When your business is installing the infrastructure needed to deliver network services over miles of often unpredictable territory, you need a lot of heavy equipment in the field.

And sometimes that equipment gets stolen.

Until four years ago, theft had been a constant headache for Cable East Inc., a telecommunications construction company based in northeast Georgia. Its work involves planting cables deep underground and running them high overhead. It uses various types of heavy equipment, such as excavators and specialized drills, that weigh tons and cost up to $750,000.

That equipment can sit for days at a construction site by necessity because moving it isn’t practical. “Typically, the projects are in easements and rights of way where many eyes can see them,” said Billy Porter, the company’s director of risk management. “We often have a half-million dollars of equipment spending the night on job sites. That’s the nature of what we do.”

Unfortunately, the expensive equipment is a tempting target for thieves specializing in purloining construction gear. Some are so sophisticated that they have specialized trailers that can scoop up an excavator weighing several tons and move it to a warehouse or secluded location overnight.

Much of that machinery is never recovered, or if found, it has been disassembled to the point of being unusable. The only recourse is to file an insurance claim, a process that can take weeks. In the meantime, projects are delayed and replacing stolen goods means “getting in line with the rest of the world that wants the same or a similar piece of equipment,” Porter said.

Eye in the sky

Four years ago, Cable East contracted with Samsara Inc., a developer of fleet-management products, to outfit its operations with technology that would give it real-time visibility into the location of all its assets at any time. Samsara outfitted more than 400 pieces of construction equipment with GPS transponders and also installed dashboard cameras and tracking devices on the company’s fleet of trucks.

The whole network is monitored by satellite. Authorized users can check on the status of any asset, whether in motion or stationary, from any PC or mobile device.

Porter said the increased visibility Cable East has gained from asset tracking has paid off in multiple ways. “We don’t get just a static snapshot,” he said. “I can literally see assets moving on the highway. I can even tell how fast they’re going and how much air pressure is in a truck’s right front tire.”

Cable East estimates GPS tracking has saved it $2.5 million from successful equipment recovery. In addition to its increased visibility, the company uses geofencing to isolate assets in specific locations and receive notifications if they move too far.  That reduces the back-office workload. When equipment goes missing, it’s much easier to track down.

Thieves typically “take things deep in the woods, in warehouses and other areas where we would not be able to see them,” Porter said. “We’ve been able to track the assets on GPS and notify law enforcement. They secure the scene and we’re able, in real time, to provide our folks with everything they need, from bill of sale to title, to substantiate our ownership.” That cuts down on retrieval time and streamlines insurance processing when necessary.

Real-time view of rolling stock

Samsara also outfitted Cable East’s rolling stock with dash cameras and telematics that plug into onboard diagnostics. The dash cams the company previously used didn’t provide clear and consistent visibility, and the footage was often difficult to access or unusable. The new HD cameras upload video images continuously to the cloud, where they can be accessed immediately.

The video footage has helped exonerate drivers involved in accidents by proving they weren’t at fault. “I’ve had multiple occasions where we have downloaded footage within minutes of an incident and shared it with law enforcement,” Porter said.

That came in handy during a recent incident when the tree came crashing down on a piece of heavy equipment in transit during a rainstorm, causing $35,000 in damage. “The video eliminated any discussion” with the insurance company, Porter said. “Once we confirm everybody is OK, we can immediately go forward.”

Telematics also helps Cable East monitor driver behavior to detect dangerous actions like speeding and tailgating. “Samsara is smart enough to know the posted speed limit in any area,” Porter said. “It can also detect a rapid stop or start and even the g-forces involved.” Drivers who were initially skeptical about monitoring have come on board after seeing a real exoneration. “You get a dash cam convert for life,” Porter said.

Telematics has also reduced fleet repair costs by identifying variances such as overheated engines or poor gas mileage. “We have our own repair shop, so if we see that an engine is running warm, we can contact that driver and tell him to park at the shop and pick up another truck so he can keep moving,” Porter said.

The risk of theft hasn’t abated, but technology is making criminals’ jobs considerably more difficult. “COVID showed us that the supply chain affects everything we do,” he said. “We have to be good stewards of our assets.”

Photo: Cable East