I can't get any ready-mix concrete. The site is bombarding me with snide remarks.

"I really can't get any ready-mix concrete..." That's my honest concern these days.

I’m in charge of a civil engineering project for disaster recovery, and it’s really giving me a headache. Currently, disaster recovery projects are underway in many areas across the country, and as a result, we’ve been unable to get ready-mix concrete on the days we need it—a situation that has persisted for quite some time.

Of course, we make every effort to secure the ready-mix concrete supply as early as possible, and we usually contact them about a week in advance to make arrangements, but the response we get from the plant is, “We can’t guarantee it.” They can’t guarantee it…? Even if we try to secure it a week in advance, they say they won’t know for sure until the day of delivery.

Even though I know it can’t be helped at this time of year, the pressure we supervisors face on-site is extremely intense. When we can’t arrange for ready-mix concrete to be delivered on the scheduled day, we’re often on the receiving end of sarcastic remarks delivered in a harsh tone.

It’s true that it’s our job to make sure the craftsmen can keep working. But sometimes, there’s just nothing we can do. Even when we’ve been planning well in advance, there are times when we contact the factory on the date they specified only to be told that it’s not possible that day.

Is this really due to a lack of competence on our part as on-site supervisors...? I can’t help but wonder.

Construction delays can also lead to strained relationships

Naturally, if we can’t get ready-mix concrete, we’re forced to schedule construction around the days when it’s available. That means there will be days when we simply can’t get any work done. However, this was something we couldn’t prevent no matter how hard we tried.

Of course, if it were simply a matter of us forgetting to reserve the ready-mix concrete, that would be a different story, but there have been cases where we were unable to secure it even though we’d contacted them as early as three weeks in advance to confirm. Honestly, we’re at a loss as to what to do about this.

It would be fine if the contractor we worked with would listen and understand, but not all contractors are that accommodating. Naturally, the subcontractors who suffer losses due to delays in the project will take it out on us.

Because of things like this, it’s not uncommon for people to be labeled as “unable to do it,” which can lead to tension during construction.

There isn't a sufficient number of drivers and concrete mixer trucks to meet actual needs.

First and foremost, I want you to understand that there is a shortage of drivers. This means there are definite factors preventing us from increasing the number of concrete mixer trucks.

At present, not many ready-mix concrete plants are generating significant profits. With the emergence of new precast products and a decline in the volume of ready-mix concrete used in construction projects, shipment volumes have plummeted, and it’s likely that quite a few companies have had to let go of their drivers and concrete mixer trucks.

Given this situation, there is currently a shortage of concrete mixer trucks; however, when it comes to recruiting drivers who have left the industry and purchasing new mixer trucks, it is difficult to predict future operational capacity and profitability, so ready-mix concrete manufacturers and distributors are not eager to expand their operations.

Although the company’s financial situation has improved somewhat thanks to disaster recovery projects, it likely still isn’t generating enough profit to expand its workforce or add more concrete mixer trucks. These are the kinds of serious problems currently plaguing the ready-mix concrete industry.

It's unfair to blame only the site supervisor.

There are some very conscientious contractors who understand this situation and work with us to come up with construction methods that address it. If we feel a strong sense that they are cooperating with us, we’ll do our best to find ways to increase the subcontractors’ profits.

But we’re only human, too. To be honest, it really gets on our nerves when people force us to solve problems that are simply beyond our control (lol). It’s not that we’re not delivering ready-mix concrete. It’s not just that particular site—the same thing is happening all over the place.

I wish people would show a little more integrity and truly understand the current state of the industry. It’s completely unfair to blame only the on-site supervisors.

From the God of Construction