What Skidabrader does

Skidabrader Group LLC is a U.S.-based pavement texturing and surface preparation services company founded in 1983 and headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with a corporate office in San Diego, California. The company specializes in restoring and improving surface friction on roads, highways, bridges, airport runways, and motorsport tracks through three proprietary technology platforms: a patented high-velocity bidirectional steel-shot abrading system (the Skidabrader machine), a patented ultra-high-pressure water-blasting system using 50% less water than conventional methods with instant recovery and zero runoff, and the Blank Canvas ghost-stripe remediation process. These technologies are delivered through mobile fleets dispatched to project sites, with the company operating what it describes as the world's largest fleet of 1,000-horsepower bidirectional abrasive blasting machines, capable of processing up to 12,000 square feet per hour. The company also manufactures and sells the HydroTimer, a precision outflow meter calibrated to ASTM International E2380-05 for measuring pavement drainage capability, priced at $3,900 per unit.

Skidabrader's business model is project-based professional services sold through direct sales to government buyers. The go-to-market targets state Departments of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, FAA-regulated airport authorities, federal agencies such as NASA, and motorsport facilities, with contracts awarded through competitive government procurement. Primary customer segments are airports and aviation authorities, state DOTs, and bridge and tunnel operators, with secondary segments in motorsports, federal transportation agencies, and local municipalities. Pricing for services is quote-based and project-specific and not publicly disclosed. The company reports quantified safety outcomes including 71% crash reduction on a TxDOT I-20 project, 51-84% crash reduction on an NCDOT I-40 corridor, and 70% friction improvement on Maryland SHA's I-495 Capital Beltway, positioning safety outcomes rather than unit pricing as the principal sales argument.

In July 2025, Skidabrader was acquired by Frontline Road Safety Group, the largest U.S. pavement marking company, which operates 85 locations and reports $1B in annual revenue across all 50 states. The company continues to operate under the Skidabrader brand with its existing leadership, including President Stephen Klugherz, Vice President John Freeberg, Business Development Manager Sheldon Spears, and General Manager Josh Jones. Operational reach spans the United States and Canada, with certified operators delivering FAA- and ICAO-compliant friction restoration, rubber removal, paint stripping, and certified testing services using Mu Meter, Stripe Master SM2T Retro Reflectometer, and Hydro Meter equipment.

Name

Skidabrader

Legal name

Skidabrader Group LLC

Website

https://skidabrader.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Skidabrader Group LLC provides proprietary pavement texturing and friction-restoration services to U.S. and Canadian state Departments of Transportation, FAA-regulated airports, federal agencies, and motorsport venues using patented bidirectional shot-blasting and ultra-high-pressure water technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Pavement Texturing Services: High-production pavement texturing services for transportation industry using proprietary Skidabrader bidirectional shot-blast machines. Revenue generated through project-based contracts with government agencies, airports, and highway authorities for friction restoration and surface preparation.
2. Rubber and Marking Removal: Ultra-high and low-pressure water blasting services for runway rubber removal, paint stripping, and surface cleaning. Highway-legal truck-mounted UHP equipment mobilizes to perform rubber and stripe removal on runways, also removes coatings and cleans bitumen from road surfaces.
3. Runway Safety Services: Comprehensive runway maintenance including friction restoration, rubber removal, stripe application and removal, gate and ramp cleaning, pre and post friction testing, reflectometer testing, water drainage testing, and FOD control.
4. Testing Services: Certified runway skid and stripe reflectivity testing using Mu Meter, Stripe Master SM2T Retro Reflectometer, and Hydro Meter equipment. Testing services for friction, paint reflectivity, water flow, and pavement marking visibility.
5. HydroTimer Equipment Sales: Sale of HydroTimer precision testing instrument, a self-contained outflow meter calibrated to ASTM International E2380-05 Standard. Sold for $3,900.00 per unit to aviation industry, DOTs, and transportation engineers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Skidabrader provides mobile pavement texturing, friction restoration, and surface preparation services using proprietary bidirectional high-velocity shot-blasting machines and ultra-high-pressure water blasting systems. Services are delivered directly to government transportation agencies, airport authorities, bridge/tunnel operators, and motorsports venues across North America to improve road and runway safety, remove rubber buildup, remediate ghost striping, and restore pavement to FAA compliance specifications. The company also sells the HydroTimer ASTM-calibrated drainage testing instrument.

Product overview

Skidabrader Group offers a portfolio of proprietary pavement texturing and surface preparation technologies and services. The core offerings include Skidabrading (high-velocity bidirectional steel shot abrading), Ghost Stripe Remediation (Blank Canvas process), Ultrahigh Pressure Water Technology, and Shot Blasting systems. These technologies are delivered through service offerings for road and highway, motorsports, bridge and tunnel, airport/runway, and testing applications. Additionally, the company sells the HydroTimer, a precision ASTM-calibrated drainage testing instrument. The company operates a fleet of 1,000-horsepower bidirectional shot-blast machines and UHP water-blasting equipment, serving DOTs, airports, and government agencies across North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skidabrading High-velocity, bidirectional steel shot abrading service that transforms slick pavement into skid-resistant surfaces by enhancing macrotexture and microtexture, promoting water drainage and improving wet-weather friction. Sold to state DOTs, airports, bridge authorities, and motorsports venues.
• Ghost Stripe Remediation (Blank Canvas) Pavement texturing service that uniformly treats the full width of pavement to eliminate color and texture contrasts caused by ghost striping, removing scarring by 80% to 100% and restoring consistent surface appearance. Sold to state DOTs and local municipalities.
• Ultrahigh Pressure Water Technology Patented ultra-high-pressure water service with cyclonic high-velocity air that uses 50% less water than traditional methods, providing instant water recovery with no runoff for runway rubber removal, paint removal, and surface cleaning. Sold to airports, DOTs, and motorsports facilities.
• Shot Blasting Closed-circuit centrifugal shot blasting service that projects steel abrasive media at surfaces to clean, prepare, and improve skid resistance on concrete, asphalt, highways, runways, and industrial floors without chemicals or water waste. Approved for highway use by DOT authorities.
• HydroTimer Self-contained outflow meter hardware product calibrated to ASTM E2380-05 that measures pavement drainage capability by timing water flow through texture voids, indicating skidding and hydroplaning potential under wet conditions. Available for purchase at $3,900 per unit to aviation industry, DOTs, and transportation engineers.
• Road and Highway Services Pavement texturing and surface preparation services for highways including asphalt and concrete texturing, ghost striping remediation, curing removal, bitumen removal, and high friction surface treatments to reduce wet-weather accidents. Sold to state DOTs and highway authorities.
• Motorsports Services Track surface preparation service including friction enhancement, burnishing, ultra high-pressure cleaning, marking removal, asphalt preservation, and FOD (Foreign Object Debris) removal for racing surfaces. Sold to racetracks and motorsports facilities.
• Bridge and Tunnel Services Surface preparation service for elevated roadways and bridges including texturing on asphalt, concrete, and overlays; preparation and removal of overlays; and hydroblasting to remove bitumen for improved friction and drainage. Sold to bridge and tunnel authorities.
• Airport/Runway Services Runway friction restoration service including texturing, rubber removal, stripe application/removal, gate and ramp cleaning, pre and post friction testing, reflectometer testing, water drainage testing, and FOD control to FAA compliance. Sold to airport authorities and aviation operators.
• Testing Services Certified pavement testing service including friction testing with Mu Meter, paint reflectivity testing with Retro Reflectometer, water flow testing with Hydro Meter, and runway skid and stripe reflectivity testing per FAA/ICAO guidelines. Sold to airports, DOTs, and federal agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 71% reduction in car crashes on I-20 East Texas (21 lane miles, 3-day project)
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Frontline Road Safety GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Skidabrader Group LLC joined Frontline Road Safety Group in July 2025, becoming part of the nation's largest road and runway safety contractor with 85 locations and $1B in annual revenue. Frontline is the largest pavement marking company in the U.S., serving airports, government agencies, public highways, roads, and private corporations. With more than 50 offices nationwide, the combination provides national scale with regional expertise. Frontline is based in Denver, Colorado and handles projects of any size across all 50 states.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Blastrac: Blastrac is a surface preparation equipment manufacturer and service provider specializing in shot blasting and grinding. While it also sells equipment, its service division competes with Skidabrader on industrial and infrastructure surface preparation work.
• NLS Engineering (Next Level Surface): NLS Engineering is a smaller pavement texturing and surface preparation specialist serving DOTs and airports. It overlaps with Skidabrader on friction restoration and pavement texturing but at a smaller scale and narrower geographic footprint.
• Waterblasting Technologies: Waterblasting Technologies provides ultra-high-pressure water blasting and surface cleaning services for runways, highways, and industrial facilities. It is a direct emerging competitor to Skidabrader's UHP water technology line, particularly for rubber and paint removal.

Broad incumbents

• Frontline Road Safety Group: Frontline Road Safety Group is Skidabrader's parent company and the largest pavement marking contractor in the US, with 85 locations and $1B in annual revenue. It is a broad incumbent in road and runway safety services, offering overlapping capabilities through Skidabrader and its wider portfolio.
• Stripe-A-Long: Stripe-A-Long is a regional pavement marking and road safety services contractor with adjacent market overlap to Skidabrader. It serves DOTs and municipalities with marking and striping services, comparable to Frontline's broader footprint.

Regional players

• Curtis Contracting: Curtis Contracting is a Mid-Atlantic heavy highway contractor with pavement preservation, reconstruction, and surface improvement services. It is comparable to Skidabrader as a regional heavy-highway services provider for DOTs, though its geographic focus is narrower.
• Heatec/Aechtner (heavy civil runway services): Aechtner is a heavy-civil and runway maintenance contractor in the upper Midwest providing surface treatment, marking, and pavement services. It is comparable to Skidabrader as a regional player in airport and highway infrastructure maintenance.

Direct peers

• Penhall Company: Penhall is a national heavy-civil services company specializing in concrete cutting, sawing, pavement services, and surface preparation. It competes directly with Skidabrader in pavement texturing, grooving, and runway/highway services across the US.
• Surface Preparation Technologies (SPT): SPT manufactures and operates shot-blasting and surface preparation equipment for roads, runways, and industrial floors. It is comparable to Skidabrader in both equipment technology and service delivery for friction restoration and surface texturing.
• Diamond Surface Inc: Diamond Surface Inc is a direct competitor in pavement texturing, diamond grinding, and groove cutting for highways and airports. It serves similar DOT and aviation customers with overlapping friction restoration and surface preparation services, making it the most direct functional peer to Skidabrader.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/skidabrader
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@skidabradergroupllc
• Facebookfacebook.com/skidabrader
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skidabrader-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/skidabrader

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Skidabrader