The construction industry is still known as one of the least digitized in the global economy. As a result, companies experience budget overruns and delays in project completion. But many businesses understand that the perception of what used to be necessary struggles of the construction industry can be solved with a telematics solution.

Advances in technology and more widespread adoption of construction equipment telematics have made it possible for businesses of all sizes to access and leverage machine data.

Using equipment management solutions comes with many benefits like improved machine health, increased safety and visibility on job sites, and lower administrative costs.

What are the benefits of fleet management software?

There are multiple perks to using software that can give you an overview of your fleet. From GPS location and improving maintenance schedules to understanding asset utilization and eliminating downtime, you’ll gain a competitive advantage over companies that haven’t yet adopted telematics.

A full fleet overview

Heavy equipment and smaller assets are at the heart of any business in the construction industry. That is why a benefit of telematics and fleet management software is the overview that it can provide.

Utilizing GPS tracking and alerts, you’re able to see where your heavy equipment is located at any time of the day. While it builds an overview, it can also be helpful in case of theft. Giving you confidence that you’ll be able to find a stolen machine by tracking its location.

Repair efficiency

Currently, many technicians get their insights into potential machine errors from those operating the machines or others present at the construction site. This can lead to decision-making being based on inaccurate descriptions.

By using fleet management software, you give technicians the visibility they need into the issues that might be taking place with an asset. They could see the fault codes in the software, giving them the ability to act swiftly and accurately no matter where they are.

Maintenance programs

Heavy equipment maintenance is an essential aspect of any business operating in the construction industry. An equipment error could be extremely costly to you and your customers. But with the right insights from construction telematics, you could create an effective equipment maintenance program that can ensure the health of your machines.

See how CBS Rentals, a US-based company, cut repair and maintenance costs by 50% using fleet management software.

Understanding utilization

Knowing what equipment is being used, when and where can be beneficial when making your equipment available, or figuring out the optimal refueling strategy.

Whether you own the machinery or rent it out for others to use, insights into the utilization of your fleet can help make equipment available.

By identifying which assets are over-or underutilized, you can move the assets around as you see fit. Informing customers that they are not using a hired machine, and ending the hire period, benefits both you and your customers.

Fuel consumption information

Fuel can be a considerable expense that affects your bottom line. With telematics, multiple data points and alerts can help you know when your machine needs to be fuelled. But, these data points can also improve your fuelling strategy that can ensure efficiency on construction projects.

Lower administrative costs

The operating costs associated with your equipment are not the only cost associated with fleet management. Manual processes like inspection checklists and billing are typical in the construction industry.

But, by using a fleet management system, you can lower these administrative costs. You can track how many drivers are using your machines, but you can also store checklists remotely and make them available for whoever needs to use them.

Bill customers for the correct usage with Trackunit Manager.

Construction site safety

Safety on construction sites is of significant importance for many businesses. In the US, fatalities related to work injuries in the private construction sector grew 5% in 2020, the most significant increase since 2007.

Construction sites are intricate places. Many things are happening at once, and everyone is working hard to achieve the same goal. A moment may arise where someone unauthorized to use a vehicle may be inclined to do so. This can lead to dangerous situations that can be avoided by using telematics.

Drivers who are authorized to use the equipment can be added to a system, so you can control the access to your assets. This can also be a beneficial tool when looking at insurance costs, as you can see who uses the equipment.

Get started

By implementing telematics on your fleet and using software to leverage the collected data, you can make your processes more efficient and effective while simultaneously increasing the value of your construction equipment.

Look at how a rental customer from the UK can deliver a great customer experience using telematics and the Trackunit solution.

If you’d like to get a demo of our fleet management software and get first-hand experience with the benefits of telematics, you can book a meeting with our experts here.