Theft of Costly Construction Equipment Can Cripple Your Company

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/t1tjf)
Ask that question to a construction company and you will get a surprising answer. With experts in the industry estimating about $1 billion in losses every year, the amount of money construction companies lose because of theft is astounding. And it seems that no matter how hard these companies try to protect their equipment, bulldozers and backhoes still disappear on a regular basis. Tired of absorbing their losses, construction companies are turning to a new source for their hope of theft protection: anti-theft devices that use GPS tracking.

Traditionally, data devices in construction vehicles have been known as “black boxes.” These boxes can do everything from record fuel consumption to keep track of the machine’s temperature. Now, GPS tracking experts have introduced the idea that black boxes could also include anti-theft devices for the purpose of tracking the location of construction vehicles.

Once a GPS anti-theft device is installed in a construction vehicle, there is little chance that the vehicle will be stolen without recovery. As soon as the company discovers that a bulldozer is missing, they can use the GPS technology held within that bulldozer’s black box to discover the exact location of their property. Satellite and cell tower technology combined will pinpoint the location and direct police to the thieves’ hiding spot. Within a short time, thousands of dollars in construction equipment can be saved. Insurance companies embrace this technology as their payouts are reduced. Think about getting a discount off your insurance policy when you install a gps tracker on your equipment.

The novelty about GPS tracking systems is that they actually are able to communicate with global satellites. And since satellites are able to track all over the world, there is literally no place to hide a vehicle if a tracker is installed in it. Finding the vehicle is a simple matter of tapping into the GPS system and writing down a few coordinates. As more construction companies use gps tracking, it will not be long before stolen construction equipment is a thing of the past.

While it seems like installing an anti-theft device in a backhoe would be a natural conclusion, amazingly, the idea is relatively new to the construction scene. The numbers obviously prove it. $1 billion in losses a year, that’s what the experts say! In addition to tracking only, the geo-fence capabilities would stop your equipment from moving too far from a paramenter. A warning text and phone call would alert you if equipment is being taken out of an area. Work slow downs can be as crippling as an equipment theft. Make full use of the technology and keep your crew working! The cost of installing GPS trackers in these expensive machines is small in comparison. It’s time to bring more and construction firms into the 21st century with GPS technology.