That Monday pour in Tacoma where the pump truck broke down for three hours

We had a 40-yard slab for a new auto shop floor, and the pump truck's main hose burst right after we started. The concrete plant kept calling, the crew was just standing around, and the boss was losing his mind. By the time the pump was fixed, the mix was starting to set up in the truck, and we had to work like crazy just to get it flat. Has anyone else had a pump fail that bad and still saved the pour?

2 comments

2 Comments

anderson.gavin1d ago

Honestly, that sounds like poor planning more than bad luck. A good crew should have a backup plan for equipment failure, even if it's just renting a second pump on standby. Letting the mix start to set is a basic mistake.

jackson.kim1d ago

My uncle's crew in Spokane had a pump lock up solid last summer. They ended up shoveling a whole 30-yard basement slab off the truck's chute into wheelbarrows. It's wild how the whole job just stops and everyone has to switch to pure hustle mode. Feels like half of construction is just solving problems you didn't even make.