How Pronghorn Construction Keeps a Growing Heavy Civil Fleet Fueled and Productive
September 9, 2026
Salt Lake City, UT – In roughly five years, Pronghorn Construction has grown from pouring sidewalks, driveways, curb, and gutter to taking on multimillion-dollar heavy civil projects across Utah.
That expansion has brought larger jobs, more equipment, and new demands on the people responsible for keeping projects moving.
Today, the contractor handles road reconstruction, underground utilities, pipe work, and heavy concrete projects for municipalities and the Utah Department of Transportation.
“We went from $5 million two years ago to $27.5 million this year,” said J.R. Hernandez, operations manager for Pronghorn Construction. “The company’s grown big.”
Hernandez helps manage projects across the company while overseeing Pronghorn’s superintendents and project managers. With that added workload has come the challenge of keeping people, equipment, and resources moving efficiently between jobs.
“For us, it’s really about trying to manage growth so quickly with our people, our fleet, our trucking,” Hernandez said. “That’s been one of the biggest things to navigate, making sure that we’re being efficient and tracking our costs.”
Keeping Up With the Work
Pronghorn’s growth has taken the contractor into increasingly demanding projects across Utah.
Recently, the company has been completing its largest project to date, a multimillion-dollar job in West Valley, Utah.The project includes work near a mall and residential areas, creating significant lane restrictions and logistical challenges. Still, Hernandez said Pronghorn was approximately two months ahead of schedule.
“The complexity doesn’t scare us,” he said. “We like the organized chaos. I think that’s one of the things that sets us apart.”
Keeping the equipment behind those crews fueled and ready to work became more challenging as Pronghorn took on larger projects.
The company had been using fuel cells that Hernandez estimated held about 100 gallons. On busy projects where crews might run 10 pieces of equipment for 10-hour shifts, keeping everything fueled could mean multiple trips to a fuel station in a single day.
“You’ve got a guy filling up several times a day just to keep the iron going,” Hernandez said. “That can be really costly.”
The challenge extended beyond diesel. Pronghorn purchased DEF in bulk, and crews had to make sure they brought what they needed to the jobsite. If they forgot, it could mean additional travel or a trip to a nearby gas station, where they paid higher prices. On projects located dozens of miles from the company’s home base, those trips added up.
Bringing Fuel and Service to the Equipment
As Pronghorn weighed its fueling options, the company wanted to avoid adding a conventional fuel truck and the compliance requirements that came with it. It ultimately added a Thunder Creek Multi-Tank Oil Trailer (MTO), giving crews mobile access to fuel, DEF, fresh oil, and grease.
The MTO cuts down on trips that would otherwise pull employees away from the jobsite for fuel or DEF.
“The superintendent can get [the trailer], get topped off, and get back up to the project,” Hernandez said. “It’s been one of the better investments we’ve made. It really helps us be efficient and not waste a lot of time and money.”
Hernandez said Pronghorn has looked closely at the labor and downtime associated with fueling.
“If a guy costs you $50 an hour, that’s $500 for a 10-hour day,” he said. “And sometimes equipment isn’t getting fueled, so equipment is shut down.”
Hernandez estimated that equipment downtime alone could cost $30,000 to $40,000 annually on a project. When lost labor, travel across the valley, and potential schedule impacts are factored in, he said the overall cost can climb much higher.
“For a company of our size, where every dollar counts, we’re talking 70, 80, sometimes upward of $100,000 in costs just because a guy is running across the valley and projects aren’t getting done on time,” he said.
A Right-Sized Approach to Fleet Support
The MTO also gave Pronghorn an alternative to adding a dedicated fuel truck and driver.
Hernandez cited the additional staffing, maintenance, paperwork, and compliance considerations that can come with operating a traditional fuel truck.
“One of the things that intrigued us is the no CDL, no hazmat requirement,” Hernandez said. “There’s a lot of red tape and restrictions that can come with that.”
“At the end of the day, you’re talking the salary of another person and the maintenance on the truck,” he added. “It just made more sense to go this route.”
Hernandez said Pronghorn’s fueling needs may change over time, and the contractor could eventually have employees dedicated specifically to fueling and lubrication. For now, the MTO gives the company the capacity it needs without adding that infrastructure before it is necessary.
Making Equipment Care Easier
The MTO also gives crews access to fresh oil and grease for routine equipment maintenance.
For Hernandez, keeping those maintenance supplies close at hand ties directly to how Pronghorn expects crews to care for its equipment.
“One of the things we try to teach our guys is that the equipment pays your salary,” Hernandez said. “If you’re not greasing the fittings and taking care of everything, it’s going to break down on you.”
Pronghorn still keeps traditional grease guns available, but Hernandez said having maintenance resources together on one mobile unit makes it easier for crews to keep equipment serviced and ready for the next shift.
“There’s no excuse for why your equipment isn’t fueled or why you’re not ready to go the next day,” he said. “You get the right tool for the job, and that’s part of it.”
That same emphasis on investing in the right tools carries over to Pronghorn’s people.
“We’re a company of the people,” Hernandez said.
“Our core people, the way we take care of them, we truly know they’re our greatest asset, and we invest in that.”
Growing Without Losing the Hometown Feel
Pronghorn sees room to keep expanding its capabilities, but Hernandez said the goal is to grow without losing the culture that helped build the company.
“There are a lot of big players in the industry here in the Valley, and we’re that company that can build at the capacity of the big players but with a hometown feel,” he said.
The company is considering additional capabilities, including paving and greater control over materials and bidding, while remaining small enough to maintain close relationships with its employees and their families.
“We know everybody’s name, we know their families, and it’s easier to take care of everybody,” Hernandez said. “We don’t want to become so corporate.”
Supporting that next stage means making investments that help Pronghorn get more from its people and equipment without adding unnecessary cost and complexity.
“Time is money,” Hernandez said. “That’s all beneficial to us.”
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