Available Equipment Report

In the construction industry, Equipment Managers often depend on an available equipment report (also called an idle equipment report) to maximize productivity within their fleet.  In a given year, the number of days that a piece of equipment is utilized establishes the rate at which its cost is recovered.  This report indicates what equipment is available and its current location.  Available equipment can then be redeployed to jobs where it is needed.  The report can also be cross referenced with maintenance intervals to efficiently coordinate idle periods with maintenance schedules. 

There are many benefits from having accurate and timely available equipment reports.  The ability to schedule maintenance farther in advance can lead to cost savings and increased equipment billings.  Methods used to generate available equipment reports vary from company to company, and often include some combination of paper and spreadsheets.  Some companies use pre-packaged reports from an equipment management system or the equipment maintenance module in their construction accounting system.  Regardless of the source of the reports, the primary challenges are keeping the status up-to-date and anticipating idle time in advance. 

A more sophisticated equipment tracking system such as Resource Commander not only allows equipment to be flagged as available, but can provide reports that pinpoint under utilized machines.  If heavy equipment telematics are used, this process can be highly automated, and deliver very detailed information.  Telematics can be used to report granular utilization data such as running hours, idle time and engine metrics.  By integrating with telematics, Equipment Managers can use these reports to prevent equipment hoarding and ensure that equipment is charged to the proper job.  

Industry wide, accurate and timely available equipment reports make construction fleet management more efficient and directly impact profitability.  Not only can Equipment Managers minimize equipment downtime, Project Managers can better avoid unexpected delays on their jobs.  Furthermore, the ability to predict both costs and revenue well in advance allows managers to make informed decisions about capital equipment purchases.  For any company that relies on equipment to complete jobs and drive revenue, this capability is invaluable. 

Learn more about how Resource Commander can track construction equipment.

For more than 20 years, ACS Connect has provided Construction Software and Consulting Services, helping specialty contractors, general contractors and construction managers to become more efficient and profitable.