Truck maintenance                                              17.1%                       6.1%                    76.8%

Washing/classifying equipment                        20.8%                      4.2%                    75.0%

Wheel loaders                                                      30.5 %                          7.3%                62.2%

The feedback on fuel efficiency, in particular, is in contrast to anecdotal responses in the survey. When asked about their biggest equipment challenge, numerous respondents cite fuel efficiency. To cope, solutions mentioned by respondents include reviewing production capacity and right sizing the machine to the application, researching fuel options, eliminating idling time, and buying more fuel-efficient units.

What’s next?

Based on responses to this survey, it’s clear that many operators are scrutinizing all equipment-related spending and looking at ways to squeeze as much value as possible from their iron. For many, that means extending the number of hours on equipment and boosting in-house and dealer maintenance regimens. As the age of equipment in the aggregate industry continues to grow, operators are keeping a close eye on cost and analyzing when it’s a better bet to replace rather than repair or rebuild.