Transforming the Role of the Concrete Delivery Professional: A Study on Innovative Solutions for the Ready Mixed Concrete Industry

Abstract

Currently, there is a severe shortage of concrete delivery professionals (CDPs) – the individuals who transport concrete from the plant to the construction site. In fact, according to a recent study by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), 70% of concrete producers had to turn away business because their CDP workforce was insufficient to satisfy demand. This report presents the findings of a research project conducted by the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub), with funding by the Concrete Advancement Foundation, that explores both immediate and long-term innovative strategies to address the national CDP shortage and transform the role of the CDP. These solutions are organized into three categories to reflect the primary way in which each impacts the CDP shortage challenge: productivity, recruitment, and retention. The CSHub research team used a multi-disciplinary approach to arrive at these solutions. The approach included an analysis of over 36,000 concrete deliveries to identify efficiency opportunities, interviews with various industry stakeholders; the construction of a representative ready mix operational simulation model to estimate the value of improving productivity, recruitment, and retention; a survey of over 500 CDPs across the U.S.; and an industry workshop to recognize key barriers to the adoption of proposed recommendations.