For half a century, family-owned Wayne Davis Concrete Company has flourished in Tallapoosa, Georgia, delivering the highest quality customer service and products in Northwest Georgia. They provide ready mix concrete, crushed stone, and sand, to their customers’ jobsites and construction projects.
Wayne Davis owns a handsome fleet of 100+ ready mix trucks, and they have some pretty amazing drivers that operate those trucks; one of them being David Austin! David hopped on a call with us to give us a little insight into his day to day operations and how his role as a driver and a trainer helps keep Wayne Davis trucking along!
Can you describe a typical day for a ready mix truck driver?
I come in and do my pre-trip on my truck and make sure I’m dressed properly and that I have all of my required PPE. I figure out what orders I need to deliver, and keep a positive attitude while I make all of my deliveries.
What attracted you to this line of work?
I used to see Wayne Davis Concrete’s mixer trucks driving around Douglas, and whenever I would see them I always thought to myself that it’s a job that I would probably love to do. So, I prepared myself and got a CDL license and applied for the position. I’ve been at it for 20 years now.
How does your job impact the organization as a whole?
I’m actually getting the product to the customer. I try to keep the wheels rolling and get as much of it out as I can. I’m also a trainer, so I’m teaching our new drivers how to provide the kind of service that our customers and that Wayne David Concrete expects from us.
Can you tell me about the most fun you’ve had on the job?
I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I have fun each and every day.
What kind of challenges do you experience on the job?
I had to figure out a solution to an issue on a site just earlier today because we needed a pump and there wasn’t a pump truck present at the time that I delivered. There’s often times where I will be at a job and I have to make a quick decision about the product or the service I am providing. And I have to make sure that I’m doing so in a safe way that doesn’t put myself or anyone else on the job at risk. When we are doing residential pours, I have to be very careful of the residents and the children playing in the street – especially on once school starts!
How does the use of technology help you perform your job well?
COMMANDassurance makes everything so much easier because once you get loaded, you know your slump shortly afterwards. You’re given information about the materials throughout the entire process, and after you have poured you will know exactly how much of the concrete is left in the drum. You don’t have so much guesswork when it comes to what you have in the truck. We also use TrackIt, which is helpful especially for our new drivers. I’ve been in the business for so long that I have a handle on where I’m going, for the most part. TrackIt gets our new, less experienced drivers to their jobs with little to no issue.
What sort of goals do you set for yourself that help you to perform your job well?
Everyday I come in I try to give 100%.
What are you most proud of inside and outside of work?
Inside of work, I am proud that I can come in and so a great job and take pride in what I do. I take pride in my truck, and I let the guys that I train know that they need to too. I don’t like anything laying on my dashboard, including dust, and I keep my floor clean and keep the body of the truck white and pretty. Outside of work, I am proud of my wife and the family that we have built together.
What character trait would your friends use to describe you?
They would say I’m a hard worker and that I take pride in what I do.
What do you like to do for fun?
My wife and I used to do a good bit of traveling before her health declined. I just try to enjoy life and take it one day at a time.
On behalf of everyone at Command Alkon, thank you so much to all ready mix concrete drivers. We are so grateful for your unwavering service to the industry and to our communities as a whole.
