When multiple projects are taking place across various job sites, it can be difficult to keep track of all the equipment and personnel that have been dispatched. GPS tracking is the gold standard for construction companies who want to improve their efficiency and cut costs across their organizations. GPS can help improve efficiency by promoting higher safety standards for crews and drivers, which leads to fewer expenditures on accidents and insurance claims. This blog highlights a few of the safety practices enabled by GPS technology.
For construction companies, ensuring that crews and equipment arrive safely and on time to job sites is paramount. Poor driving habits like speeding and idling can result in major expenses for a construction company. The added wear and tear of bad driving behavior can lead to higher maintenance costs, not to mention wasted fuel. GPS tracking makes improving driver behavior simple. With a GPS system deployed, fleet managers can receive notifications when traffic laws or guidelines are being violated. Internal programs based on information collected from GPS can help motivate drivers to make better choices on the road. Poor drivers put themselves and other drivers in harm’s way, endangering any team members who are also in the vehicle as well as any equipment that is being transported.
GPS tracking helps many construction companies distribute their resources more evenly, ensuring that equipment, vehicles, and crews aren't being over- or under-utilized. Better resource distribution can improve worker safety by ensuring that equipment and vehicles are on a regular preventative maintenance schedule, and that no crew member is being assigned to drive, or work with dangerous heavy equipment, when they are tired. Keeping track of equipment isn’t just a matter of knowing where it is. Construction companies can improve their efficiency by finding out how often a certain piece of equipment is being used, or if it isn’t being used at all and can be sold.
GPS tracking has the additional benefit of alerting you in case of theft. If crew members know their job site is being targeted, or is in a high risk area, they will be extra cautious when it comes to securing valuable assets.
Even for construction companies with just a few vehicles, car insurance is a large cost that can be offset by a GPS tracking system. According to this article in Forbes, drivers who know their vehicles are equipped with GPS tracking get into 20% fewer accidents. Safer driving keeps premiums and deductibles down.
Of course, some incidents are unavoidable, and in those situations, it can be a headache to put together the evidence and paperwork required to file claims. GPS tracking solutions offer reporting that is easy to search and synthesize. GPS is so valuable to insurance companies, some will even offer a discount to fleets that implement a tracking solution.
Fleet managers can also make use of information collected by GPS tracking in the case of an accident. GPS data makes it possible to analyze the conditions of the accident to see ways similar events can be avoided in the future, whether that means going more slowly than usual on a particular highway, or avoiding a particular intersection.
Want to learn more about GPS tracking for construction companies? Discover how GPS tracking can reduce operational costs.