The Situation

A leading ready-mixed concrete producer in the south-central United States supplies contractors across a 900-square-mile metropolitan area. Their fleet of over 250 mixer trucks delivers concrete — a mix of crushed rock, gravel, sand, cement, and water — directly to construction sites.

Because concrete starts to harden soon after mixing, on-time delivery is critical to keeping construction projects on schedule. To support operations:

  • Each of their 20+ sites has a 15,000-gallon (57,000-liter) diesel tank.
  • Each site uses about 10,000 gallons (38,000 litres) of diesel fuel every week.
  • Diesel fuel powers both the production equipment and the truck fleet.

The Challenge

In late 2017, the company started noticing a rise in fuel-related downtime across its newer production equipment and trucks.

After investigating, they found:

  • Premature fuel-filter plugging and fuel-injector wear were causing breakdowns.
  • Diesel met the basic D975 standards but wasn’t clean enough for sensitive Tier 4 engines and post-2010 trucks.
  • Annual costs were stacking up:
    • Around $280,000 USD for fuel injector replacements.
    • Another $64,000 USD for unplanned fuel-related service works.

Why the issue? Modern diesel engines require extremely clean fuel, but fuel quality standards haven’t kept pace with advances in engine technology. Operating equipment in dusty environments added to their fuel cleanliness challenges.  High-pressure fuel injection systems, running at more than 40,000 psi, do not tolerate even tiny amounts of contamination.

The Solution

Donaldson’s fuel specialists stepped in with a clear plan: Get the diesel clean before it touches any equipment.

Here's what they did:

  • Tested the fuel and found it to be contaminated to an ISO4406 level of 21/18/15.
  • Set a goal to achieve a minimum cleanliness level of 16/14/12 — over 60 times cleaner.
  • Installed Donaldson Clean Diesel Kits with 4-micron filters immediately before each dispensing nozzle cleaning the fuel before use.
  • Installed Donaldson T.R.A.P.™ breathers on each bulk tank to minimise airborne moisture and dust contamination.

The Result

The improvements were immediate and impressive:

  • Fuel cleanliness codes of 15/13/10 ±1 were achieved across all sites.
  • Premature fuel injector failures dropped to zero. Preventive maintenance replacements are now scheduled once every four years.
  • Reduced downtime and lower maintenance costs, keeping operations running smoothly.

The Takeaway

In dusty environments like aggregate and concrete, clean diesel is a game-changer. With Donaldson’s fuel filtration solutions:

  • Production equipment and trucks run longer and more reliably.
  • Fuel-related service issues are reduced, protecting both the fleet and the bottom line.

Donaldson recommends a three-step approach for any operation:

Donaldson T.R.A.P. Breather Donaldson T.R.A.P. Breather
  • Clean diesel as it enters the bulk storage tank.
  • Protect it in the tank with T.R.A.P. breathers.
  • Polish it at the critical point of dispense before fuelling equipment.

"This solution has virtually eliminated all contaminated-fuel-related downtime, and has saved even more money by increasing the operational hours before preventive maintenance has to be performed. The customer now keeps its equipment and mixer trucks up and running to provide on-time delivery of its quality concrete to its customers."

Jim Doyle, Donaldson Bulk Filtration Specialist

Filtration Value by the Numbers

Fleet Injector Failure Issues:

  • Before Donaldson Filtration: 1 failure every 3 weeks / $280,000 USD per year
  • After Donaldson Filtration: 0 issues per week

Fuel-Related Service Issues:

  • Before Donaldson Filtration: 3 issues per week / $64,000 USD per year
  • After Donaldson Filtration: 0 issues per week

Ready to protect your fleet and cut costly downtime?

Talk to your local Donaldson specialist today.