The future of bulk earthworks

HOW TELEMATICS IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF

BULK EARTHWORKS

COMPLETING BULK EARTHWORKS WITHIN A STRICT TIMELINE AND FIXED BUDGET CAN BE TRICKY. USING REAL-TIME DATA AND HISTORICAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY TELEMATICS CAN HELP BUSINESSES EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THEIR OPERATIONS, JAMES FRENCH, SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST AT TELETRAC NAVMAN WRITES.

Like a classic game of backyard cricket on a hot summer day, bulk earthworks are an essential part of any construction project. While the removal and transport of large piles of soil and rock may not sound important to the everyday person, it’s anticipated that the global earthworks market will reach $US136.7 billion ($192 billion) by 2025.1

Yet bulk earthworks can be a costly exercise. Depending on the size of the site, the type of machinery available or the number of staff on hand, even a minor setback can push the entire timeline out and create major headaches down the road.

Using real-time data and historical information provided by telematics and fleet management technologies, businesses in the industry can ensure consistent operations, before the first piece of soil is even dug up.

REAL-TIME DATA FOR SMOOTH OPERATION The removal of bulk earth is like the inner mechanics of a watch. You have all these pieces of intricate, specialised equipment that work independently of each other, yet need to work together to keep things ticking along.

On any given job site, there will be scrapers, excavators, loaders, and compactors all working in harmony. But if there’s a small technical fault with one of the machines, this can create a bottleneck scenario that leads to further delays as the team rushes to get the issue sorted.

Thanks to telematics, at any given point in time, whether you’re based on- or off-site, you can see where all your assets are and what they are being utilised for. This means you can instantly reallocate the machines you need to the project, and schedule in maintenance on the faulty piece of equipment to reduce downtime.

With an entire bird’s eye view of all your projects at the click of a button, you can see where assets are used, how they’re used and anticipate problems ahead of times to turn issues into opportunities. The unique opportunities real-time data provides allows everyone within the business to benefit from a smoother operation to ensure better efficiencies.

MAKING DECISIONS REMOTELY WITH HISTORICAL DATA By gathering data through telematics, you can effectively manage operations without having to be on the job site. When job sites span tens of kilometres, you could be on the other side of an infrastructure project, and still have a view of the operation.

While it’s not always possible to be there, with telematics, you can stay on top of everything remotely. With a view into each project from the luxury of your office or home, you can bill correctly and prove the works completed for accurate, fast invoicing while minimise complaints.

When it comes to better understanding future work, it’s simple to look at the information already available to you through the fleet management software.

You can see if trucks and equipment are always in use, or if they are sitting idle and quickly chewing up costs. By combining your knowledge of your business with what your historical telematics data tells you, you can more accurately pitch for future works. This in turn helps you remain competitive in the market, allows you to set up a buffer in case something goes wrong and ensure costs are reduced wherever possible to meet the budget set out in the contract. Telematics can not only help you keep operations moving smoothly, but it’ll help you make money in the long run.

Data from both machines and other sources, such as fuel, materials and labour, can be integrated on business analytics platforms, providing one source of truth for the life of a project. This is then available to the tendering team, ensuring they have reliable data for their next bid.

This data can also be used for your fuel tax credit (FTC) rebates. Since a lot of projects are considered off-road, you can use this historical information to accurately apportion on- and off-road use of assets and their auxiliary equipment to ensure the rebate received is both maximised and accurate.

Completing bulk earthworks within a strict timeline and fixed budget can be a tricky balancing act. But with the right technology by your side, you can ensure your machinery is being used properly, and more importantly, you can effectively manage your budget.

Real-time data and historical information form telematics helps earthworks operations.

REFERENCES: 1- Earthmoving Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030, ResearchAndMarkets.com.