications. The EvoQuip stand included:

• a new digital element, providing visitors with interactive access to product information, application insights and a snapshot of the brand’s global reach over the last 10 years
• TRAC, a multi-sensor solution to improve screening equipment performance and durability
• INNEX, a new digital brand to improve end user experience through consolidated tools and AI-driven capabilities
• a fundraising effort for cystic fibrosis charities

FINLAY

Finlay’s C-1540, in the foreground, and J-1170 were part of the live demonstrations.

Finlay®, a Terex brand, exhibited a wide‑ranging line‑up of crushers and screens at Hillhead 2026, including prototype previews and first public sightings of new impactors.

• The I‑130RS impact crusher made its first public showing, offering ease of transport and configuration across a wide range of applications.
• The C‑1540+ cone crusher prototype worked in the demonstration area as a preview ahead of its planned production launch in 2027, featuring an upgraded cone chamber.
• The J‑1170+ jaw crusher worked in the live demonstration area, delivering high production capacity with large reduction ratios and configurable operation for quarrying or construction and demolition recycling.
• The Finlay J‑1280 jaw crusher with independent pre-screen, extended feeder and jack leg options, was shown publicly in the UK for the first time since its launch in 2025.
• Additional machines and technologies such as Finlay’s telematics platform, Ask Finlay, were also on display.

INTRAME

INTRAME, a Spanish manufacturer of asphalt plants with more than 60 years of experience, presented its latest asphalt plant technologies focused on efficient aggregate handling, accurate dosing, high RAP processing capacity and reliable production of high-quality asphalt mixes.

INTRAME personnel were available to discuss:

• new asphalt plant projects,
• retrofits,
• RAP upgrades,
• plant modernization, and
• customized technical solutions to improve efficiency and sustainability in asphalt mix production.

MAGNA

MAGNA™, a Terex brand, made its Hillhead debut with the MT400C large cone crusher and MT6S heavy‑duty scalping screen. The MT400C cone crusher features:

• cubical product shape for aggregates producers and contractors,
• a large capacity 8m3 (10.4yds3) hopper and feeder,
• an automated metal detection system and purge chute,
• full hydraulic closed side setting adjustment with electronic monitoring,
• a fuel‑efficient direct drive system through a wet clutch, and
• a hydraulic tramp relief system with automatic reset.

MAJOR

FLEX-MAT Tensioned Screen Media is available in both side-tensioned or end-tensioned configurations with optional side seals, overlaps and crown deck adapters.

Major exhibited its FLEX-MAT® screen media and woven wire screens at Hillhead. The samples of its screen media solutions on display included:

• The FLEX-MAT® Modular Screen Media series, which offers a high open area, efficient stratification, no blinding and pegging;
• The high-vibration FLEX-MAT® Tensioned Screen Media, which uses lime-green polyurethane strips that allow each wire to vibrate independently from hook to hook; and
• Woven Wire Screens, which feature OPTIMUMWIRE® engineered with extremely tight crimps and a precise weave pattern.

MDS

The latest iteration of the M515 trommel from MDS incorporates several design improvements focused on transportability, accessibility and output.

MDS® returned to Hillhead with a live working demonstration of its flagship M515 trommel and a static display of the M300 scalping grid. The M300 is a compact, heavy-duty scalping grid, built for challenging materials such as blasted rock and construction and demolition waste. It features:

• a fully hydraulic setup,
• a heavy-duty double-deck grid incorporating a T-Bar cassette top deck and mesh bottom deck,
• 1,400-mm wide collection conveyor with variable speed,
• 1,400-mm wide product conveyor, and
• a compact footprint for ease of transport.

POWERSCREEN

The Chieftain 2200 triple deck screen is the largest inclined screen in the Powerscreen range.

Powerscreen®, a Terex brand, marked its 60th anniversary at Hillhead 2026 alongside long-standing UK distributor Blue Group. A focal point of the booth was the fully refurbished MK1 screening unit, the original machine that launched the Powerscreen story and helped establish the concept of mobile screening. Also on display was:

• a prototype version of the 1000X Maxtrak cone crusher;
• the Chieftain 2200 triple deck screen, the largest inclined screen in the Powerscreen range, featuring a patented configurable drive system and dual screenbox design;
• the Premiertrak R450 jaw crusher, developed for quarrying, recycling, demolition and mining applications;
• TRAC; and
• INNEX

TEREX MPS

For added flexibility, an optional blowbar jib crane is available to assist with handling during maintenance of the TI4143 horizontal shaft impactor (HSI) from Terex MPS.

Terex® MPS exhibited the TI4143 horizontal shaft impactor (HSI) at Hillhead 2026. The TI4143 is engineered to support quarrying and recycling applications. It features:

• hydraulic assist system for quick apron adjustment;
• four inspection doors, along with a hinged side door, that provide direct access to the rotor, blowbars and aprons;
• hydraulically-opening crushing chamber; and
• a quick-release wedge-lock system to simplify blowbar changes.

TEREX WASHING SYSTEMS

Mounted on a single modular chassis, the AggreScrub P80 from Terex Washing Systems combines pre-screening, logwasher scrubbing, post-screening, contaminant removal and slurry management within one integrated system.

Terex® Washing Systems introduced the new AggreScrub™ P80 Logwasher with PreScreen at Hillhead 2026, where the new wet processing solution was shown publicly for the first time. The AggreScrub P80 is engineered for construction and demolition waste, excavation material and aggregate applications and features:

• a compact layout for fast transport, installation and commissioning;
• the PowerScrub™ twin‑shaft logwasher, which has spiral‑arranged blades to deliver stone‑on‑stone attrition and continuous material movement;
• post‑scrub sizing;
• a 2.4-m x 1.2-m triple deck inclined aggregate screen;
• a dedicated 1.8-m x 0.6-m trash screen; and
• an integrated sump tank and pump.

WIRTGEN

The MOBICAT MC 110 EVO2 jaw crusher from Kleemann, which is designed to pre-crush almost all kinds of quarried stone and a whole range of recycling tasks, was on display in the Wirtgen Group booth.

Under the motto “You’ll never crush alone,” the Wirtgen Group set its focus at Hillhead 2026 on end-to-end solutions for the materials processing sector with five Kleemann crushers and screens. Also appearing at the booth was a purely battery-electric production system for road rehabilitation with zero operating emissions.

For the materials processing sector, Wirtgen displayed:

• the MOBICAT MC 110 EVO2 jaw crusher, which is suitable for pre-crushing almost all kinds of quarried stone and a whole range of recycling tasks;
• the compact MOBIREX MR 100 NEOe impact crusher, which offers a wide range of potential applications in the processing of demolition material, concrete, reclaimed asphalt, and soft to medium-hardness quarried stone; and
• the MOBISCREEN MSS 502 EVO and MSS 802 EVO scalpers and the MOBISCREEN MSC 702 EVO classifying screen, with Dual-Power drive option, allowing them to be operated entirely with electric power.

For the road construction sector, Wirtgen displayed:

• the Wirtgen cold milling machine W 50 Re;
• the Vögele SUPER 1300-5e road paver;
• the Hamm HX 70e tandem roller;
• the new MULTI JET burner from Benninghoven, which the company stated is the world’s first burner for asphalt mixing plants that can also be fired with 100% green hydrogen, making the drying and heating process for virgin material and recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) CO₂ emission-free; and
• the new 2.7 t HD 12 G VV tandem roller and the HC 70i VIO compactor from Hamm for the rental market.

Built exclusively on The Asphalt Pro’s archive of vetted industry content, The Pro gives contractors, producers and pavement professionals a faster way to access two decades of technical knowledge, best practices and project experience.

For nearly two decades, asphalt professionals have turned to The Asphalt Pro for technical guidance, best practices, project insights and expert perspectives.

Beginning August 1, they’ll have a new way to access that knowledge.

“It’s important to us that we created The Pro to pull exclusively from The Asphalt Pro content because we know we’ve vetted this information over the years.”— Sandy Lender, Editor, The Asphalt Pro

The Pro is a new AI-powered assistant built exclusively on The Asphalt Pro’s published content, allowing users to ask questions in plain language and receive answers drawn from the magazine’s extensive library of articles, archives and industry resources. Available through both an embedded website widget and a dedicated full-screen experience, The Pro is designed to help contractors, producers and pavement professionals find information faster while maintaining the trust and credibility that have defined The Asphalt Pro for 20 years.

Whether the goal is understanding a new technology, troubleshooting a plant issue, researching a specialty paving project or training the next generation of workers, The Pro transforms decades of vetted industry expertise into an interactive resource that is available whenever questions arise.

Why We Built The Pro

Since 1993, The Asphalt Pro staff has worked alongside contractors, producers, consultants, engineers and industry experts to document best practices, showcase innovative projects and share technical knowledge with asphalt professionals. During that time, the magazine has built an extensive library of articles, digital magazine archives and educational resources covering nearly every aspect of asphalt production and paving.

That depth of knowledge has always been one of The Asphalt Pro’s greatest strengths. But as the library continued to grow, finding the right information at the right moment became increasingly challenging. Valuable answers often existed within the archive—they just weren’t always easy to locate when a contractor needed them.

“The Asphalt Pro has been committed to bringing the latest innovations to the asphalt industry for the last 20 years,” said Chris Harrison, publisher of The Asphalt Pro. “Investing in The Pro continues that tradition by positioning the magazine as a technology leader with the mission of helping our readers run their businesses better.”

The opportunity, Harrison explained, wasn’t simply to organize information differently, but to make decades of proven industry knowledge immediately accessible. Rather than spending time searching through articles, professionals can ask a question and quickly find answers, best practices, equipment insights and business guidance drawn directly from The Asphalt Pro’s trusted editorial archive.

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Try ‘The Pro’ today at ask.theasphaltpro.com or via the widget in the bottom right corner of this page.

How It Works

Using The Pro is designed to be as simple as asking a question.

Users can access the tool through an embedded widget on The Asphalt Pro website or through a dedicated full-screen experience, available both on desktop and mobile devices. From there, they can ask questions in plain language, whether they’re looking for information on a new technology, troubleshooting a plant or paving issue, researching a project or helping train a new employee.

The Pro then provides an answer based exclusively on information from The Asphalt Pro’s published content and includes links to the source material used to generate the response. Users can review the original articles, explore related resources and continue asking follow-up questions to dig deeper into a topic.

“I did some trials against ChatGPT and found [The Pro] to be more accurate, due to the fact that The Asphalt Pro team is more knowledgeable in this field.”— Rod Stephens, President & CEO, All Roads Construction

Early users have already found practical applications for the tool. During testing, paver operator Dusty Bailey (@asphalt_space_ranger) asked The Pro to calculate trucking logistics on a project.

“I asked [The Pro] to calculate how many trucks I would need to put down 1,500 tons of asphalt within 10 hours being 35 minutes away from the plant, and it gave me a full breakdown of the logistics of that,” Bailey said. “That’s a huge time saver.”

Whether users are searching for best practices, learning about emerging technologies or looking for information buried within two decades of archives, The Pro is designed to make finding answers faster and more intuitive.

Built on Trusted Industry Expertise

One of the most important distinctions between The Pro and general-purpose AI tools is the information it relies on to generate answers. Rather than searching the broader internet, The Pro draws exclusively from The Asphalt Pro’s published content, ensuring responses are grounded in information that has been developed, reviewed and shared by industry professionals over the past two decades.

“It’s important to us that we created The Pro to pull exclusively from The Asphalt Pro content because we know we’ve vetted this information over the years,” said Sandy Lender, editor of The Asphalt Pro. “We’ve worked with industry experts to create, fact-check and present the content in the most accurate format possible for the education of an industry.”

The distinction is especially important in a technical industry where decisions are often based on specialized knowledge, established best practices and real-world experience. By limiting responses to The Asphalt Pro’s vetted content, The Pro is designed to provide users with answers that are both relevant and traceable to original source material.

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That approach resonated with early users who compared The Pro’s responses with those generated by other AI platforms.

“I did some trials against ChatGPT and found [The Pro] to be more accurate, due to the fact that The Asphalt Pro team is more knowledgeable in this field,” said Rod Stephens, president and CEO of All Roads Construction. “ChatGPT just cross-references the internet, and with some inaccurate information out there, its results are not as reliable.”

Industry consultant, technologist and Pavewise CEO Bryce Wuori reached a similar conclusion after testing the tool with a series of challenging questions.

“Overall, I put a series of difficult questions through [The Pro] and was pleasantly surprised with its accuracy and references,” Wuori said. “I even tried to stump it a bit and get biased answers, and it passed.”

For asphalt professionals making decisions in the field, the trust and transparency behind The Pro may be just as valuable as the speed of the answer.

8 Ways to Put ‘The Pro’ to Work

Sharing Knowledge Across Generations

While The Pro can help experienced professionals find information more quickly, it may have an even greater impact on those who are newer to the industry.

Whether someone is learning the basics of asphalt production, stepping into a new role on a paving crew or trying to understand a technical concept for the first time, access to reliable information can help shorten the learning curve while building confidence.

“I see The Pro helping all levels of the asphalt industry,” Lender said. “From filling in training gaps to helping an operator get best practices sorted out to reminding techs about lab procedures, this is a niche tool that gathers multiple decades of industry experts’ knowledge from The Asphalt Pro data and hands specific answers to the new guy; or to the veteran worker who wants to double-check a technique.”

Lender believes one of the industry’s greatest opportunities is making technical knowledge easier to access and share.

“Since I began covering the asphalt industry, I’ve noticed that some veteran operators tend to gatekeep knowledge, and some company owners tend to gatekeep information,” Lender said. “By providing a chatbot like The Pro where decades of knowledge can be called on to answer specific questions for the user, The Asphalt Pro has made it possible for everyone to learn and use technical, how-to information more easily.”

That idea resonated with Bailey, who sees The Pro as a way to help newer workers gain access to knowledge that might otherwise take years to acquire.

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By putting decades of best practices, technical guidance and industry experience within reach of anyone willing to ask a question, The Pro has the potential to make learning easier for both the next generation of asphalt professionals and the people helping train them.

The Bigger Opportunity

For Wuori, one of the most compelling aspects of The Pro is its ability to make The Asphalt Pro’s vast library of knowledge easier to access and apply.

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By bringing together decades of trusted industry expertise in a single conversational tool, The Pro creates new opportunities for asphalt professionals to learn, solve problems and build on the collective knowledge that continues to drive the industry forward.

Centralized project data is essential to modern project management

Construction projects generate enormous amounts of information. Estimates, production logs, equipment data, safety reports, schedules and change orders all shape how work progresses each day. Yet in many organizations, that information still lives in separate systems, creating an operational lag between the field and the office. Project managers may be working from outdated reports while crews respond to changing conditions in real time. By the time discrepancies surface, small issues may have already turned into costly delays or rework.

A connected job site closes that gap, forming a continuous loop between the field and the office. Instead of relying on delayed updates, project stakeholders share a common view of the work as it happens.

As margins tighten and project complexity increases, contractors are placing greater value on technology, including centralized project data and shared operational tools. When information flows continuously between field crews and office teams, companies can identify problems earlier, make faster decisions, and maintain better control over outcomes.

Fragmented Data Erases Profit Margins

Many contractors still rely on separate platforms for estimating, scheduling, safety documentation and field reporting. Even when those individual roles are functioning well, poor integration creates blind spots. A change order approved in the office may not reach the superintendent in the work zone quickly enough to affect daily work. Safety updates, production rates or equipment issues may take hours or days to move through traditional reporting channels.

These gaps create ripple effects across a project. Miscommunication can lead to rework, delays and safety risks. Disconnected systems also make it harder for leaders to see how a project is really performing. Without centralized data, companies struggle to compare actual performance against estimates, identify trends across job sites or respond early when productivity begins to slip. In an industry already facing labor shortages and tough deadlines, that lack of visibility puts added strain on operations.

Turn Data Into Action

Centralizing project data allows contractors to turn raw information into actionable insight for up-to-date reporting. When real-time field reports, equipment usage, safety documentation and cost tracking feed into a unified system, teams gain a clearer picture of project performance in real time.

One of the biggest advantages is early trend detection. Production dips, equipment inefficiencies and cost overruns can be identified before they escalate. Instead of discovering problems weeks later during accounting reconciliation, teams can respond within days or even hours.

For many contractors, this shift requires a field-first mindset. Tools must be designed around the realities of crews, foremen and operators, not just office workflows. When field teams can capture time logged, production quantities, photos and notes through purpose-built mobile tools, the data becomes more accurate and more useful. In turn, reporting, forecasting, and job costing become more dependable.

This visibility also improves long-term planning. When field performance feeds back into estimating, contractors build stronger historical data for future bids. Forecasts become more reliable, and estimating teams can develop more competitive proposals based on real operational performance.

Build Alignment Between the Field and Office

True data alignment requires more than new software. It depends on consistent processes across the organization.

One foundational step is standardized cost coding. When office teams and field crews use the same cost structures across projects, financial and production data can be tracked more accurately and compared from job to job.

The goal is not simply to collect more data, but to make sure the data is accurate, timely and accessible across roles. When doing this, field workflows need to be practical. Crews work in demanding environments where efficiency matters. Tools that let foremen quickly record time, production and equipment usage in the field help make reporting part of the workflow rather than an added burden.

The Future of the Connected Job Site

Connected job site technology is already moving beyond dashboards and reporting toward predictive decision support. The advent of AI can increasingly analyze project data alongside weather forecasts, scheduling constraints and supply chain variables.

The next step is agentic AI: systems that not only surface information, but also recommend or initiate the next best action. A platform might detect an incoming storm, recognize what work is scheduled during that window, notify the crew and the plant, and recalculate the impact on the schedule.

However, the effectiveness of these AI systems depends entirely on the quality and consistency of the data behind them. For contractors managing increasingly complex projects with distributed teams, the ability to centralize, interpret and act on project data will become more important.

Matt McClung is the vice president of professional services, HCSS

Companies offer new tags and technology to help asphalt professionals track tools, equipment, costs

New research reveals a multi-million-dollar impact from asset loss, and it’s not just from the physical item itself. David Gal, vice president of connected equipment at Samsara Inc., San Francisco, listed lost productivity and project delays among the costs that add to the expense of lost or stolen tools and equipment. In asphalt paving, even small assets play a big role in completing a project, but tracking every little thing hasn’t always been an easy task. Apply that same logic to vertical construction, and the whole industry has sought to address the challenge.

Samsara’s “State of Connected Operations: Asset Theft & Loss” report¹ shows that in the past year, 77% of organizations say a missing critical asset has resulted in a significant operational shutdown or delay. Asset shrinkage costs the average organization without an asset tracking solution more than $13 million annually, with smaller assets driving more than 70% of that cost.

Here are three companies, discussed in alphabetical order, who have asset tracking devices, ideas and technology to offer contractors.

Footnote¹ “State of Connected Operations: Asset Theft & Loss” report methodology: This survey was conducted by the independent research firm, Wakefield Research, between Feb. 5 and 17, 2026. This was a general market survey of 1,500 executives across seven countries. Respondents are not necessarily Samsara customers and were surveyed online. Global results have been aggregated across all responses to provide an average. Full report information here.

J. J. Keller Encompasses Full Visibility

The expanded Encompass® Fleet Safety & Compliance Platform from J. J. Keller & Associates now includes the newly launched Asset Tracking Solution, giving fleets a streamlined way to monitor assets that are critical to daily operations but often difficult to locate.

The expanded Encompass® Fleet Safety & Compliance Platform from J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., Neenah, Wisconsin, now includes global positioning. In April, the company launched its new Asset Tracking Solution, giving fleets a streamlined way to monitor assets that are critical to daily operations but often difficult to locate, such as:

• Trailers
• Dumpsters
• Construction equipment
• Other mobile assets

“For many fleets, knowing where vehicles are is only part of the picture because it’s the equipment and assets around them that can be hardest to manage,” said Jason Hartwig, associate director of product management at J. J. Keller. “Our new Asset Tracking Solution helps customers maintain visibility into those assets. This allows them to reduce time spent searching, improve utilization and keep operations moving.”

Fully integrated with the Encompass® Fleet Safety & Compliance Platform, the Asset Tracking Solution enables users to view asset locations on a map, review historical movement and manage multiple devices within a single system. Configurable ping frequency and motion‑based reporting allow fleets to tailor tracking behavior based on how their assets are used.

According to Hartwig, the Asset Tracking Solution further strengthens Encompass as a central hub for fleet visibility and becomes even more valuable when paired with the company’s recently released Vehicle Tracking Solution featuring J. J. Keller’s VT100 Vehicle Telematics Device. Together, they allow customers to track both assets and vehicles within a single platform, delivering a more complete operational view and supporting improved efficiency across the fleet.

The Encompass® Vehicle Tracking helps the customer:

• Ensure employee productivity through mapping, engine status, and GPS speed;
• Plan trips effectively using current traffic and weather;
• Automate IFTA fuel tax reporting;
• Communicate with shippers using geofencing features;
• Recover stolen or abandoned vehicles; and
• Optimize vehicle use.

The J. J. Keller Tags

• AT100: The AT100 Asset Tracking Device is a weather-resistant, IP69K-rated tracker, engineered for long-term use across a wide range of environments. It has a battery life of up to eight years. Dimensions are 4-11/16 x 2-7/16 x 1-1/8 inches (1-¼-inch with magnets attached). Weight is 6 ounces. The AT100 delivers motion-based GPS updates.
• VT100: The VT100 Vehicle Telematics Device plugs directly into your vehicle’s diagnostic port. The unit installs quickly, updates over the air and doesn’t require an externally-mounted antennae. Its dimensions are 2.63 x 1.49 x 1.06 inches. Weight is 0.125 pounds.

“By pairing asset and vehicle visibility with the robust compliance features within Encompass, we’re helping customers manage their operations and compliance in one place,” Hartwig added. “This visibility supports smarter decisions and more efficient day‑to‑day operations.”

For more information, visit KellerEncompass.com

Motive Maximizes Bluetooth Alerts

Motive Beacon is a compact tracking device that can help operations teams quickly locate containers and small equipment often overlooked by traditional GPS tracking devices.

Motive, San Francisco, is an AI platform offering the Motive Beacon, which is a compact device powered by the Motive Mesh Network. This network uses Motive Vehicle Gateways and devices running the Motive Fleet App and Driver App to detect the devices via Bluetooth and help securely report their last seen location. Motive Beacon is designed to support industries including construction, landscaping, roadway maintenance and more.

Robert Higdon, director of product at Motive, said, “With Motive Beacon, we’re helping give customers the visibility they need to locate equipment and assets within the Motive platform, the same platform they’re already using to manage the most critical pieces of their operations including vehicles, drivers, fleet-related spend, and heavy equipment.”

Higdon introduced the Motive Beacon to AsphaltPro during CONEXPO-CON/AGG, sharing the device provides visibility for smaller or lower-value assets that typically aren’t tracked by GPS devices. He listed some key features and benefits as:

• Asset tracking: The beacon is detected by Motive Vehicle Gateways and apps, reporting its last known location to a dashboard.
• Comprehensive visibility: It allows companies to track essential assets like signage, air compressors or portable generators, as well as larger equipment and vehicles, within a single interface.
• Operational efficiency: By knowing the location of all assets, companies can prevent underutilization, misallocation, misrouting, and equipment being left behind.
• AI Vision integration: Motive leverages an AI-powered platform to empower people in the physical economy, helping to make their work safer, more profitable and more productive. Additionally, Motive enhances many layers of its operations with AI Vision.

The Motive Tag

• Motive Beacon: Beacon’s waterproof design and flexible mounting make it simple to attach to the equipment teams rely on most. It offers organizations a cost-effective way to track assets that were previously too small or too costly to track. It has a four-year replaceable battery and offers seamless integration into the Motive Fleet Dashboard.

For more information, watch the AsphaltPro interview with Higdon at YouTube and visit: https://gomotive.com/products/beacon/.

Samsara Doubles Network, Releases Compact Tag

The Asset Tag and Asset Tag XS from Samsara offer a six-year and three-year battery life, respectively.

Samsara Inc., San Francisco, announced ahead of CONEXPO not only its latest-generation Asset Tag and new Asset Tag XS, but also the expansion of its Connected Operations® Platform. Over the last two years, Samara’s industrial-grade Bluetooth network has doubled in density. This expansive mesh network leverages millions of Samsara-connected devices that travel on 99% of major U.S. roads, according to the manufacturer. By using industrial-grade Bluetooth signals to continuously “listen” for Asset Tags, a single Asset Tag can be detected in real time.

Samsara has integrated Hubble’s terrestrial network, comprised of 90 million consumer smartphones. This integration builds on Samsara’s presence on roads, at job sites and in residential areas by extending visibility into buildings.

“This integration with Hubble complements Samara’s existing network,” Gal said. “The Samsara Network leverages millions of gateways on assets from construction sites to highways to garbage trucks, while Hubble’s network uses primarily consumer smartphones, ensuring no lost or stolen asset can hide, even inside buildings.”

The new tags Samsara launched this year are equipped with an AI-powered theft and loss workflow to help customers identify, investigate and recover mission-critical assets in record time. One of Samsara’s customers spoke to their efficacy.

“Since we started using the Asset Tags, our recovery rate on thefts of everything from $1,000 gas-powered saws to $2.8 million heavy machinery is 100%,” said Rich Poppoff, the equipment superintendent for DeSilva Gates. “I didn’t think the devices could be better than they were, but the enhanced features on the Asset Tags, like the even more precise ‘find nearby’ capabilities, make finding assets in congested areas even simpler.”

Benefits include:

• Proactively identify at-risk equipment: With the new Left Behind Incident feature, managers are immediately notified when an asset is separated from its vehicle outside a trusted geofence.
• Investigate with real-time information: Customers can mark an asset as missing and see critical context, such as photos of who last had the asset, which vehicle it was last seen with, and more, powered by StreetSense. This rich context helps determine the most efficient recovery method and allocates the resources needed for retrieval.
• Rapidly recover assets: Customers can coordinate quick asset recovery by dispatching a driver or sharing asset location with law enforcement. Once dispatched, crews can quickly pinpoint an asset’s exact location using Compass Mode.
• Demonstrate return on investment: The new Asset Tag Overview page analyzes asset photos with AI to calculate the value of the assets protected and recovered.

Two Samsara Tags

The new Asset Tags are ruggedized devices engineered to operate in extreme and remote environments. With the compact Asset Tag and ultra-compact Asset Tag XS, equipment managers can mix and match devices based on the equipment’s size and shape.

• Asset Tag: Designed for both large and small equipment, the Asset Tag provides up to six years of maintenance-free battery life—a 50% increase over the previous generation.
• Asset Tag XS: Designed for smaller, high-value handheld tools or specialized equipment like density gauges, the ultra-compact Asset Tag XS offers three years of battery life and flexible mounting options for the most obscure equipment.

“The scale of equipment loss in physical operations goes far beyond the cost of the tools themselves—it’s about lost productivity and project delays,” Gal said. “To solve this, we’re doubling down on innovation, laying the foundation for new use cases. We’ve supercharged the network, the hardware, and the recovery workflow, and with the Asset Tag XS, now even the smallest assets stay within reach.”

For more information on Samsara’s offerings, visit https://www.samsara.com/products/equipment-tracking/asset-tag.

Gaming for an asphalt plant operator could close the construction industry skills gap

The industrial sector has undergone drastic changes in recent years. Has your workforce followed suit? Decision-makers must overhaul their sourcing and training programs before the skills gap grows too wide to bridge.

Many are looking to younger generations to compensate for the swath of industry veterans set to retire. This approach has its merits, but is very broad. Instead, hiring managers could zero in on a highly skilled yet untapped population of gamers.

The SiloBot from Astec Industries is an example of robotics and humans working together to make a task at the plant go more quickly and safely. With the SiloBot service, confined space inspections are performed by the robotic device, keeping workers out of harm’s way.

The Problem: The Asphalt Industry Needs Plant Operators

As seasoned industry professionals retire, almost 4 million manufacturing jobs will become available. However, experts project approximately half of those roles will go unfilled.

Editor’s Note: Given the approximately 350,000 workers in the highway construction and maintenance industry overall include individuals who anecdotally share they intend to delay retirement or “never retire,” it’s hard to put a number on how many asphalt plant operators are retiring and how many are moving up the skills ladder.

With the skills gap widening, the need to scout and retain top talent is urgent. The best solution may require looking at unconventional talent pools such as the video gaming community.

Gamers have a reputation for being lazy and lonely, but that’s not always a fair assessment. Most are sociable, ambitious and tech-savvy. And the gaming population offers a sizable talent pool. According to the Pew Research Center, 85% of teenagers play video games, and over 50% of them agree that doing so has enhanced their problem-solving skills.

How to Get New Workers to Stick With It

A Solution: Some Gamers Would Make Good Plant Operators

Gamers’ technology skills go beyond the basics. They can quickly and independently troubleshoot technical issues. Many are familiar with the digital solutions plants will soon utilize, such as virtual reality (VR) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices. For instance, VR users could easily adapt to on-the-job VR training.

Astec Industries, Chattanooga, Tennessee, is one of several OEMs developing virtual, augmented or mixed reality solutions. At this time, Astec customers can use its Astec Digital extended reality solution to view an entire plant or a single piece of equipment at scale, allowing customers to “see” the plant footprint with new or “moved” components.

In 2024, Stockpile Reports®, Redmond, Washington, demonstrated the world’s first mixed reality stockpile measurement tool with its SR Measure, utilizing Apple Vision Pro. It made navigation intuitive, requiring only hand and eye movements—the wearer merely looks at the pile to create a three-dimensional reconstruction.

The emergence of collaborative robots (cobots) and artificial intelligence (AI) necessitates workforce-wide upskilling. One example from 2017 is Astec’s Silobot, which performs inspections inside the asphalt silo, using magnetic wheels and ultrasound technology. It shortens inspection times from days to hours, keeping crews out of the confined space.

Consider Spot, the robodog from Boston Dynamics, discussed in the recent article, “CRH’s Sustainable Practices Give Preferred Results.” This cobot performs repetitive tasks, like inspections, where it’s less than ideal for humans to work.

Gamers have interacted with AI for decades longer than the general population; many have backgrounds in programming, so they are positioned to adjust to such technologies quickly.

The Fifth Industrial Revolution focuses on how the relationship between humans and machines can help facilities increase output while decreasing errors. Those who have grown up gaming, programming and developing have probably explored this connection personally.

A New Value Proposition for Leaders

Which Skills Translate

Just because a young adult is a digital native doesn’t mean he or she possesses technical literacy. Millennials and Generation Z were born into a world where technology was optimized for a seamless user experience. Many passively consume content without understanding how all the tools work.

This is why focusing on the gaming population is more strategic than targeting young working adults as a whole. Those who grew up actively utilizing, exploring and troubleshooting technology are better equipped to perform well amid AI technology.

Gaming helps individuals develop a broad range of transferable skills, including problem solving, active recall, teamwork, pattern recognition, time management, deductive reasoning and leadership.

Recruitment and Training

The gaming population is large, but recruiting these individuals is not as easy as updating some language in the job description. There is little visible overlap between industrial operations and gaming, so these people may not be actively seeking an asphalt plant operator position. Hiring professionals should get creative. Advertising on video game blogs, posting VR training marketing material or leveraging social media may help.

These tech-savvy candidates will thrive if training is tailored to their skill sets. Gamified learning and upskilling—such as scoring, leveling, tiered rewards—would be familiar and engaging.

Stephens College Prepares Women for Asphalt Workforce

Long-term Strategies

Many young people play video games, and the market is only growing. Experts project the video game market will increase from $292.4 billion to $977.4 billion between 2025 and 2035. This bodes well for those rethinking the sourcing and hiring processes to target this segment.

With a swath of seasoned workers nearing retirement, facilities will want to update their talent pools. Gamification could be the key to attracting gamers and updating people’s outlook on the industry. As public perception shifts, more may start viewing asphalt plant careers as more than just lucrative—they’ll see them as competitive.

Ellie Gabel is the associate editor at Revolutionized.com.