Understanding the pain from the short load charge
Need 8 oz – Pay for 44 oz
Getting ready-mixed concrete for a small project is really a pain. Think of it this way: Imagine that you are thirsty for 8 ounces of Coke. You head into the local 7-Eleven store and approach the counter to place your order. You request 8 ounces of Coke and the clerk presents you with a 44 ounce Super Big Gulp cup. You say, “That is a really big cup for just 8 ounces”. The clerk says that the cup does hold 44 ounces, but he would be willing to give you only 8 ounces as long as you pay for the full 44 ounces of soda. You are outraged by this apparent gouging, but the clerk doesn’t care, so you pay the extra fee to get your Coke.
This is like the pain of the short load charge. But the pain doesn’t stop with just a high short load fee.
You are frustrated with paying for 44 oz and only needing 8, but you are parched and need relief. You say, “Okay give me 8 ounces and I will pay your extra fees”. The clerk calming replies, “I will try and load your cup for you by the end of the day”. MORE PAIN !!!!
Welcome to the added pain of “Priority Scheduling”. The clerk doesn’t care if you are parched and need the Coke right now. They don’t like serving people for less than a full Big Gulp of soda. In the end, your 8 ounces of Coke will cost you more than you expected AND you will remain thirsty until they tell you that you can have a drink. ARE YOU ANGRY YET? These are the pain points of the concrete industry.
Ordering small loads of ready-mixed concrete is just like this.
Contractors feel the pain of short load fees and scheduling priority every day. If they have a small job of less than 4 cubic yards they will be subjected to a short load fee or minimum load charge. In addition, the contractors in North America are now waiting days or weeks to have a small load of concrete delivered. Ready-mix delivery for small projects is full of painful problems that need a great solution.
Cart-Away doesn’t require the Big Gulp
Get what you want and then refill if needed.
The Cart-Away self-delivery trailers are the solution to high fees and poor scheduling. Customers come in and tow away a mixing trailer on their own schedule. They use their own truck to tow the mixer and become their own delivery driver.
Once a contractor has a trailer hooked to their truck they back to the Cart-Away material dispensing plant. The plant will load the ingredients for concrete in 1/4 yard increments. They can order any quantity of concrete up to 1.75 cubic yards per load. It is all mixed in the trailer on the way to the job site. Small projects become very easy to schedule and have no extra short-load charges. Cart-Away solves a lot of pain points for contractors.
If the customer finds that they will need more concrete to finish the project they will return to the material dispenser for more. It is like going to McDonald’s and using the Coke filling station for a soda refill. The only difference with Cart-Away is that he will need to pay for any refills of concrete that may be required.
With Cart-Away there is no need to live with the gouging pain of short load charges or waiting for service. This is why investments in this space are exploding. Cart-Away loading stations and fleets of mixing trailers are popping up everywhere. We see many Cart-Away operators grow extremely successful ready-mix supply businesses by solving a pain points in a very large industry. Reach out to Cart-Away for more ways to benefit from the “Big Gulp” sized opportunity.