Aerial equipment — including mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs) and telehandlers — is an important part of many rental fleets. Several technological advances have improved safety and productivity as well as help manufacturers and equipment rental companies comply with new American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards, but it wasn’t until the last year or two that aerial manufacturers started touting the addition of telematics.

Efficiencies and values go hand in hand in the equipment rental industry. Manufacturers strive to make equipment more efficient using technologies to improve a product’s value to the customer. Equipment rental stores use technologies to improve the bottom line.

As equipment is becoming smarter with high-tech advancements in controls and sensors, equipment users must leverage the data being generated to be more productive, safe and cost effective in their operations.

It has now been one year since the first wave of shutdowns began in the United States in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While calls for social distancing changed personal lives, it also forced companies to change how they do business. Many had to adopt new technologies — like those that enabled contactless transactions — in order to survive.

Understanding how a machine works and its operating best practices are vital pieces of knowledge for any operator. For machine owners, that level of understanding comes from on-the-job training and years of operating experience.