Save money, work smarter and drive safer with Geotab

Australia’s mining industry is currently grappling with a labour crunch and increasing regulatory and political challenges, which means managers need to be more cost-conscious than ever. Your vehicles are an obvious place to start.

Geotab’s innovative open platform for fleet and asset management helps project managers track assets, increase equipment uptime and lower operating costs seamlessly. Here are three reasons why Geotab’s telematics technology can benefit your mining operations.

1. Track and locate equipment while ensuring maximum utilisation

Effective cost control in mining operations begins with clear visibility of your equipment. Mining sites are bustling environments and the use of telematics enables data collection from any vehicle on-site. Geotab’s technology connects directly to the vehicle’s computer, monitoring metrics like fuel consumption and engine hours. This ensures each piece of equipment is optimally utilised and cost is accurately measured.

Knowing the precise location of your equipment at all times helps avoid unnecessary leasing of additional machinery due to misplacement. Furthermore, real-time equipment tracking, which seamlessly switches between cellular and satellite networks, guarantees continuous monitoring and cost tracking, even on remote sites.

2. Enjoy fuel tax credit rebates with data automation

Fuel tax credit rebates can offer substantial savings for mining businesses, especially if they use a lot of fuel. However, those savings could be far less if an accountant had to spend valuable hours collecting and untangling the data to get the payment processed. Geotab’s solutions can make the process much easier, with telematics technology that can accurately measure on and off-road usage, which is essential data used to claim fuel tax credit rebates. On mining sites, where the focus is on engine hours rather than distance travelled, Geotab’s devices effectively track fuel usage and economy, even when vehicles are stationary and idling, ensuring you can maximise your rebate claims.

3. Access everything seamlessly on a single platform

Geotab offers the greatest possible flexibility for any kind of project. Geotab devices can be attached easily to any vehicle — regardless of manufacturer — and send the data to the same platform. Installation is simple, giving you visibility over the whole project and enabling you to track fuel efficiency, fuel burn, RPM, battery oil, engine health and other key indicators.

Furthermore, through the multi-streaming function, contractors can be granted access to a database for a fixed duration. When the contract ends, their visibility to the site will cease, and the contractor can reassign it to someone else.

Our devices are built to withstand tough conditions on work sites. They are ideal for heavy mining equipment, construction, utilities, powered assets and trucks. Also, selected models are IP68 and IP69K rated with impact, water and humidity-resistant housing.

As an industry leader committed to safety and efficiency, Geotab is more than just its technology. Geotab APAC associate vice president David Brown speaks with the Australian Mining Review about the company’s vision.

AMR: In mining, fleet safety and driver fatigue are essential to risk management and stakeholder engagement, can you explain how Geotab’s fleet safety and new predictive safety standard helps to reduce risk?

DB: Fleet safety and driver fatigue management are critical for risk management in the mining industry. Our advanced fleet safety solutions and telematics devices provide real-time monitoring, significantly reducing safety violations. Detailed driver safety reporting dashboards help identify safety trends and high-risk drivers who need additional training. Key metrics such as speeding, harsh braking, and seat belt use are meticulously tracked to ensure comprehensive driver compliance and safety.

We analyse vast amounts of telematics data to detect patterns indicative of potential failures, enabling real-time alerts and proactive maintenance. Additionally, our integrated systems include gamification programs, advanced collision avoidance systems and AI-powered fleet safety management software. These tools collectively enable predictive safety measures, helping to prevent high-risk events and ensure a safer working environment in the mining sector.

AMR: Fuel consumption and carbon credits are in focus to align with net-zero, especially in mining, how can Geotab assist companies with making that process efficient?

DB: With the transportation sector accounting for a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions globally, Geotab recognises that its greatest impact on climate change can be realised through its focus on helping its more than 50,000 global customers and partners achieve sustainable transportation outcomes.

The fuel economy of a vehicle plays a significant role in the overall operating costs of a fleet, accounting for approximately 60% of the total. Key effective strategies to control fuel consumption and emissions are to reduce unnecessary idling, control driver behaviour, set speed restrictions, optimise routes, practise preventative maintenance, rightsized vehicles to their tasks, lighten the load, use fuel cards and adopt electric vehicles (EVs).

As a proven leader in IoT and connected transportation, we securely connect commercial vehicles to the cloud, providing advanced web-based analytics to help businesses better manage their fleets and make data-driven decisions.  Geotab’s open platform solution promotes a network of cooperation, enabling businesses to integrate data processed from Geotab-connected vehicles into any system regardless of business size or operational needs.

AMR: Can you explain Geotab’s growth strategy in APAC and what markets would be a priority?

DB: Our growth strategy in APAC is focused on expanding our footprint and leveraging strategic partnerships to drive innovation and customer success. We are prioritising markets within the region that present significant opportunities due to their robust economies and growing demand for digital adoption and advanced fleet management solutions. By focusing on these key markets, we aim to bring global best practices and deliver tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of businesses, including safety, productivity and compliance.

AMR: How would Geotab’s innovations in technology interact or align with the markets in APAC?

DB: We are a customer-centric company that strives for customer satisfaction. Geotab, together with our marketplace partners, offer a range of web-based software and fleet management solutions to monitor and improve fleet safety. By providing businesses with greater visibility into their fleets, including areas such as idling times, vehicle uptime and predictive maintenance, harsh braking incidents, electric battery usage and more, Geotab enables stronger compliance to regulatory changes, helps to improve driver and community safety and amplifies existing smart city efforts.

A notable example of our commitment is our partnership with KPMG Australia. By integrating solutions like KPMG’s FTC Automator, we enable rapid data analysis and geo-spatial analytics for efficient Fuel Tax Credit (FTC) entitlement calculations, to maximize claims. This collaboration exemplifies how our technology drives significant value for businesses in APAC.

Begin your journey today and move into a future where every trip is safe and every operation is efficient. With Geotab’s help, you can track your valuable assets, increase equipment uptime and lower your operating costs.

For more information about these solutions or to request a demo, visit www.geotab.com.