Cheap Fleet Visibility for 5-Truck Contractors: What Data Is Worth Collecting

Questions and answers

What are the five fields worth collecting?

1. Truck and site for each job, so cost and time can be linked.
2. Start and finish time for each site.
3. Fuel or hours per truck per storm, from the gauge or hour meter.
4. Edge and hardware condition, with a simple rating and a photo.
5. Parts used, with the cost from the invoice.

What tools do I need?

A shared spreadsheet or a simple form on a phone is enough. Paper on a clipboard also works if someone enters it weekly. Choose the tool the crew will actually use.

Do I need GPS trackers?

Not necessarily. They may help with disputes about times and routes, but they add cost and effort. Try the five fields first, and add tracking if you find a question you cannot answer without it.

How do I keep drivers filling it in?

Keep it short, explain what it is used for, and show them the result. Do not use it only to find fault.

What should the weekly review look like?

• Which truck cost the most this week, and why?
• Which sites took longer than expected?
• Which edges are near their limit?
• What do we need to order?

What can I skip?

Skip detailed fields you will not look at, such as speeds and exact pass counts, unless a specific question needs them.

Start small

Pick two fields for a month, then add the others. Review after the first storm, and drop any field nobody uses.

Using the data for pricing

After the first season, add up the parts, fuel and hours per site and compare them with what you charged. Sites that always run over can be re-priced or dropped. That single comparison often pays for the whole effort.

Boundary: No tools, products or data studies are named; the method is general and you should adapt it to your own business.