If you work in construction, your business isn’t just on-the-go—it’s all over the place. You may even have job sites sprawled across different cities or counties. And until they invent teleportation, it’s impossible for you to monitor all of your trucks, equipment, and personnel in person.

The good news is that GPS tracking for construction equipment allows you to monitor your operations from afar. More than that: You can track the movement of your assets, receive alerts when they enter and exit specified boundaries, and make more informed decisions about which resources to send where.

Let's go back to the basics of GPS tracking since it's important to know how it works for construction equipment to get the most out of it—and to feel confident about using it in your business. Here’s a quick overview.

GPS: What is it and how does it work?

Originally developed in the 1960s to monitor the position of military submarines, global positioning systems (a.k.a. GPS) finally became available for civil and commercial use in 2000. GPS relies on a network of government-operated satellites to calculate data points like location, distance, and speed. While there are thousands of satellites in space, GPS uses about 24 of them at any given time. No matter where you are on Earth’s surface, there are almost always four GPS satellites overhead!

Broadcasting from space

These satellites constantly broadcast radio signals containing time and location information, which receivers on the ground translate into latitude, longitude, and altitude. 

With the advent of cellular technology and smart devices, people can access near real-time receiver information from virtually anywhere. And, because GPS originated as a government technology for military purposes, it has been fine-tuned to deliver the most accurate location information possible—we’re talking error margins of mere meters. Pretty cool, right?

Making life safer and easier

Most people have experienced the benefit and convenience of GPS technology at some point in their everyday lives. Have you ever tracked an activity using your smartwatch? Gotten directions to a new place using your car’s built-in navigation or a mapping mobile app? Deployed your vehicle’s emergency roadside assistance feature? If so, then you’ve made use of GPS –exactly like it’s used for construction equipment. 

Top 6 applications of GPS tracking for construction equipment

There are tons of business use cases for GPS technology. In fact, there are entire GPS platforms built specifically for businesses. These platforms allow businesses to place specific trackers on essential vehicles, tools, equipment, and other assets—and then monitor their location and use within a web-based software application. 

Here are some ways construction companies and other related businesses can leverage GPS tracking for construction equipment to make their operations more secure and efficient:

1. Moving Items Between Job Sites

When you can easily view the location of equipment on a map, you can make better decisions about which items to move where. For example, if you know your skid steer at Site A has been lying idle for several days and the crew at Site B—just a few miles away—will need one soon, you may arrange for it to be transferred.

2. Recovering Lost or Stolen Assets

Theft is a constant worry for any business owner—perhaps even more so for those in the construction industry. After all, at any given time, you have expensive tools and equipment sitting out in plain sight at a variety of locations across large geographic areas. While theft prevention isn’t always possible under these circumstances, theft recovery is a whole lot easier when you have indisputable data on the asset’s location—and when you know a theft has occurred in the first place. 

GPS tracking solutions for construction equipment allow you to set movement or boundary-based alerts, so you know immediately when something that shouldn’t move, does. On top of greater peace of mind, business owners who place GPS tracking - especially for construction equipment- on high-value vehicles can often score insurance discounts. A penny saved is a penny earned, right? 

3. Monitoring Equipment Use

The best GPS trackers for construction equipment offer historical location and usage data that can help you optimize both fleet inventory and maintenance. For example, if past data shows that you’ve been putting a lot of miles on Vehicle A but barely any on Vehicle B, perhaps it’s time to get rid of B and buy another A. 

Alternatively, if you have two vehicles or pieces of equipment of the same sort, but one is getting far more useful than the other, you can make changes to balance mileage between the two. That way, neither one will be subjected to greater wear and tear than the other, and maintenance plans will be more aligned. Finally, you can use speed and trip length data to guarantee that everyone on your team is driving safely and for the purpose intended.

4. Confirming Arrivals and Departures

Need to make sure your assets or your crew members arrive on time at the appropriate sites? GPS tracking for construction equipment helps you do just that. You can even create custom alerts to notify you at the exact moment a tracked item or vehicle arrives at or departs from a specified location.

5. Routing Vehicles

If you’re in the construction industry, you know your day rarely goes 100% according to plan. Delays happen, emergencies pop up, and schedules change. With a GPS tracking system, you can seamlessly route or reroute your drivers, crew members, vehicles, and equipment in the most efficient, least disruptive way. And, with the best mobile GPS tracking for construction equipment, you can do it all from the palm of your hand, without having to physically check-in with each worker.

6. Providing Clients with Visibility

Ever get a call from an impatient client who wants to know when you’ll arrive at their location? A reliable GPS perfectly designed for construction equipment enables you to deliver more than a broad estimate. 

You can relay exact information about the location of the vehicle in question. Some applications even allow you to securely send private, temporary map links so clients and other external third parties can follow a particular vehicle’s location and movement in real-time.

Final Thoughts: GPS Tracking for Construction Equipment Is Essential

To sum up, GPS tracking software is crucial for companies involved in highly responsible and dangerous processes. Especially in the construction industry. To be completely informed about equipment on a construction site, consider GPS technology.

Interested in learning more about the many ways a reliable, easy-to-use GPS tracking platform can help you improve business security, efficiency, and overall performance? Request a free, no-obligation demo of the best FPS tracker for construction equipment.