Construction fleets can reduce costs, reduce risk, and increase revenue when GPS tracking is applied to their operations.
West Coast Sand and Gravel services the construction industry delivering a wide array of materials in bulk as well as hauling off material. Before West Coast Sand and Gravel started using GPS tracking to track 374 of their vehicles and pieces of equipment, they relied heavily on communication via radio/phone with drivers. This complicated how they were able to track productivity, customer service, and verify deliveries. “Anytime we needed to communicate information to a driver, we had to take time away from their day to speak with them on the phone,” said Brad Zimmer, Environmental & Special Projects at West Coast Sand and Gravel.
West Coast Sand and Gravel decided to look into GPS tracking to help them solve these challenges. “A major concern for our company was finding a more efficient solution to relay information from drivers back to the office,” said Brad Zimmer, “we needed a method to confirm deliveries and pickups that was more effective and would not take up as much time for the driver or employees back at the office.”
The last stipulation was finding a GPS tracking solution that was user-friendly so that employees would be able to use the new software company-wide.
How it was solved:
Since implementing The GPS Insight Vehicle & Asset Tracking Solution into their operations, West Coast Sand and Gravel now has visibility into the real-time locations of every vehicle and piece of equipment in their fleet. This allows them to deliver great customer service, more effectively communicate with drivers throughout the day, and increased productivity and efficiency. West Coast Sand and Gravel’s employees quickly learned to navigate the GPS Insight platform and have been able to utilize its functionality to streamline reporting and gain access to quantifiable numbers.
West Coast Sand and Gravel improved customer service by providing accurate ETAs to customers, “At any given time, we know where our trucks are located. This affords us the ability to let our customers know when our vehicle will arrive to deliver or pick up material, all while not making a call to the driver,” said Zimmer. Using real-time GPS tracking maps allows construction fleets to identify any vehicle or piece of equipment’s current location at a glance.
West Coast Sand and Gravel also uses GPS tracking to correct productivity issues they experienced before implementation. They use this technology in conjunction with Garmin navigation devices to route their vehicles more efficiently and communicate with drivers throughout the workday.
West Coast Sand and Gravel expressed the need for a more efficient way to relay information from the field back to the office. GPS Insight took this feedback to create the Garmin Custom Forms functionality. Custom forms are assigned to a Garmin navigation device so that drivers can fill them out at the point of service and send them back to the office in real-time. This technology can be utilized to expedite invoices straight to the billing department, identifying crew members on the jobsite for payroll, verify deliveries, track inventory, and more.
West Coast Sand and Gravel solved more than just their original challenges with GPS Insight. They have also been able to consistently reduce idle time across their fleet since implementation. By setting alerts to notify drivers and management any time vehicles or equipment surpass 10 minutes of idle time, they have significantly reduced fuel costs fleetwide. In one quarter, they were able to reduce idle gallons by 37%, or 5,205 gallons. That translates into a savings of over $18,000 on fuel in one quarter due to idle time alone.
When asked what he thinks other fleet professionals should consider when selecting a GPS tracking provider, Zimmer said: “I would advise looking beyond seeing your vehicles on a map and understand the added value in reporting, messaging, and other features offered that will help the business.”
How West Coast Sand & Gravel thinks GPS tracking can help other construction businesses like yours:
- Improve Customer Service
- Communicate with Drivers in the Field
- Gather Real-Time Data from the Field with Custom Forms
- Improve Driver Productivity
- Reduce Fuel Costs
Construction GPS tracking can help businesses, like yours, reduce costs, reduce risk, and increase revenue. Contact GPS Insight to learn more about how GPS tracking will help your business receive true fleet intelligence.
