Construction Equipment magazine

10/02/2026

Regular truck maintenance is essential for safe operation, maximizing uptime, and helping reduce operating costs.

Routine inspections can identify small issues before they become costly repairs while helping keep your truck operating efficiently. Daily miles on the road can take a toll on various components, so it’s important to inspect and maintain your truck to help prevent costly repairs, roadside breakdowns, or lost productivity.

Cleanliness and visual walk-around.

A clean truck makes it easier to identify potential maintenance concerns before they become larger issues. (And as we all know, cleanliness is next to truckliness, too.)

So, wash the entire vehicle, including the undercarriage, to remove dirt, road salt, and contaminants that can contribute to corrosion.

A systematic walk-around inspection helps identify concerns early, reducing the risk of unexpected downtime. Key action items in a walk-around include the following.

Inspect lights, reflectors, mirrors, and body panels for damage and verify all lighting systems are functioning properly.

Check windshield wipers for wear and replace as needed to maintain visibility.

Look underneath the truck for signs of oil, coolant, or fuel leaks.
Inspect frame rails, suspension components, air lines, and electrical connections for wear or damage.

Clean debris from the radiator, charge air cooler, and air intake areas to promote proper airflow and cooling efficiency.

Now, look down at the tires.

Tires have a direct impact on fuel consumption, vehicle safety and operating costs. Drivers and maintenance personnel should:

Verify tire pressures are maintained according to manufacturer specifications

Inspect tread depth and wear patterns.

Check steer tires for uneven wear that may indicate alignment or suspension issues

Remove embedded debris and inspect for cuts, punctures or sidewall damage.

Proper tire maintenance can improve fuel efficiency, extend tire life, and help prevent costly roadside service events. Link is in comments for more...
Shell Rotella

10/02/2026

Equipment OEMs generally don't like to be in the dealer business.

Though some love aspects of being in control, it's not their core competency and having a bunch more equipment on the books, even symbolically, is counterintuitive. Does anyone remember the sustained success of the Case Power & Equipment dealers?

No? There's a reason.

OEMs usually step in when there's a dispute among ownership, snags in a complicated sales process, or when the dealership is sucking wind.

Most of the time, the issue never confirmed. Still, it's news.

Caterpillar has entered into an agreement to buy Fabick Cat, its dealer in Wisconsin, parts of Illinois and Missouri, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Some fine corporate-speak from the press release: The agreement reflects a customer-focused decision to support a seamless transition of Fabick ownership while maintaining the strong service and local support customers know and value today.

"Transition of Fabick ownership" is the key phrase. Fabick is a family-owned dealership, at least partially, as the dealer principal's name is Jere Fabick. My guess is there's a dispute among ownership.

Cat dealers don't suck wind, especially a dealership like Fabick with a 100-year history and 37 locations.

The release includes a quote from the Big Cat himself, CEO and chairman Joe Creed.

“Caterpillar and Cat dealers share a common mission of solving our customers’ toughest challenges,” Creed said. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Fabick team to build on a century of success, further strengthen the customer experience, and drive long-term growth across the service territory.”

The deal is expected to have regulatory approval and close within 30 days. We'll keep you updated if there are updates to be had.

09/30/2026

AI-powered camera systems are quickly changing the construction industry.

From real-time worker detection to 360-degree surround views and collision mitigation technology, companies like Caterpillar, Tenna Co., and Brigade Electronics are bringing advanced AI safety systems to today’s jobsites.

Topics include:
• AI-powered smart cameras
• 360-degree machine visibility
• Collision mitigation systems
• Operator safety technology
• Construction equipment innovation
• Fleet technology trends

09/30/2026

Fleetio isn’t a telematics device or provider. Fleetio is a Birmingham, Alabama-based company that makes software for managing fleets and their maintenance. This software connects to systems, and it uses that vehicle data to help fleet managers track equipment and plan maintenance. Got it? Fleetio says it supports more than 8,500 fleets and millions of assets across 100+ countries, and it processes tens of millions of repair orders through a network of over 140,000 repair shops. That sure seems like a lot. To help improve and streamline these multitudes of workflows, Fleetio just announced it has expanded its AI Service Advisor. From this press release:

“We’re moving toward a world where fleet technology does more than surface information. It should understand the context behind a decision, apply what it has learned from years of operational data, and help determine the right action in the moment,” said Jorge Valdivia, CTO at Fleetio. “AI Service Advisor brings that intelligence directly into the maintenance workflow by automating routine decision-making to help fleets focus on the situations that require experience, ultimately driving real cost savings.”

When we covered Fleetio’s 2026 Fleet Benchmark Report (an annual study combining fleet data and survey responses), AI curiosity had a big lead over AI commitment. Some 53.3 percent of surveyed fleets were researching or piloting AI. Just 5.6 percent used it broadly, and half worried about accuracy and reliability. Fair enough. Fleetio thinks its AI Service Advisor is a good answer to this curiosity, and it’s now generally available to its fleet customers. The tool works inside Fleetio’s maintenance workflow. It can sort incoming issues, examine repair costs, prepare work orders, and handle some routine approvals. Let’s dig in a little deeper.

From fault code to work order

In the press release, Fleetio describes its AI Service Advisor as “a built-in maintenance expert designed to help fleets make faster maintenance decisions and automate routine processes.” During a six-month open beta, AI Service Advisor assessed more than $1.4 billion in maintenance spend. What were the results? Fleetio reported that assets returned to service an average of 2.5 hours sooner per repair. That’s a pretty impressive stat. Here’s how Fleetio describes the AI Service Advisor’s major processes:

Drafting work orders from maintenance signals, helping teams start with a recommended plan.
Assessing in-progress maintenance against fleet history, costs, warranty opportunities, and maintenance patterns to surface the work that deserves a closer look and identify opportunities to bundle maintenance.
Prioritizing issues, allowing teams to focus on items with the highest operational impact.
Automatically resolving eligible issues and approving low-risk repairs within fleet-defined policies to reduce manual follow-up.

“The fact that I don’t have to go line by line on every work order is huge. AI Service Advisor is incredible because there’s absolutely no way one person can catch everything,” said Jill Perry, Fleet Administration Manager at Ramos Oil. “By automatically flagging items that require a deeper dive, Service Advisor just makes my life so much easier and less time-consuming. That alone easily saves me an hour and a half a day, which can add up to about 400 hours a year saved.”

Jill seems happier. Maybe that’s because this AI Service Advisor can automatically resolve more than 2,000 maintenance issues each month, according to Fleetio. And according to this recent Fleetio article written by Brianna Perry: “Since Open Beta, Service Advisor has prioritized more than 550,000 issues, and users accept AI-assigned priorities 97 percent of the time.” For a construction fleet, that could definitely help a shop sort that ever-growing queue of data identification and processing tasks.
See the link in comments.

09/28/2026

Despite a pledge to electrify its compact equipment line by mid 2020 and do away with diesel, Volvo Construction Equipment is still offering and upgrading its diesel-powered compact loaders.

Perhaps that pledge was meant for Europe. In January 2019, the company announced that, starting with the European market, it would introduce a range of all-electric compact excavators and wheel loaders. The first machines were seen at Bauma 2019 in Munich, Germany.

Fast forward to 2026, after the company has spent years hyping electric equipment to North America, and we still see diesel offered, and indeed upgraded, here.

That's the case with the Volvo L30 and L35 compact wheel loaders.

he redesigned rear of the L30 and L35 compact wheel loaders includes new mounting points that simplify the installation of rear-mounted equipment.

Different trailer couplings can also be fitted quickly, while hydraulic and electric connections can be added or retrofitted with less installation work.

I must admit, this is the first time I've seen a loader's ability to pull trailers promoted.

This added flexibility complements the hydraulic capabilities of the L30 and L35, including adjustable auxiliary flow and high-flow hydraulics of up to 26.4 g/min on the L30 and 29.1 g/min on the L35, to support a wide range of attachments.

The redesigned rear of the models also gives technicians better access for servicing and repairs. Split side-mounted counterweights can be removed when needed, while a larger opening in the front frame improves access to key components and simplifies the installation of additional hydraulic or electrical equipment.

In the cab

Operators will also notice an updated cab entrance, with three ergonomically positioned steps, well-placed handrails, and a wide-opening door providing straightforward access throughout the working day.

Inside, a high seating position and good all-round visibility provide a clear view of the machine, attachment and surrounding jobsite. Low in-cab noise, heating and optional air conditioning, an adjustable steering column, and ergonomic joystick help keep operators comfortable.

A 5-inch display, intuitively controlled via a jog wheel, is meant to provide easy access to key machine information.

Production of updated Volvo L30 and L35 compact wheel loaders is scheduled to begin late this year, with orders anticipated to ship shortly thereafter. If you're doing the math, that takes compact loader diesels into 2027 and probably beyond.

What's new with the Volvo loaders

Volvo says the L30 and L35 feature the most significant frame redesign since the models were introduced in 1998. The updates give customers more flexibility to use the machines for different jobs while improving service access and everyday operation.

The updated models feature a redesigned rear section, improved service access, and a redesigned cab entrance. See the link in comments for more!

09/25/2026

John Deere describes its new 40 P-Tier compact excavator with a simple pitch: It transports like a 35 but digs like a 50. In this video, Emily Pagura, product marketing manager at John Deere, gives Construction Equipment a detailed walkaround of the new excavator in Dubuque, Iowa.

The 40 P-Tier weighs less than 10,000 pounds and runs on a 42-horsepower turbocharged engine. Its conventional tail-swing design provides the balance needed to handle couplers, thumbs, heavy buckets, and demanding hydraulic attachments. Pagura also explores the machine’s auxiliary hydraulic system. A diverter valve lets the operator keep two functions connected to the primary auxiliary circuit. An optional second circuit allows a thumb and hydraulic attachment to be controlled independently from inside the cab.

Features:

• Straight- and angle-blade options
• Blade float for backfilling and cleanup
• A protected, centrally positioned LED boom light
• Multiple bucket, coupler, and thumb configurations
• Electrohydraulic auxiliary controls
• Attachment Manager with saved flow and pressure settings
• New joysticks with integrated boom-swing control
• A large touchscreen display
• Cab and open-canopy configurations
• Heat and air conditioning
• A redesigned front window
• Standard JDLink connectivity with John Deere Operations Center

09/23/2026

There's an interesting development out of Racine.

Instead of hiring from within, as CNH has historically done for the VP of North America title that heads CASE Construction Equipment (and New Holland since 2025), it has hired an executive from — wait for it — Caterpillar.

That's big time for an organization that has sometimes seemed insulated from the world outside of Wisconsin and Italy.

Kris Dahl will officially replace Case's Terry Dolan after he retires at the end of the year. In the meantime, the two will work together on the transition of leadership.

Dahl has 25 years of global experience from Cat, where he has held leadership roles in the U.S. and Asia, and worked extensively with customers, dealers, and teams across the construction and mining markets.

Dolan's legacy is one of not being afraid to take chances. Under his watch, Case released the Minotaur DL550 compact dozer loader, a machine that brought together CTL and dozer capabilities.

He also jumped headlong into electric equipment, championing the 580EV electric backhoe loader and a number of compact electric excavators. At this year's Conexpo, Case surprised with an electric mini track loader.

"When I returned to CNH in 2021, I talked about my excitement for helping lead this business into the next generation, and I’m incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished together." Dolan said in a statement. "We’ve introduced groundbreaking products, strengthened our dealer network, and continued to find new ways to help our customers succeed."

There is no word at press time as to whether or not we will see a "New Case" after the transition.

09/23/2026

Avant Tecno USA has launched the e727, its biggest fully electric small articulated loader yet, bringing a 27-kWh lithium-ion battery and roughly 3,000 pounds of lift capacity to the popular 700 Series platform. The e727 features a new electric powertrain, an automatic Autoshift transmission, hydrostatic four-wheel drive, and dual auxiliary hydraulic pumps for attachment-heavy work in landscaping, construction, snow removal, and material handling. Lift height comes in just over 10 feet, with a top travel speed of 8.7 mph.

Small articulated loaders (SALs) continue to expand across North America as contractors look beyond skid steers and compact track loaders, and electrification is proving to be a natural fit for the category's short-run, stop-and-go duty cycles.

📌 Key Specs:

27-kWh Avant OptiTemp lithium-ion battery
~3,000 lb lift capacity
10+ ft lift height
Single electric drive motor
Variable-displacement hydraulic drive pump
Two auxiliary hydraulic pumps
Automatic Autoshift transmission
Two-speed hydrostatic drive
Top speed: 8.7 mph

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09/22/2026

You know a is coming, don't pretend it's not. Our head of content Keith Gribbins helps you get ready!

What machine would you choose for the end of days? Spider excavator? Mining truck? I think I’m going to go with … landfill compactor … which, if you think about it, already spends its days crushing society’s leftovers. These machines are ideal for the apocalypse — an enormous blade, weird spiky steel wheels, high visibility, and comfy cabs. I might choose a Bomag, as I just noticed the company updated its BC 473-5 and BC 573-5 series compactors. The changes affect the BC 473 RB-5 and BC 573 RB-5 landfill compactors, BC 473 RS-5 shovel compactor, and BC 473 EB-5 soil compactor. I’d highly suggest any of those units when society goes sideways.

The updates include a 300-horsepower Cummins L9 engine, revised controls, new displays, better lighting, and easier service access. From the press release:

“Our customers asked, and we listened. As part of our extensive voice of customer program, the Cummins engine was preferred for service and support convenience,” says Matt McDaniel, landfill sales manager, east for BOMAG Americas. “Our design updates help take some of the most efficient and productive compactor models available to the market and make them easier and more efficient to operate.”

These changes should improve real-world productivity, but I feel these updates also just strengthen my argument for prioritizing the expanded use of these units in our fast-approaching Road Warrior society. So, here’s everything you need to know to prep.

What do landfill, soil, and shovel compactors do?

Great question. These machines share the same basic articulated compactor layout, but manufacturers configure them for different applications. All of them spread material and then reduce its volume through serious compaction. Their steel wheels use aggressive teeth to crush, mix, and compact material. These compactors also capitalize on articulated joints to help maintain ground contact and traction. The attachment at the front and the wheel configuration help distinguish how each style works. For instance…

Landfill compactors use a wide straight or semi-U blade to spread waste. The wheels use steel teeth to crush, mix, and compact it all. That’s what Bomag’s RB models do. After civilization collapses, that blade could clear road debris and position abandoned cars as makeshift barriers. Just saying.

Be even more prepared by clicking the link in comments below!
The Walking Dead BOMAG worldwide

09/22/2026

Our friends at IUOE Local 150 posted some cool news....

Over the last two decades, the 45-year-old excavator operator has amassed a collection of several hundred rocks. But none are as large as the one dug up at O’Hare.