On a Monday morning, the jobsite is ready, but the machines aren’t. One loader is still on a site across town, another sits idle in the yard and a third throws a fault code no one notices until it becomes a breakdown. Production slows before the crew even starts.
For many contractors, this story is business as usual. Bobcat Company’s internal data shows machines are idle roughly 30% of the time, burning four to ten gallons of fuel per day. “That’s thousands of dollars per year,” says Garrett Mauer, Bobcat’s director of digital experience for construction products.
Connected equipment gives contractors faster insight into how machines are performing across jobsites so that crews can spot downtime risks, maintenance issues and underused equipment earlier.
One in four field service calls ends in a follow-up because key details aren’t available early enough.
SIGNS A MACHINE IS ABOUT TO COST YOU TIME
The real advantage of connected equipment is seeing an issue before it becomes a repair ticket. Garrett points to a contractor who kept getting a water-in-fuel alert. Operators insisted the machine was running normally, but the data told a different story: a hairline crack in the fuel tank. Fixing it cost just $5 and prevented injector damage and a likely breakdown.
Early fault detection also improves service coordination. Roughly one in four field service calls ends in a follow-up because key details aren’t available early enough.
Garrett once drove eight hours across North Dakota to troubleshoot a machine, only to find the issue was a muted application setting—something telematics would have surfaced immediately.
Stolen machines can create instant downtime. Nearly 1,000 pieces of equipment are reported stolen each month, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
In a connected fleet, contractors can configure after-hours startup alerts, geofencing or unauthorized movement notifications to catch problems before crews arrive onsite.
Examples include:
- A 2:45 a.m. ignition alert tipped off one contractor, who recovered the stolen machine hours away.
- In another case, telematics helped locate a stolen unit even after thieves stripped decals and changed model markings.
Operator behavior data plays a similar role. OSHA data shows that 20% of skid-steer injuries and fatalities involve bypassed safety features. Contractors should use telematics to flag those behaviors early enough to prevent both safety incidents and unplanned downtime.
MORE EQUIPMENT DATA DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN BETTER DECISIONS
Major OEMs like Caterpillar, Komatsu, Volvo CE, JCB and Hitachi now ship machines with telematics baked in, but that doesn’t mean the data plays well together. Mixed fleets often leave contractors juggling different dashboards, definitions and reporting formats. The Heavy Equipment Comparator from the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) helps cut through that noise so teams can compare machines on equal footing and see underperformance sooner.
“It’s an attempt to create that standardization,” says Rachel Connor, Chief Learning Officer, AEMP, and it gives contractors a clearer way to evaluate machine performance.
But that clarity only matters if teams can act on it quickly. Connected equipment gives field crews, fleet managers and office staff the same real-time information, which shortens response times and reduces the back-and-forth that normally delays decisions.
Adoption works best when teams focus on high-use machines where fuel costs, downtime and maintenance issues create the biggest impact.
“There’s a lot you can do today,” Garrett notes. “You don’t have to spend a dollar with anybody.”
PRACTICAL STEPS FOR CONTRACTORS
Small, consistent actions deliver the fastest gains when using data across connected fleets.
How to get started:
- Focus on high-use machines where fuel and downtime savings are easiest to measure
- Track idle time versus productive time daily
- Tighten preventive maintenance schedules
- Prioritize alerts so crews address critical issues first
- Choose systems that match workflows
- Ensure shared access across field teams, office staff and service providers
Contractors should choose systems that crews will use. Some teams manage operations primarily through mobile apps, while others rely on desktop platforms or dealer-supported systems.
“You want to make sure that you’re fitting the technology to your business, not the other way around,” Garrett says.
Explore more about Building Tomorrow: How Digital Advancements are Shaping the Construction Industry. Watch the full session by purchasing On Demand Education Access from the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 show.
PHOTO CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK/KOSSSMOSSS
