Choosing a GPS Tracker for Heavy Equipment

Construction firms face a host of challenges in today’s market. By using a GPS tracker for heavy equipment operations, you can increase your operational efficiency and uncover additional value streams across your business.

Choosing a GPS solution for your machinery can be tough with so many options available.

In this blog, you’ll learn how GPS trackers for heavy equipment can help you coordinate your employees and assets on all your job sites.

Why Do You Need a GPS Tracker for Heavy Equipment?

Over the last decade, the slow but steady adoption of new technologies helped drive efficiencies across the construction industry. With historically low margins, contractors are now faced with a host of challenges that they must overcome in the long term.

McKinsey & Company notes that the next chapter in construction technology will coincide with the rise of the platform era. Keeping your plant, asset, and equipment location data available on a single integrated platform provides a slew of benefits, including:

• Reduced theft – GPS trackers work as both a deterrent to criminals and help recover stolen equipment or machinery.
• Improved operations – With accurate location data, you can quickly find all of your equipment on a job site and effectively manage all your operations.
• Streamlined maintenance – Modern GPS trackers also report on operating hours and other machine telemetry. This allows you to schedule critical maintenance and inspection tasks.

To start benefiting from implementing a GPS tracker for machinery and equipment in your business, consider the four tips below.

4 Tips to Help You Choose a GPS Tracker Solution for Your Construction Equipment

GPS trackers have thousands of applications and are common in almost every industry today. When you start your evaluation process, you need to ensure you are choosing a GPS solution that can withstand the harsh environment of a construction site. Not every manufacturer intends for their trackers to support heavy machinery during their extended use in remote locations.

Follow these four tips to ensure you make the right decision the first time around.

1. Look for a Versatile GPS Tracker Provider

The company you choose will need to cover your equipment and machinery tracking requirements. The solution should be versatile enough to track both your powered and non-powered equipment within the same platform.

Answer the following questions before you start looking for a GPS tracker solution:

• Will you need to use your location data to generate reports on equipment utilization?
• Does the company provide GPS trackers for different types of equipment, vehicles, and tools?
• How much effort will it take to identify each piece of equipment by type across your global operations?
• Can you quickly locate a specific piece of equipment with real-time GPS tracking?

If you determine the answers to these questions, you can start vetting your solution providers to see how they stack up against the competition.

2. Consider the Implementation Challenges

To get the most out of your GPS tracking data, you’ll need a company that can assist with all of your implementation requirements and provides expert support afterward. You’ll need advice on where you can securely install your GPS trackers and pointers on how you can use the asset tracking software to its fullest potential.

Ideally, the company you choose will have field service technicians available to guide you through the installation and deployment stages. Consider companies that:

• Provide pre-deployment planning assistance
• Have the expertise to recommend the right solutions for each application
• Can assist with on-site installations
• Are knowledgeable enough to help you quickly troubleshoot issues

3. Evaluate the Integration Capabilities of the Platform

It’s not enough to have your GPS location data available on a single platform. The information you generate should add value to your operations by integrating with other line-of-business (LOB) applications. Form-fitted asset management integrations and customizations enable you to streamline all of your heavy machinery operations.

Find a GPS tracking platform that allows you to:

• Feed your GPS location data into software systems like ERPs or third-party applications
• Modify the format of the data to ensure accuracy while transferring the information between systems
• Customize your solution to suit your exact needs with additional features or specialized reports

4. Ensure the GPS Trackers can Handle Heavy Duty Operations

You must also ensure your GPS trackers will work in harsh environments over extended periods. You need to consider everything, including available power sources (long-life batteries and solar chargers), housing that comes with hermetically sealed construction, and reduced maintenance requirements.

Look for GPS trackers that:

• Are compact and designed to operate in harsh environments
• Come with additional identification capabilities like QR code scanning
• Use an optimized design for power efficiency to increase the service life
• Communicate only with satellites to avoid complicated data roaming agreements

Trust Geoforce with Your Heavy Machinery GPS Tracking Needs

Geoforce has a wide variety of heavy-duty GPS trackers to support both your powered and non-powered equipment. You can track your heavy machinery across the globe from a single platform and instantly locate your equipment job site or custom GIS parameters.

You will also have the ability to customize the platform and integrate your GPS tracking system with your ERP solution. As a result, you can leverage all of your asset location information, improve your productivity, reduce costs, and respond to any issues proactively.

To start leveraging your GPS data and improve your construction operations, get in touch with Geoforce today.