Telematics in action
How connected machines helped thwart job site theft.
by Arielle Windham
In the world of construction, few things stall momentum faster than unexpected downtime – especially when the cause is theft.
It was early in the development of JCB’s new manufacturing facility in San Antonio – a 400-acre site that will soon house a state-of-the-art 1-million-square-foot factory. Partnering with R&S Excavation, JCB began transforming the former farmland into a flagship location, focused on one priority: progress.
To support early mass grading efforts, R&S rented a JCB 3TS Teleskid telehandler to assist with material handling. But one morning, it wasn’t where it should have been.
“I was out with my family when I got the call,” says Christian Rios, site services manager for JCB San Antonio, who was managing aspects of the site prep. “The crew said the skid steer was missing. We didn’t have clear surveillance footage; it had been taken under the cover of darkness.”
At this stage, many project managers might assume the worst: weeks of paperwork, replacement costs, potential delays and a hit to the team’s morale. But thanks to one key tool, this story had a different ending.
LiveLink turns the tide
JCB’s LiveLink telematics system – which comes standard with a five-year subscription on all JCB equipment – was already integrated into the machine. With help from the rental house, the team matched the serial number to the rental record and quickly accessed its GPS data. The unit had been moved – about 25 miles away – and hidden in an empty lot behind brush, not far from a local amusement park.
“It looked like they had scraped off the rental stickers,” Rios says. “Clearly, they knew what they were doing – but they underestimated the technology on board.”
Thanks to LiveLink, the machine was located and recovered before any damage was done. There was no need to order a replacement. No interruption in the site’s progress. Just a valuable piece of equipment back where it belonged.
Common industry threat
JCB’s experience, while resolved quickly, isn’t unique. Equipment theft from job sites costs the construction industry between $300 million and $1 billion each year in the United States alone.
Beyond the price of the missing machines, theft leads to a cascade of complications. Schedules slip as teams scramble to replace or rent new equipment. Insurance costs rise after claims are filed. Administrative teams are pulled away from project work to handle investigations and paperwork. Perhaps most critically, morale suffers – especially when it feels like the job site is vulnerable to repeat incidents.
Sites under development are especially exposed in their early phases, when fencing, patrols or permanent infrastructure aren’t yet in place. While JCB had secured the site and used progress cameras, the theft still occurred, underscoring a hard truth in the industry: If it can happen, it eventually will.
Telematics matter more than ever
Construction sites are dynamic, decentralized environments – often covering large areas, managing dozens of machines and operating around tight timelines. That’s why telematics systems have become a crucial component of modern fleet and job site management. Telematics platforms such as JCB LiveLink give operators and managers powerful tools to stay ahead of theft, maintenance issues and inefficiencies.
These systems provide real-time equipment location, allowing companies to quickly detect and respond if a machine is moved without authorization. They offer geofencing capabilities that trigger alerts when a unit exits a defined area, helping to prevent theft before it happens. Usage data, such as hours of operation, fuel levels and idle time, can be analyzed to optimize scheduling and reduce wear. Maintenance alerts can be automatically generated to keep machines in top condition, minimizing unplanned downtime. And because the data is centralized, decision-makers can monitor entire fleets from a single dashboard – whether on a job site or in the office.
In the case of the stolen skid steer in San Antonio, it was the real-time GPS data that made recovery possible. But the broader takeaway is clear: telematics offer a 360-degree view of a machine’s life on the job site. In an industry where even small delays can ripple into big costs, that kind of visibility is priceless.
Future-proofing projects
“In this business, time is money – and theft costs both,” Rios says. “LiveLink telematics saved us from all of that. The machine was support equipment, but even a delay in the little things can have a ripple effect.”
Ed. note: Arielle Windham is a public relations specialist with Flint Group for JCB.
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