A conversation with Jeremy Huckaby of Corrective Asphalt Materials (CAM) — On The Road with RMT
Every public works agency knows the drill: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The roads generating the most complaints get the most attention and often, the most budget. It’s an intuitive approach. It’s also, according to Jeremy Huckaby of Corrective Asphalt Materials (CAM), one of the most expensive habits an agency can fall into.
In our latest episode of On The Road, we sat down with Jeremy to talk about pavement preservation, shrinking budgets, and why the data tells a very different story than the one most agencies are used to hearing.
The Appliance Problem
Jeremy opens with a comparison most people can relate to instantly: buying a new appliance.
“When you think about roads and asphalt, it’s really similar to going to buy an appliance at a store like Lowe’s or Home Depot,” he explains. “You’re going to pay more for it. The problem is it’s not going to last as long as it used to.”
Roads are no different. Materials cost more than they used to, budgets haven’t kept pace, and agencies are getting less life out of every dollar spent, unless they change when they spend it.
The Clock Starts Earlier Than You’d Think
One of the more surprising points in the conversation: pavement doesn’t start deteriorating when the first crack appears. It starts long before that.
Jeremy walks through the chemistry, how a road loses roughly a third of its maltenes (the “glue” that holds asphalt together) right out of the gate, meaning the aging process is already underway before most agencies even begin tracking it. By the time a problem becomes visible, an agency has already lost a significant window to act proactively and affordably.
Why “Worst First” Feels Right, But Isn’t
It’s not that reactive repair is a bad instinct. It’s a completely understandable one, squeaky wheels get attention, and new pavement is visible, tangible proof that something is being done. As Jeremy puts it, “new pavement wins elections.”
But while all the attention goes toward the worst roads, the good roads in the network are quietly deteriorating in the background. By the time those roads need attention too, the agency is stuck playing catch-up on a growing list and the cost of catching up only compounds over time.
Not All Rejuvenators Are Created Equal
The conversation also digs into pavement rejuvenators, a category Jeremy says gets lumped together far too often. “A lot of people take rejuvenators and just term it as, hey, it’s just another sealer,” he says. In reality, the chemistry, depth of penetration, and long-term data behind different products can vary significantly. His advice: don’t take anyone’s word for it, go find the third-party testing and data before making a decision.
Where the Industry Is Headed
Looking ahead, Jeremy sees proactive pavement preservation becoming a bigger part of the conversation across public works, not because philosophies are shifting overnight, but because budgets are forcing the issue. With growth accelerating across regions like the South, agencies are being asked to manage larger networks with the same (or fewer) dollars. The math increasingly favors getting ahead of deterioration, rather than reacting to it.
Watch the Full Conversation
This is just a preview of a much deeper conversation. Jeremy and our team cover a lot more ground, from how to start building a data-driven preservation plan, to what separates a road that ages gracefully from one that doesn’t, to the tools agencies can use today, at no cost, to start making the case for a proactive approach.
On The Road with RMT is an ongoing video interview series featuring conversations with industry leaders in pavement management, public works, and infrastructure. Catch up on past episodes and stay tuned for more conversations from the field.