September 28, 2011 – I am blogging live this week from Caterpillar's CT660 vocational truck media event in Peoria, Ill., where I am the only aggregates industry editor-in-chief on hand to test drive Cat's new on-the-road vehicle. In driving both the manual and automatic versions of the truck, what becomes apparent is that the automatic version meets a critical industry need for a vehicle that is easy to drive.
In decreasing the learning curve for new drivers, aggregates producers can quickly bring new drivers on-board, and contractors hauling stone from aggregates plants can hire and train quicker, an especially appealing advantage when future production increases kick in. George Taylor, Caterpillar's Director – Global On-Highway Truck Group, told me that a future trend in an increase in female truck drivers, both because of the decrease in training time, and for the simple reason that females in many cases are simply more conscientious drivers than we stubborn, pedal-to-the-metal males. I can't argue with that.
Mark S. Kuhar, editor of Rock Products, has covered the aggregates and construction-materials industries for more than 20 years as a business journalist, associate publisher, blogger and digital-media specialist. He is a former winner of the Construction Writers Association’s Robert F. Boger Award for Editorials. Check back often for his posts, opinions and insights on industry developments, and commentary on topics of interest as he travels around the country. He can be reached at 330-722-4081, or mkuhar@ rockproducts.com.
September 28, 2011 – I am blogging live this week from Caterpillar's CT660 vocational truck media event in Peoria, Ill., where I am the only aggregates industry editor-in-chief on hand to test drive Cat's new on-the-road vehicle. In driving both the manual and automatic versions of the truck, what becomes apparent is that the automatic version meets a critical industry need for a vehicle that is easy to drive.
In decreasing the learning curve for new drivers, aggregates producers can quickly bring new drivers on-board, and contractors hauling stone from aggregates plants can hire and train quicker, an especially appealing advantage when future production increases kick in. George Taylor, Caterpillar's Director – Global On-Highway Truck Group, told me that a future trend in an increase in female truck drivers, both because of the decrease in training time, and for the simple reason that females in many cases are simply more conscientious drivers than we stubborn, pedal-to-the-metal males. I can't argue with that.
