GPS monitoring permits social distancing and fleet administration throughout a pandemic

Amid the Covid-19 crisis, contractors, business owners and fleet managers still have to manage their fleets but may not want to go to the office every day and risk potential exposure to themselves or others. Fortunately, using technology offerings like a real-time GPS vehicle tracking system remotely from a smartphone, tablet or PC – in addition to email, zoom meetings, etc. – they can socially distance their fleets and work teams as well as dynamically manage the day without missing a beat.

Compared to traditional techniques such as face-to-face meetings and shuffling paperwork, the advanced technology now available improves control and enables immediate response and adaptation to the inevitable emergencies and changing needs that arise throughout the day.

“With an advanced real-time GPS vehicle tracking system, essentially all employees can create social distance. To avoid the possible transmission of viruses by other employees and vehicles, they can drive away from home in their typical company vehicle and go straight to the construction site without having to return to the office except to get the necessary supplies, ”says Ben VanAvery, Director of Sales and Marketing at Advanced Tracking Technologies (ATTI).

Such a GPS tracking system can facilitate social distancing and virtually eliminate the need for routine face-to-face interaction while ensuring that drivers and work teams stay on the job.

Fast and easy logistics management

If during the pandemic logistics requires it, emergencies arise, or the work needs to be carried out by a qualified technician available closest to you, such a system can be very beneficial. Real-time GPS vehicle tracking enables site managers to see which technicians are employed across the region, including the closest and most experienced technicians suitable for the job. By having access to real-time traffic data in the software, they can determine who is easiest to send to that location.

For example, ATTI’s Vision GPS vehicle tracking device transmits 10-second updates and shows exactly where the vehicles are when the fleet manager or dispatcher needs to know. In addition to real-time location updates, the system offers speed and idle time alerts if something is wrong. This data is transmitted around the clock to a smartphone or PC via satellite and cellular networks. The system has access to nationwide speed limits in its database.

Shipping can be done throughout the day and sent directly to the driver’s phone to inform the work team of the next construction site address. Once the job is complete, it is recorded in the system so the dispatcher, owner or fleet manager can stay up to date. That way it can serve as a remote timesheet.

Robert Hanneman is Business Development / Fleet Manager at K&D Construction Services of Chelsea, OK, a foundation specialist serving the utility market in a six-state area with a full range of foundation services. He has already used such skills.

“We use GPS tracking to know where our equipment is so we can get it to the next job site quickly,” says Hanneman. “We use it when planning which jobs will need which equipment, to make sure everyone gets what they need and nothing extra.”

He appreciates the fact that he can track all of his construction fleet vehicles with one system. “I didn’t want to look at multiple systems to see different things, with one set of trackers for the trucks and another for the skid steer loaders and mini excavators.”

With an ATTI approved PC or smartphone app, Hanneman can show the real-time location of his entire fleet on a map and zoom in on a specific vehicle. He can see at a glance whether a vehicle has moved (green) or stopped (red). When he touches a vehicle symbol, the app shows where the vehicle is, where it has stopped and how long it has been idling. All of this helps with spontaneous coordination.

“By zooming in or out on the map, we can see everything,” says Hanneman. “We can look up where the different crews are and see what equipment they have with them in case we need to reassign the equipment to different locations depending on the job.”

Hanneman notes that the work tasks are not always the same from construction site to construction site. “Maybe one crew has four skid steer loaders, another one, and I have to move skid steer loaders between the different crews,” he says.

“We have multiple crews working in multiple states. It is therefore a real advantage to be able to see where our vehicle fleet is in real time around the clock, ”he explains. “It also helps when we have to respond quickly to a need for emergency structures, for example repairs after a storm.”

To achieve better self-monitoring and efficiency during the pandemic, construction managers can also configure the system to automatically send real-time text or email notifications to individual drivers, groups or the entire fleet when factors such as traffic congestion, travel route or vehicle speed, starts, stops, or idles are cause for concern or deviate from the guideline.

Improved efficiency and security

Advanced GPS tracking systems can also improve efficiency on more established routes.

For example, because the GPS system is automated, travel reports can be generated that analyze important historical data, e.g. B. punctual pick-up or delivery services, and sent by email without anyone having to open software. The reports can be customized as needed to include as much detail as necessary, such as: B. How many stops, how long per location, top speed, mileage, idle times of the day, etc. Identifying and implementing more efficient routing and performance enables individual drivers and the entire construction fleet to achieve more in less time.

Such a system can also help individual drivers drive safer and take more responsibility for their own behavior without the need for micromanagement. A maximum vehicle speed of, for example, no more than 8 miles per hour above the specified limit value can be set and the driver can be informed of this. The system then tracks the vehicle speed and compares it with the speed limit in its national database, with exceptions that can be automatically emailed to the driver and fleet manager in a report if requested.

In addition, implementing real-time GPS tracking can increase the driver’s accountability by being less likely to make unauthorized trips, e.g. B. for personal errands when he is not working. This can help to minimize unnecessary vehicle kilometers, fuel consumption and wear and tear. GPS tracking can also be used to identify and reward a consistent on-time arrival, quick response to emergencies, etc.

For construction professionals, the bottom line is that today’s advanced GPS tracking systems can help make everyone as safe as possible while enabling optimal vehicle and crew management for work productivity.