Another important factor is how quickly they’re getting paid. Independent haulers are covering fuel, insurance and operating expenses out of pocket, so they need healthy cash flow to run their business. If they don’t have that, they’re not going to be hauling consistently.
P&Q: Stepping back and thinking about the industry at large, what are producers saying right now? How are they feeling about the state of the industry? What pain points are they expressing?
Holman: It’s a couple of things. Generally, they’re optimistic. Everyone is talking about growth, whether through acquisitions or greenfield quarries. They need to execute on those initiatives, and technology can help them do that.
We’re especially excited about where our roadmap is going because we’re moving into real-time production monitoring. Producers will know what materials they have on-site, what’s already spoken for and what’s truly available. That gives production teams insight into what they need to produce and where.
That peace of mind is important because they know there are technology partners investing in solutions for these challenges. Producers need to focus on running their operations and preparing for what’s ahead – not worrying about software limitations.
Generally, optimism is there. Construction is going to grow. The speed of that growth is probably the biggest uncertainty. But everyone we talked to is excited about the busy season ahead and what they have in front of them.
We’re excited to partner with them, listen to their needs and develop solutions they can rely on day in and day out.
P&Q: The industry has historically been slow to change, but it’s starting to evolve because it has to. Things are moving much faster now. How are successful producers staffing and managing the software side of the business? Do they have dedicated personnel overseeing it? What kind of model should smaller and midsize producers be looking at?
Holman: It starts with IT leadership. You need someone who understands not where technology was 30 years ago, but where it’s going in the next 30 years. You hear the buzzwords around AI and data, so having a strong IT leader who understands the future vision of both the company and the industry is critical.
Once you have that leadership in place, they understand that while the old way may have worked for decades, the next generation expects real-time visibility. They want to see orders on their phones, know how much material is available and track hauling activity in real time. That’s critically important for attracting new talent.
You also need a team in place – whether it’s an internal IT department or a third-party service provider – to manage how different software systems integrate. For example, when the DOT changes requirements around e-ticketing, that impacts software systems and APIs.
The question then becomes: Are you pulling internal IT resources away from daily priorities to manage those updates, or do you have a vendor partner who can handle it? That allows your team to stay focused on core business priorities rather than the blocking and tackling of something like e-ticketing integration.
See more from Holman here:
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