On-board Plant in the Virtual Super

A head contractor administrator with the user admin or the admin manager permission has access to the plant page of the Virtual Super, where they can on-board, view or edit machines.

The details set against each machine directly influence the information that head contractors are able to monitor and report on in order to track machine utilisation targets and productivity.

On-board a Plant Item in the Virtual Super

  • From the Virtual Super menu, select the plant page
  • Press the orange on-board button to open the on-board plant dialog
  • The on-board plant dialog is divided into three tabs where you enter specific details for the machine.  These tabs are - configuration, weights & limits, costs.
  • Enter all relevant machine details (as explained in this article)
  • Press the on-board button to make this machine selectable in the SafeSite app.

The Configuration Tab

Enter the relevant machine details against a machine.

The machine role, plant ID/rego no and model are compulsory fields.

Click image for larger view

Configuration fields explained

  • ** Role - Select from the list (e.g. articulated truck)
  • ** Plant ID/rego no - Enter the plant ID or registration number
  • Secondary plant ID/rego no - Key this in (optional)
  • Trailer ID/rego no - If applicable, enter the trailer ID or registration number (optional)
  • ** Model - Key in the machine model
  • EPA certification number - Enter the EPA certification number, if applicable

  • Start SMU - Enter the first SMU reading manually recorded for the machine.

    An SMU Summary for the machine (once on-boarded) will display at the bottom of the configuration tab

  • Comments - Enter any relevant comments about the machine
  • Load count settings - These are automatically detected based on the machine's role and shouldn't be edited.
  • Tracking method(s) - Tick the selection box to select the tracking device used on this machine.  You may also be prompted to enter the serial number / identification number.

** Compulsory fields

The Weights & Limits Tab

Enter the relevant weight and axle data for the machine, as explained below.

Not all fields are required, e.g. if you are not using the PBS scheme, leave this field blank.

Enter all weights in kgs.

Weights & Limits fields explained

  • Tare weight - Key in the weight of the machine when it is not loaded.

    Also known as the kerb weight.

  • Gross vehicle mass (GVM) - Key in the maximum weight of the machine, in kgs, when fully loaded. This is generally determined by the manufacturer.
  • General mass limits (GML) - Key in the permitted maximum allowable weight, in kgs, for the machine when on-road and fully loaded.

  • SPECTS weight (Safety, Productivity & Environment Construct Transport Scheme) - The SPECT scheme allows participating heavy vehicles greater network access and the ability to carry more construction materials, in return for meeting higher environmental, safety and compliance standards.

    If using the SPECT scheme, enter the weight for the machine in kgs.

  • Performance based std. weight (PBS) - The basic principle of the PBS scheme is to match the right vehicle to the right freight task.  PBS vehicles are specifically designed to have a high level of performance and meet strict safety and infrastructure standards to ensure they are suitable for the road network. Machines which comply with the PBS scheme are given an extension to their GML weight in certain situations. The PBS weight will not exceed the GVM.

    If using the PBS scheme, enter the allowable weight for the machine in kgs.

  • Number of axles - Key in the number of axles. This will directly influence how many axles an operator can enter weights for when creating VWB dockets in the SafeSite app.

    The default setting for this field is 4.

  • Approximate payload - Enter the approximate payload for the machine. This is used where an exact weight is not able to be recorded for a machine using either weighbridge or Virtual Weighbridge input.
  • Payload unit - Select the UOM for the approximate payload - kg or m3.

  • Speed limit (km/h) - Key in the speed limit for the machine.

    This number is the maximum speed per hour for this machine and will trigger speeding events in your reports and dashboards. This speed limit is typically used for on-site speeding events where there are no public roads.

    Public road speeding events can be set up to record automatically.  Speak to the Cloudscape team on support@cloudscapelabs.com if you would like this for your project.

The Costs Tab

Details entered in the costs tab define the cost data for each machine.  The data can be displayed in custom dashboards to give accurate cost and fleet information for head contractors.

Whilst none of these fields are required, the data is useful to be recorded as it can be exposed in custom dashboards.

Costs fields explained

  • Supplier: Select the supplier from the list.

    NOTE: If you cannot see them in the list it is because they have not been entered in the Virtual Super so you will need to add them. You need the user admin or admin manager permission to add new suppliers in the Virtual Super. Follow the instructions in this Knowledge Base article to add a new supplier.

  • Additional suppliers: The additional suppliers field will only become available after the supplier has been set. This setting allows for the situation where a machine is cross hired between multiple suppliers.


  • Item Code: The item code field will only become available after the supplier has been set.

    Select the item code for the machine. This determines the specific dollar value for the machine.


  • Create SMU docket (digital matter only) - Machines with digital matter devices installed can be set to automatically generate SMU hours dockets. This can be particularly useful for dry hire machines. See this Knowledge Base article for user instructions.
  • Internal machine running cost ($/hr): This allows you to enter the internal cost for running the machine if it differs from the official hire rate, defined by the item code. This value is not used in any cost recording or invoicing processes within the Virtual Super.  It is only used in reports or dashboards to allow head contractors to understand the internal running costs for their fleet.
  • Dry hire: Setting this to yes or no allows you to separate dry hire machines from wet hire machines in your reports. This gives you the opportunity to slice and dice the data and to analyse your fleet.

  • Expected operating hours (per day): Enter the number of hours that you expect each machine to be operating each day.

    Comparing the expected operating hours with actual hours allows you to calculate your machine availability, giving you a clear understanding of when any machines are not meeting operational expectations.

  • Minimum chargeable hours: Enter the minimum number of hours that each machine should be in operation daily, weekly or monthly. This gives you the control to create reports telling you whether or not your hire machines are exceeding your minimum hire hours contract.

  • Fuel consumption: Enter fuel consumption estimates here - under load, while empty, while idle. Combining this with data captured from GPS devices mounted on each machine allows you to calculate the approximate fuel usage (L/hr) for each machine.

    This data can be incorporated into dashboards giving you a live understanding of the approximate fuel consumption for each machine.

Edit an On-boarded Machine's Details

  • From your Virtual Super plant page, click to open the machine's details.
  • In the machine dialog, press edit. This will enable you to be able to edit any of the fields.
  • Once editing is complete, press save.

To Off-Board a Machine

It is possible to off-board a machine so that it is no longer available to be selected in the SafeSite app.

  • From the Virtual Super plant page, click to open the machine's details.
  • In the machine dialog, press off-board.
  • Confirm that you want to off-board the machine.

Useful Information

On-boarded: The machine has been entered into the Virtual Super with the relevant generic, weight and cost data applied against it.  When subcontractors sign-on to the SafeSite app and select this machine, they will generate high quality data.

Provisionally on-boarded: The machine details have been generated when a SafeSite user has signed-on to the SafeSite app and entered an unknown plant ID. The machine can be on-boarded officially from here.

To stop provisionally on-boarded machines from occurring, there is a setting in sign-on profiles which will stop SafeSite users from being able to enter a plant ID that has not been on-boarded.

Off-boarded: The machine has been set to off-boarded in the Virtual Super and is not visible to be be selected in the SafeSite app.

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