What Happens When Heavy Equipment Starts Driving Itself? w/ Dick Zhang (DT 481)

September 24, 2026 What Happens When Heavy Equipment Starts Driving Itself? w/ Dick Zhang Dick Zhang is the CEO of Bluelight Machines, a construction autonomy company putting self-driving technology to work on real jobsites. In less than a year, Bluelight’s autonomous fleet has grown from fewer than 100 active machines to nearly 200, expanded from the U.S. to five continents, and surpassed 1.5 billion square feet of material rolled autonomously. What started with contractors looking for solutions to workforce challenges grew into a company deploying autonomous heavy equipment around the world. Dick explains why civil construction is a bottom-up business, why technology that operators don’t want to use quickly becomes an expensive paperweight, and why Bluelight’s goal isn’t to replace skilled operators but to multiply what they’re capable of doing. He also shares how the company’s first autonomous roller was built using technology adapted from drones, why balancing safety and production requires constantly learning from what happens in the field, and how transparency around those lessons can make the entire industry better. Follow Dick on LinkedIn at:   / zhangr   Learn more about Bluelight Machines at: https://bluelightmachines.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com!