The benefits of Fleet Management Tracking for Construction
Running a construction business can be a real headache logistically, with multiple sites in operation, a fleet of company vehicles to track, and issues such as mechanical failure.
Given that sites and vehicles may be in remote locations or out in hostile atmospheric conditions, you need a solution that can deal with the data and the weather. Fleet management software has been used for years within the delivery infrastructure, but it also offers key benefits to civil engineering and construction projects.
Asset Tracking
Your company may be dealing with several different build sites simultaneously. With regular deliveries to these sites using multiple deliveries, it can be hard to keep track of where everything is. A fleet management system will give you up-to-the-minute data on where your assets are. This will help you monitor the progress of containers, trailers, and drivers, and even provide security in case of attempted theft. Theft of machinery and metals has been increasing due to a worldwide shortage and loss of income during the pandemic. Therefore, it’s wise to take precautions so that you can act fast if the worst does happen. There are many solutions on the market including Bluetooth, solar and battery powered asset trackers that feed data back into the central hub, making it easier to schedule, monitor, and protect your assets.
Driving Management and Training
Safety should be the priority for every construction site and that includes conduct on the road for drivers. Regular feedback and ongoing training should be provided to all drivers within your workforce to ensure they are complying with the rules of the road and driving in a responsible manner. Data from asset trackers and within fleet management driver training software can inform you when drivers are performing well, as well as identify the need for further training when they fall short of expectations. Collisions, poor and dangerous driving, and fines can impact both your bottom line and your reputation, so this is an area that deserves attention. Accidents and any breaches of the law can also impact your insurance costs. Your workforce is likely to appreciate ongoing professional development that allows them to further refine their skills. With new tech innovations in the industry consider your bottom line and what to implement to support it.
Diagnostics
Imagine being able to know when an asset malfunctions or when maintenance is due. This is one key advantage of using a fleet management system. Through fleet maintenance software, real-time data can be captured from your vehicles to allow you to proactively plan when maintenance is necessary and to act quickly if mechanical failure occurs. In the construction industry, your vehicles and machines need to be performing at their best. Small issues can quickly escalate into large and expensive ones, and every hour your vehicles are in the workshop will be costing your business money and can be an obstruction to effective scheduling.
Compliance
As well as ensuring the compliance of your drivers in terms of legal speed limits and safe driving practices, and compliance of the roadworthiness of your assets, fleet management systems also can manage compliance in other areas. All drivers should have up-to-date certification and specific licenses for the types of vehicles they are driving. Likewise, the vehicles all need to be taxed and insured properly. Fleet management allows you to check whether drivers are complying with the set route, chosen for accessibility and also the safest, most direct way to the destination. Moreover, it will allow you to track whether set work schedules are being adhered to. This is essential for minimizing risk and for controlling costs.
Reliability
Depending on the system and devices selected, you can have an all-weather and all-area solution to your commercial vehicle management needs. One of the issues with construction sites and access to these is mobile coverage as certain regions are quite remote. Having to deal with interference and lost communication wastes time and money and can cause serious setbacks to your project. State of the art fleet management devices rely on GPS meaning reliable monitoring of vehicles, assets, and sites 24/7. In addition, robust solutions are required for all weather conditions and for external positioning, so you should check whether the fleet management system you are considering offers this.
Key Points
This software allows you to track and maintain your assets to provide projects on budget and on time to increase your bottom line with insights gathered by real-time visibility on one platform. You will be able to track the location of your vehicles and other assets. You’ll have very clear info on the state of operations and you can even run diagnostics remotely. Putting compliance at the heart of your business is key to ensuring legality and safety for your workforce, the general public, and your company’s reputation. It may sound complex to monitor all these aspects of your construction business, but there are many off the shelf and customizable solutions to help you reach your goal.
