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The Morning Ruck

2.2 miles. 35 pounds. By any standard, it’s a simple walk outside. For me, and I’m sure anybody else who gets up at 0530 to get some physical work in, it’s the discipline. The routine. […]

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Windshield Debrief – Better vs. More Efficient

The world of construction engineering has changed during my coming-up-on 40 years in the business. What used to be done strictly using pencils, paper and field books has morphed into all sorts of technological advancements. […]

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Math for Surveyors

We might take the math skills that we have as engineers and construction professionals for granted. The course I teach has a math/geometry prerequisite requirement, however, many of the students haven’t touched sin/cos/tan or the […]

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We’re All Instructors

The term “lifelong learner” can mean different things to different people. Certainly, as a licensed professional engineer, it goes without saying that we HAVE TO BE lifelong learners – Continuing education is a requirement for […]

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No AI Slop Here

Good morning. I felt compelled this morning to post a statement here on the website: What is written and posted at Hildebranski.com is my work, my words, my experience. AI may be used as a […]

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Q&A – Changing Directions

What’s up Crew? Cool to be back with y’all. In this episode, I answer a question that I received from a college student who is considering changing his educational trajectory into construction management. Episode Transcript […]

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Spring, 2026 Reading List

Spring, 2026 Stack – This is one of those stacks where I, seriously, don’t know which one to grab BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL INCREDIBLE READS!!! I just finished The Culture Code: Game Changer! I’m in […]

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Finally!!

Spring weather has arrived! The Joliet Junior College CM 125 Construction Layout crews have been getting their hands-on training done in the hallways this winter-What a great change of venue to FINALLY GET OUTSIDE this […]

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Looking at 2026

I’ve never been one to feel like I need to wait for January 1 to start something. I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions – Just make the decision of what needs to get done […]

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Construction Site Emergency Planning

I thought that I’d posted a series of links & articles about planning for jobsite emergencies, but I guess I was mistaken. Things to consider: A couple of other resources:

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5 Articles Worth Keeping

As I go through the process of purging various sources of Brain Book information, I’m building a reference library of purposeful articles. Here are 5 worth adding: Tips for Winterizing Your Construction Equipment Are You […]

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Now THAT’S a Work Truck!

My goal is to try and figure out how to get all of this gear into my work truck – I’ll likely have to flip the back seats down, probably need a trailer for the […]

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The Reason We Write

A bit of a stream-of-consciousness post this morning. My strength & life coach is Zach Even-Esh. If you’ve never met or heard or seen him, go find him. It’s said that we are the people […]

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Texting, Driving & Work Zones

First and foremost, it appears that the woman was physically OK. That’s what matters most. Vehicles are machines, complicated assemblies of metal, plastic, rubber & glass. They can be fixed. They can be discarded. Unfortunately […]

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JJC Surveying – Fall 2025 Check-In

The Joliet Junior College AEC 125 construction layout crews have been making the best of the fall weather by getting their hands-on training done in the parking lots. The crews spent the first half of […]

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Windshield Debrief – Consistency

With this episode, I’m rolling something out that’s a bit different. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe not. Like most of you, I do a lot of training, job and daily work activity preparation while holding […]

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Performance Enhancement

Occasionally, a video crosses my feed that is worth bookmarking. Trying a new tactic here-This one is so good and so timely, I want to memorialize it here in the website. Takeaways:

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The Value of Training

We had a great night of training last night. Our Plainfield Emergency Management Search and Rescue Team participated in a night training exercise with several other surrounding SAR teams. Hat tip to Liz Brady and […]

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Civil Engineers & Public Policy

If you know me, you know where I stand on a lot of things. Having a website affords me the opportunity to express thoughts on what is of interest to me in my own space, […]

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Mid-Year Book Stack Check-In

It’s June, 2025. Halfway through the year. It’s as good a time as any to do a “What Are You Reading” pit stop and post an update on what I’ve been soaking in for the […]

Honoring Firefighters

FROM THE ARCHIVES

  • ARCHIVES

    Asking the Simple Question – The Solution

    In my previous article (CLICK HERE to read it), I described the maturation of a piling bearing capacity issue that we had on a recent railroad bridge project. Let’s dive into getting the issues resolved. [...]
  • ARCHIVES

    Asking the Simple Questions – The Problem

    “Ego clouds and disrupts everything: the planning process, the ability to take good advice, and the ability to accept constructive criticism. It can even stifle someone’s sense of self-preservation. Often, the most difficult ego to [...]
  • ARCHIVES

    When Slopes Fail – Part 2

    In this, Part 2 of my series on slope stability & erosion control failures, I want to dissect another jobsite failure that one of our projects suffered through a couple of years ago. The conditions, [...]
  • ARCHIVES

    When Slopes Fail – Part 1

    There are some people I know, when talking about their “college days,” who can recite chapters & verses of classes they took. They can remember class numbers, people in the class, problems they solved, the [...]
  • ARCHIVES

    It’s More than a Line

    I wanted to write a post discussing a design issue that we encountered out here on our site. MicroStation, AutoCADD and the like are the daily tools of choice for almost all designers, and no [...]
  • ARCHIVES

    The Risk of Traffic – Final Chapter

    So as I’ve developed in the last 2 posts, traffic control on a construction project exposes just about everyone involved in the process to RISK. A motorcycle accident in 2008 sent me through the legal [...]
  • ARCHIVES

    The Risk of Traffic – Part 2

    As I developed in my last post, engineers in construction are often-times thrust into situations of RISK that, in many instances, are completely beyond their direct control. I’m going to take you on a tour [...]

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