4 Reasons You’re Not Getting the Most Out of Your Volumetric Concrete Trucks

The success of volumetric concrete companies squarely depends on their trucks. They have to leverage each one of these assets to the fullest extent. Unfortunately, human error and downtime prevents trucks from performing the maximum amount of billable work. Cumulatively, those inefficiencies lead to a very real number of lost dollars, projects and even customers.

At their core, many of the issues that inhibit maximum profitability stem from a lack of information – info about the truck, its drivers and the work performed. In this article, we’ll explore those issues, but most importantly, how you can solve them and start doing as much as 30-40% more work with the same staff.

Communication Issues with Drivers and Customers

Concrete companies process a hefty number of phone calls and texts to communicate vital information to staff, including where to be and when to be there. Customers also often call in their orders and just get a verbal confirmation; this absence of written confirmation leads to costly errors.

Key requests and requirements can - and do - get lost in the shuffle when you rely on analog methods like paper and pen or unsophisticated software like WhatsApp or Google Calendar. The miscommunication can give way to conflict and finger pointing, amongst staff and even with customers.

Lack of Visibility into Truck Info/Lost Time Between Jobs

Companies that rely on pen and paper also suffer from a lack of visibility on all things pertaining to the truck: where it is, distance from its next job, distance from the yard, etc. This leaves the office in the dark and often out of touch with the field.

The lack of visibility also leads to lost time between jobs. A worker might finish up on one job, but waste time coming back with the truck. They also may neglect their responsibility to inform dispatch that they’ve completed a job. This can impact a dispatcher's ability to efficiently assign an available truck/driver to a job that is needing servicing.

Without rigorous time & truck tracking, it’s difficult to quantify exactly how much time is truly lost between jobs. There may also be patterns among certain workers or trucks that are costing you money, and you have no idea.

Inaccurate Billing

In the concrete world, billing is prone to inaccuracies and assumptions. Someone could say, for example, “This job will take an hour,” leading the company to believe they’ll need to bill for one hour of work. Any number of jobsite variables would complicate that, but there isn’t always a way for the back office to capture more accurate info about time spent/material used, which could lead them to undercharge.

Not Tracking Wear and Tear

Not tracking wear and tear on trucks can lead to problems that shorten the life expectancy of trucks, which affects the company’s profitability. Without proper monitoring, equipment is more likely to fail unexpectedly, causing downtime and project delays. It also poses risks to operators and workers, potentially resulting in accidents or legal liabilities.

Additionally, there are financial implications tied to proper asset management. For instance, businesses can leverage tax benefits such as Section 179 deductions or bonus depreciation for trucks and equipment. Tracking depreciation accurately ensures compliance with IRS regulations and allows businesses to claim tax breaks on the loss of value over time.

Use These Strategies to Get More Out of Your Trucks

To fill in the information gaps that drive these inefficiencies, you have to increase the technological fortitude of your business. That means using stronger software, built for your industry with robust telematics integrations.

Tough Commerce is that solution, but some owners are apprehensive about adopting software like this. They need to know that using software like this doesn’t constitute a complete shift in the way you do business. It simply enables you to do more work in less time, with fewer errors and fewer people needing to process and input information. Tough Commerce integrates your order intake, dispatching and ability to track job statuses real time. This will tune up your job performance and make billing more accurate - in other words, helping you get more out of your trucks.

Tough Commerce allows you to:

Quantify Pour Times More Accurately

Tough Commerce enables more detailed job tracking by integrating with telematics providers, helping you precisely measure pour times in real-time, rather than relying on estimates after the fact.

This involves:

Assessing the minute-per-yard rate for each job
Tracking washout rates accurately
Moving beyond generic estimates (e.g., "a full truck will take an hour")

By implementing this approach, you will have insight into actual jobsite performance versus estimated performance.

Having this more detailed data allows you to:

Build more precise schedules
Potentially fit in additional jobs earlier in the day
Increase billable hours
Bill customers quicker leading to improved cash flow
Reduce the back office overhead needed to generate invoices and collect payments

Track Load Information More Carefully

In addition to pour times, the software can calculate the weight of the end product, providing valuable data for inventory management and billing integrity. It’s easy for 9.5 yards to get reported as 9, then get billed as 9. Ultimately, greater accuracy helps maximize your fleet's productivity and boost your bottom line. Without doing this, from a billing perspective you’re leaving money on the table.

Optimize Route Tracking and Analysis

Don’t be in the dark on where your truck is or how your driver is behaving. Advanced route tracking technology from Tough Commerce allows concrete companies to:

Monitor and analyze the routes that trucks take to job sites
Compare different routes for efficiency and time savings
Identify recurring bottlenecks or inefficient paths

For example, the system might show you that using Main Street instead of Elm consistently leads to longer travel times, contributing to reduced productivity and delays. Tough Commerce enables customers to get a complete and clear snapshot of their driver locations, ETA, and status of their job on our global map. They can use filters to quickly locate specific data points in real time.

In addition to route tracking, through their partner integrations, Tough Commerce can also detect and report on safety-critical events such as hard stops and speeding incidents, enabling proactive driver coaching and risk management.

How Telematics Make This Possible

Telematics software like Samsara and Geotab, which integrate with Tough Commerce, offer real-time tracking of vehicle and project data, allowing for more accurate billing and improved accountability. When you combine the wealth of information you get from telematics with Tough Commerce’s airtight order entry and billing process, you’re primed to increase profit and get more out of your assets.

How Accuracy Affects Customer Relationships and Retention

If a competitor ever tries to take your business, with Tough Commerce, you have hard data you can point to that shows why you’re the better fit.

For example:

You can prove you’re never late, because you have data on arrival times
There is no billing ambiguity, thanks to an eTicket that compiles what they paid per yard with any late fees, washout details, etc.

Ultimately, when you eliminate manual tasks and start to automatically capture job data, you not only boost productivity, you also have an easier time retaining employees, making their roles easier and more efficient.

For owners and managers, it’s about reclaiming time. Instead of spending weekends managing schedules or invoicing, Tough Commerce puts more time back in your day—allowing you to focus on strategic aspects of the business or spend more time with family. When your fleet, operators, and processes are optimized, your business thrives—and so do the people behind it.