Terramac crawler carriers now equipped with GPS package for fleet management

Terramac LLC has announced that all its RT9 rubber track crawler carriers come with a GPS receiver and one-year paid subscription to On-Board Communications Inc. data tracking. The GPS receiver transmits not only real-time location information but also fleet management data such as run time and idle time via cellular network service. On-Board’s patent-pending Activity Logging Technology, or ALT, offers Terramac owners the added capability of tracking time operating under load.

Chuck Tholen, an On-Board Communications Inc. GPS specialist, says this will be a new application of GPS to many people. Without having it pointed out to them, they might not notice the equipment at first.

Data is automatically collected and delivered in communication reports that include the exact location of a carrier. These give technicians time to arrange service in the field with advance notice. The reports reduce downtime as technicians avoid having to pull a carrier out of service for scheduled maintenance or having to replace it with a substitute.

Owners and operators can use the performance metrics that the system continuously records to streamline their operations, determining how machines or combinations of machinery are most cost-effective.

The data, which easily transports to spreadsheet software, provides documentation useful for billing, for justifying bids and for verifying operation time to customers after project completion.

Data is viewed by accessing a web portal. Mobile apps are also available for easy access.

In the rare event the unit should be in a remote area of no coverage, or should cell service go down, the software simply continues its documentation. And it even has its own internal battery backup in case external power is lost for any reason. As soon as coverage is restored, it resumes transmission automatically.

Joey Giannetto, Service Manager in Charge of Fleet Maintenance at Terramac, says the GPS system has obvious maintenance streamlining benefits by coordinating manufacturer, rental dealership and end user schedules.

Knowledge of carrier hours and update schedules ensures part availability, which in turn assures rental agencies and end users of increased availability.