Equipment fleet · method
Equipment fleet management: the method, step by step
Equipment fleet management means knowing, for each machine, what you own, where it is, how many hours it has run, when it is due for maintenance and inspection, and which defects are open. One record per machine, regular readings and a few indicators are enough to start, on paper, in Excel or in software.
Managing a fleet means keeping the same information up to date, in the same place, by the same people. Here is the method in five steps, the useful indicators and the tools to keep it going.
What equipment fleet management covers
An equipment fleet is made up of a company's machines and appliances: mini excavators, aerial work platforms, telehandlers, mobile cranes, generators or heavy tools. Equipment fleet management is the method used to follow them over time, in five steps: identify, assign, read and maintain, inspect, measure.
This page describes the method, whatever the tool. To choose a tool, see equipment fleet management software or, for construction companies, construction equipment fleet management software.
Step 1: inventory and identify each machine
Everything starts with a complete list: a machine that is not on the list is neither maintained nor inspected. Give each machine a unique fleet number, written on the machine and used in every document. A free spreadsheet to download follows these columns: construction equipment fleet management in Excel.
| Information | Why record it |
|---|---|
| Fleet number | Unique identifier used on records, work orders and reports |
| Category, make, model | To find the manufacturer's manual and the right parts |
| Serial number and year | Official identification, useful during an inspection or a claim |
| Hour meter | Basis for usage-based maintenance |
| Location or site | To know where the machine is |
| Deadlines | Last and next maintenance, last and next VGP inspection |
Step 2: track assignment and availability
Knowing where a machine is does not tell you whether it can be used. For each machine, record its assignment (site, branch, workshop, customer) and its status: available, in service, under maintenance, or out of action because of a defect.
One rule avoids mistakes: every movement is recorded when it happens, by one person or following a common rule. See also construction equipment tracking.
Step 3: read hours and plan maintenance
Many maintenance tasks are triggered by operating hours, not by date. Read each machine's hour meter at regular intervals: see tracking equipment operating hours.
From the manufacturer's manual, set for each family of machines the maintenance tasks and their interval, in hours or months. These intervals vary from one model to another: always follow the manual. The French Labour Code requires work equipment to be kept in a compliant condition, including with regard to the instruction manual (article R4322-1). The page on preventive maintenance for heavy equipment explains how to turn the manual into a schedule.
Step 4: follow statutory inspections, defects and documents
Some appliances are subject to periodic general inspections, known as VGP. The Labour Code sets the principle (article R4323-23) and orders list the appliances concerned and the intervals. For lifting appliances, the order of 1 March 2004 provides for an inspection every twelve months as a general rule, every six months for aerial work platforms, forklifts, mobile cranes and other categories, and every three months for manual appliances that raise a work platform. Other machines, such as earthmoving equipment, fall under the order of 5 March 1993.
Record the date of the last VGP inspection and of the next one for each machine: see VGP inspection intervals. The result of inspections is entered in the safety register (article R4323-25).
A defect reported from the field is followed until it is closed: who saw it, when, how serious, which photo, who handles it, when the machine returns to service. Finally, keep each machine's documents with its record: see required documents for construction equipment.
Step 5: useful indicators and how to define them
An indicator is a figure calculated the same way every period. Choose few, define them in writing and follow only those someone acts on. No target value is universal: it depends on your business.
| Indicator | Definition | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Availability rate | Time the machine is usable, divided by the total time of the period | Spotting machines that are often out of action |
| Overdue deadlines | Number of maintenance tasks or inspections whose date or meter reading has passed | Deciding the week's priorities |
| Defect handling time | Time between the report and the return to service | Measuring the workshop's responsiveness |
| Maintenance cost per machine | Parts and labour for the period, assigned to the machine | Helping decide whether to repair, replace or sell |
Paper, Excel or software: which tool, and where Trackary fits
The signal to change tools is qualitative: several people edit the same files, a deadline has already been missed, or the fleet is spread over several sites.
- Trackary offers: a record per machine, hour meters, configurable inspections and deadlines with alerts, defects with photo and severity, a job schedule, a mobile app for the field, work reports and a maintenance logbook per machine. Trackary costs €14 excl. VAT per active machine per month (€11 above 50 machines), unlimited users, with a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
- Trackary does not carry out VGP inspections and certifies nothing: responsibility stays with the employer. It does no invoicing. It offers QR labels (machine record, no-login reporting). It does not read telematics devices or GPS: hours are entered on the machine record.
| Tool | Suitable when | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Paper (records, logbook) | Very small fleet, one person | No alerts, records to track down, no overview |
| Excel | Small fleet followed by one person | Several versions of the file, no automatic alerts, poorly suited to the field |
| Fleet management software | Several people, several sites, deadlines not to be missed | Set-up and onboarding to plan for |
If your fleet has outgrown what a spreadsheet can track, Trackary brings records, hours, deadlines and defects together: try Trackary free for 30 days, no credit card required. Free trial ↗