Using real-time computer vision
to decrease concrete pour delays
On a busy construction site, the gap between one concrete truck finishing and the next arriving is a window where work stops and
costs accumulate. A large construction company deployed AltaML's computer vision system to track every truck through every stage of
its cycle — so schedulers could call the next truck at exactly the right moment, without having to rely on rough estimates and "best guesses".
Real-time visibility into every truck's pour stage, tighter scheduling between arrivals, and reduced downtime on active sites
THE CHALLENGE
Scheduling decisions were based on estimates rather than real-time visibility into where each truck was in its workflow. Without knowing whether a truck was still pouring, waiting for washout, or clear of the site, coordinators were calling trucks on guesswork, and the company was forced to absorb the delays that came with it. Idle crews, extended equipment rentals, and compounding schedule pressure all traced back to the same root cause: no reliable way to see what was happening on the site in real time.
THE SOLUTION
AltaML deployed a machine learning computer vision system designed specifically to identify, track, and monitor concrete trucks across every stage of their on-site workflow.
The system uses the cameras that are already present on a worksite to detect trucks as they enter, follow them through each stage — entering, pouring, and washout/completion — and provide schedulers with a real-time picture of where every truck stands in its cycle.
With that visibility, the coordination logic changes. Instead of calling the next truck based on an estimated finish time, schedulers can see when a truck is approaching completion and call the next arrival, eliminating idle time between pours and ensuring that no trucks stack up on site.
An added bonus? The system also contributes to site safety. Knowing the precise location and status of heavy vehicles on an active worksite reduces the coordination burden on ground crews and creates a clearer record of site activity throughout the pour.
Real-time visibility into heavy vehicle position and status gives ground teams better situational awareness on an active pour site.
WHY IT MATTERS
Construction sites generate constant activity that is rarely fully visible to the people coordinating it. Most scheduling decisions are made on estimates, experience, and radio check-ins that are good enough for the company to function, but not tight enough to eliminate waste. Computer vision changes that. It gives the coordinator the information they're missing, in real time, so the decisions they're already making can be made with confidence rather than approximation.
Concrete truck cycle time is one application. The same underlying capability — to identify, track, monitor, and report on physical assets moving through defined workflow stages — applies across any high-activity construction environment where visibility translates directly into efficiency.


