How Telematics Can Improve Your Construction Business

Construction can be a tough industry to succeed in — tight project deadlines, demanding work conditions and challenging building projects can put stress on a construction company. How have some construction companies used telematics technology to reduce operating costs while improving job site security and worker safety?

Verizon Connect has been assisting construction fleets to achieve bigger profits and greater efficiency with the help of location-based intelligence. There are several key areas where Verizon Connect make a significant difference to the bottom line of fleets operating in the construction and building industries.

Better fleet management

There are four key ways that Verizon Connect telematics can streamline your construction business, making management of costs, personnel and building projects more transparent, highlighting easy cost-savings and procedural improvements.

1. Productivity — Verizon Connect Fleet gives fleet managers and business owners a view on how their assets are being used in the field. It also provides actionable data to assist with making important business decisions, such as reallocating assets and personnel based on demand and capabilities.
2. Asset security — Using Verizon Connect Fleet you can be alerted when an asset, such as a truck or excavator, has been moved outside of a specific area (known as geofencing). This deters unauthorized use of assets, helps recover stolen assets, and ultimately helps reduce both equipment replacement costs and insurance rates, resulting in significant savings. In one case, a Verizon Connect user reported that the recovery of one piece of equipment alone equaled the cost of the service for an entire year.
3. Asset management — Improve the maintenance and management of assets with Verizon Connect Fleet by improving hours-of-use records, scheduled preventative maintenance, and better warranty recovery. This makes sure that scheduled maintenance is performed on time, extending the life of company assets.
4. Asset inventory and use — Why buy a new piece of equipment when you already have one sitting idle on another job site? Verizon Connect Fleet gives fleet managers a comprehensive view on how and where equipment is being used. It stores information on the capabilities of each asset, such as what equipment is on a truck (e.g. boom, PTO etc.) so that mobile assets can be routed to the right job first time.

Why choose Verizon Connect?

There are several reasons why business owners in the construction industry are choosing to use Verizon Connect to manage their fleets. It offers several unique features that cater to the day-to-day needs of the construction business.

• Minimize fuel use and excessive idling — By monitoring when and how an asset is being used, fleet managers can implement programs to reduce asset idling and fuel use.
• Improve accuracy of billing — Accurately track the amount of time each employee spends on the job site. Using geofencing, you can quickly determine the exact time an employee's work truck enters and leaves the site, creating accurate timesheets and job billing. Another benefit is that it provides management with accurate costing information so bidding on new job tenders is more accurate and profitable.
• Authorized use of assets — Make sure company-owned trucks and equipment are used appropriately outside of work hours. Compare vehicle mileage and location to work schedules and pinpoint the exact amount of mileage expenses that should be assigned to a job, and how much of it was used on personal time by an employee.
• Improved safety — Get a constant, real-time view on the location and activities of all assets and the people operating them. It's also easier to find and get to coworkers who may need assistance. Monitor compliance against factors such as speed limits to make sure that employees are operating assets in a safe and efficient manner.
• Defend fake legal claims — Cost-effectively defend your company against litigious claims by being able to pinpoint the location of crews and equipment at a specific time, easily refuting false allegations.
• Minimal IT overhead — Verizon Connect Fleet is a web-based service (also known as SaaS), which means there's no additional computer hardware to purchase, upgrade or maintain, saving thousands in IT costs.
• Integration and scalability — Verizon Connect delivers businesses a complete, end-to-end location intelligence platform. It can scale to manage any number of assets for businesses, no matter how large the fleet. It also offers web-standard API tools that allow your fleet management to integrate with your existing software systems.

The construction industry can be challenging but it's good to know that Verizon Connect provides all the tools you need to make management of your fleet and mobile workers faster and more cost-effective.