Mobile technology is reshaping the asphalt construction industry, yet many contractors struggle with where to begin the implementation process. For more than seven decades, Barriere Construction, a fourth-generation family-owned industrial, highway, and civil construction company headquartered near New Orleans, has been a leading asphalt producer in Louisiana. The company has learned that using mobile technology effectively is not about buying the latest devices. It is about building a connected information ecosystem that empowers every decision on every project. If you are planning to introduce or expand mobile technology in your asphalt business, the insights from Barriere’s experience can save you years of trial and error. Before diving into mobile implementation, it also helps to examine how to turn your construction field time card into a tool that drives profitability, since accurate field data collection forms the foundation of any mobile technology strategy.
Building the Information Backbone for Mobile Technology
Before any mobile device reaches the jobsite, the underlying information infrastructure must be solid. According to Brian Cooney, recently retired EVP of finance and administration at Barriere Construction, the primary consideration at the beginning is ensuring that estimating, manufacturing, and operational systems can readily share information. This interoperability is critical to the success of any mobile program.
Why Infrastructure Comes First
Barriere started collecting daily field information as far back as 1990. Even then, the goal was to generate useful reports that matched the plan to the estimate. Today, mobile technology has simply sped up and improved the accuracy of that collection and feedback loop. The lesson for asphalt contractors is clear: mobile tools amplify the capabilities of a well-organized information system, but they cannot fix a broken one. When your estimating software, plant production data, equipment tracking, and field reporting all speak the same language, mobile devices become powerful conduits for real-time decision-making.
Staffing and IT Resources
Barriere did not start with a dedicated IT team. The company relied on a part-time programmer who had been with the organization for over 25 years, someone who understood both the business and the technology. Over time, Barriere added more information technology resources and formed an active field technology committee chaired by the CFO. This gradual approach offers a realistic path for asphalt contractors who may not have the budget for an enterprise-level IT department from day one. Cooney emphasizes that setting an expectation of zero downtime for your system is critical. A mobile program is only as reliable as the infrastructure supporting it.
Evaluating Your Current Technology Readiness
Before committing to a mobile implementation, conduct an honest assessment of your current systems. Reading up on smart iron and your construction business how to evaluate technology readiness before you invest can provide a structured framework for determining whether your existing infrastructure can support mobile adoption.
Barriere’s experience shows that a phased approach works best. The company focused initially on field, trucking, and plant information that would improve safety and quality while increasing throughput at the plant and on the jobsite. By starting with the areas of greatest operational impact, they built momentum for broader adoption.
Selecting the Right Devices and Data Types for Your Asphalt Operation
The devices and data collection methods you choose must align with the specific workflows of your asphalt business. Barriere uses a combination of smartphones, iPads, laptops, and GPS devices to collect and report information across its operations. The types of data collected follow the full construction cycle, from estimating through project completion.
Mobile Devices in the Field
At Barriere, all foremen, survey and GPS staff, field engineers, quality control and assurance personnel, superintendents, plant managers, logistics and trucking staff, equipment staff, and project managers use mobile devices to share and supply information on all the moving pieces that make up day-to-day operations. The company is also testing collection of project data by operators for safety observations, equipment inspections, and toolbox talks. Cooney notes that information is strategic, and access should be available to the same individuals supplying it.
For contractors evaluating their hardware options, guidance on selecting the right mobile devices for your construction operation can help match device durability, battery life, and connectivity to the realities of asphalt jobsites.
Types of Data to Collect
Barriere collects a wide range of data across its operations. The table below summarizes the categories of information that mobile technology helps capture and manage.
| Data Category | Examples | Mobile Collection Method |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and project information | Customer details, pre-estimate take-offs, estimate details | Tablets and laptops with estimating software |
| Employee and payroll data | Employee applications, hours worked, type of work | Smartphones and tablets with time tracking apps |
| Safety and compliance | Toolbox talks, jobsite audits, safety alerts, inspections | Mobile forms on tablets and phones |
| Equipment telematics | Location, hours, fuel consumption, paver speed, maintenance needs | GPS devices and telematics platforms |
| Production and trucking | Plant production data, trucking logistics, load information | Mobile dispatch and plant management systems |
| Project cost tracking | Cost codes, plan versus actual comparisons | Field tablets connected to accounting systems |
Asking the Right Questions Before You Start
Before launching any mobile technology initiative, Cooney recommends working through a series of foundational questions. These address the business strategy, culture, and long-term vision that determine whether a mobile program succeeds or stalls.
Strategic Questions for Leadership
- Is there a budget for mobile technology, and is there support from owners and top management?
- What is your five-year vision for mobile technology in the business? Create a clear picture of where you want to be.
- How will the data be used, and by whom? Identify the decision-makers who will act on the information collected.
- How will you communicate the results of the analyzed data back to the teams in the field?
- What are the expected benefits? Lower costs, improved throughput, better safety outcomes, or all of the above?
- Will the information generated serve your overall business vision, or will it create noise that distracts from core operations?
Operational Questions for Implementation
Beyond the strategic level, operational readiness requires answering practical questions:
- Do you have a technology leader who will champion the program and coordinate across departments?
- Who will implement the programs and conduct training for field and plant personnel?
- What is the expected return on investment, and how will you measure it against real outcomes?
- How will you handle zero-downtime expectations for your information systems?
- Which software and technology partners understand the asphalt business well enough to integrate with your total platform?
Choosing the Right Technology Partners
Cooney emphasizes that finding software partners who share your vision is essential. Barriere has always focused on partnering with software companies that understand unit-based construction, asphalt manufacturing, materials, trucking, and equipment. These business partners understood that they had to integrate with Barriere’s total platform, whether for estimating, safety, equipment tracking, maintenance, costing, or asphalt manufacturing. Work with partners who understand your business and help achieve all of your goals. Barriere’s partners continuously improve their products and share a vision for generating actionable information for asphalt and heavy equipment teams.
Creating a Long-Term Mobile Technology Roadmap for Your Asphalt Business
Mobile technology implementation is not a one-step procedure. As Cooney puts it, plan on a journey, a long, continuous journey. Barriere’s roadmap offers a template for asphalt contractors who want to move from basic data collection to full integration of all construction cycle components in real time.
Phase 1: Integration and Coordination
Barriere’s current focus is integration and coordination of planning and scheduling of all its asphalt resources, with seamless information flowing to each crew tied to their paving plan. The company has the ability, tools, and business analytics to share data across all silos, from estimating and daily collection of project information to plant data, field and trucking information, and equipment telematics. By partnering with providers that share their vision, Barriere extracts greater rewards from its mobile investment with only a few data points needed for meaningful business intelligence.
Phase 2: Real-Time Reporting
Barriere’s future goals include integrating all components of the construction cycle in real time. The vision includes:
- Real-time location and load information of asphalt delivery trucks, enabling dispatch to optimize routing and reduce wait times at the jobsite.
- Plan versus actual information updated continuously throughout the day, allowing project managers to make adjustments before small variances become costly problems.
- Open work orders on equipment displayed by project on a map, giving maintenance teams visibility into which machines need attention.
- Alerts requested by field management when key thresholds are crossed, such as temperature deviations in asphalt production or unexpected downtime on a paver.
- Elimination of all paper forms and manual checklists, with all information collected and validated online.
- Compliance measured and graded on a real-time basis, with the ability to plan and determine success more effectively.
The end state is a fully connected operation where data collected from every phase of the construction cycle feeds back into planning, estimating, and execution.
Making Mobile Technology Work for Your Business
Implementing mobile technology into an asphalt business requires commitment, patience, and investment in infrastructure and people. Barriere’s experience shows the benefits are substantial: better safety, higher quality, improved profitability, and faster decisions. Cooney sums it up simply. The integration of mobile technology is worth the effort, but it is not easy. Plan on a journey, a long, continuous journey. As your digital presence grows, remember that your construction company website defines your first impression and drives business growth, and it should reflect the same commitment to quality that you bring to your jobsite technology.
Key Takeaways for Asphalt Contractors
- Start with a solid information backbone. Ensure your estimating, manufacturing, and operational systems can share data before introducing mobile devices.
- Build your IT team gradually. Even one skilled person who understands both the business and the technology can set the technical vision and drive implementation.
- Choose mobile devices that match your field conditions. Smartphones, tablets, and GPS devices each have roles in a comprehensive mobile strategy.
- Collect data across the full construction cycle. From estimating and scheduling to safety, payroll, equipment telematics, and production, every data point has value when properly integrated.
- Partner with software companies that understand asphalt construction. Technology partners must integrate with your total platform, not just sell you a standalone product.
- Set a realistic timeline. Mobile technology adoption is a long journey, not a quick fix. Plan in phases and measure progress against clear benchmarks.
- Keep your ultimate goal in sight. Real-time reporting, seamless data flow across silos, and paperless operations are achievable when you build on a foundation of reliable information systems and committed partnerships.
Barriere Construction’s journey from paper-based collection to an integrated mobile technology ecosystem spans decades, but the lessons apply at any stage. Whether you are taking the first steps or expanding, focusing on infrastructure, people, and the right partners will make mobile technology a profit center for your asphalt business.