Construction is a large industry in the US that includes residential, commercial, industrial, and public sectors, with the paving industry being a part of all sectors. The construction industry, and subsequently the paving industry, has seen a lot of growth in the last few years, but it’s not without its challenges. Explore the main challenges facing the paving industry today.

Paving Industry Challenges

  1. Labor. The entire construction industry has been dealing with a shortage of skilled labor for quite some time, and the paving industry is no stranger to these shortages. Every year, more of the construction labor force ages out and retires, and fewer and fewer young people entering the workforce choose construction. A 2021 report by the Home Builders Institute maintains that the construction needs nearly a quarter of a million new workers a year for the next three years to keep up with demand and to make up for workforce loss.
  2. Technology. Advances in technology are affecting all industries, and construction and paving are no different. Tech advances like drones, autonomous machinery, smart PPE, and more are revolutionizing many different sectors of both the construction industry and the paving industry. Companies will need to keep up with technology to stay competitive and attract younger workers.
  3. Materials. The logistics of getting materials to a jobsite presented challenges way before the pandemic, and things have obviously been made worse by the additional constraints on supply lines, shipping, and more created by the pandemic.
  4. Trucking. Again, the pandemic has only exacerbated issues that were already present in the paving industry. Trucker shortages, delays at congested and back-logged ports and distribution centers have only been made worse by the pandemic. Help may be coming with the current presidential administration’s focus on the issue with a Trucking Action Plan, released in December 2021. The American Trucking Association supported the plan in a December press release.
  5. Funding. Funding for state and local roads has always been an issue for the paving industry. Infrastructure plans have been released by the last two administrations, but the path from a presented plan to monetary allocations being earmarked for actual improvements or new roads is a long one.

Tucker Paving has over 25 years of experience in?the asphalt and concrete paving industry, and we are no stranger to the ups and downs of the industry. Contact us online, or call us at?(863) 299-2262?for assistance with your next asphalt paving project.???