Owning mats and managing them effectively lowers long-term expenses compared to repeated rentals. Utilities avoid paying for mats that sit idle on extended projects and gain predictable costs across their fleet’s lifecycle. The result is better budgeting, reduced financial surprises, and stronger return on capital investments.
MAT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
WHAT IS MAT MANAGEMENT?
Mat management is the organized system of storing, tracking, and maintaining access mats across projects. It keeps mats accounted for, in good condition, and ready to deploy, giving utilities a reliable framework without the inefficiencies of handling mats themselves. Left to manage mats on their own, utilities face challenges: tracking location and condition across multiple projects is difficult, leading to lost assets and unclear inventory; onsite storage consumes valuable yard space, equipment, and labor; project delays drive up rental charges and costly change orders; and the time required to move, clean, and repair mats pulls crews away from their core mission of building and maintaining critical infrastructure.
WHY MAT MANAGEMENT?
Cost Control
Fewer Change Orders
Unexpected delays, whether from permitting issues, material shortages, or extended timelines, often drive-up project costs. With a managed fleet of mats always available and ready, utilities reduce the likelihood of costly change orders tied to rentals and avoid overruns that disrupt both schedules and budgets.
Real-Time Fleet Awareness
Knowing exactly where mats are, how many are available, and what condition they’re in is essential for efficient planning and executing. Real-time visibility into fleet status means project managers can allocate resources quickly, prevent over-ordering, and keep jobs moving without interruptions.
Confidence & Reliability
A reliable system for mat management creates trust that projects will run smoothly. Utilities gain confidence knowing that mats are accounted for, maintained, and available when needed. Removing uncertainty and ensuring crews can operate without unnecessary risk or delay.
THE VALUE OF MANAGED MAT SERVICES
When utilities outsource mat management to Sterling, they gain more than logistics support. They unlock efficiency, cost control, and peace of mind. By letting us handle storage, washing, repairs, and tracking, your teams stay focused on core construction work. The result is fewer delays, reduced change orders, and a fleet that delivers long-term value instead of ongoing headaches.
Fleet Storage
Secure, organized storage with mats staged and ready by work order. Our yards are designed to keep your assets protected, cataloged, and accessible, so nothing is misplaced or forgotten. Each mat is tracked upon arrival, inspected for condition, and prepared for deployment when projects call. By centralizing storage with Sterling, utilities free up their own space and eliminate the overhead of managing a mat yard.
Logistics & Dispatch
We handle the full movement of your mat fleet including planning loads, scheduling trucks, and coordinating deliveries to match your project timelines. When the job ends, our crews retrieve, restage, and prepare mats for the next site. This end-to-end logistical support ensures crews aren’t waiting around for access, helping reduce costly downtime and change orders.
Washing & Repairs
Sterling’s dedicated wash and repair programs extend the life of your mats and protect your investment. We clean and dry mats to meet environmental compliance standards, then complete necessary repairs to restore structural integrity. Standardized processes guarantee consistent quality, reducing premature attrition and keeping your fleet ready for reuse.
Tracking & Reporting
From the moment a mat enters our program, its location and condition are documented. We provide clear reporting through Excel as a standard feature, or you can upgrade to Power BI dashboards for real-time fleet visibility. These tools help project managers and leadership know exactly what’s available, where it’s deployed, and when it’s ready for the next project.
Attrition & End of Life
No mat lasts forever, but with Sterling, you’ll know exactly when and how your assets reach the end of their usable life. We remove worn or damaged mats from inventory, process them for recycling when possible, and document the attrition so your records stay accurate. This accountability ensures you can plan future purchases with confidence.
Emergency Response
Storms and unexpected outages can halt critical work and drive-up costs when crews are delayed. Having mats available for rapid deployment ensures utilities can restore service faster, avoid costly downtime, and keep response efforts on schedule—even under the most urgent conditions.
HOW IT WORKS:
Purchase
Utility issues RFP; Sterling manufactures and delivers mats.
Onboard
Mats staged in Sterling’s ERP system and storage yards.
Request
PM submits request via email, Excel, or app.
Dispatch
Sterling assigns project manager, plans delivery, and executes.
Track
Updates on shipment, condition, and returns.
Maintain
Washing and repairs after use.
MAT MANAGEMENT FAQs
IS THIS ONLY FOR BIG PROGRAMS?
No. We scale from small distribution work to multi-region fleets.
CAN WE START WITHOUT THE PREMIUM APP?
Yes—most start with Excel reporting and upgrade later.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE END-OF-LIFE?
We document attrition and process per program requirements.
WHAT ABOUT EMERGENCY STORMS?
Staged inventory and on-call teams support storm and mutual-aid response.
CAN WE MIX OWNED AND RENTAL MATS?
Yes. We backfill with rentals to keep schedules on track.
DO YOU OFFER A PREMIUM SERVICE?
We do. For utilities seeking greater visibility and control, we offer an updated program, which adds advanced technology and workflow tools. We help create a dedicated request and tracking app, which streamlines communication, while Power BI dashboards deliver real-time insights into mat availability and usage. Role-based access allows project managers, supervisors, and finance teams to see the data that matters to them. Integrated workflows connect directly with Sterling’s team, simplifying the entire request-to-closeout process.
LET US STORE YOUR MATS!
Our team will work with you to understand your needs, explore the right services for your projects, and even provide access to a customizable tracking app for full visibility into your fleet. Call us to discuss your options and see how Sterling can simplify mat management so you can stay focused on the work ahead.