Smartrack for Plant & Machinery

Securing diggers, telehandlers and site equipment with Smartrack for Plant & Machinery

Plant and machinery theft is one of the most under-reported and financially damaging crimes affecting UK businesses. The figures are stark. The Construction Equipment Association estimates that plant theft costs the UK construction industry more than £1 billion every year. Mini excavators, telehandlers, dumper trucks, generators, and attachments disappear from sites, farms, and storage yards daily — often overnight, often in organised operations that target specific equipment they already have buyers for.

Unlike vehicle theft, plant theft rarely makes headlines. But for the small contractor who loses a £40,000 excavator, or the farmer whose telehandler disappears from a yard in the early hours, the impact is immediate and severe. Lost equipment means lost productivity, delayed contracts, costly hire replacements, and insurance claims that drive premiums upward for years.

A GPS tracker does not prevent theft. But it dramatically increases the chances of quickly recovering your equipment — and, in many cases, of finding the larger criminal operation behind it. This guide explains which Smartrack product is right for your plant and machinery, how it works, and what you need to know about insurance and the CESAR scheme. Explore the benefits of using Smartrack for Plant & Machinery to protect your investment.

Why is plant theft different from vehicle theft?

Plant and machinery theft presents a different set of challenges compared to vehicle theft, and understanding those differences helps explain why the right tracker matters.

Most plant equipment lacks ignition-key security equivalent to that of a modern car. Older machines, in particular, can be started with basic knowledge and no key at all. There is no factory immobiliser, no keyless entry vulnerability to exploit — the security challenge is simply that the equipment is large, valuable, and often stored in locations with limited overnight oversight.

Professional plant theft gangs operate with low-loaders, specialist knowledge of how to move heavy equipment quickly, and established routes to buyers — often overseas. A mini excavator loaded onto a low-loader at 2 am and driven to a port can be out of the country within hours. Without a tracker generating an alert at the moment of theft, the window for recovery closes fast.

The other challenge is that plant equipment is frequently legitimately moved between sites. A tracker that cannot distinguish between an authorised move and a theft — or that requires manual check-ins to confirm legitimate movement — generates so many false alerts that operators stop paying attention to them. The best plant trackers work quietly in the background, alerting only when movement is genuinely unexpected.

The CESAR scheme and why it matters for insurance

CESAR — the Construction Equipment Security and Registration scheme — is the UK’s official plant and machinery registration and security standard. Managed by the Construction Equipment Association, CESAR provides a database of registered plant equipment that links to the DVLA and is used by police to identify and return recovered machinery.

Many insurance policies for plant equipment now require CESAR registration as a condition of cover. CESAR registration involves fitting a transponder to the machine and registering it on the national database. When police recover machinery — at a port, on a low-loader, at a yard — they can scan it and identify the owner within seconds.

A GPS tracker works alongside CESAR rather than replacing it. CESAR helps identify recovered equipment. A GPS tracker generates an alert that starts the recovery process and provides the police with the live location during the response. For comprehensive plant protection, you want both.

Safe & Sound Mobile installs Smartrack GPS trackers on all types of plant equipment. If you need guidance on CESAR registration alongside your tracker installation, speak to our team, and we will point you in the right direction.

Which Smartrack tracker is right for your plant equipment?

Smartrack Wireless Unit — for equipment without a power source

The Smartrack Wireless Unit is the most flexible option for protecting plant and machinery. It requires no hardwiring, no connection to the machine’s electrical system, and no permanent installation. It is a self-contained, battery-powered tracking device with a battery life of up to 5 years under normal use.

The Wireless Unit is IP67-rated — fully dustproof and waterproof to 1 metre submersion — making it suitable for the harsh environments in which construction equipment operates. It uses multi-network roaming SIMs to ensure the strongest available mobile signal wherever the equipment is located, including rural sites and remote locations where single-network devices often lose connectivity.

Because it requires no wiring, the Wireless Unit can be fitted to virtually any piece of equipment, regardless of whether it has an onboard power supply. It can also be transferred between machines — useful for contractors who rotate equipment between projects or want to temporarily re-in machinery.

Key features:

• Up to five years of battery life
• IP67 dustproof and waterproof rating
• No wiring or power source required
• Transferable between machines
• Multi-network roaming SIM
• 24/7 Global Telemetrics monitoring
• Compatible with cars, vans, trailers, caravans and plant equipment

Best for: mini excavators, generators, attachments, agricultural equipment, trailers, and any machinery without a permanent power source or where hardwiring is impractical.

Smartrack Protector Pro Digger — hardwired S7 for powered plant

For larger powered plant equipment — excavators, telehandlers, loading shovels, articulated dump trucks — the Smartrack Protector Pro Digger is the hardwired alternative. It connects to the machine’s electrical system, providing continuous power and more frequent location updates than a battery-powered device.

The Protector Pro Digger is Thatcham Category S7 approved. It provides the same 24/7 Global Telemetrics monitoring, GPS and GLONASS tracking, motion-sensing alerts, and internal backup battery as the standard Protector Pro range — but configured and calibrated for the electrical systems found in construction and agricultural machinery rather than in road vehicles.

For equipment that operates from a permanent power source and remains on sites for extended periods, the hardwired Protector Pro Digger provides more reliable, consistent tracking than a battery-powered unit. It eliminates the need to monitor or replace the tracker battery.

Best for: large powered excavators, telehandlers, agricultural tractors, loading shovels, and any powered plant where a permanent hardwired installation is practical.

Wireless Unit vs Protector Pro Digger: how to choose

One important distinction: the Wireless Unit is an asset tracker rather than a Thatcham-approved device. If your insurance policy specifically requires a Thatcham-approved tracker for your plant equipment, you will need the Protector Pro Digger. If your policy does not specify Thatcham approval — or if you are fitting a tracker for your own operational visibility rather than an insurance requirement — the Wireless Unit is a highly practical and cost-effective solution.

What happens when plant equipment is reported stolen?

When a Smartrack device detects unexpected movement and generates an alert, the Global Telemetrics Secure Control Centre responds immediately. For plant equipment, the process follows the same pattern as vehicle theft response:

The controller contacts you to confirm whether the movement is authorised. If you confirm a theft, the team coordinates directly with the police and provides live location updates. For plant equipment specifically, the control centre also works with port authorities and freight inspection teams when there is a risk of rapid export.

Global Telemetrics works with independent repatriation investigators in over 100 countries via Interpol ICPO — relevant for high-value plant equipment that is frequently targeted for export to Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The speed of response matters enormously for plant recovery. Equipment that is tracked and reported within the first two hours has a significantly higher recovery rate than equipment reported after the theft is discovered the following morning. For sites with overnight security concerns, setting motion-alert geofences around the storage location provides immediate notification the moment anything moves.

Practical considerations for plant tracker installation

Access to the equipment. For hardwired installations, our engineers need access to the machine’s electrical system. For larger equipment, this is straightforward. For very old or unusual machines, it is worth speaking to Safe & Sound Mobile before booking to confirm the installation approach.

Location of the device. For both the Wireless Unit and the Protector Pro Digger, the device is positioned to be as difficult to find as possible. For plant equipment, this typically means inside the cab structure, within the engine bay, or integrated into the machine’s bodywork — locations that are not immediately obvious to a thief searching for a tracker.

Multiple machines. If you need to fit trackers to several pieces of equipment, Safe & Sound Mobile can schedule consecutive installations to minimise site disruption. Contact us to discuss multi-machine booking options.

Hired equipment. The Wireless Unit’s transferability makes it practical for temporarily protecting hired-in machinery. The device can be fitted and removed without any permanent modification to the hired equipment.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need CESAR registration as well as a GPS tracker?

They serve different purposes and work best together. CESAR registers your equipment in a national database so that police can identify it when it is recovered. A GPS tracker generates the alert that starts the recovery process and provides live location during the response. For comprehensive protection, both are recommended. For insurance compliance, check your policy wording — some require CESAR, some require a tracker, and some require both.

Can a tracker be fitted to a trailer or attachment?

Yes. The Smartrack Wireless Unit is ideal for trailers and attachments without an onboard power source. It requires no wiring and can be concealed within the trailer structure.

Will a tracker work in remote rural locations?

The Smartrack Wireless Unit uses multi-network roaming SIMs that connect to whichever available mobile network provides the strongest signal. In most rural UK locations, this provides adequate coverage. In very remote areas with no mobile signal, the device will store location data and transmit it when a signal is restored.

What if the thief removes the battery from the Wireless Unit?

The device is designed to be concealed in a location that makes it difficult to find. If the battery is removed or the device is destroyed, the tracker will stop transmitting — but the last known location will have been transmitted before the signal was lost, giving police a starting point.

Protect your plant and machinery today.

Call Safe & Sound Mobile on 01245 921133 or book online. We install Smartrack trackers on all types of plant, agricultural, and construction equipment across the UK.

• Smartrack Wireless Unit — from £179, no wiring required, up to 5 years battery
• Smartrack Protector Pro Digger — from £180 fully fitted, Thatcham S7 approved