ABSTRACT
Construction equipment plays an important role in most construction projects. Commercial or residential contractors typically rely on renting or leasing equipment as needed, or they may choose to subcontract the work. However, because of repeated use of many major pieces of equipment, heavy civil construction contractors often find it more cost-effective to own their own equipment and treat their equipment fleet as a profit center for their companies. Equipment is a critical resource in the execution of most construction projects. As the equipment fleet may represent the largest long-term capital investment in many construction companies, equipment management decisions have significant impacts on the economic viability of these construction firms. The job of the construction manager is to match the right piece of equipment or combination of equipment to the individual tasks to be performed in completing the project. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
