How to set up construction fleet management and ensure its logistics between sites? Can telematics optimize the billing process for equipment use? Why investments in advanced monitoring solutions is a must have for modern business?
Keep track of vehicles on site
For example, to find a crane with a lifting capacity of 20 tons and send to another site you need to make several phone calls and double check the information. This is not only a waste of time, but also a reason for delays in the workplace. As the vehicle fleet grows and the number of work sites increases, the problem of forming and moving equipment between construction sites may get worse.
Integrator companies solve such problems with GPS tracking devices and flexible software, where you can set and change settings for each type of equipment independently and display all the necessary data on the handy interface. Moreover, specialists can help company owners to define and set geofences so that they can see all vehicles on one map, as well as their main characteristics and current condition.
Modern monitoring solutions allow dispatchers and fleet managers to spend less time searching for equipment and create a list of necessary special equipment at a new facility in a few minutes.
Protect machines from theft
Construction vehicles are less likely to be equipped with alarms, is not monitored properly and is usually parked with a little attention paid to its protection. For intruders, the possible risks of theft of construction machines are compensated by a large profit from the sale, since the price of one loader or excavator can go up to $100K.
In addition to financial losses and a low likelihood to find the stolen machine, this can disrupt the contractor's work and lead to project delays.
With the monitoring system, you can not only locate the missing equipment and vehicles quickly, but prevent it. Solve the problem proactively. Create geofences around work areas and monitor any activity outside the specified limits: starting the engine, driving after extra hours, etc. All violations are instantly recorded and transmitted to the monitoring server, and notifications are sent to the owner of the equipment.
Provide more accurate invoices
Usually, payment for the use of special equipment depends on the time spent on the construction site. However, these are only approximate figures. The rented cars can be used overtime, transferred to other facilities or be overloaded. It is difficult to control such parameters without a personal presence, especially since it is difficult to track working hours manually. As it is highly possible to make an t error.
An integrator-company from Myanmar set up accounting system for excavator operating modes. Thanks to this solution, the owner of the fleet can create the invoices thoroughly, as well as suppress any facts of inappropriate equipment use.
Control and reduce downtime
This step is relevant for renters and owners of equipment, in other words, for those who uses the machines themselves and pay bills for fuel and maintenance. One of Galileosky partner describes the project: “At peak power, the pumping unit's engines consume more than 500 liters per hour, and the fuel consumption is faster than draining it through the hole in the tank.”
At idle speed, the engines also consume a significant amount of fuel, which in recalculation for a year can be equal to the price of a premium car.
Set the idle limit in minutes and shut off the engine by the command or set up notifications sending to drivers. With a comprehensive heavy equipment monitoring solution, you can see the savings in the first few months.
Monitor the equipment condition
In addition to significant direct costs such as regular maintenance, fuel, spare parts and labor costs, indirect costs are a big issue.
For example, a tanker was broke down on its way to a construction site. In addition to towing and repairing it, construction work will have to be postponed, paying employees downtime, as well as prolong the lease for construction equipment because there is not enough time to complete the order.
Indeed, some breakdowns are inevitable, but thanks to predictive analytics based on trackers and software, malfunctions can be foreseen, a spare part can be ordered in advance or another car can be sent on a route. Moreover, it is possible to remove a vehicle with critical problems from the shift immediately so that the problem does not become more serious.
A diagnostic system connected to the vehicle's electronics allows to regularly monitor any deviations from normal parameters and structure the readings in easy-to-read reports.
Set your machine maintenance intervals
Special vehicles, trawls and other assets require maintenance depending on the mileage, engine hours, load and season. Keeping a maintenance schedule for each asset is one of the best ways to reduce breakdowns and increase its lifespan. However, as the number of these assets increases, the task can turn into a complex process with the potential to make an error.
Solve this problem by setting up automatic maintenance reminders based on mileage, load, and working hours. It is possible to set different maintenance intervals for each type of vehicle. Timely maintenance prolongs the life of your machines.
Make careful driving a good habit
Before you can prevent dangerous driving, you need to identify it. Based on data from the accelerometer, shock sensor and satellite data, build a rating for assessing safe and economical driving for all drivers and equipment operators. Safety assessment is the calculation of hazardous driving events such as hard braking, acceleration and sharp cornering.
With this information, you can easily identify the most dangerous drivers, track and compare the performance of experienced and new drivers.
After an employee with an aggressive management style is identified, the fleet manager can have a look at complete information about each event on the way.
Has your business faced similar problems described in the article? See what else interesting we wrote about heavy equipment monitoring and driving style control. Need help with your project? Contact us and our specialists will help you choose the equipment.
