Integrated Job Statusing Provides Real-time Visibility of Ready Mix Trucks

Every minute counts in ready mix. Fleet operators must deliver perishable concrete exactly when and where it is needed. Cumbersome paper-based ticketing systems and manual processes where dispatchers communicate with drivers to predict vehicle location, stage in the delivery cycle and estimated return time are, fortunately, methods of the past.

Real-time tracking with Coretex’s integrated job statusing feature allows key personnel in your supply chain to see at any given point in time just how many concrete mixer trucks are ticketed, en route, on site, pouring and traveling back to their plants.

This automatic operation data and granular workflow view is generated by Coretex’s Internet of Things (IoT) platform, combined with a complete set of high definition sensors specifically designed for use in a ready mix and aggregate environments. 

For instance, Coretex CRAB drum sensors monitor drum rotation count, direction and speed to provide a high definition picture of the state of its concrete load and allow the driver to make necessary adjustments en route. Monitoring water additions during transit give ready mix producers much tighter control in maintaining pre-defined slump requirements. Our water-add sensors automatically record and report the amount of water added to the mix for audit and quality control purposes. The load switch sensors sitting within the suspension line indicate when the vehicle has been loaded and automatically update the job status. 

The NRMCA estimates that up to five percent of ready mix concrete is returned every year for two main reasons. First, contractors commonly over order to ensure they have enough concrete to complete a project.  Second, concrete rejected at the job site typically fails to meet a specified slump or is well past its time limit.  

Telematics helps eliminate these issues, as real-time status details enable suppliers to accurately order last-minute, partial or multiple loads to successfully finish a project. Fleet management systems record slump quality from start to finish. A comprehensive “birth certificate” of concrete, including valuable sensor data about the mix, slump and time to pour, gives suppliers documentation to verify and prove their concrete was delivered according to specification.

Being able to easily monitor the status of jobs and determine the best plant to batch from, optimizes fleet deliveries and provides dispatchers the ability to proactively distribute labor, which saves time and money while keeping drivers safer than ever before.