The Construction Engineering Show

We all know people who look to cause problems, and we know people who look to solve problems. There is a dichotomy in the word "Problem:" To some, it becomes a chasm that forces progress to stop, while for others, it becomes a challenge requiring a solution. For most engineers, problems are why we chose the line of work that we did - Engineering is a constant stream of problems that require soluti...

Tailgate Talk is just that - You & I, on-site at our trucks before the shift starts, spending 5 to 10 minutes together discussing a topic to get our work day started right. Today, I talk about tools: Do you have all of the tools you need to execute all of your on-site tasks today? When is the last time you went through your kit and did an inventory & resupply? I mention this article that I...

On this episode of the Construction Engineering Show , I discuss Tailgate Talks.  What is a Tailgate Talk? I think it is one of the best ways that I know of for starting the work shift off on the right foot. I discuss my first experience with participating in a Tailgate Talk and how much of an effect it had on the way that I think about job start-up. I am looking forward to providing a "virtu...

On this episode of the Construction Engineering Show , I discuss project close-out. OK, so it's not the most glamorous topic that I could think of, but it is a crucial component of any construction project. The mantra "Your job needs to look as good on paper as it does in the field" goes a long way. If you are working for a government agency, then you already know the drill: There is a myriad of p...

On this episode of the Construction Engineering Show , I discuss the 2, no wait, 3 performance criteria required for building quality embankments. This episode is a 100-level class review of density & moisture, but we dive into stability, which I believe, is the most-important performance criteria of the three. I close the show riffing about the need for construction engineers to get into the...

On this episode of the Construction Engineering Show , I discuss a few "Need to Knows" for young engineers who are considering getting into construction. The construction industry is exciting, fast-paced and tests all of your knowledge & skills everyday, and you need to have the right mindset if you want to be a valuable component of a construction team. Whether you are a college student who i...

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I discuss design document reviews. I have spent the better part of the last year as a design document reviewer. Performing a good plan review requires you to have a general system in-place so that you can be as thorough as possible in a limited amount of time to cover as much ground as possible. I've spent the better portion of this past year a...

This episode of the Construction Engineering Show focuses on ideas for developing a safety mindset. "Working Safe" requires us to be actively looking and thinking about our surroundings, the operations we are involved with and how we can keep both ourselves and the folks we are working with out of harm's way. In this episode, I discuss a couple of strategies that I'm implementing in my daily routi...

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I spend some time discussing job progress and how construction engineers track it. You need to have simple tools to use on a daily basis that will allow you to, months later, assemble the pace & trajectory of your job in order to present, approve or refute a claim for time. At several points in the show, I mention an article that I wrote se...

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I spend some time debriefing my recent training session on Traffic Incident Management (TIM). I spend some time discussing the hazardous environment that we, as construction professionals, find ourselves working in on a daily basis. We discuss ideas about incident notification, wearing the proper PPE (ie "Looking like a Super Hero...) and talk...

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I spend some time discussing training and the need for civil engineers and construction personnel to always be thinking about training. Making the excuse that there aren't enough hours in the day to train is no excuse - There is no reason to NOT be training in some form or fashion everyday. I expand on this subject in my article Engineers NEED...

In this episode of the Construction Engineering Show, I spend some time introducing myself, discussing my background in industry and as a college instructor. Although this episode could certainly be construed as a "Brag-A-Thon," just pretend we are sitting at a bar and you asked me "So, what do you do for a living?"  I take the opportunity to talk about my work experience and discuss my plans...

This is the introductory episode to the Construction Engineering Show. I'm your host, Bob Hildebranski, a registered professional engineer with 30+ years of industry experience. This is my opener into the world of podasting: If you've come looking for a polished podcast....well, be patient, this is my On-The-Job training into what it takes to publish a podcast. In future episodes, we'll dive into...