Specialty construction

Connectivity for concrete contractors

Pours are scheduled to the hour around trucks, pumps and weather. Heavy equipment, remote sites and tight margins leave little room for a crew waiting on information.

Internet, wireless and security for concrete contractors

Each of the three has to be right, and they are usually bought from different companies. We compare them together.

Internet

Dispatch and batch plant ordering need the office connected without interruption.

Wireless

Foremen track trucks and adjust pour times from the site.

Security

Bid files and supplier accounts need protecting from email compromise.

Article

Six trucks on the road and the dispatch screen goes dark

By the Telecom Agency advisory team

A pour is a chain of timed events, and the office is the link that holds it together. When the connection drops mid-morning, nobody can see where the trucks are, and concrete does not wait.

What a consultant changes

Telecom Agency treats the dispatch office as a site that cannot go down. Two connections from two different carriers, switching automatically, with the phones riding on both. Finding two carriers that do not share the same cable in the ground takes a broker who can see every provider's routes, not just one.

How Telecom Agency shops the market for concrete contractors

The advice
Dispatch cannot stop, so an advisor looks for two connections that take different physical routes to the office, and a phone system that rides on both. Carrier route maps are compared to confirm they are separate.
The price
Two circuits need not mean twice the cost. The second is quoted as a lower-cost standby, and the pair is negotiated together with the mobile lines the foremen carry.
The service
If one line fails, the other carries on and the advisor chases the repair. Renewal dates for both are tracked so they never lapse in the same month.
  • No fee to you: providers pay the advisor
  • Every provider compared, none favoured
  • One contact for every carrier
  • Reviews and support after the install

An illustrative scenario based on situations common among concrete contractors. It does not describe a specific client.

What we usually put in place

  • Connectivity for remote sitesCellular, fixed wireless or satellite where no cable reaches.
  • Equipment and fleet trackingData plans for telematics on trucks and machines.
  • Mobile plans with push-to-talkCrew communication that works across sites.
  • Protected bids and payrollEmail and device security for the office.

Providers that often fit

The shortlist depends on your addresses. Open a provider to check availability where you work.

The best connection available,at a price you can compare.

Tell us where you work and what you run. An advisor brings back internet, wireless and security options side by side, at no cost to you.

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