Concrete Equipment Financing: Mixers, Pumps, and Batch Plants

Frank DiMaggio has been pouring concrete in the Southeast for twenty-three years. His company started with two mixer trucks and a small commercial contract base — now he runs fourteen trucks, two pump trucks, a portable batch plant, and eighty-three full-time employees across two states. He's financed equipment more times than he can count.

The question he gets asked most often by younger contractors trying to scale isn't about finding work — it's about how to finance the equipment to do the work they've already found.

Here's what Frank knows, structured for the contractor who's at year three or year five and trying to understand the capital equipment landscape for concrete operations.

The Concrete Equipment Universe and What Each Category Costs

Concrete operations involve a wider range of capital equipment than most trades, and lenders don't evaluate all of it the same way.

Mixer trucks ($140,000–$300,000): A standard 10-cubic-yard rear-discharge mixer on a Kenworth T800 or Mack Granite chassis — this is the most common concrete equipment financing transaction. Lenders are very comfortable with mixer trucks because the secondary market is well-developed. Used mixer trucks from McNeilus, Rex, London, and other major drum manufacturers trade actively. A 2021 McNeilus mixer truck in reasonable condition has buyer interest within weeks.

Front-discharge mixers ($200,000–$350,000): Popular in western markets for their jobsite visibility advantage. Stronger residual values in some regions. Finance terms are similar to rear-discharge.

Volumetric mixers ($180,000–$320,000): Cemen Tech, Hy-Way, Rex — these are metered, on-demand concrete production units. Excellent for specialty mix applications, remote jobsites, and short-pour situations where batch plant material would set before use. Lenders familiar with concrete understand volumetric mixers; those who aren't may need a brief explanation of the application.

Concrete pump trucks ($400,000–$750,000+): Schwing, Putzmeister, Alliance — boom pump trucks are the most expensive single piece of equipment in most concrete operations. These are covered in more detail in our separate concrete pump truck financing guide.

Stationary and mobile batch plants ($150,000–$1.5M+): Johnson Ross, Rex, Erie Strayer, Besser, Columbia — ready-mix plants involve more complexity than mobile equipment. A portable batch plant is financed as equipment; a permanent ready-mix facility with aggregate bins, silos, conveyors, and controls is a project that combines equipment, foundations, and site infrastructure.

Small equipment ($5,000–$40,000): Laser screeds, power floats, vibrators, and forms are typically financed through vendor programs, business credit lines, or bundled with larger equipment packages.

Mixer Truck Financing: The Workhorse Application

The most common concrete equipment financing conversation is a mixer truck — and it's one of the more straightforward heavy equipment applications.

Lenders see mixer trucks as strong collateral because:

• The secondary market is national, with established dealers and auctions
• Major drum manufacturers (McNeilus, Rex, London) have recognizable brands in the used market
• Parts availability is good across multiple suppliers
• Useful life with proper maintenance is 8–12 years

The financing decision for a mixer truck is almost always a loan (purchase), not a lease. Here's why: mixer trucks are driven to the point of economic obsolescence, not technological obsolescence. You don't get a "better" concrete mixer the way you get a better iPhone. You run the truck until the drum, drivetrain, or chassis economics don't pencil anymore. Leases with residuals assume you'll return the equipment — but concrete contractors almost never want to give back a working truck.

Key application items:

• Equipment quote from dealer (new or used) including chassis and drum specifics
• 2 years business tax returns and current P&L
• 3–6 months business bank statements
• DOT operating authority documentation (MC number)
• USDOT registration

The DOT operating authority and safety rating are increasingly reviewed on concrete fleet applications. A satisfactory DOT safety rating is expected. A conditional rating with unresolved violations will slow or stop an application.

Ready-Mix Batch Plant Financing: More Complexity, Same Core Logic

A portable or skid-mounted batch plant — one that can be relocated — finances as equipment. A permanent, foundation-mounted ready-mix plant is closer to a commercial real estate transaction and typically requires a combination of equipment financing and real property lending.

For portable batch plants, the quote should include all components: weigh batcher, mixer (if wet-mix), aggregate bins, cement silos, conveyors, control house, and electrical. Portable plants from Johnson Ross, Erie Strayer, and similar manufacturers have secondary markets — contractors starting a new project or entering a new region buy used portable plants regularly.

Batch plant financing terms: 60–84 months for new portable plants from recognized manufacturers. Permanent installations: typically 10–15 year real property financing for the facility components, with equipment loans on the mobile and process equipment.

2026 Rate Ranges for Concrete Equipment

Strong borrowers (700+ FICO, 3+ years, established concrete operation):

• New mixer trucks (major chassis/drum OEM): 7%–10%
• New volumetric mixers: 7.5%–10.5%
• New portable batch plants: 7.5%–10.5%
• Used mixer trucks (5 years or newer, major OEM): 9%–13%

Mid-tier borrowers (640–700 FICO, 2+ years):

• New equipment: 10%–14%
• Used: 12%–16%

Terms: New mixer trucks: 60–84 months. Portable batch plants: 60–84 months. Used mixer trucks: 36–60 months depending on age and mileage.

The Multi-Unit Fleet Application

Frank's company didn't get to fourteen trucks by financing them one at a time. After the first few units established a payment history, he moved to fleet financing — a single credit line or master agreement that allows him to add equipment against a pre-approved pool.

Once you have 3+ pieces of equipment financed and paid responsibly with the same lender, ask about a master lease or fleet credit facility. These arrangements let you add equipment faster, with streamlined documentation (not a full underwrite on every unit), and sometimes at better rates because the lender understands your business at a portfolio level.

This is how concrete contractors scale equipment faster than competitors — not by negotiating each transaction individually, but by building a lending relationship that operates on a pre-approved framework.

Use the equipment loan calculator to model individual mixer truck or batch plant payments. Get a quote for your concrete equipment financing — single trucks, fleet expansion, or batch plant projects.