Every year, construction companies in the U.S. lose over $1 billion worth of equipment to theft and misplacement—thousands of dollars per project vanish before anyone even notices.
The common thread? No reliable GPS asset tracking devices in place. Without them, your assets can disappear like sand through your fingers, leaving projects delayed, budgets blown, and teams frustrated.
In this article, we’ll show how asset tracking devices can protect your company’s equipment, reduce downtime, and save you money.
The high cost of lost construction equipment
Heavy machinery, trailers, generators, and scissor lifts are significant investments for any construction company. Losing even one piece of equipment can disrupt multiple projects and create cascading costs. Without an asset tracker, you risk over-purchasing or renting equipment you already own simply because it’s misplaced.
Missing generators or scissor lifts can stall projects for days, costing your company thousands in lost labour and delays. With asset trackers in place, you can see exactly where every machine is in real time.
“We did have a lot of incidents where we lost our machines. CameraMatics has GPS that can pinpoint where the machines are sitting, so we can find the machines and pick them up. This prevents us losing equipment and also helps us find it.”
Roger Mealey, Driver Manager, C.W. Wright Construction
Reducing downtime on site
Idle machinery costs businesses valuable time and money. Take plant hire companies, for example—they often spend hours searching across multiple job sites for rented equipment that has been moved or misplaced.
Asset tracking devices—accessible via a mobile app—provide live locations for every machine, on every site, across the country. Whether it’s a cherry picker left in the wrong yard or a generator moved between sites, real-time tracking allows teams to locate assets quickly, eliminating wasted time travelling between sites and delivering measurable savings in both time and fuel.
Predictive maintenance to prevent machinery breakdowns
Untracked assets make maintenance scheduling a guessing game, increasing the risk of breakdowns, costly repairs, and compliance issues.
By monitoring usage hours through GPS tracking, companies can schedule preventative maintenance, ensuring all equipment is serviced on time, maintaining safety standards, minimising unexpected downtime, and maximising profits.
Securing construction equipment: theft prevention and compliance
For construction companies, equipment theft isn’t just a financial setback—it can stall projects, damage client relationships, and even create safety hazards on site. A missing scissor lift or generator doesn’t just cost money; it disrupts schedules and erodes trust.
What makes theft even more damaging is how rarely stolen assets are recovered. Only 21% of stolen construction equipment is ever found, according to the National Equipment Register, with the average item costing over $30,000 to replace. That’s a heavy price to pay when asset tracking devices cost a tiny fraction of that.
This is where GPS asset tracking makes the difference. Modern trackers, integrated with asset management systems, create audit trails, send automated alerts, and trigger geofencing warnings the moment equipment is moved unexpectedly. They not only deter theft but also ensure assets are compliant, traceable, and ready to use when needed.
With adoption growing fast—the GPS tracking segment already held over 42% of the construction tracking market in 2023 and is projected to exceed $1.7 billion by 2032—these solutions are becoming the industry standard for protecting high-value assets.
From machinery to materials: asset trackers protect it all
From heavy machinery to trailers and materials, asset tracking devices provide visibility and protection across the job site:
- Heavy machinery (excavators, bulldozers, lifts): Track location, usage hours, and movement to deter theft and improve maintenance planning.
- Trailers: Stay on top of real-time locations and reduce theft risk, even in remote or unsecured areas.
- Containers and materials: Monitor shipments in transit to ensure goods arrive safely and on time.
A single tracking solution protects every asset—helping contractors reduce theft, save time locating equipment, and keep projects running smoothly.
Durable and reliable with long-lasting performance
Built to withstand tough jobsite conditions, modern asset trackers are durable and weather-resistant, ensuring reliable operation in rain, dust, and extreme temperatures.
With long-lasting batteries, these devices can monitor equipment for months—or even years with the CameraMatics asset tracking solution—giving contractors peace of mind while reducing maintenance interruptions.
Protect your business
Your equipment is the backbone of your business—but without proper tracking, every unmonitored asset is an open door to theft, costly downtime, and lost revenue.
Act now—protect your assets, prevent losses, and keep your projects moving. Talk to us today.
