Why video telematics the next step in tackling driver distraction
When choosing a product for your business, whether it’s accounting or fleet management software , an important part of the decision process is finding out what existing customers like about it.
Preston Hire hire out specialised construction equipment across the country. The company uses our GPS-based fleet management software to maximise assets and profits. We talked with Sean Reid, National Sales Manager to find out which insights he found most beneficial to the business.
Remote health and safety monitoring
Health and safety of workers is an especially important in safety sensitive industries such as construction. As a hireage company, Preston Hire need to make sure operators understand how to use the equipment. The next step is monitoring use and alerting their customers to dangerous operating behaviours.
“I don’t just want to know the location of the cranes, but the behaviour of the operators – which is important for health and safety,” says Reid.
To traverse the 10-tonne mini-crawler cranes across a job site safely, operators need to lower the boom and fully retract the four outrigger legs. “With Teletrac Navman, I’ve got an opportunity to let my clients know when, where and how the cranes on their sites are not being used according to best practice”. Reid values that the GPS system gives him peace of mind that his crane fleet is being operated safely.
Machine utilisation
Fleet management software allows for businesses to bill their customers accurately and transparently. Using machine data, the software collates information on when and where a machine is being used. In one instance, a Preston Hire customer was ahead of schedule on the worksite and the crew began using a crane that was already delivered, but only booked for use from the following day.
“They weren’t being deceptive, but just had it on site and needed to get on with business,” said Reid. “With the GPS based insight, I was able to accurately and fairly bill an extra couple of thousand dollars for the extra period our equipment was in use.”
He notes that having objective data makes it easy to have conversations with customers and stay transparent about the transport, use and return of hire equipment. “The data takes the emotion out of it. You can’t argue with the numbers.”
Geofencing and asset tracking
Reid has used the live site tool function to set up a work boundary or geofence for Preston Hire equipment yards, so he knows the exact time and date when the cranes enter and exit. This is useful for scheduling maintenance and machine hireage – it also adds a good layer of security. Real-time insights give Reid peace of mind as he can locate Preston Hire's at any time, alerting him to possible unauthorised use or theft.
GPS tracking gives detailed insight into the transportation of assets, so Preston Hire can offer a reliable and accountable service. “I can see when a crane is in-transit and when it arrives at a customer’s site. I can even attribute delayed delivery to slow moving traffic, for example, or a delay in loading the crane at the yard,” said Sean.
To read more of our construction customer stories, visit our website .