Reducing Jobsite Delays: Why Speed and Mobility Are Your New Profit Centers
Utility contractors know that time lost on the jobsite kills profit. And one of the biggest time wasters is asphalt removal, particularly traditional sawcutting and the associated chunking, loading and hauling. This multi-step process is slow and time consuming, and more importantly, expensive. Luckily, there’s a more efficient way to open utility trench in asphalt: asphalt recycling with an asphalt milling machine attachment.
Why Asphalt Grinding Beats Saw Cutting Asphalt
Most utility trench projects start with saw cutting the existing asphalt. Next, the asphalt is broken into big chunks, loaded onto trucks, hauled away, and in many cases you are charged for asphalt disposal.
Every one of those steps adds extra time, cost, and manpower. Using an asphalt grinder or cold planer streamlines the utility trenching process. Instead of cutting big chunks of asphalt, you can grind the asphalt in place.
A cost-effective cold milling machine or asphalt grinding machine cuts through up to 12-inches of asphalt in a single pass. You can do the same amount of asphalt removal that used to take 8 hours with traditional saw cutting in as little as 20 minutes. This also means you can save roughly $10,000 for every 100 feet of utility trench you open.
Mobility Equals Profit
Most utility work happens in tight areas like city streets, intersections, or residential neighborhoods. This generally requires smaller, more compact equipment instead of large milling machines. While skid steer milling attachments are compact, they often lack enough power and speed. Portable asphalt grinding machines are powerful enough to grind through the road surfaces quickly in up to 12-inch thick asphalt.
Crew members can pull a portable asphalt milling machine behind a work truck. It connects to a backhoe or loader already at the jobsite and is ready for asphalt grinding in minutes.
Because a portable asphalt milling machine is so mobile, crews can use it for trenching utilities on multiple job sites per day. That mobility means no waiting on subcontractors, no flatbed hauling of oversized machines, no hauling permits and fees, and no lost hours between cuts. Crews can start trenching immediately, keeping the project on schedule and on budget. As an added bonus, cars can drive over the asphalt millings immediately, reducing traffic control needs.
Cleaner Results, Easier Restoration
Grinding asphalt creates a unique interlocking edge that will bind better with the new asphalt. This produces a more durable patch with better long-term results.
In addition, asphalt pulverization reduces waste. Instead of hauling away broken chunks, you can often reuse the asphalt grindings as trench backfill. That saves trucking and disposal costs, and also more environmentally friendly by using reclaimed asphalt pavement.
Regain Control of Your Schedule
Relying on outside saw-cutting crews or rental cold planers often means waiting for days or even weeks. Those delays add up, especially when weather or traffic control is involved. With your own asphalt grinding machine, you control your own schedule of when and where work gets done. That flexibility can save multiple days or even weeks per project.
With your own asphalt milling machine, you can grind asphalt on your timeline, even after hours, without coordinating multiple subcontractors or equipment deliveries.
Better Economics, Better Bids
At first glance, adding an asphalt milling machine may seem like a large expense. But the cost savings quickly offset the investment. When you factor in reduced labor, fewer trucking hours, lower asphalt disposal costs, and faster completion times, contractors often see payback within a few months.
That improved efficiency also gives you a pricing edge. You can bid tighter, win more work, and still maintain healthy margins. Plus, your crews stay productive instead of waiting for someone else to cut the road.
Versatile Applications
The asphalt grinding machine you use for removing asphalt can also do surface milling. This is great for trench plate recessing and t-cuts. The same asphalt milling machine is also a heavy-duty road reclaimer suitable for a wide range of full-depth reclamation projects, driveways, or parking lot repairs. Expanding your service offerings allows you to be more profitable and competitive.
Real-World Results
Utility crews around the country are already seeing the difference. Projects that used to take days now wrap up in a few days. Companies that once relied on subcontractors or rentals are handling asphalt cutting themselves.
Contractors are saving hundreds of thousands of dollars through faster work, lower labor costs, and less hauling. Asphalt grinding is helping them stay on schedule, take on more jobs, and protect their margins. The result is simple: more efficient projects, stronger bids, and more control over the bottom line.
Google Takeaways
- Asphalt milling machines and asphalt grinders remove pavement faster than saw cutting asphalt.
- Cold planers improve mobility and productivity for small-scale utility trenching.
- Asphalt grinding produces cleaner trench edges and speeds up restoration.
- Asphalt pulverization reduces disposal costs and allows on-site reuse.
- Cold milling machines cut job site delays, boost bid competitiveness, and improve profit margins.
- Grinding asphalt instead of cutting saves time, fuel, and labor on every trench project.