Modern Contractor Solutions November 2024 - 19

REDUCING MAINTENANCE COSTS
Predictive maintenance: Telematics systems enable predictive
maintenance, which can drastically reduce costs. By monitoring vehicle
health in real-time, telematics can predict equipment failures before
they occur. Sensors can track everything from engine performance,
fuel usage, and tire pressure to oil pressure, brake wear, and battery
health. The data allows fleet managers to identify potential issues early
and perform maintenance only when needed, preventing unnecessary
routine checks that often lead to excessive spending.
Optimizing field usage and reducing idle time: Fuel is one of the
biggest expenses in vehicle operation. Telematics can monitor driving
behaviors that lead to excessive fuel consumption, such as idling, hard
braking, and rapid acceleration. By analyzing this data, companies can
imple¬ment training programs to encourage more fuel-efficient driving
habits among their operators, leading to sizable cost savings.
As a corollary, it's important to include the increase in uptime. The
ability to program alerts with sufficient lead time is a key feature. Seeing
that a 250-hour service is approaching when a piece of equipment hits
200-225 hours allows time to schedule the work at the most efficient
and least disruptive time.
Enhancing vehicle utilization: Telematics data can help companies
ensure that vehicles and equipment are used efficiently and not
sitting idle. By understanding usage patterns, companies can balance
the workload across their equipment, potentially reducing the total
number of assets needed and thereby lowering the maintenance costs
associated with each asset.
IMPROVING THE MAINTENANCE PROCESS
Automated maintenance scheduling: Telematics systems can automate
the scheduling of maintenance tasks based on real-time data and
historical performance, reducing the risk of downtime due to unexpected
breakdowns and extending the lifespan of the asset.
Customized maintenance plans: With detailed data on each asset's
usage and condition, telematics allows companies to create customized
maintenance plans instead of relying on generic schedules. As a result,
assets that are used more often can receive more frequent maintenance,
while those with lighter usage can have less frequent servicing.
Keep in mind that maintenance is not just engine service but also
safety intervals such as DOT inspections, calibration of equipment, crane
inspections, dielectrics, and other specialty type schedules that may be
specific to a type of equipment.
Streamlined maintenance records: Telematics simplifies the
documentation process, keeping accurate and easily accessible records
of maintenance history, asset usage, and performance data. This
centralized information system enhances decision-making regarding
vehicle repairs, replacements, and overall fleet management. Ultimately,
this ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and will provide
relevant material in the event of any warranty recovery claims.
Enhanced supplier and workshop communication: Sharing telematics
data with suppliers and workshops facilitates more effective
communication regarding vehicle maintenance needs. This ensures
that the right parts are available when needed and maintenance can
be performed promptly, reducing asset downtime, and improving the
efficiency of the maintenance process. Tying in your service providers
can provide a tremendous safety net to your asset maintenance and the
redundancy to ensure that assets don't exceed maintenance intervals,
key inspections, or calibrations.
For construction companies and fleet managers, the adoption
of telematics in vehicles and construction equipment presents a
substantial opportunity to reduce costs and enhance the effectiveness
of the maintenance process.
As the construction industry continues to evolve, leveraging
telematics will be key to staying competitive, ensuring operational
efficiency, and maximizing profitability.
about the author
Jason Perez is the CEO of YARDZ, a leading asset-management
platform. He can be reached at jason@yardz.com. Follow him at
www.linkedin.com/in/thejasonperez.
1-877-350-5584
www.mcsmag.com
NOVEMBER 2024
19
Modern Contractor Solutions November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Modern Contractor Solutions November 2024
