Category: Plants
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How California’s Refinery Closures Hit Asphalt Contractors
California is on track to lose another major refinery just months after Phillips 66 fully shuttered its Los Angeles-area operations at the end of 2025. Valero’s Benicia plant is now set to end refining by April 2026. Together those two closures wipe out roughly 309,000 barrels per day of capacity, about 18% of the state’s…
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What the PERMIT Act Means for Contractors: Faster Reviews, Fewer Delays
Washington has been busy reshaping how Clean Water Act permitting works, and for once, the changes appear aimed at reducing headaches rather than adding new ones. That’s really good news, considering that in our 2026 State of the Roadbuilding Industry contractor survey, one of the biggest concerns voiced by contractors was in regards to permitting…
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Astec Acquires CWMF: Strengthening Asphalt Plant Innovation Ahead of CONEXPO 2026
The two manufacturers of asphalt plant equipment announced their plans to join forces over social media on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, with Astec Inc. president and CEO Jaco van der Merwe said on a LinkedIn post: “Our Infrastructure Solutions (IS) segment is built on a commitment: to deliver innovative, reliable equipment that helps our customers…
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How Asphalt Contractors Can Profit by Adding Crushing Operations
For many asphalt and pavement maintenance contractors, the piles of leftover millings, broken concrete, and truck washouts that accumulate over a season are seen as waste, a problem to be dealt with, material to be hauled away somewhere. In some areas this waste even comes with its own costs associated with dumping it. But a…
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Asphalt Contractor’s Industry Training Guide 2025-2026
Effective training is one of the strongest drivers of new employee retention. At the same time, keeping veteran team members up to date with the latest tools, technologies, and best practices boosts both job satisfaction and overall performance. With more online and remote options available today, companies can provide education at lower costs while still…
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What Is Keiki Paste? And How To Use It On Your Plants
We got lots of questions about the “miracle” cloning paste we showed on Instagram recently. What is it? What does it do? And why the heck is it called “keiki“? Short answer: keiki paste is an easy-to-apply growth hormone for your houseplants that can help fill out bare spots on pothos, orchids, and more. It’s…
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Heat Safety Rollbacks Endanger Road Crews in the Sunbelt
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in Application, Asphalt, Blacktop, Business, Compaction, Construction News, Construction Safety, Dirt Work, Featured, Infrastructure, Labor & Workforce Development, Maintenance, Milling, Pavement Maintenance, Pavement Marking & Striping, Pavement Preservation & Maintenance, Paving, Plants, Policy Matters, Production, safety, Seal Coating, Sealcoating, Striping, Top Story, WorkforceImagine if tomorrow you woke up and heard a news report stating that a few states had passed laws which ban local governments from requiring workzone barriers like cones or concrete blocks? Or what if you heard they forbid localities from requiring a flagger for road work? Your first reaction might be to fact-check the…
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Cloud-Based Asphalt Management Systems | Optimize Efficiency & Boost Profitability
In the world of heavy construction materials, asphalt production is one of the most complex and demanding sectors. Yet for years, many asphalt producers have relied on outdated methods for scheduling, dispatching, and communication. This reliance has led to inefficiencies, disconnected data, and operational slowdowns that eat into profitability. Sound familiar? It’s a challenge many…
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New Legislation Targets Emissions In Asphalt And Concrete After IRA Rollbacks
In March of 2025, Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) reintroduced the Concrete And Asphalt Innovation Act (CAIA) as a companion to House bill H.R. 1534, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support to the tune of 350-73. Currently, it awaits further action by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee before going to…
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Asphalt Contractor’s Top 30 Products 2025
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in Aggregates, Application, Asphalt, Asphalt Pavers, Asphalt Plants, Asphalt Recycling, Automation Systems, Awards, Compaction, Construction Technology, Dirt Work, Equipment, Featured, Milling, Pavement Maintenance, Paving, Plant Components, Plants, Preservation, Production, Quality Control, Sustainability, Technology, Top 30 Editor’s Choice, Top 30 Editor’s ChoiceEach year, manufacturers release hundreds of new products into our industry. Sometimes they are small improvements on a long-standing, popular design, and, other times, they’re launching a whole new innovation into the asphalt space. This list comprises some of the very best products available on the market today, as chosen by our editorial team at…