Overview
A GoTag is a passive QR + NFC identity tag fitted to a piece of equipment. It carries no battery and no radio of its own — it is a durable printed label with a unique serial number, a QR code, and an NFC chip embedded underneath. Its whole job is identity: scanning it tells the platform, unambiguously, which machine you are standing in front of.
GoTags are sold outright and are never billed a subscription — unlike an Interlock or Tracker, a tag has no recurring cost, ever. Replacements are supplied the same way.
What a GoTag does
- Starts an inspection on the right machine. Operators scan the GoTag with the PreStartGo mobile app to positively identify the equipment and load the correct checklist. In a yard full of similar machines, the scan is what anchors the inspection to this one — though scanning is the recommended path rather than a forced one; an operator can also reach the same pre-start by browsing to the equipment in the app.
- Powers the public digital logbook. Anyone with a phone — a gate officer, an auditor, another contractor — can scan the tag with an ordinary camera and see the machine's current compliance status. No app, no login. See The Public Digital Logbook.
- Works with or without an Interlock. GoTag-only equipment still gets a full digital inspection record; it just is not physically prevented from starting the way an Interlock-equipped machine is.
What's on the tag
| Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| QR code | Scannable by the app and by any phone camera — opens the equipment record or public logbook |
| NFC chip | Same identity by tap — works with gloves, dirt, and poor light, and proves physical presence |
| Serial number | Printed human-readable code, prefixed T- — the fallback when discussing a tag with support |
Both the QR code and the NFC chip resolve to the same equipment record; they are two ways of reading one identity.
The lifecycle: one-way by design
A GoTag is a consumable. Its life runs strictly one way: it is supplied, installed against a machine by a Technician, and eventually retired — there is no uninstall, no re-stick, and no return to stock. Peeling a tag off destroys it.
Two consequences worth knowing:
- Installation is anchored to the chip. When a Technician installs a tag, the app reads the NFC chip's factory identifier and matches it against the tag's record — that hardware match is what proves the physical sticker is a genuine, unused GoTag. See Re-Tagging Equipment.
- Retiring never loses history. The machine's inspections, defects and audit trail live on the equipment record, not on the sticker. Replace a tag and everything carries forward; only the physical scan point changes.
A machine can carry more than one active GoTag — for example one external and one in the cab — and all of them point at the same record.
Ordering
Order GoTags with your hardware through contact sales. They ship as ready-to-fit adhesive labels; fitting needs no tools and no electrician — see Fitting and Placing a GoTag.
Edge cases
- A scanned code that resolves to nothing (an uninstalled tag, or a mistyped serial) opens a plain "not found" page. Nothing about an unlinked code exposes any organisation's data.
- A tag on a machine that changes hands stays with the machine — tags bind to equipment, and the equipment's record follows it through cross-org rental.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| QR won't scan (worn, torn, glare) | Try the NFC chip — it often survives damage to the printed face. See Damaged or Unreadable GoTag |
| NFC won't read | Move the phone slowly across the tag rather than holding it still — see Scanning a GoTag |
| Neither method works | The tag needs replacing — a guided, Technician-only flow: Re-Tagging Equipment |