A new study finds contractors can benefit from safer fleet operations, including productivity and profitability gains.

The study exposes the impacts that contractors experience from safety challenges in the operation and maintenance of their vehicles and equipment, and it reveals opportunities for deploying technology to address them. 

New data published by Dodge Construction Network, in partnership with Motive, reveals that contractors still see significant impacts to their projects and businesses due to the operation and maintenance of their fleets of vehicles and equipment.

The data comes from “The Safety on the Move: Automated Fleet Management and the Future of Safety for Contractors.”

Key findings include:

• Vehicles: Accidents and near-misses are reported by 57% of contractors. More than half find that these issues lead to productivity declines and increased insurance costs, while more than one third experience schedule delays and profitability declines.

• Equipment: While accidents and near misses for equipment are reported by fewer contractors (27%), they more frequently result, i.e. negative impacts on productivity and schedule. In fact, 60% of those who experience them link them directly to a decline in profitability on their projects.

• Maintenance: 66% of contractors also experience safety issues due to the need for improved fleet maintenance, including both vehicles and equipment.

Streamlining and Supervising in Fleet

The research also uncovers a significant opening for contractors to streamline the monitoring and supervising their fleet safety through automation.

The results demonstrate that while 76% of contractors oversee vehicle safety and 62% monitor driver behavior, most still use physical forms or spreadsheets for these tasks.

Merely a quarter (25%) have automated the collection of driver behavior data, and an even smaller fraction (18%) have automated their fleet safety tracking.

Similar patterns emerge in fleet maintenance, where only a quarter (25%) incorporate automation or AI to facilitate management processes.

However, the study highlights that 80% of those employing technology in this aspect witness enhanced safety levels in their projects.

“Too often, safety is seen as a compliance requirement and not what it really is: a key element of a company’s operations that benefits the bottom line, and more importantly protects people, property and reputation,” says Abhishek Gupta, vice president of Product for Fleet Management at Motive. “The improved working conditions, efficiency, and cost savings that come with making safety a priority mean it should be a primary consideration for any business operating in the physical economy.”