A skip does not usually disappear in one dramatic moment. It slips out of view.
The delivery was recorded against the wrong customer. A long hire was never reviewed. A collection happened but the yard movement did not. Weeks later, somebody notices the stock count is short and starts ringing around.
Skip tracking begins with knowing which asset moved, where it went and what should happen next. GPS can add another layer, but it cannot repair a poor operating record on its own.
Give every asset a dependable identity
“Eight-yard skip” is a type, not an identity. If you want a useful history, each asset needs its own number or code that staff can read and record consistently.
Keep the marking durable and visible. A clever tag is no use if drivers cannot tell which asset they have picked up when the device fails or the yard is busy.
Connect identity to movements
The asset record becomes valuable when it follows delivery, exchange and collection activity. Each movement should answer:
- Which skip moved?
- What type of movement was it?
- Which customer or site was involved?
- When did the movement happen?
- Who recorded it?
- What is the skip’s current operational status?
This creates a last-known position and a clear chain of custody inside the operation. It is far stronger than a separate list of asset numbers that nobody updates.
Do not confuse site location with live location
A booking record can show that a skip was delivered to a site. That is operational tracking. It does not prove the asset is still physically there now.
For most routine hires, a reliable movement history and active-customer record may answer the business question. Higher-risk assets, theft-prone areas or unusually long placements may justify GPS or another physical tracking method.
Use the simplest tracking method that answers the risk you are trying to control.
Surface skips that have gone quiet
The biggest tracking win is often a good ageing report. Show skips that have remained on hire beyond the expected period, placements with no recent contact and assets linked to closed or unclear jobs.
Give the office a review list rather than one enormous asset register. Staff can confirm the customer still needs the skip, arrange collection, apply extended-hire terms where appropriate or escalate a genuine problem.
Make exchanges preserve the history
An exchange is where weak tracking often breaks. One skip leaves full and another stays empty, but the office record only says “exchange done”. If individual identities are not captured, both asset histories become uncertain.
Record the outgoing and incoming asset separately. The customer job remains connected, but each skip continues its own journey.
Use tags to reduce typing, not replace judgement
NFC, QR codes and other identifiers can make capture quicker. A driver taps or scans the asset and the system fills the correct identity. That can reduce transposed numbers and speed up roadside updates.
The process still needs a fallback for damaged tags, poor connectivity and assets that have been stacked with the label hidden. Keep a visible number and a clear exception route.
Review missing stock by cause
Do not treat every discrepancy as theft. Split the problem into useful causes:
- Incorrect or missing movement record
- Customer site details out of date
- Long hire not reviewed
- Unrecorded yard or depot transfer
- Asset under repair
- Unauthorised movement or suspected loss
That tells you whether the answer is training, better workflow, a customer call or a physical tracker.
Build the record before buying the hardware
Run a monthly lost-asset review
Do not wait for the year-end count. Once a month, review assets with no recent movement, placements beyond the normal hire period and skips whose recorded status does not match the related job.
- Confirm the last recorded customer and address.
- Check exchange and collection history for missed identity changes.
- Ask the yard whether the skip has returned under a different status.
- Contact the customer where the placement remains unclear.
- Escalate suspected unauthorised movement separately.
- Correct the underlying record when the asset is found.
Record the cause, not just the result. If most “missing” skips are sitting in the yard with incomplete return movements, the business needs a better yard process. If they remain on long-term sites without review, ownership belongs with the hire-management process. Hardware will not solve either issue by itself.
Locovo Dashboard is designed to connect skips with their jobs and movements. NFC-assisted identification and wider physical asset tracking are planned parts of the roadmap, not features we claim as fully live today.
Start by fixing the operational record. See how Locovo Dashboard can give your team a clearer view of bookings, movements and stock.
