On some levels, telematics is a complicated concept. In construction, it involves digitally transmitting data from heavy equipment to another location and then displaying it for analysis. A more practical view of telematics can make this combination of telecommunications and computer science seem more accessible and useful: It takes information from your heavy equipment and sends it to your computer or mobile device, helping your business make more informed and effective decisions.

Let's look at some of the specific applications of telematics in the world of construction and how this technology can improve your company's performance.

Track your fleet

Whether you have a few pieces of heavy equipment in your fleet or a dozen, knowing where your machinery is gives you peace of mind. One popular aspect of telematics inside the world of construction - and beyond - is equipment tracking via GPS and, occasionally, other methods of location.

On sprawling jobsites, or when working with large fleets, equipment tracking helps companies keep tabs on some of their most valuable assets. This means it's easier to make more informed decisions about how to utilize and reallocate equipment. And in a worst-case scenario, equipment tracking can even help your company find a missing asset, which might be especially hard to recover otherwise. 

Stay on top of maintenance, reduce downtime and measure use

Telematics has the power to provide a wide range of valuable information about equipment, from a second-by-second accounting of its use and idle time each day on the jobsite to warnings tied to diagnostic codes and fuel consumption. With this information flowing into a single source, such as a visual dashboard on a computer or mobile device, it's much easier for business leaders to make informed decisions.

In terms of preventative maintenance, it's much easier to follow guidelines related to hours of operation when you have an accurate record of exactly how long the equipment has been used. And with real-time information about diagnostic codes triggering in specific machines, promptly scheduling a visit to a qualified technician and avoiding more complex and costly breakdowns is a relatively simple task. By following best practices related to equipment maintenance and with support from telematics data, your business can reduce downtime and stay on schedule - or even finish jobs early.

Caterpillar offers Product Link™ combined with VisionLink^®, a robust remote monitoring solution for fleet management that provides your business with deep insight into your fleet through the power of telematics. Cat Financial is here to help you finance the new and used equipment - Product Link can generally be retrofitted to equipment as much as 10 years old - that an effective telematics platform depends on.