With expensive equipment in the field, it doesn’t always make sense to bring it back to the shop every night. Sometimes, Robert Turner, fleet operations manager at RIPA & Associates, has to lock up gear and equipment on-site. Previously, he would lock what he could in a warehouse or shed, then move a bulldozer or heavy equipment in front of the door. The procedure didn’t always deter thieves from walking or driving off with expensive gear.

Now, Turner stores his equipment inside a secure Conex container, along with a police siren, strobe light and the telematic system transponders, all connected to solar power. If the door opens, the siren and strobe go off and the system sends emails to Turner and his staff, immediately alerting them to what is happening and on which jobsite.

Turner recalls receiving an alert at 1 a.m. A dozer was starting up at a jobsite. Then, a door to a Conex container was opening. Turner quickly realized this was not a maintenance team that forgot to notify him they were there, but a theft in progress. He immediately notified the local police, who responded in time to foil the robbery attempt. When Turner arrived on the scene, roughly $200,000 worth of electronics and equipment were staged for pickup by the would-be thieves. The jobsite was secured and no property was lost.

Since the addition of the extra security from the telematics system to the Conex containers, Turner has only lost a few, smaller items due to theft. “Thieves might still grab something within arm’s reach and run away, knowing their presence has been given away, but the item is usually small and way less expensive than other equipment,” Turner said.

As a fleet management device, the telematics system manages the equipment so Turner doesn’t have to. A “Maintenance Due” report shows the number of run-time hours before maintenance is due for all equipment. Areas shaded in red indicate that service is past due, while areas shaded in yellow indicate that equipment is within 36 hours of its next preventive maintenance. Services can be tracked by hours and/or miles. Maintenance hours are tracked directly on the program, attaching data to specific pieces of equipment, which allows Turner to efficiently time maintenance, rather than wait for something to break down.

How long are your trucks waiting at the paver? How many tons per hour are you really putting down? Does your estimate have too high of a cycle time? 

Barrett Paving is an established paving contractor that specializes in roadway repairs, asphalt paving, and excavating and grading. As a company that has been in the industry for over 150 years, Barrett understands the importance of coming up with new solutions to evolve with the times. After beginning its partnership with FleetWatcher a few years ago, Barrett Paving has made big strides in its paving operations. One feature that has been the most useful for the team is the VST (virtual shift ticketing) feature. VSTs are designed to help project managers know when drivers are on the clock, what kind of loads they are hauling, and how many tons per truck there are. The team at Barrett spoke about their experience with VST’s during one of our previous webinars in December.

If I were to implement a telematics system, what would I be measuring? How would it give me the visibility and results that I desire? 

K-Five Construction Corporation is an Illinois based construction company that specializes in concrete and asphalt paving. Years ago the company was looking for solutions to manage their fleet when they discovered FleetWatcher. Since integrating FleetWatcher into its operations, K-Five has been able to easily monitor the delivery of materials to and from job sites. This ensures that the company’s production runs as smoothly as possible by allowing it to correct any delays at the plant or paver in real-time.