Our industry is on the road to recovery – and Prairie Material is growing its fleet and service capacity to help our customers take full advantage of the opportunities ahead.

“We’ve added 36 new concrete trucks in Illinois, with a fleet-wide study going on now to determine how many more we’ll purchase in 2015,” says Prairie Maintenance Director Matt Clarage .

At around $200,000 each, the new rear-discharge trucks have automatic transmissions and GPS displays to help drivers choose the best routes, Clarage says. “This brings our total fleet to almost 700 trucks in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, with up to 50 more coming next year.”

New drivers expand our delivery t​​​eam

We’ve also launched a search for the best ready-mixed, bulk and aggregate drivers in the region, offering top pay, benefits and a 401k savings plan for those who qualify.

“We’ve hired about 50 new ready-mix drivers and will continue to hire more next year,” reports Margaret Tyburski , Prairie’s People and Management Director.

Candidates must meet a stringent set of licensing, experience and fitness requirements and pass a driving test before they are offered an interview.

14 weeks of testing, training and ​support

Driver trainees start in the classroom, where they must master a 75-point checklist of concrete concepts, terminology and safety, says Training and Safety Manager Tony Scott .

“It’s a rigorous program,” Scott says. “We move them from the classroom right into trucks, where they spend 2 weeks with experienced drivers who’ve completed our train-the-trainer program and carry Concrete Delivery Professional certification from NRMCA.”

The first few days, trainees ride shotgun on every delivery their trainer makes, learning processes, protocols and paperwork. “We teach them about weather, how to recognize slump by eye and all the details of job site and yard operations.”

They take the wheel on the 4th day with trainers riding along. After 2 full weeks, they undergo a road and skills test with a different trainer. “Those who pass enter a 90-day probationary period, and at the end they’re evaluated again. Only those who pass become permanent Prairie drivers,” Scott says.

Smart equipment that talks to ops managers

While we grow and train our delivery staff, we’re also evaluating yard operations and adding capacity where it’s needed.

Yard 33 in Chicago doubled its capacity with the addition of a second concrete plant this August. “We’re proud we were able to get this done within the yard’s small footprint,” says Paul Blatner, Prairie’s Operations Manager.

Three more yards – including our location near O’Hare Airport – have new material loaders with larger buckets and self-diagnostics that e-mail the maintenance team if issues arise.

“One of the loaders alerted us about problems with a brake solenoid and another time, a fuel pump issue,” says Matt Clarage. “This helps us to take preventive steps to avoid downtime.”

New mobile app puts delive​ry info right in your hands

The new Trucka​st app is another key element in Prairie’s commitment to improving service. Now available to contractors in Northern Illinois and coming soon everywhere, Truckast works with all smartphones to give you full access to the same delivery information our dispatch team sees.

“We want to operate with full transparency,” explains Jim Munro , President & General Manager of U.S. Ready Mix for Prairie parent company VCNA. “Truckast provides contractors a tool to plan pours and track productivity.”

Fast, safe delivery you can count on d​​aily

As we transition to better times, Prairie’s goal is delivering real value for you, Munro adds.

“Every employee at Prairie is focused on improving customer service,” he says. “Our culture fosters safety on the road and on the customer’s job site. We want to be a reliable concrete supplier – a company that’s easy to do business with.”

Know a great driver who’s looking for advancement? Here’s a look at current openings .

Interested in the new Truckast app? Read more .