Road construction can be a very profitable endeavor, provided that jobs are completed properly and deadlines are met. But when things go wrong, money has a funny way of suddenly becoming a negative factor in the equation.

Given that an incredible amount of taxpayer cash is on the table, road building is always going to be a serious matter that allows little or no margin for error. The strictest standards must be met. With so much on the line, it's no wonder that a growing number of road building contractors are turning to "intelligent" rollers that take the potential guesswork out of the asphalt compaction process.

When we get to a job, the groundwork has already been completed.

One company that has embraced intelligent compaction technology is JoB Construction, a Poteau, Okla.-based asphalt contractor with a project territory that covers Oklahoma and Arkansas. Not unlike the decisions made by most businesses, JoB's choice to purchase an intelligent compaction roller wasn't made on a whim. It came because of a bad experience that the company was not eager to repeat.

Although JoB does its fair share of commercial work, the company's primary expertise is producing and paving asphalt on federal and state highways. "When we get to a job, the groundwork has already been completed," said Billy Hoffman, vice president of JoB Construction. "We're focused on the asphalt portion of a project."