In The Dirt

Learn all about undercarriage on heavy equipment this time In The Dirt! Mack and guest Greg, Vice President of Equipment with Whissell Contracting, talk everything undercarriage from total cost over a machine's life, what causes wear, to how undercarriage affects resale value of a machine. If you have questions about undercarriage, chances are we answered them! You can find Greg Baher on Link...

This time In The Dirt, Mack talks mentoring the next generation of people with dirt artist/grader operator Troy Karevski. From adopting the right attitude to becoming a proficient operator, Troy and Mack talk all about younger people rising up in the industry and finding fulfilment in their careers. The two address the pressing matter of mentoring younger generations to sustain an industry struggl...

Building a culture and crafting core values is an often overlooked yet incredibly important part of any company. Mack and guest Dave Reynolds, President & CEO of NorLand Limited talk company culture and core values on this episode. From how NorLand created their core values, how the company hires for people based on these core values, to how NorLand has built a culture across their now 18 diff...

From DPF to DEF and everything in-between, Josh and Mack talk diesel engine emission after treatment systems on this episode. They break down what emissions are regulated, the different types of emission after treatment systems, how each system works, and what it accomplishes in terms of reducing diesel emissions. If you have ever been curious what all that expensive stuff is on the exhaust of you...

Energy (electricity) production from Uranium seems to be lost in today's narrative about providing energy for the developing world. Daniel Major, CEO of GoviEx Uranium, and Mack talk everything Uranium from how it is mined, refining of fuel, to creating electricity in nuclear power plants this time on the podcast. Uranium will play a key role in providing sustainable energy production in the...

Attracting and retaining employees in a dynamic industry is becoming increasingly important for companies in the modern-day. How do you attract more people to grow your company? How do you retain great people? What do employees value most in the workplace? Guest Wally and Host Mack sit down to discuss the many issues construction companies are facing and what these companies can do to solve these...

Starting a business is one of the most challenging yet rewarding endeavours one can take on in life. Damion Lake, owner of Newton Valley Excavating, shares his story of starting his excavation company ,  becoming an owner operator, finding a niche and serving your customers, and more! To learn more about Newton Valley Excavating or talk with Damion, follow them on Instagram @newtonvalleyexcavating

Insights into the demolition industry with none other than Ryan Priestly, president of Priestly Demolition. This time In The Dirt host Mack and guest Ryan talk demolition in Toronto, company culture, the Priestly Demolition story, and heavy equipment. If you have ever been curious about demolition, Ryan and Mack do their best to answer your questions and provide insight into Priestly Demolition! L...

Drew Mohatt of Colorado Asphalt Services Inc joins us again to talk paving. However, this time Mack and Drew talk about paving in cold, wet, snowy weather when conventional hot asphalt paving is not feasible. Drew tells us all about EZ Street Cold Mix, a solution for paving in less favourable conditions. Learn more about CASI here https://coloradoasphalt.com/. Find Drew on LinkedIn under Drew Moha...

Ever wondered what it takes to take a mine from discovery to production? How do mining companies get financing for multi million dollar projects? This time In The Dirt host Mack and guest Mark Brennan, CEO of Cerrado Gold, talk mining and what it takes to discover, explore, and mine an ore body in the modern day. They also discuss the importance of reclamation in mining, and glance at global trend...

The mining industry is changing, no longer is it a male dominated industry as women enter the workforce. Join Hannah Berthold and host Mack talk women in the mining industry on this episode, diving into topics such as how to attract more women to the industry, what roles women are taking on in mining, and addressing common misconceptions women have about working in mining. Hannah and Mack do their...

Smooth roads are something society takes for granted everyday, this time In The Dirt Mack interviews Drew Mohatt of Colorado Asphalt Services Inc (CASI) to discuss everything asphalt. From sourcing materials in quarries and aggregate pits to paving, Drew and Mack talk about all the steps involved in getting to that smooth asphalt road surface we all enjoy driving on. If you have asphalt related qu...

Ever wondered how earthmoving companies manage their fleet of equipment? What does a great maintenance program look like for a large fleet of heavy equipment? This time In The Dirt Mack interviews Greg Baher the director of equipment for Whissell Contracting Ltd to talk heavy equipment fleet management. From making decisions about rebuilding or selling equipment to what a proper and well executed...

Guest Anthony aka "The Frenchman" and host Mack talk the good and bad habits of equipment operators. From pre starts on equipment, cleaning cabs and tracks, to being a leader and being coachable, we try to cover a topic that doesn't have black and white textbook answers to start with. This episode is meant to inspire discussion and thought around the topic of becoming a better equip...

With used iron prices soaring, is now a good time to sell some of your heavy equipment? How do you get the best value for your equipment at a Ritchie Bros. auction? This time In The Dirt, Mack interviews Matt Ackley the chief marketing officer at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers to get his take on the current climate of used equipment auctions, selling with Ritchie Bros. vs selling private, and where the...

If you have wanted to learn more about project estimating in construction, on this episode host Mack interviews guest Ryan Haasen of BlueCon Excavating to discuss his career in estimating, what he has learned thus far, and the estimating process from tender to contract awarding. Ryan takes us through his experience working as a project manager/estimator for BlueCon Excavating in the Calgary constr...

This time In The Dirt, Mack sits down with guest Scott Lidster of Australian Earth Training to talk everything ripping. Scott explains the types of rippers, the purpose of and techniques for ripping, and discuss the many applications and types of equipment rippers are commonly found on. If you have a question about ripping, chances are we answered it! But if we didn't, please reach out to eit...

From hauling medium sized heavy equipment, to planning overweight and oversize equipment hauls through tricky mountain terrain in British Columbia. Mack and guest Jared Bragg, the general manager of Triton Transport, answer all your heavy haul and transport related questions on this episode. Want to learn what it takes to haul heavy equipment in British Columbia and Alberta? Ever wonder what custo...

Everything you have ever wanted to know about the design, engineering, manufacturing, and application of buckets for excavators, wheel loaders, and the like. Mack and Tim Stubbs of Weldco Beales talk buckets on this episode of the podcast, detailing how WBM initially started, what goes into building a bucket, proper applications for buckets, and some of the custom work Weldco Beales does. If you h...

In contrast to our longer episodes with guests, this time In The Dirt, Mack discusses why most mining companies are wrong about social media and marketing themselves. In the coming decades mining companies will have to focus on maintaining their Social License to Operate (SLO). Social media is a key part of building and maintaining that initiative to not only attract people to work at a mining com...

On this episode host Mack and sales account manager Matt Tremblay of Brikers Parts talk used and refurbished heavy equipment parts. If you have ever been curious about the heavy equipment parts market, Matt delivers great insight into the world of recycling and refurbishing parts at Brikers. Everything from how parts are acquired, the refurbishing process, rebuilt vs new comparisons, to how the us...

If you have skied or snowboarded at a ski resort, chances are you have enjoyed the fresh corduroy laid down the night before by a snowcat operator.  Mack and Ben talk snowcats and ski slopes on this episode, detailing everything from what it takes to become a snowcat operator, the various types of snowcats, to a day in the life of a snowcat operator. If you have questions for Ben, find him on Face...

Ever wonder what happens to the trash you put out at the end of your driveway? This time In The Dirt, Mack and Rich talk trash and the heavy equipment you find handling it. Diving into medium size wheel loaders in waste applications, Rich explains the various configurations of wheel loaders, how Caterpillar designs these machines, and even shares stories from his time spent in the field with custo...

This time In The Dirt, Luke Sheppard and Mack talk heavy equipment dealerships. Everything from training and customer focus, growing the business, to improving internal processes with the 5 S principle. Luke brings a wealth of knowledge to the show, his career featured time with John Deere, TigerCat, and Nortraxx, just to name a few. He now owns a consulting company focused on helping heavy equipm...

Ever wondered how pipelines are built? This time In The Dirt Mack sits down with Derek Birdwell of Kirby Smith Machinery to talk everything pipeline construction. Pipelines are vital links for the transportation of valuable oil & gas resources between mine sites and export or refinery terminals, on this episode you will learn about the start to finish process of building a pipeline, insights i...