■ LAYING THE FOUNDATION
“Over 100 Public and Private sector experts work together to facilitate the digital transformation of the construction materials industry and are growing fast.”
– News Release By e-Ticketing Task Force
■ NEWS DIRECT
The launch of The National Construction Materials e-Ticketing Task Force.
Today, public and private highway, infrastructure, and construction materials industry leaders announced the launch of The National Construction Materials e-Ticketing Task Force (e-Ticketing Task Force). The industry is seeking to promote the use of e-Ticketing and find innovative ways to enhance productivity, reduce environmental impacts and become safer. The e-Ticketing Task Force provides a first in the nation model for how the public and private sector can work together to facilitate the digital transformation of the construction industry.
“The conditions exist to create a real national movement to evolving our supply chain delivery system from a paper-based system to a digital system” stated Greg Nadeau, e-Ticketing Task Force Senior Advisor and former Federal Highway Administrator under President Obama. “The purpose of the National Construction Materials e-Ticketing Task Force is to provide the support necessary to advance e-Ticketing across the United States. We are excited to launch and we particularly look forward to more members joining us in this national effort.”
Nadeau is joined by task force members and Co-Chairs, Dan Ganoe, Vice President of Operations at Lindy Paving Inc., and Joe Spinelli, founder & CEO of Haul Hub Technologies, along with numerous other public and private industry leaders.
“This Task Force will establish the foundation for which all public construction projects are built on for decades to come. e-Ticketing is just the first step,” stated Spinelli. “What this Task Force accomplishes in the coming years will pave the way for future engineers and project managers, to be empowered to be more efficient, more safe, and ultimately, happier, in their job because they will have 21st Century tools that the industry has desperately been wanting for decades.”
“We know e-Ticketing is more efficient – it reduces processing time and allows for faster accounting of quantities – meaning processes that can take days now only take hours,” stated Ganoe. “It’s a game changer for the construction materials industry.”
“As someone who has over the years collected, tracked, coded, and lost paper tickets, Granite is all in on assisting with this effort,” said Scott Fernald, Paving Manager with Granite Construction – Utah Region, and a Task Force Member. “e-Ticketing just makes sense.”
“The Task Force serves as a ‘rising tides lifts all boats’ to the national effort to digitize public infrastructure construction operations,” said Tim Oakes, President and CEO of Digital Fleet, LCC. “We are proud to be a member because the only way e-Ticketing becomes a reality is through industry collaboration.”
“Technology adoption in the construction industry is not easy, but when you have a united front, the challenge of e-Ticketing is not so hard,” said Craig Yeack, President and Co-Founder of BCMI Corporation. “We have witnessed several states jump at the opportunity to embrace this new technology and look forward to elevating this conversation to a national level to bring everyone on board, across all 50 states.”
The launch includes the debut of an informational and robust website and introduced a seven-minute video. The video highlights the benefits of digital ticketing and stars task force members and both public and private sector DOT and contractor workers. The website provides information for both state departments of transportation (DOTs) and materials contractors. Case studies highlight the various methods that can be used to transition to e-Ticketing and showcase recent pilot projects at the Delaware and Indiana DOTs. The website will provide industry updates and post information about future national conversations, industry conventions, and events.
Highway construction projects across the United States produce massive amounts of paper, however the data from those infrastructure projects is lost in storage bins, warehouses, and filing drawers. In the video, Nadeau states, “Paper tickets end up in a place where data goes to die. Digital ticketing allows for better management and real-time access to project data,” and “we must use the 21st century tools that are available to us.”
“e-Ticketing” is a part of Federal Highway’s Every Day Counts-6 (EDC-6) program which was rolled out in December 2020. Every Day Counts is a means for Federal Highway to introduce, bi-annually, innovative programs and policies to be led at the local and state level for the purpose of integrating automation, shortening delivery process, and improving roadway safety. “e-Ticketing is a paperless process for creating, sharing, tracking, documenting, and archiving materials information, accessible in real time via mobile devices, provides all stakeholders with an electronic means to verify materials deliveries while enhancing safety, streamlining inspections, and improving contract administration procedures.”
The National Construction Materials e-Ticketing Task Force (e-Ticketing Task Force) is a partnership between State Departments of Transportation, producers, and contractors who are committed to digitizing the construction materials supply chain. The goal of the e-Ticketing Task Force is the elimination of paper tickets associated with Hot Mix Asphalt, Aggregates, and Ready-mix Concrete for all public infrastructure construction projects nationwide. As the industry seeks innovative ways to enhance productivity, reduce environmental impacts, and become safer, the e-Ticketing Task Force provides a first in the nation model for how the public and private sector can work together to establish best practices, overcome challenges, and facilitate an honest dialogue to embrace a digital transformation of the construction materials industry. For more information visit http://e-ticketingtaskforce.org/ or follow on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.