Concrete Characters

A Doberman, three sons, Harry Potter? A look back at some of the eccentric owner-operators of the ready-mix industry.

By Henk de Zoete, President, National Board 

Everyone has been in, driven across, parked in, worked in, or walked on something made out of concrete, most of which was delivered in a ready-mix truck. 

CLAC has represented drivers in the ready-mix industry since the 1960s. In the early years, drivers were working for a colourful cast of “concrete characters.” There was the kind, but controlling, owner who provided mortgage money that kept drivers “attached.” 

Some owners were loud and violent. One ran over a striking driver on the picket line and shouted so loudly during negotiations that meetings in adjoining rooms had to be cancelled. Interestingly (and sadly), he ended up with a Doberman as his only end-of-life friend. 

But many owners were excellent and fair people who often involved family members (in one case, three sons) in establishing successful, multilocation businesses. 

For others, even though ready-mix “ran in their veins,” the plant was often just one step ahead of the bailiff. This sometimes led to clever action being taken to keep the trucks delivering, as when a blank cheque in a sealed envelope got a load of cement powder offloaded. 

I even spotted “Harry Potter” one dark November evening, climbing the steps up to the high batch (mixing) office. It turned out this was the head of human resources for a large ready-mix outfit dressed in his full lodge regalia. In the dark, he easily could have passed for a wizard! 

With so many different characters to deal with, CLAC members and representatives had to be flexible in their approaches to working with these eccentric owner-operators. Strategies for negotiations, workplace issues, grievance resolution, health and safety, and transportation regulations were individually tailored to each company. 

We prodded and supported all of them as issues involving overloaded trucks, hours of work, alcohol on premises, and many more were confronted and dealt with, both by the industry and government regulators. Many changes in how the industry operates were the positive outcome of these efforts. 

But probably the best, most long-lasting, and appreciated benefit CLAC brought these members was our reliable, high-performing pension plan.

These changes have been reinforced and consolidated in the ensuing years as most of the owner-operators sold their businesses to multinational cement powder producers. Today, these companies have professionalized the industry and are also addressing its environmental impact. 

A fairly recent development has seen the waste wash water coming out of the ready-mix truck discharged not onto the ground but into a container on the truck. This water is then returned to the mixing plant, where it is recycled. The industry is also experimenting with the production of cement powder, the key concrete ingredient, in ways that have a smaller impact on our climate.

These are all positive, applaudable, and much-needed changes. But they don’t make for compelling stories. Wizard sightings, on the other hand—now that’s something that would go viral today.