Construction companies are like any other business: they’re always looking for ways to improve efficiency. Fleet tracking is one way that you can accomplish this with ease. If you’ve been in the industry for any duration, you’ve probably heard of fleet tracking and its benefits.
Construction fleets of all shapes and sizes can enjoy these benefits. Managers can take a step back and manage everything from a single screen on their phones or computers, telling them what is happening without micromanaging. How can your fleet take advantage of GPS tracking for construction equipment? We’ll break it down here.
No. 1: Assign Crews and Assets Effectively
Of course, you want to get the most out of your employees and assets. Therefore, you’ll want to know how everything is used on-site. As mentioned, you can view when vehicles are running. For example, if you notice one site has vehicles idling while another has people reporting overtime, you can reassign workers and equipment as needed.
No. 2: Maximize Productivity
Maximizing your fleet’s efficiency and productivity is the name of the game. Construction fleet tracking tells you everything about your vehicles, including where they are, when they start and stop, and when the ignition is turned on or off. You can tell when an asset has been off for a while and check in with the operator to ensure everything is going according to plan. Furthermore, when workers know they are being monitored, they are more likely to remain on track, ensuring that work gets done quickly and efficiently as if you were directly overseeing on-site.
No. 3: Prevent Theft
All fleets should invest in asset tracking. Azuga offers two types of asset trackers: rechargeable asset trackers that last for six months and long-life asset trackers that last up to five years. The most apparent benefit of asset tracking is that it prevents theft. If a thief targets your vehicle or asset, you can report to the police exactly where it is. This makes it more likely that your vehicle or asset will be recovered quickly and undamaged.
Geofencing is also an aspect of fleet tracking that prevents theft. You create a boundary on a map, and when a vehicle or asset exits this boundary, you’ll receive an alert. This allows you to take action as quickly as possible to recover your asset in one piece.
No. 4: Reduce Fuel Use
Tracking idling is a critical benefit of fleet tracking. Idling is a huge fuel waster; for every hour your drivers spend idling, a truck wastes about 0.8 gallons of fuel. Once you start tracking, you’ll find that it happens more often than you think. Telematics can create reports that show you what vehicles are idling and how much fuel is being wasted, showing you exactly where you may need to check-in or provide coaching.
Furthermore, fleet tracking lends itself to route optimization, which uses algorithms and machine learning to help vehicles and equipment get from site to site in the most efficient manner possible, wasting the least fuel.
No. 5: Improve Maintenance
Keeping vehicles maintained is a primary aspect of a fleet manager’s job. Fleet tracking provides information on engine hours, mileage, and equipment time to keep your vehicles running efficiently. You can also set up maintenance alerts to ensure you never miss a scheduled vehicle maintenance appointment. Keeping your vehicles maintained ensures that you won’t have any unwanted surprises like breakdowns or malfunctions that keep your team from being productive.
No. 6: Find Assets Easily
Another benefit of asset tracking is that you can always find your assets when you need them. Having multiple job sites and not knowing where a particular piece of equipment is can be frustrating. This is no longer an issue with fleet tracking. It’s easy to find missing assets and reassign them to other job sites as needed.
No. 7: Maintain Compliance
So often, in construction, you find yourself in a rush to meet deadlines. This makes it easy to go over hours or skip breaks. Prevent this from happening by tracking hours of service and keeping workers compliant with regulations surrounding breaks and hours worked. Of course, getting the job done is important, but breaking compliance comes with heavy fines that hurt your bottom line, and it’s better overall to avoid any mistakes.
Start Tracking with Azuga
Construction fleet tracking is crucial for all aspects of operations for a construction fleet. It makes businesses more efficient and effective, saving money down the line. Azuga offers top-of-the-line fleet tracking software that your construction fleet can use for a reasonable price. Reach out to one of our experts today to go over your options.
