dirt world summit – TruckIT Blog

Changing the Way We Think About Building

At this year’s Dirt World Summit, one message came through loud and clear: the construction industry is ready for change.

Aaron Witt challenged us to stop relying on outdated systems and habits that hold us back (read more about that in The State of the Dirt World: Why Now Is the Time to Evolve). But that change doesn’t start with new tools alone. It starts with the way we think and lead.

Some of the Summit’s most powerful lessons came from outside the industry, from people who know what it means to break convention, challenge comfort, and lead by example. Their ideas all come down to one thing: if we want to build a stronger dirt world, we have to lead it differently.

Learning from the Unlikely: Jesse Cole and the Power of Experience

Jesse Cole, founder of the Savannah Bananas, built something that most people thought was impossible, turning a small-town baseball team into one of the most talked-about organizations in sports. He did it by throwing out the rulebook and focusing on people instead of the product.

His “5 E’s to Creating Raving Fans” fit surprisingly well in construction:

Eliminate Friction: Find the pain points in your process, for your customers, your drivers, and your crews, and remove them.
Entertain Always: People remember how you make them feel, not just what you deliver. Show your customers and your team that their experience matters.
Experiment Constantly: Try new ways of doing business. Not everything will stick, but the things that do can transform your operation.
Engage Deeply: Build real relationships with your partners and your people. Pick up the phone, show up, and keep communication open.
Empower Action: Give your team ownership. Recognize effort. Let good ideas come from anywhere.

Cole’s story is a reminder that progress doesn’t come from comfort. His team failed plenty of times before they found what worked. But by experimenting and listening to their audience, they built something stronger.

That same spirit applies to construction. The best companies in the dirt world are finding ways to make their work easier, safer, and more enjoyable for their people and their customers. It’s about removing friction, not adding more.

When you give your people better tools and systems, you’re not just improving efficiency — you’re creating a better experience for everyone involved in the job. That’s how you build loyalty, attract talent, and keep the next generation excited about this industry.

Tim Grover: Leading with Relentless Discipline

Tim Grover, coach to some of the greatest athletes in history, including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, spoke about the mindset that separates the good from the great. His message wasn’t complicated: discipline and discomfort go hand in hand.

Grover talked about how true leaders demand more from themselves than anyone else possibly could. They don’t wait for perfect conditions. They show up, they work, and they push their limits every single day.

That mentality applies directly to leadership in construction. Whether you’re managing a crew, running a company, or dispatching trucks, the work is never easy. But growth doesn’t come from doing what’s easy; it comes from doing what’s necessary.

Leadership isn’t about barking orders or working longer hours. It’s about setting the standard. It’s showing your team that you’re willing to do the hard things, learn new systems, take responsibility for mistakes, and push through the tough days.

Grover’s message ties right back to what Aaron Witt said at the Summit: comfort is holding the industry back. The leaders who will drive this industry forward are the ones willing to get uncomfortable, to admit when something isn’t working, to try a new approach, and to demand better from themselves and their teams.

Discipline isn’t just a personal trait; it’s the foundation for accountability, safety, and trust. When crews see leadership that practices what it preaches, they follow suit.

James Clear: Small Changes, Big Results

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, focused on how lasting progress happens, not through huge changes overnight, but through small, consistent improvements stacked over time.

Clear’s “Four Laws of Behavior Change” offer a practical roadmap:

Make it Obvious: Create an environment where the right habits are hard to miss.
Make it Attractive: Tie new habits to things that are rewarding or meaningful.
Make it Easy: Start small and remove barriers to action.
Make it Satisfying: Celebrate small wins so the team sees the payoff.

For construction leaders, this means looking at daily operations through a new lens. Want to cut back on errors? Start by digitizing one part of your process, maybe tickets or dispatching, and build from there. Want better communication? Set up simple, consistent check-ins between the field and office before adding more systems.

Clear’s point matches what Aaron Witt and Tim Grover both said in their own ways: real improvement takes commitment, not convenience. It’s the small steps, taken consistently, that transform a company’s culture and performance over time.

When you focus on steady progress instead of perfection, you build momentum. And in this industry, momentum is everything.

Putting It All Together

Taken together, the lessons from Dirt World 2025 form a clear picture of what the next phase of this industry needs to look like.

From Aaron Witt: Stop clinging to outdated methods.
From Jesse Cole: Focus on people, not just projects.
From Tim Grover: Embrace discomfort and lead by example.
From James Clear: Build better habits, one step at a time.

This industry is built on hard work and persistence. Those values haven’t changed, but how we support that work has to. The future belongs to companies that care about their people, remove friction, and adopt new tools that make the job better for everyone involved.

Technology, mindset, and leadership aren’t separate conversations; they’re all part of the same one. The way we lead determines the way we build.

Where TruckIT Fits In

At TruckIT, we see this shift happening every day. The companies finding the most success aren’t just buying new tools; they’re building new habits. They’re taking the time to train their people, streamline communication, and focus on consistency.

Our job is to make that process easier. TruckIT helps teams remove friction from the day, automating dispatching, digitizing tickets, and connecting the field and office in real time. It’s the same philosophy that every great speaker at Dirt World preached: simple, steady improvement that frees up your team to focus on what matters.

We’re proud to be part of an industry that’s learning, adapting, and leading from the front.

Change doesn’t happen overnight; it happens load by load, day by day. Let’s keep building it together.

If you missed Aaron Witt’s message about the state of the industry, read The State of the Dirt World: Why Now Is the Time to Evolve.

The Dirt World Comes Together

TruckIT attended the 2025 Dirt World Summit, presented by BuildWitt and Ariat. More than 1,300 construction leaders came together to talk about the future of this industry, what’s working, what’s not, and what has to change to keep the dirt world moving forward.

The event focused on one big idea: if we want to build better, we’ve got to think differently about how we do the work.

Facing the Hard Truth About Our Industry

Aaron Witt, known across the country as the Dirt Nerd, didn’t hold back when talking about the state of construction today. The U.S. has more project funding available than ever before, billions flowing into infrastructure and private development, yet many contractors are struggling to keep up.

Part of the problem is people. The construction workforce keeps shrinking, and fewer young folks are choosing to enter the trades. The reasons aren’t hard to see. The work is tough, the wages haven’t kept pace with inflation, and the day-to-day grind hasn’t changed much in decades. Long hours, physical wear and tear, and growing mental health challenges are taking their toll.

Aaron’s point was clear: our outdated methods are driving people away and holding back growth. Paper tickets, manual dispatching, and disconnected communication make simple tasks harder than they need to be. Crews get buried in busywork instead of focusing on production. Dispatchers spend hours chasing information that could be shared instantly. The result is burnout, frustration, and lost opportunity.

The good news is that change is possible. Around the world, companies are proving that new technology doesn’t just make operations more efficient, it makes work better for the people doing it. Digital ticketing, automation, and smarter communication tools can reduce stress, improve accuracy, and help teams get more done with less friction.

If we want to attract and keep the next generation of workers, we have to show them that construction is evolving, that this industry values their time, safety, and skill. That change starts by rethinking the tools and systems we use every day.

Examples Worth Paying Attention To

When Aaron travels, he sees what happens when leaders stop clinging to old habits and start trying new things.

In Chile, a mining company facing a labor shortage took a bold step: they opened their doors to more women on the crew. That decision forced them to rethink their facilities, tools, and even safety gear. It wasn’t easy at first, but it paid off. The company built a stronger, more stable workforce, improved efficiency, and showed the rest of the industry what progress can look like when you challenge tradition.

In Australia, a quarry introduced autonomous haul trucks to handle repetitive load cycles. The technology didn’t replace operators; it freed them up to focus on planning, maintenance, and higher-value work. By trusting the process and investing in experimentation, that company gained consistency, reduced downtime, and created safer conditions on site.

Both examples prove a key point: growth requires discomfort. The companies that thrive aren’t the ones clinging to old routines; they’re the ones willing to test new ideas, fail fast, and learn their way into something better.

Innovation doesn’t always mean massive investments or overhauls. Sometimes it’s as simple as rethinking a process, automating a step, or giving your people tools that make their work easier and safer. The future of this industry will belong to the builders who keep improving instead of just getting by.

Why It Matters Here at Home

Here in the U.S., there’s plenty of work to go around, but keeping up with it is another story. Most companies are busier than ever, yet margins are tight, labor is scarce, and back-office tasks are piling up.

Every hour spent tracking down paper tickets, every load logged by hand, every miscommunication between the field and office eats into profits. It also wears people down. In an industry already facing burnout, wasted time is more than an inconvenience; it’s a problem that affects safety, retention, and company growth.

The fix isn’t complicated. It starts with being willing to look at what slows us down and asking, “Is there a better way to do this?” For most companies, there is. The answer lies in tools and software built specifically for construction, simple systems that connect the field, dispatch, and office so information flows without bottlenecks.

This isn’t about chasing the latest tech trend. It’s about making smart, realistic changes that help your people do their jobs better, faster, and safer.

Why TruckIT Was There

That’s exactly why TruckIT showed up at the Dirt World Summit. We wanted to demonstrate that real solutions are available right now, helping contractors reduce friction with their customers, boost productivity, and save time.

We weren’t there to push technology for the sake of technology. We were there to listen and to share what we’ve built after years of working directly with haulers, dispatchers, and project managers. The feedback we heard was familiar: there’s never enough time, the paperwork never ends, and everyone’s trying to do more with less.

TruckIT helps fix that. Our platform replaces manual, paper-heavy processes with digital workflows that make the day run smoother, from dispatch to delivery to billing. We help contractors track loads, streamline communication, and reconcile tickets automatically, using the equipment and devices they already have.

See how TruckIT helps contractors, haulers, and material suppliers streamline dispatching, ticketing, and billing, without overcomplicating the work. [Book a quick demo →]

Tag: dirt world summit

Insights for the Dirt World From the Savannah Bananas, Tim Grover, and James Clear