Fleet Tracking
Additional Add-on Services
Nov 23, 2022
Expensive construction equipment can be of great value, not just in terms of finance, but also in terms of their impact on the productivity and efficiency of many types of business.
Here at Fleetsmart we want to educate and inform all of our customers on the most efficient and cost effective ways in which to keep their construction equipment secure year round.
First things first, it’s vital that you keep a record of what potentially costly equipment you actually have on site, there’s no point in attempting to report the theft of an item you didn’t have in the first instance! Inventory logs should be meticulously reviewed and updated every so often so as not to lead to any miscounts and confusion regarding assets. Detailed documentation and pictures of each item can aid in asset identification and possible recovery.
It can also prove prudent to register any theft of property to the NER database (National Equipment Register), to boost the chances of stolen property return.
It may seem obvious, but this often overlooked part of asset security is crucial to protecting what belongs to you. Jobsite security can be achieved in a myriad of ways all contributing to the safe storage of equipment, for example it’s a good idea to make sure any site that is unattended at night is well lit and can be seen from a road to deter would be thieves.
Doing the basics well can also go a long way, locking all doors/gates and access points (including shutting windows) at the end of the day, fence or perimeter structure diligence and only granting access to trusted personnel can all bolster security.
For job sites that contain a lot of high value equipment it could be beneficial to hire designated security in both operational and ceased trading hours, also installing CCTV or movement detection sensor lights can prevent theft.
Telematics technology refers to the use of telecommunications and informatics to monitor an asset’s location and activity log. Telematics systems gather GPS tracking and vehicle specific data to transfer via means including- cellular network, satellite communication, mobile data, and GPRS to a central server. The data collated is then analysed and transcribed into specific metrics for the asset manager to interpret via our Fleetsmart app or website.
A huge benefit of our asset tracking systems is geo-fencing technology. Geo-fencing works by using GPS, RFID or cellular technology to trigger a pre-set programmed action, such as sending an alert notification when a device tag on a tracked asset enters or leaves a pre-curated virtual perimeter or ‘fence’.
Geo-fence notifications (said to be ten times more effective than traditional push notifications) keep asset supervisors in the know regarding their expensive property.
If your business has fallen victim to theft, the accurate tracking data as a result of geo-fencing can be used by the police as a property recovery tool.
Many modern expensive excavators are pre-fitted with an engine immobiliser, but if not, as an optional extra we can fit a remote engine immobiliser in mobile construction assets when possible. An engine immobiliser is fitted to a mobile assets ECU and sends a signal to you upon the detection of unauthorised use, you can then choose to remotely send an immobilising signal to the property once it comes to a stop.
As mentioned above, the early reporting of heavy equipment or machinery theft to the police and relevant insurance authorities, greatly increases the chance of locating and reclaiming the stolen property. As per the National Insurance Crime Bureau, delayed theft reports are the number one reason why stolen equipment is not recovered!
Nobody should be using expensive construction equipment who is not trained and qualified, and this includes safely and securely returning the asset. Operators should diligently log any equipment return for a supervisor to verify when carrying out an inventory check.
Our latest cutting edge technology will aid you in the optimisation of your business, with overall improvements in terms of security, asset management and operational efficiency, all the while saving money through diagnostic metric analysis.
Fleetsmart offer a range of the latest Telematics technology at extremely cost effective prices with scalable options starting from just £6.95 per vehicle per month. With a clear multitude of performance enhancing and money saving reasons to implement telematics to your vehicles, now might be the time to upgrade your fleet.