The day I had to fix a cold joint on a 20-yard driveway pour in Spokane

We were finishing a big driveway and the truck got stuck in traffic for over an hour. By the time the last load showed up, the first section had already started to set up hard. I told my helper, Mike, we had to scarify the edge with a grinder and use a bonding agent before we could place the new concrete, even though the homeowner was mad about the delay. It held up fine, but it added three hours to the job. Has anyone else had a truck delay that bad and what did you do?

4 comments

4 Comments

kevinm171mo ago

That exact thing happened on a job in Tacoma last summer. The batch plant had a mixer breakdown and we sat for two hours. It shows how fragile the whole schedule is, one delay and the work doubles. People don't get that concrete doesn't care about traffic or their plans. You did it right with the grinder and bonding agent, the only way to make it last.

andrew_coleman1mo ago

Honestly concrete is the most stubborn coworker you'll ever have. It just clocks in whenever it feels like it and you have to clean up the mess. Tbh the whole industry runs on hoping today isn't the day the truck breaks down.

charlieh7421d ago

Yeah, when Kevin said "the whole schedule is fragile" that really nails it. One hiccup at the plant or on the road and you're suddenly doing repair work instead of finishing work. It's crazy how much extra labor and material a single delayed truck can create out of thin air.

caseywalker1mo ago

Reminds me of the time a buddy's wedding cake got stuck on a broken down delivery van. The bottom tier was basically concrete by the time it showed up. They had to carve off the crusty part and glue on new fondant with some weird sugar paste, all while the bride's mom was having a fit in the corner. Sometimes you just have to deal with the material you're given, even if it's not what anyone planned for.