You flip the key, the screen lights up, and your machine shows true elevation without a base or a model. That one moment changes everything, no waiting on stakes, no rebenching, no guessing. We brought EasyNav from CHC Navigation into our own excavator and walked through installation, setup, and real-world use with Ryan Deemer, (Skid Steer Nation) and Chuck Harris (Benchmark Tool & Supply) to see how this tech finally meets the blue-collar bar: cost effective, reliable, and easy to use.
We cover the practical wins first. In-field design lets crews cut pads, set slope trenches, crown long driveways, and cast planes with a few taps. Utility and septic teams get safer, faster workflows by setting trench depth from the cab and capturing bottom-of-trench shots for airtight documentation. For owners wrestling with labor, the retention angle is big: once operators see clean visuals and simple tasks, they don’t want to go back, your shop becomes the place they stay.
We also get honest about money and support. Entry-level 3D at the price of old 2D systems means ROI lands fast; fewer hours, fewer bodies, and more jobs finished each month. Financing and strong warranties smooth cash flow, and Benchmark’s nationwide service network, remote screen support, and growing training library remove the fear from onboarding. Need to scale to full 3D modeling later? The path is there without ripping out hardware.
Beyond the gear, we talk culture and systems: define values, fix one fire at a time, and build a hiring process that selects for attitude and teaches skill. Save and reuse designs for franchise pads and long driveways, give clients clean as-builts, and stop bleeding time waiting on stakes. The message is simple, adopt now and lead, or risk losing your best operators to crews that already have.
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More About this Episode
Why Simple Machine Control Is the Future of Blue Collar Construction
For years, machine control in construction has been treated like something reserved for massive earthmoving companies, highway contractors, or firms with entire departments dedicated to survey and modeling. If you were a utility contractor, septic installer, small excavation company, or dirt guy running lean crews, GPS machine control felt out of reach. Too expensive. Too complicated. Too time consuming to implement.
That mindset is finally being disrupted.
What we are seeing right now in the blue collar space is not just new technology. It is a fundamental shift in how contractors think about efficiency, labor, safety, documentation, and growth. The rise of simple, affordable, operator friendly machine control systems is opening doors that were closed to most of the industry for decades.
This is not about flashy features or chasing trends. This is about solving real problems that contractors face every single day in the field.
The Real Bottleneck in Construction Is Not Equipment
Most contractors believe their biggest limitation is equipment size or horsepower. In reality, the biggest bottlenecks are labor, accuracy, and information flow.
The labor pool is shrinking. Experienced operators are retiring. Younger workers learn differently and expect technology to be part of the job. At the same time, projects demand tighter tolerances, better documentation, and faster turnaround.
Traditional workflows have not kept up.
Think about how much time is lost waiting on stakes, resetting lasers, rebenching machines, arguing with engineers over grades, or digging twice because the first cut was off. Every one of those inefficiencies costs money. Every one of them compounds over the course of a year.
This is where modern machine control changes everything.
Machine Control Is Not About Replacing People
One of the biggest misconceptions about GPS machine control is that it replaces labor. It does not. What it does is remove wasted labor.
When an operator can see real time elevation, slope, and alignment directly in the cab, fewer people are required just to check grade. That labor can be reassigned to moving materials, prepping pipes, installing products, or running another machine.
For utility contractors, this alone is a game changer.
Imagine digging a trench where the operator knows exact depth without pulling someone out of the trench box to check grade. That improves safety, speeds production, and reduces rework. At the same time, every shot taken becomes documentation that protects you when disputes arise.
This is not theoretical. This is happening right now.
Why Simplicity Matters More Than Advanced Features
The industry has been flooded with highly advanced systems that do incredible things on paper but rarely get fully used in the field. Most small to mid-sized contractors do not need complex 3D models, heavy data management, or full scale automation.
What they need is something that works immediately.
A system that powers on, connects, and gives accurate elevation without hours of setup changes everything. When an operator can pull a machine off a lowboy, turn it on, and go to work, adoption skyrockets.
This is where EasyNav by CHC Navigation stands out.
Instead of forcing contractors into complex workflows, EasyNav focuses on practical field tasks. Flat pads. Sloped pads. Trenches. Ditch alignment. Grade checking. As built documentation. Tasks that make up the majority of work for utility crews, septic installers, excavation companies, and site prep contractors.
No model required. No base station setup. No waiting on control points just to get started.
Real Time GPS Without the Traditional Headaches
Historically, GPS machine control required base stations, localization, and extensive setup. That alone kept many contractors away.
With nationwide correction networks and modern receivers, machines can now achieve centimeter level accuracy simply by connecting. If you can send a text message, you can access GPS corrections.
That means elevation data in real time, even before you localize or build a model. For contractors who want to trust but verify, localization can still be done. But the barrier to entry is gone.
This is especially powerful for utility work, septic systems, and small commercial projects where speed matters more than complex modeling.
Documentation Is Becoming Non Negotiable
One of the most overlooked benefits of machine control is documentation.
In underground work, if you cannot prove where something is, it might as well not exist. Shots taken at subgrade, top of pipe, bedding, and structures create a permanent record. That record protects you when disputes happen months or years later.
With modern machine control and rover systems, this documentation happens naturally as work is performed. No extra crew. No additional steps. No forgotten notes.
For septic contractors, this can mean providing customers with accurate maps of tanks, lines, and fields. For utility contractors, it means protecting your company from costly rework and claims.
Labor Retention Is the Hidden Advantage
Technology is no longer just about efficiency. It is about retention.
Operators who work with modern machine control do not want to go back. Once someone experiences digging with real time grade feedback, going back to lasers and guesswork feels like a step backward.
This matters more than most owners realize.
If you want to keep good operators, you have to provide tools that make their job easier and safer. Contractors who ignore this will struggle to retain talent as technology becomes the norm across the industry.
Affordable Technology Changes the Conversation
For years, cost was the primary objection to machine control. That excuse is disappearing.
When an entry level 3D capable machine control system costs roughly the same as a few months of labor, the math becomes obvious. When financing options put that cost into a manageable monthly payment, adoption becomes realistic for even the smallest crews.
This is not about spending money. It is about reallocating it.
Instead of paying for inefficiencies year after year, contractors can invest in systems that improve productivity, accuracy, safety, and morale.
One Tool That Scales With Your Business
Another advantage of modern systems like EasyNav is scalability.
A contractor can start with simple in field design and later upgrade to full 3D functionality without changing hardware. That means your investment grows with your business instead of becoming obsolete.
For companies that already own high end systems, there is still a place for simpler machine control on smaller excavators or machines operated by newer employees. Not every task requires a complex model. Many tasks simply require an accurate grade.
The Bigger Picture for Blue Collar Businesses
At its core, this shift is not about GPS or screens in cabs. It is about mindset.
The contractors who will thrive in the next decade are the ones willing to adopt tools that remove friction from their operations. They are the ones who stop holding everything in their head and start building systems. They invest in technology that supports their people instead of overwhelming them.
Machine control is no longer a luxury. It is becoming standard equipment.
Those who adopt early gain efficiency, protect margins, and retain talent. Those who wait will find themselves competing against companies that move faster, document better, and operate with fewer headaches.
The future of blue collar construction is not about working harder. It is about working smarter, safer, and with better tools.
And that future is already here.
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