How RTK GPS Can Save Your Business Thousands of Dollars

As an owner or manager of an earthmoving or dirt-moving company, you know that precision, efficiency, and cost control are critical to maintaining profitability. One technology that can significantly impact your bottom line is Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning. RTK is a high-precision GPS-based technology that can optimize your workflow, minimize costly mistakes, and reduce reliance on surveyors.

This article expands on the applications of RTK technology and demonstrates how integrating it into your earthmoving operations can lead to substantial cost savings and improved project efficiency. Check out our video below!

What is RTK and How Does it Work?

Key Applications of RTK for Earthmoving Businesses

Real-World Cost Savings: A Case Study

Getting Started with RTK: What You Need

How Difficult is it to Get Started with RTK?

Final Thoughts

FAQs

What is RTK and How Does it Work?

RTK positioning enhances standard GPS accuracy from about half a meter to centimeter-level precision. This is achieved through a base station (either a physical unit on-site or a network-based solution like an NTRIP or VRS system) that sends correction signals to an RTK-enabled rover (receiver). The rover interprets these signals and provides precise centimeter level accuracy location data in real-time. 

For an earthmoving company, this means operators can work with pinpoint accuracy when grading, leveling, or excavating—ensuring they move exactly the right amount of earth and reducing the need for rework. You can learn more about how RTK works here: Introduction to RTK GPS in Land Surveying.

Key Applications of RTK for Earthmoving Businesses

1. Precision Earthmoving and Grading

One of the most immediate benefits of RTK technology is its ability to enhance grading accuracy. Whether you’re working on roads, building pads, or large excavation projects, RTK allows you to:

• Maintain precise elevation and slope control, with the ability to stake and mark out surfaces.
• Reduce material overages by ensuring you don’t over-cut or overfill.
• Eliminate the need for constant manual grade checks, saving time and labor.
• Integration with machine control, allowing automated equipment adjustments in real time.

Using RTK, your operators can work more efficiently, minimizing material waste and avoiding costly rework. RTK allows you to check your progress as well as guiding your equipment helping minimizing mistakes and work being done multiple times. 

2. Stockpile Management and Volume Calculations

Accurate stockpile management is essential for managing material costs and ensuring project efficiency. With RTK, you can:

• Conduct regular volume measurements of stockpiles without hiring a surveyor.
• Track material usage and reduce waste.

Optimize material allocation by knowing exactly how much earth needs to be moved.

By performing stockpile surveys yourself, you can cut costs and improve project planning. By properly tracking your stockpiles and volumes you can again avoid mistakes that cost you money. 

3. Site Layout and Infrastructure Mapping

If your projects involve setting up site layouts for roads, buildings, or other infrastructure, RTK can drastically streamline the process. Instead of relying on expensive surveying teams, your crew can:

• Accurately stake out points for foundations, utilities, and roads. By importing your CAD files, whether from an engineer, surveyor or architect you can lay the points out yourself in the field. 
• Ensure proper placement of construction elements like drainage systems and retaining walls. You can enable and disable surfaces to work on all layers of your design. 
• Adjust plans in real-time based on actual site conditions. You can adjust your designs in the field based on real-world conditions without having to go back and forth between the office and the field. 

This not only speeds up the workflow but also ensures compliance with design specifications. You don’t need to entirely rely on someone else being available when you need them to make an adjustment based on what you are encountering in the field. You have the ability to respond to what you see in the field. 

4. Reducing Surveying Costs and Enhancing In-House Capabilities

Hiring out a professional land surveyor can be really expensive, as well as difficult to find one who is available when you need them. While there are most certainly engineering tasks that still require professional surveyors, like laying out boundaries and initial design work, RTK allows your team to handle many day-to-day measurements and layout tasks in-house. This results in:

• Faster project turnaround times.
• Fewer scheduling delays caused by waiting for surveyors.
• Reduced outsourcing costs.

For a small to mid-sized earthmoving company, this can translate into thousands of dollars in annual savings.

5. As-Built Documentation and Quality Control

Proper documentation of completed work is essential for both legal compliance and future project references. RTK can be used to create precise as-built records, including:

• Final grading and elevation data.
• Utility placements and underground installations.
• Compliance reports for project stakeholders.

This helps prevent disputes and ensures your work meets contractual and regulatory requirements. Furthermore, if you are placing underground assets like sprinklers, piping, wiring and more RTK can be used to precisely locate them and return to those assets. With the centimeter level accuracy RTK provides, you can avoid costly mistakes by digging in the wrong place (or the wrong thing up). Check out how RTK can be used in the below video to locate sprinklers and compare it to your phone!

Real-World Cost Savings: A Case Study

Even if you already use RTK in your machines through machine control, you can save big money with your own RTK system. One of our customers saved over $35,000 per year in subscription costs alone by transitioning to their own RTK-based machine control base stations that they controlled. The key savings came from:

• Eliminating individual subscriptions for every piece of their equipment. 
• Reducing down-time to networks going down. 
• Increasing machine efficiency and operator productivity.
• Increasing accuracy and coverage by having control over their network and where base stations are placed. 

For an earthmoving company, similar savings can be achieved by integrating RTK into everyday operations. You can check out our video on how they did it below:

Getting Started with RTK: What You Need

If you’re considering RTK for your earthmoving business, you’ll need:

– RTK Receiver: This is the main device that receives corrections from the base station. Options include the GeoMeasure Nano 7 and the Hemisphere S631.

– Base Station or Network Subscription: Depending on your needs, you can set up a physical base station or subscribe to an RTK network service. You can either own your own local base station, like one of the above mentioned receivers or by subscribing to a network like SmartNet, Can-Net, Topnet, or building your own network with a service like our own StormCaster.

– Field Software: Applications like FieldGenius allow you to manage RTK data and integrate it into your machine control systems.

– Tablet or Controller: A rugged tablet or specialized controller will display RTK data and help operators navigate the site efficiently. Options include Windows 11 tablets like the Juniper Mesa 4 and the GeoMeasure BMT8. You want to ensure the tablet you are getting is a rugged water proof tablet that can stand up to the conditions in the field. 

Many providers, including Benchmark, offer training and support to help businesses integrate RTK into their workflows quickly and efficiently.

How Difficult is it to Get Started with RTK?

Getting started with new technology can be really intimidating. There is a common idea that learning how to use RTK is difficult. It really isn’t, especially if you have an equipment supplier that can provide you the resources to make it easy to learn the equipment. Here at Bench-Mark we offer the following:

• Live Zoom Training: We have live training where we walk through the software showing you step by step exactly how to use your equipment for your application. We will also provide you with the recording that you can reference anytime in the future.
• Survey-Assistant.com: 24/7 access to our training academy that contains all of our how to videos and guides. It also contains courses showing you how to go from a completely new user to an advanced user in around 55 minutes. 
• Real-Time Support: Here at Bench-Mark, we believe in providing support in real-time, when you need it in the field. Instead of taking your number and calling back later, we provide you with a solution immediately to get you up and running as quickly as possible. Most of our support calls take less than 5 minutes to resolve.  

Final Thoughts

RTK technology is a game-changer for earthmoving businesses looking to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance accuracy. Whether you’re grading land, managing stockpiles, or setting up infrastructure, RTK can streamline your workflow and maximize profitability.

FAQs

Bench Mark Equipment & Supplies is your team to trust with all your surveying equipment. We have been providing high-quality surveying equipment to land surveyors, engineers, construction, airborne and resource professionals since 2002. This helps establish ourselves as the go-to team in Calgary, Canada, and the USA. Plus, we provide a wide selection of equipment, including global navigation satellite systems, RTK GPS equipment, GNSS receivers, and more. We strive to provide the highest level of customer care and service for everyone. To speak to one of our team today, call us at 403-286-0333 or email us at [email protected].