(650) 332-8623The 6 Best GPS Tracking Options for Construction Equipment in 2025
Looking for GPS tracking for the construction equipment your business needs? We’ve reviewed 6 of the best apps on the market to help you!
Efficiently managing construction equipment is more important than ever, with over 241,000 machines sold in North America in 2022, the largest market globally. With so much gear in the field, GPS tracking tools are essential for reducing downtime, preventing losses, and boosting productivity.
In this guide, let’s talk about the top GPS trackers for 2025 to help you keep your equipment in check and your projects on track.
Top GPS Tracking Options for Construction Equipment
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Our score |
9.3 |
8.3 |
8.2 |
Best for |
Construction, field service, and property management businesses |
Engine diagnostics monitoring |
Heavy equipment utilization monitoring |
Pricing |
Starting at $6 / mo. per user + $50 / mo. company base fee |
Must contact sales for pricing |
Custom pricing available on inquiry |
The Bottom Line
GPS tracking for construction equipment is an easy way to protect and monitor all your valuable assets, especially when a fleet of vehicles is distributed across multiple sites and team members arrive and leave at different times.
Knowing where your assets and employees are can positively impact your workflows, schedules, and revenue.
Regardless of your GPS tracker, you will need reliable software for tracking, geofencing, work order management, and labor cost tracking in one system, just like Workyard.
You can easily access Workyard from your office computer or mobile device when at a construction job site. All the information you need is only a few clicks away. You can track your employees’ locations, arrivals, job progress, departures, drive times, and more.
So explore Workyard’s GPS tracking capabilities today, or sign up for a free trial!
Our Scoring System Explained
Our 8-part scoring system was created to help you understand the potential value of any software we review simply and fairly.
We created it after reviewing dozens of software products, which we covered in depth, but without providing a direct and simple way for readers to compare products on their merits – without spending a lot of time looking through our articles for the information they needed to make an informed decision.
Every app we review will include Customer Support and Company scores, which we’ll explain in more detail below. Many of the factors reviewed in this article will also be consistent across most (or all) of our software reviews, with some differences:
The 8 factors assessed and their contribution to a product’s overall score may differ slightly from product to product based on various factors, such as the use case we’re reviewing for, the type of business these products are tailored to, and other considerations. However, all reviews will feature an 8-part score, weighted and combined to calculate each product’s overall score.
How We Score Software
All factors in our reviews are scored on a 10-point scale – technically 11 points – from 0-10. However, we only give products a score of 0 if it does not include an essential feature at all, and we try to avoid giving out 0 scores if a product can demonstrate any functionality in line with the specific factor being reviewed.
In general, the 0-10 range translates as:
- 9.0 – 10 – One of the absolute best in its category (amazing).
- 7.5 – 8.9 – Very good, but with some minor issues (very good).
- 6.0 – 7.4 – Mediocre performance with notable shortcomings (average).
- 3.0 – 5.9 – This feature is not ready for prime time (borderline).
- 1.0 – 2.9 – This feature actually makes its product worse (unacceptable).
- 0 – The product doesn’t include this important feature at all.
How We Calculate Overall Scores
The 8 factors reviewed are weighted based on an overall total of 100%:
- Ease of Use: 20%
- Time Tracking Accuracy: 20%
- Scheduling Features: 15%
- Job Tracking: 15%
- Integrations: 10%
- Customer Support: 15%
- Company: 5%
Methodology for Each Factor
Ease of Use
We evaluate a product’s ease of use based on three main considerations:
- How easy is it to set up this app?
- How easy is it for managers to use the backend dashboard?
- How easy is it for frontline workers to use the (mobile) app?
These three considerations cover the main ways you and your team would use the software being reviewed – when you first obtain it, when someone (a manager, executive, team leader, or similar role) needs to use it to manage people, money, data, and other things, and when workers you’re tracking use the app (usually a mobile version of the software designed for frontline and/or field team members) to clock in, clock out, record time worked, or address other day-to-day needs.
Time Tracking Accuracy
Every minute matters when you’re trying to control payroll costs. This factor accounts for various features and common needs in time-tracking apps, such as…
- How accurate or precise is its GPS tracking capability?
- How accurate – and how customizable – is its geofencing feature?
- How accurate is its travel and mileage tracking (if available)?
- Can it automatically clock workers in and out based on the above?
- Can you set and/or restrict rules for clocking in and out?
- Can the app continue tracking workers while offline?
- How easy is its mobile app and/or kiosk for frontline workers?
Scheduling Features
Many construction businesses prefer to manage as many aspects of employee labor activity as possible in a single app, which is why many time-tracking apps also include worker scheduling as a core feature.
When we consider a product’s scheduling features, we look at:
- Its dashboard customizability (daily, weekly, or monthly views).
- Its project-based scheduling and visibility.
- Its real-time updates and notifications for workers.
- Its real-time map views of worker locations for best-fit scheduling.
- Its recurring schedule (copies to subsequent weeks, etc.) functionality.
Job Tracking
This factor helps you understand if the software can also provide insight into specific projects, which is particularly handy when your business deals with many customers or clients who generally need shorter-term work. Effective job tracking typically also includes accurate job costing functionality for construction companies.
We assess several things when calculating a product’s job tracking score:
- Its project-based tracking for multiple projects per day/week/etc.
- Its ability to track multiple / many projects simultaneously.
- Its use of (and your ability to customize) construction cost codes.
- Any built-in job costing views.
- Any integrations for cost coding (QuickBooks etc.)
Integrations
No business can operate on a single app, which is why integrations with other apps and tools are such important aspects of modern business software.
To calculate a product’s integration score, we’ll examine:
- How many native integrations (the simplest connection) does it offer?
- How effective and easy-to-use are its integrations with payroll software?
- Does it have robust data import and export features?
Customer Support
Learning how to use a new app can be frustrating, even if it’s meant to be the most user-friendly app around. That’s why great customer support is so essential when considering which time-tracking app to use.
Customer support scores are calculated based on:
- Live support channels available (phone, email, chat, etc.).
- Live support hours (business hours only, 24/7, etc.).
- The strength of the product’s online help center and/or FAQs.
- What other users say about support in online reviews.
Company
A great company with a highly customer-friendly approach can often make up for shortcomings in their software products – at least up to a point.
When assessing this score, we’ll examine:
- Transparency (easy-to-find pricing, etc.)
- Trial period (duration, feature availability, credit card requirements, etc.).
- Subscription flexibility (contracts, required durations, etc.).
- Ease of cancellation or pausing subscriptions.
- Customer perceptions (online product reviews).
- Website (a minor consideration, but great companies tend to have great websites).
Any questions about our scoring system? Have any suggestions on how we could make it even better? Click here to send us your feedback – we’d love to hear from you!
GPS trackers for construction equipment use GPS technology to monitor the location, usage, and status of heavy machinery and vehicles used in construction projects. These trackers are installed on equipment like excavators, cranes, trucks, and other assets to provide real-time visibility into their whereabouts and activities.
Key benefits of using GPS trackers for construction equipment include:
- Theft prevention and recovery: Trackers can send alerts when equipment leaves designated areas and help locate stolen assets.
- Improved productivity and efficiency: Tracking data allows managers to optimize equipment utilization, reduce idle time, and streamline operations.
- Reduced costs: GPS tracking helps monitor fuel usage, maintenance needs, and unauthorized usage to cut expenses.
Enhanced safety: Trackers can identify risky driving behaviors and equipment issues to improve worker and site safety.
With tighter deadlines, rising costs, and high-value equipment scattered across multiple job sites, GPS tracking for construction equipment is necessary.
It does more than show dots on a map. Construction equipment tracking provides real-time visibility to prevent theft, reduce idle time, and ensure machines are where and when they should be.
The best GPS trackers for heavy equipment also help you monitor usage, optimize asset allocation, and streamline maintenance, giving you the data you need to make smarter, faster decisions on and off the job site.
Construction GPS tracking uses satellite-based signals to monitor the real-time location and movement of your machines, whether they’re parked on-site, in transit, or actively working.
A small GPS tracker for construction equipment is installed on each machine, sending location data to a cloud-based dashboard you can access from your phone or desktop.
Today’s heavy equipment tracking devices also collect valuable insights, like run-time hours, engine diagnostics, and idle time, that help project managers optimize performance and reduce costly downtime.
Many systems also include geofencing, allowing you to set up virtual boundaries around job sites. When a piece of machinery enters or exits that area, you’ll receive instant alerts. Paired with a heavy equipment tracking app, your team can clock in automatically, monitor asset usage, and prevent unauthorized movement in real time.
Whether you’re managing ten machines or a hundred, GPS tracking for construction equipment simplifies oversight, improves job costing accuracy, and protects your most valuable assets in the field.
The best free GPS trackers for construction equipment include:
- Spytec GPS: Spytec offers top-quality GPS tracking devices and easy-to-use, intuitive tracking software to help construction companies streamline operations. Their solutions provide real-time location data, engine diagnostics, and customizable alerts.
- Verizon Connect: Verizon Connect is a leading provider of GPS tracking solutions for construction equipment. Their platform offers features like geofencing, maintenance scheduling, and theft recovery to improve productivity and safety.
- Samsara: Samsara provides a comprehensive fleet management platform with GPS tracking capabilities tailored for construction equipment. It allows users to monitor asset utilization, fuel usage, and driver behavior.
- Geotab: Geotab’s rugged GPS trackers are designed for heavy-duty construction equipment. Their cloud-based software gives managers visibility into equipment location, usage, and diagnostics.
While these providers may offer free trial periods or limited free plans, most construction companies will likely need a paid GPS tracking service to access the full features and support required for their operations.
Key features of GPS trackers for construction equipment include:
- Real-time tracking and location monitoring: GPS trackers provide real-time visibility into the location of construction equipment, allowing managers to see where assets are at any given time. This is essential for theft prevention, efficient resource allocation, and optimizing equipment utilization.
- Customizable alerts: GPS tracking solutions allow users to set up alerts for events like equipment entering/leaving designated areas, exceeding speed limits, idling for too long, or needing maintenance. These alerts help improve productivity and safety.
- Trip history and reporting: GPS trackers record movement and usage data over time, enabling construction companies to generate reports on equipment utilization, fuel consumption, and maintenance needs. This data supports better business decisions.
- Integration with other systems: The best GPS tracking platforms can integrate with a company’s enterprise software, such as ERP or project management systems. This streamlines workflows and provides a comprehensive view of operations.
- Durability and reliability: GPS trackers for construction equipment are designed to withstand the harshest conditions. Accurate and consistent location data is crucial for effective fleet management.
- Equipment diagnostics: Some advanced GPS tracking solutions can also provide diagnostic information about connected equipment, helping identify potential issues before they cause downtime.
The key features of GPS trackers for construction equipment focus on providing real-time visibility, improving productivity and efficiency, enhancing security, and supporting comprehensive fleet management—all of which are critical for construction companies to manage their valuable assets effectively.
You do not necessarily need special hardware for a GPS tracker for construction equipment. There are a few different options:
Battery-powered GPS trackers: These are standalone devices that can be easily attached to equipment without any wiring or installation. They run on batteries and provide real-time location tracking.
Hardwired GPS trackers: These devices are wired directly into the equipment’s electrical system, providing power and a more permanent tracking solution. This requires some installation.
OBD (on-board diagnostics) GPS trackers: These plug directly into the OBD port of vehicles and equipment, drawing power from the existing electrical system. They provide both location tracking and diagnostic data.
Hardware-free GPS tracking: Some solutions use a mobile app or web-based platform to track equipment without requiring a physical tracking device. This is a more flexible option that doesn’t involve installing hardware.
The best option will depend on the construction company’s specific needs and requirements. Factors include ease of installation, power source, durability, and the desired tracking features.
Equipment tracking software helps construction and field service businesses manage assets, cut costs, and boost productivity. Key benefits include:
- Asset visibility: GPS tracking to prevent theft and monitor usage.
- Lower maintenance costs: Automated reminders and service history tracking.
- Higher utilization: Identify underused equipment and reallocate efficiently.
- Simplified inventory: Centralized database for check-in, check-out, and reports.
- Compliance support: Maintain records for inspections, training, and audits.