You're evaluating fleet safety systems, but the feature lists are overwhelming and most vendors don't understand construction industry operations. While every provider claims to offer a complete solution, construction companies often operate mixed fleets with unique compliance requirements that differ from standard commercial operations.
Construction fleet managers need a practical framework for prioritizing functionality based on their current operations and regulatory compliance requirements. Choosing the right fleet management software means addressing your most critical overall safety and compliance needs first, then scaling with your business to reduce risk of accidents.
This tier-based approach helps you evaluate and prioritize fleet safety features during the buying process. It ensures you invest in capabilities that deliver immediate value while building a foundation for an effective fleet safety program.
Tier 1 Features: Foundational Requirements
These features form the baseline of any viable fleet safety system for construction companies. Without these core capabilities, your fleet tracking and safety compliance program lacks essential data and compliance tools.
GPS Tracking
Live location visibility across your entire fleet creates the foundation for safety management and asset tracking. Effective GPS tracking systems produce the telematic data that automates predictive maintenance alerts, driver coaching, and compliance.
Key Benefits:
-
- Theft prevention through continuous asset monitoring and rapid recovery capabilities
- Precise mileage documentation for regulatory requirements and accurate project billing
- Data infrastructure that enables behavior tracking and automated maintenance scheduling
- Consistent performance monitoring even in typical remote construction environments
What to Look For:
-
- Continuous location updates rather than intermittent location reports
- Ability to create boundaries and zones with geofencing around select areas of projects, yards and offices to monitor where assets are
- Field-accessible mobile platforms for real-time asset status checks
- Connectivity with existing dispatch and project management workflows
- Durable hardware engineered for construction conditions with verified data accuracy
- Dependable cellular performance across diverse job site locations
Built-in Compliance Tools
Automated regulatory management eliminates manual reporting processes. It also helps teams adhere to complex interstate operating requirements and federal regulations. Construction fleets crossing jurisdictions need an automated solution that handles fuel tax calculations and driver hour tracking without administrative overhead.
Key Benefits:
-
- Hours of service compliance that reduces fatigue-related safety risks
- Streamlined International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reporting with jurisdiction-specific mileage calculations and automated quarterly submissions
- Elimination of manual data entry errors and administrative bottlenecks
- Comprehensive audit documentation that prevents regulatory penalties
What to Look For:
-
- Smart boundary recognition for precise jurisdictional mileage allocation
- Digital driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) to avoid pencil-whipping
- Unified platforms that connect tracking data with regulatory reporting
- Driver-friendly mobile interfaces for hours of service management
- Proactive notifications for approaching regulatory limits
Automated Maintenance Alerts
Proactive maintenance scheduling prevents equipment failures that create safety hazards and project delays. Advanced diagnostic monitoring identifies potential issues before they become roadside emergencies or jobsite breakdowns that expose workers to dangerous situations. With a comprehensive fleet maintenance software, teams can keep all critical systems inspected and maintained.
Key Benefits:
-
- Critical component failure prevention for brakes, steering, and hydraulic systems
- Elimination of dangerous roadside and jobsite breakdowns in high-traffic areas
- Extended equipment lifespan through strategic maintenance timing and regular vehicle inspections
- Enhanced project reliability and workforce safety
What to Look For:
-
- Field-based maintenance request systems with immediate shop communication and schedule coordination
- Flexible scheduling based on operating hours, mileage, or time intervals with driver vehicle inspection reports
- Integrated work order management with technician assignment capabilities and compliance record tracking
- Connected parts management system for maintenance workflows, parts requests, and accurate inventory management
When you're ready to implement these foundational features, Tenna provides all Tier 1 capabilities through a single platform designed specifically for construction companies.
Get core GPS tracking, centralized records, preventative equipment maintenance, and built-in DVIR, IFTA, and ELD compliance in one integrated platform designed specifically for construction operations.
- Real-time GPS tracking with construction-grade hardware and reliable cellular connectivity
- Built-in IFTA and ELD compliance with automated jurisdiction detection and quarterly reporting
- Integrated maintenance management with field-to-shop communication workflows
- Power Take Off (PTO) monitoring for equipment diagnostics
- Mobile app access for field personnel across all core features
- Centralized asset records with unlimited contacts and storage capacity
- Automated fault code and diagnostic trouble code (DTC) detection
- Customizable maintenance scheduling based on hours, mileage, or calendar intervals
“Tenna helps to stay on top of all the maintenance and we see longer life, more hours, more miles out of all of our equipment. We see more up time then down time because we’re able to catch issues way before they become an issue.”
- Brad C., Director of Operations, and Jeremy H., Shop Manager, Environmental Products Group
Tier 2 Features: Active Risk Management
Once you have the foundational features covered, these safety management capabilities actively prevent incidents, reduce risk exposure, and allow for more efficient operations. These features transform basic tracking data into actionable safety insights that help prevent accidents, decrease mechanical issues, and support incident prevention programs.
Custom Inspections
Flexible inspection platforms help construction companies develop specialized safety protocols that address unique equipment requirements and site-specific hazards. Standard inspection forms rarely capture the diverse safety needs of mixed construction fleets operating across different project types.
Key Benefits:
-
- Enhanced crew protection through mandatory verification of critical safety protocols and systems
- Automated corrective action workflows that immediately address identified defects and safety violations
- Project-specific safety verification tailored to unique operational environments and risk management needs
- Complete regulatory adherence including DVIR requirements and specialized equipment safety protocols
What to Look For:
-
- Required photographic documentation for essential safety components and defect verification
- Dynamic form development for project-specific, equipment-specific, or jurisdiction-specific requirements
- Direct maintenance system connectivity for immediate defect resolution
- Automated scheduling with compliance monitoring and missed inspection notifications
Driver Behavior Monitoring
Driver scorecards provide comprehensive performance tracking that evaluates driving patterns across your fleet, creating measurable safety metrics for recognition and improvement programs. These systems work with active behavior tracking systems that monitor critical driving patterns including speeding, harsh braking, and rapid acceleration while delivering immediate corrective feedback via driver coaching.
Key Benefits:
-
- Historical performance analysis that reveals long-term behavioral patterns and driving habits
- Insurance cost reduction through documented safety program effectiveness with driver scorecards
- Merit-based recognition systems that reward safe drivers with consistent safe driving practices
- Performance analytics that inform targeted driver training and coaching initiatives
What to Look For:
-
- Adaptable scoring frameworks that accommodate various vehicle classifications and construction vehicles
- Telematics integration covering speed management, acceleration patterns, braking behaviors, and harsh acceleration monitoring
- Unified performance tracking across road vehicles, trucks, and heavy construction equipment with detailed analytics
- Executive dashboards that reveal performance trends and usage across geographic regions and work teams
- Flexible threshold settings that accommodate diverse construction vehicles and operational requirements
Once you've covered Tier 1 features and are ready to actively manage risk, Tenna's Tier 2 capabilities help you create custom safety protocols and monitor driver performance in real-time.
These features work together to catch safety issues before they become incidents.
Tenna's Tier 2 features include customizable inspection forms, driver scorecards with real-time data, and AI technology that coaches drivers on the road.
- Driver scorecard system that accommodates both fleet vehicles and heavy equipment operations
- Custom inspection form builder with mandatory photo requirements and maintenance system integration
- Driver coaching using performance data from GPS trackers
- Performance reporting that identifies safety trends across teams, locations, and project sites
- Automated workflows connecting inspections, maintenance requests, and driver performance data
- Customizable scoring thresholds for different vehicle types and operational requirements
- Mobile accessibility for field inspections with QR code functionality
- Integration with video telematics for enhanced coaching with actual footage
“[Tenna’s Driver Scorecard] has helped greatly with reducing traffic incidents and other bad driving incidents.”
- Alessandro S., CEO, GS Construction
Tier 3 Features: Safety Automation
These features represent current fleet safety technology and provide the highest level of incident prevention through safety alerts. They use artificial intelligence and camera systems to detect and prevent safety incidents before they occur.
AI Dash Cameras
Intelligent camera systems use AI to detect and prevent safety incidents in real time. Fleet dash cameras provide dual-lens monitoring for road conditions and driver behavior, while heavy equipment cameras offer 360-degree coverage around machinery for complete jobsite visibility.
Key Benefits:
-
- Automatic incident recording and evidence collection for insurance claims and investigations
- Distracted driving and fatigue detection with real-time intervention capabilities
- Improved jobsite visibility around heavy machinery reducing blind spot accidents
- Lower insurance premiums through documented safety incidents and liability protection
- Enhanced driver training with actual video footage from both road events and fleet operations
What to Look For:
-
- Dual-lens systems for forward-facing and driver monitoring on fleet vehicles
- 360-degree coverage options for heavy equipment operations with auxiliary cameras
- AI event detection with customizable sensitivity settings for different operating environments, including configurable in-cab alerts and notifications
- Integration with driver scorecards and behavior monitoring systems for driver safety tracking
- Cloud storage with easy incident footage retrieval and live streaming capabilities for critical operations
When you're ready to implement the most advanced safety technology available, Tenna's Tier 3 features create a complete safety system where camera events automatically update driver scorecards and managers can focus on trends instead of paperwork.
Tenna's advanced Tier 3 features include:
- TennaCAM 2.0 Fleet Dash Cams with AI-powered driver monitoring and real-time coaching alerts
- TennaCAM 2.0 Heavy Equipment Cameras with 360-degree visibility and live streaming capabilities
- Integrated video storage and retrieval through secure cloud-based platforms
- Automatic event detection with customizable sensitivity settings for different equipment types
- Driver privacy controls and dedicated domestic customer support for implementation
- Compatible auxiliary cameras for extended coverage around vehicles and equipment
- Dual-facing HD cameras capturing both road conditions and driver behavior
- AI-powered detection of distracted driving, fatigue, smoking, and seatbelt violations
- Cloud connectivity with independent cellular service and SD card backup storage
- Live streaming capabilities for remote monitoring of critical operations
“One incident will pay for the cost of it. You get your money back quickly by exonerating someone who had an accident.”
-Bob D., Equipment Manager, Ferreira Coastal Construction
Schedule a discovery call to see if Tenna is the right solution for your company