Telematics Can Reshape The Future For Construction

There is an argument that construction doesn't have enough feet on the ground to keep up without telematics, such is the potential of the technology to transform the industry.

From improving safety, reducing fuel burn and carbon emissions to lowering insurance costs, improving vehicle utilisation, site delivery scheduling and even closing gaps in the communication process between departments, the applications and benefits of telematics in construction appear endless.

Some construction equipment manufacturers have been using telematics on their machines for 10 years or more. At the most basic level, telematics systems offer a tracking system for stolen machines. A desire to reduce plant theft, and insurance premiums, has been a significant driver in the take-up of telematics, but it is really only the starting point.

The construction industry is particularly interested in the application of telematics to driver behaviour and the availability of data to improve safety, for example. In our recent Customer Insight Survey, the top five most cited/important roles for vehicle tracking were improving driver behaviours (safety); improving driver behaviours (idling); as a control/deterrent (unauthorised use); better scheduling (site delivery); and lowering insurance costs.

One of the most obvious benefits that telematics provides is the ability to monitor idle time. By knowing which operators and machines and drivers and vehicles operate with excessive idle time, businesses are able to use the information to modify behaviour and reduce the associated costs - fifty per-cent is not uncommon.

But idle time is just the low-hanging fruit, and telematics has much more to offer construction managers and contractors. Telematics data can be used to help operations and procurement to make decisions, closing those gaps in the communication process by enabling collaboration between decision makers in other departments.

For example, the utilisation reporting that telematics provides informs decisions about depreciation, rental rates and the gain or loss on disposal of equipment and vehicles. Idling information also affects depreciation, fuel and lubricant costs and maintenance parts and labour.

Telematics can be used in insurance claims from third parties, to prove that the vehicle in question was nowhere near the area for the alleged incidents.

And the technology can also be beneficial in keeping customers up to date about when a vehicle will arrive, as well as providing with proof if a customer claims a driver hasn't arrived. In the construction industry, it's especially important to keep tight control over project schedules, so being able to accurately predict site arrival times can make a real difference to operational efficiencies.

There are many applications and benefits of telematics that I have not highlighted in this article, such as implementing the data into HR systems in the future. We are always thinking about what else we can do with the technology and construction provides us with a fantastic opportunity to really push the boundaries of possibility. Watch this space.

For more information on what telematics can do for your construction business today click here.

Richard Lilwall is Head of Enterprise, UK & Ireland for Navman Wireless and is a contributor to the Navman Wireless blog. He has 15 years' experience in all areas of telematics and has a background in the construction sector as a qualified Civil Engineer.