Leading hire companies explain how bringing mixed-fleet telematics data into one platform is cutting idle time, reducing emissions, and driving smarter decisions across the construction equipment sector.
At a recent industry discussion held at PlantWorx construction exhibition, hosted by Peter Haddock, senior representatives from Flannery Plant Hire, Potter Plant Hire, Blackwood Plant Hire and the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) explored how mixed-fleet telematics is reshaping operational efficiency, sustainability, and customer service across the hire sector.
The conversation centred on the benefits of integrating data from multiple OEMs into a single platform. Flannery Plant Hire now connects more than 4,500 assets through around 20 integrations, supported by an in-house data team. By consolidating machine information into the Hiboo platform, Flannery can view everything from location and utilisation to idle time, fuel use and carbon data in one place – eliminating the need to access multiple OEM portals.
While an industry telematics standard exists, the panel noted that manufacturers interpret and share data differently. Frequency, field completeness, and new data requirements for electric and hydrogen-powered machines vary widely. Platforms such as Hiboo standardise this information and feed consistent insights to both hire companies and their customers via API links.
The results are tangible. Across Flannery’s fleet, average idle time stands at just over 40 per cent, with some assets significantly higher. Reducing idle time immediately cuts fuel costs and emissions and prepares sites for electrification by improving overall efficiency. Data analysis also supports Flannery’s eco-operator and red-zone safety training, turning telemetry into practical guidance for operators and supervisors. It can even resolve everyday disputes, such as fuel-on-return, by showing accurate fuel levels and daily activity logs.
For Potter Plant Hire, automation has delivered a step-change in efficiency. Weekly reporting that once took hours is now reduced to minutes, thanks to automated exception reports highlighting inactive assets or fault codes. With data flowing directly from OEM feeds, manual checks have largely disappeared. The company is using that time to pilot ways of reducing idle time, including trials with battery-powered cab heaters for winter use and potential dual heating and cooling systems. Potter is also exploring simpler customer access – from Hiboo logins to QR codes on machines that link directly to telematics data.
Blackwood Plant Hire, one of Scotland’s largest independent fleet operators, has implemented a similar approach. With around 450 machines and 17 integrations, it has onboarded OEM APIs and rolled out Hiboo access across the business. Pricing is per asset, not per user, allowing anyone who needs information to access it instantly – removing the need for multiple logins or phone calls between depots. The data is already shaping business decisions: detailed utilisation reports led to the purchase of 51 new JCB machines, while integrated maintenance alerts now guide service scheduling and resource planning.
Clients are increasingly requesting near-real-time data to monitor project performance, though the frequency and completeness of OEM data still vary. By challenging suppliers to deliver more consistent and timely information, hire companies are accelerating improvements across the supply chain.
Adding a broader perspective, CPA decarbonisation and sustainability manager Luis Bassett explained that practical guidance and collaboration remain essential. The CPA is working with the Supply Chain Sustainability School on telematics and power-use guidance, helping smaller hire firms automate carbon reporting without heavy consultancy costs. Bassett emphasised that while construction equipment is often viewed as high-emission, the plant-hire sector is among the most proactive in reducing diesel use, with data providing the evidence to demonstrate real progress to government and clients.
All three hire companies praised the speed of development and customer support they have experienced, with new OEM integrations taking as little as 10–20 days to complete. Looking ahead, the priority is richer, faster data and new metrics to manage low- and zero-emission plant effectively – including battery charge levels, charge events, and on-site energy management.
The message was clear: consolidate the data, automate the routine work, use it to coach people, and turn information into action. The smarter use of mixed-fleet telematics is helping hire companies cut idle time, reduce carbon, and improve safety – today, not tomorrow.
Discussion hosted by industry journalist Peter Haddock.
Watch the full panel discussion here 👇
