Making the Case for Managing Fuels in Multiple Ways
With the range of construction and infrastructure projects around Australia and the competitive nature of the industry, margins are tight and under pressure. One pattern that comes up again and again is that while sites look busy with machines moving and engines running, the productivity doesn’t always match reality when you dig into the data. If you have not had telematics technologies implemented, that lack of visibility combined with high-turnover means there’s a gap in awareness and knowledge.
Only 28% of fleets have fully implemented utilisation technology, but 84% reporting the use of telematics, asset tracking or integrated equipment management systems.1
To view the Equipment Utilization report, click here to download for free >
While asset visibility is key, not understanding utilisation can lead to undercharging on areas of the project, overcapitalised assets, hoarding equipment in case it might be required, and an inability to track work effectively. Traditionally, you’d rely on experience and know-how, but in today’s age of big builds overshadowing small projects, its next to impossible to predict, budget and forecast without technology.
Construction is an Expensive Game
Without a clear way to measure and assess all aspects of the business, such as budgets, site permits and back-end admin work, you might not even be aware of how much money you’re losing until the end of a project. Here are some of the things costing your business.
- Asset hoarding: no visibility into which assets are where, and keeping machinery on site instead of making it available for use
- Strict working windows and delays: a finite resource, delays or breakdowns can cause damage to timelines and budgets.
- Excessive idling: can lead to fuel waste, accelerated wear and unexpected breakdowns.
- Client disputes and collection risk: unclear evidence of work done lead to disagreement or risk underpayment.
- Value for money: without historical utilisation data, procurement and budgeting are guesswork.
When considering partial implementation of telematics uncovered from the report, it can result in incomplete visibility across asset classes, projects or operating environments, which is supported by the fact that only 40% to 46% of fleets are receiving live utilisation data from more than half of their assets.
Telematics is the enabler that provides objective data to remove the guesswork and stress out of managing multiple projects. Yet, data alone doesn’t change outcomes. Teams need shared processes to interpret that information, convert it into decisions and capture the lessons so the next project is more efficient. That requires governance, repeatable workflows and an organisational habit of learning.
Five practical steps to turn telemetry into organisational knowledge
What’s important is to remember that data is not the silver bullet, but what you put into practice! Here’s a few things you can consider implementing if utilisation is ‘underutilised’ in your business.
1. Define the right questions and KPIs
Start with the decisions you need to make and measure what matters for those decisions. Set clear definitions so everyone measures the same thing (like what constitutes “available”). Suggested KPIs for your assets:
- Utilisation rate by asset type and site
- Availability (percent of time equipment is ready for work)
- Idle time (percent of operating hours spent idling)
- Mean time between failures and time to repair
- Cost per operating hour (including fuel, maintenance and depreciation)
2. Create simple, role-based reporting
Different people need different granularity, and telematics provides the insights and analytics needed. You can automate reports where possible and ensuring you’re consistent is key.
- Operations: daily dashboards and real-time alerts incl. idling, curfew, low fuel
- Site managers & Foremen: reports on utilisation and transfers between sites, understanding costs incl. fuel, maintenance schedules, etc.
- Fleet/equipment managers: monthly trend reporting, daily tracking
- Maintenance managers: maintenance forecasts, lifecycle analysis, engine hours & harsh usage insights
3. Make the data actionable with standard playbooks
For recurring issues, build a short playbook: trigger → diagnosis → action → owner. Document actions and outcomes so the same incident is resolved faster next time. Examples include:
- Trigger: asset idling for more than 30 minutes during working hours →
- Diagnosis: operator discipline vs mechanical issue →
- Action: coaching and in-cab alert or schedule maintenance →
- Owner: site foreman
4. Close the loop with after-action reviews
At key milestones (project completion, monthly review), run a short “what worked / what didn’t” session with key people in the project that references the data to capture key opportunities to make improvements.
- Changes made during the project (asset transfers, maintenance swaps)
- Outcomes vs plan (utilisation, downtime, cost per hour)
- Concrete lessons to embed in the next project (procurement choices, operator training needs)
5. Build a lead to put data into practice
Assign a small team or person to own equipment data quality and distribution. This role maximises the ROI of the telemetry investment. A data lead team who ensures:
- Identifiers and asset lists are accurate
- Timezones and working hours are normalised across sites
- Reports are filtered and distributed to the right people
The Notable Shift
Diving into data, one of the biggest influences on utilisation across the region is project volatility. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, construction output continues to fluctuate across states due to changing infrastructure pipelines and private sector investment cycle. As a variable, it makes it difficult for teams to predict exactly when and where equipment demand will peak.
In response, many operators understandably keep extra machines onsite to avoid delays, which while it may seem like a practical decision at first, in fact often leads to underused assets quietly accumulated idle hours. That’s why having technology on hand across your equipment, machinery and vehicles is key.
81% of fleets trust their utilisation data1 reflects a strong organisational belief in existing measurement frameworks and highlights the growing role utilisation insight plays in planning, scheduling and asset allocation decisions.
Better utilisation data absolutely plays directly into organisational goals, and from our perspective at Teletrac Navman, one of the most valuable moments is when operators first see a full utilisation picture across their fleet. At that point, patterns emerge quickly, such as machines which have been assumed to be heavily used may be found running idle for large portions of the day, while other assets are operating close to capacity.
Once that visibility exists, conversations change, and instead of asking whether more equipment is needed, teams start asking whether existing assets are being deployed effectively, and rather than reacting to breakdowns or delays, they begin connecting maintenance planning to real operating conditions instead.