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How to track vehicles and equipment in field offices

By the EMPOBase team · · 4 min read

Short answer

Track vehicles and equipment with a single register. Give each item a unique identifier, name a custodian, record its location and status, and check all four on a schedule. Add a handover form whenever custody changes, and a short log for vehicles. Without a named custodian and a regular physical check, a register becomes an old list.

Key points

  • One register, one identifier per item, one named custodian.
  • Record location and status, and check them against the real item on a schedule.
  • Use a handover record whenever an item changes hands or place.
  • Vehicles need a simple log of trips, fuel and servicing on top of the register.

What goes wrong in field offices?

Field offices are far from head office, staff move, and equipment moves with them. A generator is lent to a partner and not returned. A laptop is “with the project” after the project ends. A motorbike is serviced, but nobody can say which one. When the donor visits, the register and the real items no longer match.

Tracking is not complicated. It is a small set of facts, kept current, and checked.

What should the register hold?

Four things matter most for every item:

FieldWhy it matters
IdentifierTells one item from another; matches the label on the item
CustodianOne named person responsible for it today
LocationThe office, site or vehicle where it is kept
StatusIn use, in store, under repair, lost, disposed of

Add the useful basics: description, serial number, purchase date, cost, funding source or project, and supplier. The funding source matters because donors often set rules on assets they paid for, such as how long you must keep them and what happens at the end of the grant. Check your agreement.

How to set it up

  1. List what you have. Walk each office and write down every item above your tracking threshold.
  2. Label each item. Fix a durable label or plate. Record the identifier next to the serial number.
  3. Name a custodian for each. A custodian is a person, not a team. Teams do not look after things.
  4. Record the location precisely. “Kitchen of the Site B house” beats “Site B”.
  5. Set a status list. Keep it short so people use it correctly.
  6. Agree a check cycle. Pick who verifies, how often, and how differences are reported.

Our article on keeping an asset register for an NGO goes deeper on the register itself, and asset depreciation for donor-funded equipment explains how value declines over time.

How to hand over equipment

Every change of custody or location is a handover. Use a simple form:

  1. Item identifier and description.
  2. Condition, with a note on any damage.
  3. Giver’s name and receiver’s name.
  4. Date, and new location.
  5. Both signatures.

Do this when staff leave, when equipment moves between offices, when it is lent to a partner and when it comes back. Without both signatures, responsibility is unclear, and the previous custodian often stays on the record for years.

What extra do vehicles need?

A vehicle is an asset, and it also moves, burns fuel and has drivers. Keep the register entry, and add a light log that someone reviews:

  • registration number, insurance and inspection dates,
  • driver name for each trip, with date, route and purpose,
  • odometer readings at start and end,
  • fuel bought, with amounts and receipts,
  • servicing and repairs, with dates and costs.

Compare fuel against distance now and then. A sudden change is a prompt to ask, not an accusation. Keep a note of who may authorise use of a vehicle, and for what.

How to verify the register

A register is only as good as its last check.

  1. Pick the date and tell custodians.
  2. Print the register by location.
  3. Walk each location and find each item, matching the label and serial number.
  4. Note anything missing, moved, damaged or unlabelled.
  5. Ask custodians to explain differences.
  6. Update the register and send unresolved items to a manager.
  7. Report lost items as your policy and donor rules require.

Do this with someone who is not the custodian, so the check is independent.

When an item is lost, stolen or sold

Write it up quickly. Record what happened, when, who reported it and what was done. Report theft to the police where that is expected, and tell the donor where your agreement needs it. Mark the status, and keep the entry. Do not delete lost items from the register; the history is part of your evidence. Sale or disposal should have an approval, a record of the price and a check that the donor allows it.

Where EMPOBase fits

EMPOBase has an Assets register, where you record asset identifiers, custodians, locations and status. Asset Depreciation is also available for donor-funded equipment. EMPOBase does not have a fleet module, so it does not manage trip logs, fuel or maintenance schedules; keep a simple vehicle log in your own way, and use the register for the vehicle itself. A register does not on its own show that you meet your organization’s or a donor’s asset rules, so check those requirements. Details are in the documentation.

Questions people ask

What should the asset identifier look like?

Short, unique and physical: a number on a label or plate fixed to the item. Include the office or project code if it helps, but do not reuse a number after an item is disposed of.

How often should we verify the register?

At least once a year for everything, and more often for vehicles and portable items such as laptops. Verify at handovers and when staff leave.

Do small items need to be tracked?

Set a value or risk threshold. Track items above it individually, and manage cheap items as consumable stock. Portable, attractive items such as phones are often tracked even when cheap.