Webinar: Transforming the Concrete Delivery Professional

Explore how innovations in technology and operations can change driver recruitment, retention & productivity

Join Beth Unger and Liz Moore from the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) on September 18, 2024 as they review the findings of the CSHub’s special project on transforming the concrete delivery professional. The MIT CSHub, in collaboration with MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics, has explored how innovations in technology and operations could change driver recruitment, retention, and productivity. The CSHub analyzed this challenge through a first-of-its-kind national survey of driver challenges, cost simulation models of concrete operations, and statistical analysis of over 30,000 deliveries. The webinar will cover findings from these, including the importance of driver scheduling, management-to-driver engagement, and reducing the physical challenges of the job. Novel solutions will be discussed, including using new digital systems and even games to increase driver engagement, equipment automation, and even augmented reality. Analytical results suggest that increases in hiring costs, including implementing new solutions, are far outweighed by reductions in lost sales (due to lack of drivers). Furthermore, finding only 12 minutes of lost time per load could eliminate the driver shortage for many firms.