The construction industry has been increasingly utilising new technology, changing the way employees work — even the humble hard hat has had a smart makeover. The industry can even benefit from using telematics, or fleet tracking technology, which has seen increased development and now tracks more than just the GPS of vehicles in the fleet.

With all the features now involved in fleet tracking technology, construction companies can take advantage of telematics to save money and maximise productivity on a daily basis.

Fleet tracking can maximise routes and calculate specific arrival times

The GPS software that comes with fleet tracking shows where vehicles are in real time, on a live map. Operators can then work out and manage the flow of traffic and vehicles at construction sites. Live arrival times can be shared with site coordinators, negating the need to constantly ring drivers for updates.

Newer softwares, such as Movolytics, offer specifically designed telematics for construction companies. This combines different features that are key to construction site, such as proximity alerts for nearby deliveries, tracking of vehicle location and length of use. All of which can be viewed on mobile or tablet apps, as well as desktops, for easy use by the coordinators, wherever they are on or off site.

Additionally, telematics systems can track fuel spend and driver behaviour. Inefficient driving uses more fuel, meaning businesses need to spend more money on fuel for the vehicles. Drivers will be able to see where they’re going wrong with the data collected by the fleet tracking system, and change the way their drivers operate, saving money for the company.

Vehicle tracking can help companies follow Construction Management Plans

Construction Management Plans (CMPs) map out an entire project’s schedule, including the flow of construction vehicles in and out of the development site. Businesses operating without vehicle tracking technology run the risk of building up construction vehicles on-site, which could get dangerous, and may breach the traffic management sector of the CMP.

Construction sites are always busy with an influx of different vehicles and machinery arriving and leaving the premises, as well as various workers and deliveries. There may not always be enough space for each vehicle, so knowing the location with a GPS tracker offered by fleet tracking can help plan the day a little easier.

Fleet tracking can also send alerts to developers once a vehicle has entered a certain area using geofencing. This can also be used to alert operators to busy periods around the construction zone, making it easier to handle traffic and prevent vehicle build ups.

Telematics systems can minimise overworking of construction teams

Fleet tracking systems are used to check that workers and drivers are operating efficiently, and on schedule. This info can be used to ensure that workers are running on schedule, and they they are not being overworked, or unnecessarily working overtime.

A recent study found that construction workers take the least amount of annual holiday, with the majority taking an average of four days holiday per year. It’s important to keep track of working hours by employees, and ensure they are taking the relevant breaks during the day to reduce the chances of taking unnecessary risks caused by fatigue or by being overworked.

Fleet tracking systems can help businesses pay their workers accordingly too, with automated timesheets. Managers will be able to clearly see what time employees arrived to work and what time they left, and will be able to cross-reference timesheets.

Fleet tracking will alert you to unauthorised vehicle use

Businesses will be able to ensure that vehicles are being used for the company, and are not being used elsewhere. Managers can be alerted if a vehicle is being used for personal trips, which uses up more fuel, therefore costing the business even more money. Using vehicles outside of company hours can also drive up maintenance costs, as the vehicle goes through more wear and tear, which ultimately costs the business more money to repair.

Fleet tracking can be massively beneficial to a construction company, and can help make the job easier for staff as well as managers and site coordinators. While it can be used to save money by the business, it also allows staff to be treated fairly by allowing managers to work out payslips, and also improves on the health and safety of staff.