In early March, AASHTO re:source hosted its 2026 Technical Exchange or “TechEx” in Louisville, KY; an annual event started in 2017 to connect those in the construction materials testing and inspection industry and to share knowledge and best practices.
[Above photo by AASHTO]
AASHTO re:source is a technical service program offered by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials that provides services and tools through three major programs: the Laboratory Assessment Program, the Proficiency Sample Program or PSP, and the AASHTO Accreditation Program. It hosts the yearly “TechEx” gathering to pursue its vision of pioneering a quality revolution within the construction materials testing and inspection industry.
The 2026 AASHTO TechEx conference is the largest one to date, AASHTO re:source noted – bringing together more than 250 attendees from over 114 organizations, representing 40 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada, for several days of focused learning, collaboration, and peer connection.
This year’s TechEx featured 32 targeted sessions that offered 18 professional development hours designed to support laboratory professionals at every career stage. Organized into three tracks – technicians; managers and supervisors; and directors – the program allowed participants to tailor their experience while encouraging cross‑track participation based on organizational needs and professional interests.
Sessions covered a wide range of timely topics, including concrete equipment calibration activities, expanding quality management systems beyond AASHTO R18, evolving thermometer requirements, special inspections, and standardizing quality processes using laboratory information management systems (LIMS).
In total, 37 presenters and panelists shared their expertise throughout the 2026 TechEx, reinforcing its peer‑driven approach and commitment to practical, experience‑based learning.
Beyond the presentations, the event provided numerous opportunities for networking and informal discussion, helping to strengthen professional relationships across the transportation materials industry.
Gary C. Pasquarell, Ph.D., P.E. – vice president of quality and training for construction consulting firm Froehling & Robertson – gave the keynote speech at this year’s TechEx.
Entitled, “Your Wonderful Life,” Pasquarell’s speech stressed that inspection, testing, and quality assurance professionals serve as “invisible guardians” of the public by ensuring infrastructure is safe.
Their role, he argued, is “essential, yet frequently underappreciated,” for when they do their jobs well, nothing happens – and that “nothing” is precisely the point.
Pasquarell also noted that, in the construction and infrastructure sectors, success is often defined by what “doesn’t” happen instead of what “does” happen.
By that he meant that bridges remain standing, buildings perform as intended, and communities go about their lives unaware of the disasters quietly prevented via rigorous testing and inspection protocols.
Using real‑world case studies, he demonstrated the stark contrast between projects where inspection and oversight are present and those where they are ignored, weakened, or corrupted.
Pasquarell further broadened that lens to global research, showing that weak oversight and corruption dramatically increase death tolls during natural disasters. Yet where testers and inspectors are “independent, vigilant, and empowered,” in his words, similar disasters result in minimal loss of life.
The message, he said, is clear: codes, standards, and designs protect no one unless they are enforced in the field – meaning that inspectors and technicians often serve as the final safeguard between intent and execution when it comes to transportation infrastructure.
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