NRMCA e-news
Early bird registration is open for NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2017, scheduled for October 1-3 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, TX, with Board of Directors’ events and committee meetings preceding the conference on September 29-30. Register now to take advantage of the early bird pricing discount and save more than $100 off the regular registration fees. NRMCA has contracted a block of rooms at the resort at a discounted rate of $209/night plus taxes and a $20/night resort fee that covers several in-room amenities. Hotel reservations can be made by calling the Gaylord Texan directly at 877-491-5138 and asking for the "NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks 2017" rate or we encourage you to make your hotel reservations online. The hotel reservations cut-off date is Wednesday, September 6, or when the block sells out, whichever occurs first.
 
The Exhibitor Prospectus for this year’s event is also available. Please sign up now to reserve your spot in the expo hall. This year’s NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks is once again co-located with the American Concrete Pumping Association’s (ACPA) Education Conference.
 
For more information, please contact Senior Director of Meetings Jessica Walgenbach at jwalgenbach@nrmca.org. Click here to access ConcreteWorks' registration, the resort's online reservations' link, the exhibitor prospectus and more.
 
Schwing America, Inc. Fritz-Pak Corporation
Pavement
The Colorado Ready Mixed Concrete Association(CRMCA) has introduced a new document titled Exterior Concrete Flatwork Construction and Maintenance Best Practices that  focuses on the proper construction and maintenance techniques for exterior concrete flatwork in freeze-thaw climates. The CRMCA Technical Committee, chaired by JT Mesite, PE, CRMCA program manager, authored the document. CRMCA recently rolled out the publication at a seminar titled Modern Flatwork Finishing – Exterior Concrete Seminar which attracted nearly 150 owners, contractors, suppliers and engineers from the Denver metropolitan area.
 
View this cutting edge publication here. For more information, contact JT Mesite at Jt@coloradocaa.org.
 
Association & Industry News
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has scheduled a series of Webinars of interest to ready mix personnel
 
WAM USA, Inc. CarbonCure Technologies Inc.
Government Affairs
Last week, NRMCA members participated in the NRMCA Quarterly DC Days Fly-In. Held in conjunction with the Transportation Construction Coalition annual fly-in. The two day event was an opportunity for members to learn about what is going on in Washington and get an on-the-ground update on the big issues of importance to the ready mixed concrete industry. NRMCA members heard from a number of elected officials, political operatives and industry experts on a wide variety of topics, including the political landscape in Washington, regulatory reform, transportation and infrastructure spending, and the dire need for the much talked about $1 trillion federal infrastructure investment.
 
During the Quarterly DC Days visits to members of Congress, NRMCA members received an update on the Timber Innovation Act from special guest Rep. Rob Woodall (R-GA). Rep. Woodall, who has been a champion for the ready mixed concrete industry, talked about efforts to reach out to the new Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
 
Buildings
Last Wednesday night (May 17), days after a wood-framed retail-apartment complex under construction in Oakland, CA, was destroyed for the second time in a year, five firefighters were injured in a fire that destroyed four three-story multi-family homes in Waterbury, CT, again highlighting the danger of wood-framed residential buildings. The fire, which displaced 20 families, 32 people in all, comes at a time of intense scrutiny for the construction materials industry and the building codes that permit the use of vulnerable methods.
 
As part of its Build with Strength building promotion program, NRMCA presented to the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association’s (FFMIA) 2017 Miami Educational Seminar held in Miami earlier this month. NRMCA Vice President, Sustainability, Tien Peng presented a 2-hour workshop concerning recent trends in fire and resilience in multifamily buildings. The 40 FFMIA members in attendance support life safety strategies through inspection, investigation, public education and code management with a keen interest in disaster resiliency.
 
BASF Construction Chemicals True Dispatch
OES
It’s the time of the year for producers to share information regarding their mixer driver workforce. Key details are:
• All responses are anonymous;
• The deadline is Friday, June 30; and
• The report will be released this fall at ConcreteWorks.

Data is reported in a national summary, then further analyzed by region, size of company and type of market. Past survey results represented at least 25% of the entire mixer driver workforce. To remain as statistically valid, please help us get there again this year with your company’s participation.

Click here to begin the survey. For more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org.
 
Last week, NRMCA submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) detailing numerous regulations adverse to the ready mixed concrete industry that have, in some fashion, been promulgated over the last eight years. NRMCA’s comments were in response to an April 13, 2017 request from EPA for comments on evaluating existing regulations "that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification." The EPA request was made following President Trump’s February 24, 2017 Executive Order requiring federal regulatory agencies create regulatory reform task forces to "evaluate existing regulations and make recommendations to the agency head regarding their repeal, replacement, or modification." Comments for the EPA request were due May 15, 2017, at close of business the number of comments submitted to the docket exceeded 55,000.
 
Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) quietly announced it will be moving to extend the deadline for when companies need to electronically submit to OSHA their 300A forms. Originally, this data would need to have been submitted to OSHA by July 1, 2017; however, the Web site needed to do so has not been released yet, in part, prompting the need to extend the deadline.
 
Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it will further delay the implementation date of the new entry-level driver training requirements rule from May 22, 2017 until June 5, 2017. The extension allows FMCSA more time to review the rule’s provisions to decide whether they fit within the new Trump Administration’s regulatory requirements. This process is consistent with the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled ‘‘Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,’’ which temporarily delays pre-Trump Administration regulatory action.
 
McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc. The Euclid Chemical Company
NRMCA’s Annual Safety Award acknowledges the significant contribution that safe work practices gives to the growth and success of individual companies and the ready mixed concrete industry as a whole. The NRMCA Annual Safety Award is presented to an individual or company whose actions represent the very highest in the advancement of safety in the ready mixed concrete industry. The award program is generously sponsored by the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau (TMMB). The award may be presented to an individual whose single action or long-time commitment to safety and health in the ready mixed concrete industry exemplifies superior performance in the field of safety. Examples of the award winner could be a ready mixed concrete truck driver whose actions were life saving. Other examples could include plant managers, safety managers and company officials who have outstanding long-time dedication to safety and health in the ready mixed concrete industry. Other examples would be an individual’s involvement in community safety activities.
 
Registration for NRMCA’s Fall 2017 Safety Course is now open; please note that this course has a limited number of seats and will sell out very soon. The course will take place October 17-19 in Denver. This 2.5-day course teaches participants about OSHA safety compliance, beginning with why safety is so important and details the reasons why an effective safety program actually saves money through loss prevention and control. Participants learn about electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard communication, confined spaces, personal protective equipment, fire fighting and evacuation, maintenance shop safety, chute handling, fleet safety, pre-trip inspection and more.

Click here for location details, registration options and staff contacts.
 
MAPEI Xypex Chemical Corp
Calendar
*Please note that e-mail and direct links to each event listed below can be accessed from NRMCA's Web site.

June 6 – 8, Atlanta
Concrete Durability Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
June 13 – 16, Bismarck, ND
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
October 10 – 13, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module I: Concrete 101
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
October 17 – 19, Denver
Safety Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
November 6 – 10, Silver Spring, MD
Annual Technical Short Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
November 2, Salt Lake City
Handling Concrete Specifications
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
November 28 – 30, Orlando, FL
Environmental Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
December 5 – 7, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module II: Customer Business Knowledge
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
December 12 – 15, Orlando, FL
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
2018
 
January 9 – 11, Orlando, FL
Dispatcher Training Forum
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
January 16 – 19, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module III: General Business Knowledge
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

January 16 – 19, Minneapolis
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

January 23 – 25, Orlando, FL
RMC Effective Supervisor Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

February 20 – 23, Albuquerque, NM
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

March 26 – 30, Location Tentative: Louisville, KY
Plant Manager Certification Course
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
March 27 – 29, Silver Spring, MD
CCSP Module IV: Professional Sales Skills
Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152
 
Ryder Fuel Services Mack Trucks, Inc.