New
Highway Division Targets Roadside Vegetation
Millions
of miles of federal, state and county roads crisscross
the nation and thousands of DOTs (Departments of Transportation)
are responsible for maintaining the grasses, shrubs
and trees that continually grow into, over and around
them.
In
the past, Asplundh has provided mowing, spraying and
conventional bucket and chipper services to state DOTs
in a few regions, here and there. However, our newly
established Asplundh Highway Division is fully focused
on bringing high quality, economical vegetation control
to DOTs across the nation.
The
inspiration for this new focus came through Vice President
Tom Mayer of the Asplundh Railroad Division, who is
quite experienced in managing a national work force
that manages vegetation along transportation corridors.
A good fit with his Railroad Division operation, Tom
now directs the new Highway Division as well.
This
past January, Asplundh acquired the assets of Advanced
Contracting and Hedging, Inc. (ACH) in Florida, which
was well-equipped with their own specially-designed,
heavy-duty mowers and side trimmers. All services and
equipment offered by ACH are now provided by the Asplundh
Highway Division.
Two
specialized units with great promise are the Right-of-Way
Trimmer and the Magnum Mulcher. The Trimmer has a hydraulically-driven,
multi-directional saw arm with seven blades that can
be turned to a variety of different angles to trim overhanging
branches or to cut brush on roadside slopes. The Mulcher
has a hydraulically-driven cutter and mulching head
that can be raised 13 feet high.The drum-type cutter
directs debris downward and is capable of cutting and
mulching trees up to 24 inches in diameter. Both machines
are mounted on heavy-duty carriers equipped with low
ground pressure tires.
In
addition to the expertise and staffing available through
the Asplundh Railroad Division, Tom also calls upon
the leadership of Field Operations Manager Tim Belue
and Field Operations Supervisor Marty Owen. They are
responsible for reviewing new projects, meeting with
customers and managing Highway Division crews in the
field. Tim has been part of the Asplundh organization
for 21 years, starting out in the Steve Bostock Region
in Alabama and more recently, managing our outdoor advertising
maintenance operations. Marty comes to Asplundh by way
of ACH where he supervised day-to-day field operations
for seven years.
It
looks like Asplundh’s Highway Division is “on the road”
to success!
