How to use asset tracking for construction equipment

One February night, Texas-based J&M Contracting received an alert that a $50,000 backhoe started up and was moving outside working hours.

Using GPS asset tracking, operational-hour settings and geofencing alerts, safety and fleet manager Garland Spivey was able to follow the equipment's movement and coordinate with local law enforcement. 

"Someone drove the backhoe 17.23 miles down the street, over a lonely service road, and they must have seen law enforcement there because then they drove into the woods," Spivey says.

The backhoe was promptly returned to the site and the company didn’t have to burn time and money pulling one off another job, filing an insurance claim or repurchasing the equipment. The  equipment tracking software has since helped the company combat theft and unauthorized use 11 more times in just a few years.

"It's a win-win situation for us," Spivey says.

For construction companies, that kind of visibility can make a major difference. Equipment is constantly moving between jobsites, often sitting unattended overnight and spread across multiple crews. With costs for skilled labor and equipment pushing upward, construction firms are aggressively prioritizing physical security and machine utilization.

Construction asset tracking utilizes GPS telematics platforms to deliver near real-time data on both powered and non-powered assets. Grounded data from Verizon Connect’s 2026 Fleet Technology Trends Report¹ reveals the strategic value of this visibility: 62% of construction companies say that dedicated construction equipment tracking helped improve security and 43% boosted utilization.

Intelligent tracking can boost uptime, road safety and profitability. Download the latest research report on Connected Construction.

The economic pressures squeezing construction companies

Construction companies face pressure from rising labor and equipment costs, workforce shortages and tight project margins.²  

Operating with a historical shortage of nearly 500,000 skilled workers, project managers cannot afford operational downtime.³ When crews are stretched thin, an asset sitting idle or broken down directly drains project profitability.

Construction theft continues to haunt operations, particularly on remote or partially secured jobsites. Industry estimates price annual theft losses near $1 billion, and fewer than 25% of stolen assets are recovered.⁴

Inefficiencies like redundant short-term rentals, excessive machine idling, and missing project histories quietly chip away at thin project margins over time.

Equipment security and low utilization can erode your bottom line. Read our comprehensive guide on how to reverse these trends. Download the 5 Challenges in Asset Tracking and Equipment Management eBook.

Construction asset tracking platform capabilities for heavy equipment and fleet monitoring 

Construction asset tracking software uses weatherized GPS tracking hardware engineered to withstand severe site environments. Using live maps and a centralized dashboard, the system monitors high-value heavy machinery like cranes, excavators, loaders, backhoes and bulldozers, alongside non-powered assets including trailers, storage yards, dumpsters and shipping containers.

Machine security and rapid theft recovery 

• Geofence enforcement: Draw virtual perimeters around specific project coordinates or central holding yards to trigger near real-time notifications if equipment crosses boundaries.
• Unscheduled ignition alerts: Receive notifications if high-value yellow iron activates overnight or during weekend shutdowns.
• Active law enforcement assistance: Utilize precise historical breadcrumb tracking and coordinates to help authorities isolate and recover missing equipment.

Standard keys can unlock half the machinery on your site, making heavy equipment an easy target. Neutralize the threat with construction equipment tracking.

Uptime optimization and proactive engine maintenance

• Automatic engine-hour tracking: Replace manual logs and paper records with precise run-time engine-hour reporting. Pull information into one dashboard instead of forcing teams to jump between systems.
• Machine health insights: Use immediate diagnostic trouble code (DTC) reporting to address minor mechanical issues before they escalate into costly field breakdowns. This data allows companies to execute proactive service based on actual machine runtime hours rather than arbitrary calendar dates.

When margins are razor-thin, every asset needs to pull its weight. Extract major utility from your entire inventory using advanced fleet productivity tools.

True job costing and fuel management

• Idle-time reductions: Pinpoint assets left idling unproductively between project phases to reduce fuel waste.
• Usage data and availability: See local equipment maps to reallocate internal machinery before signing off on expensive outside rentals. Review usage data to build better job estimates with true equipment costs.
• Precise tax calculations: Capture distinct power take-off (PTO) usage records to simplify off-road fuel tax credit calculations.

You can't afford to let operational friction bleed away billed hours. See how to protect your margins and drive greater fleet and equipment efficiency. 

Get more use out of expensive equipment

• Identify equipment sitting idle between projects: Utilization reports can help companies spot underused assets, overlapping assignments and equipment that may be sitting too long at one jobsite.
• Reduce unnecessary rentals: Better visibility into available equipment may help companies move existing assets between crews before renting additional machinery.
• Support bidding and project costing: Engine-hour and usage data can help construction companies better understand true equipment costs when estimating future work.

Get expert tips on how to choose fleet management technology that’s the right fit for construction companies.

What to look for in a construction asset tracking provider

With the massively expensive high-value equipment sitting on your construction sites around the clock, you need more than basic GPS tracking alone.

You need to get more value out of the equipment you’re already invested in and make an impact on your bottom line.

When looking for a construction equipment tracking platform, managers should ensure it’s intuitive, comprehensive and easy to use. Verizon Connect combines GPS fleet tracking, asset tracking, AI-powered video systems and related fleet tools into one platform so managers can monitor vehicles, trailers and equipment from a single dashboard instead of switching between disconnected systems.

Verizon Connect’s platform offers integrations that connect with existing systems, installation and implementation support and hardware options designed for different operational needs.

At the end of the day, most construction companies are not looking for more software to manage. They are looking for better ways to keep equipment where it needs to be, keep crews productive and avoid costly surprises that can slow down a job.

Ready to evaluate solutions for your job sites? Download the buyer’s guide for advanced fleet management and asset tracking for construction.

Sources

¹ 2026 Fleet Technology Trends Report, Verizon Connect data breakdown by industry

² Why Has Productivity in the US Construction Industry Stagnated?, Goldman Sachs

³ Skilled Labor Shortage in Construction: How to Close the Gap, The American Institute of Contractors

⁴ National Equipment Register, 2016 Annual Theft Report (most recently available data)