Fleet tracking is the process of tracking the movement of vehicles from one location to another. It is often used by businesses and commercial operations to keep track of their vehicles. The tracking system provides real-time information about the vehicles’ location, current speed, and distance traveled. It also allows businesses to monitor their fleet’s performance, ensuring it runs efficiently. Let’s take a look at seven things you should know about fleet tracking systems.
Benefits of Fleet Tracking
Fleet tracking is a technology-based system that tracks the location, speed, and direction of vehicles used by businesses to transport goods or provide services. These tracking systems use a combination of GPS technology and sensors built into the vehicle itself. By tracking and analyzing data such as vehicle location, speed, and conditions, fleets are able to gain insights that can help them improve efficiency, accrue savings and reduce costs. Some of the key benefits associated with fleet tracking include:
- Increased Efficiency: Fleet managers can measure their drivers’ performance in real-time and identify any areas where improvement is needed to increase driver efficiency.
- Reduced Fuel Costs: By measuring routes taken, fuel consumption levels, idling time, and other driver operations, fleet managers are able to reduce fuel costs while promoting a greener fleet environment.
- Enhanced Customer Service: Drivers can be tracked, so they reach their destinations on time. Customers can be alerted via SMS or email when their delivery is expected to arrive at a specific time frame.
- Improved Asset Utilization: Through effective asset management via tracking vehicles, organizations are able to optimize the utilization of their assets for maximum returns on investments made in these vehicles, which leads to more efficient businesses practices overall
- Enhanced Safety: Fleet owners can track not just location but excessive speed violations by drivers as well as any other unsafe driving trends – ensuring improved safety for employees & customers alike who use the companies’ services &/or products
- Consumer Privacy Protections: Many fleet/GPS software providers offer secure encryptions on all GPS signals transmitted from the vehicle providing an extra layer of protection for customer information & privacy 7) Reduced Maintenance & Repair Costs: By monitoring closely how long the car is idling which results in higher engine wear-and-tear & engine overheating – fleets are better aware when it’s time for preventive maintenance/repairs or even replacing the part before they get damaged or fail ultimately
How Does Fleet Tracking Work?
Fleet tracking is a system that companies use to monitor and manage their fleet of vehicles. It utilizes a combination of GPS, mobile, and software technologies to track and record vehicles’ real-time location, speed, and direction. Each technology has its own advantages and can be used in different ways to help improve the efficiency of a fleet. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how these tracking systems work.
GPS Tracking
Fleet tracking services use GPS technology to pinpoint an asset’s exact location GPS darts to track vehicles that flee. They use cellular networks with a combination of software and hardware to communicate with the onboard computer in the vehicle, providing detailed data on current and previous trips. This information can include travel time, speed, the route taken, and geofence notifications whenever a vehicle enters or leaves an assigned geographic area.
In addition to position tracking, fleet tracking systems also monitor various diagnostic parameters such as engine temperature, fuel use, and odometer readings. Historical reports can be generated for fleet management purposes, such as scheduling maintenance or adjusting fuel efficiency policies. The system is versatile enough to allow for custom reporting needs specific to individual businesses or fleets.
Integrating these features into one comprehensive tracking service allows businesses to make real-time decisions that lead to better utilization of their assets, improved employee safety, increased efficiency, and cost savings across the organization – making fleet tracking a valuable part of any efficient business model.
Mobile Tracking
Mobile tracking is a type of fleet tracking system that uses GPS, cellular networks, and the cloud to track assets in real-time. Mobile trackers can be installed on mobile assets such as vehicles and heavy machinery. By receiving data from satellites, cell towers, and even land-based beacons, mobile tracking can provide an accurate location of your assets at any given time. This data can also be used to create analytical insights related to fuel consumption, speed, and times when projects are completed.
Mobile tracking also enables drivers responsible for your fleet to access specific pieces of information quickly through their onboard devices or smartphones via mobile apps. This includes task lists, delivery details, and even delivery notes if needed for additional information about the order. Through this connected system, drivers can share updates on their progress with the dispatch office much easier than before.
With this feature-rich solution, businesses have gained the necessary tools to increase their operational performance by providing real-time visibility of their fleets’ whereabouts. Furthermore, businesses that utilize fleet tracking with GPS improve road safety as they can monitor driver behaviors such as speeding or other bad driving practices, which put both employees and passengers at risk. With greater rational control over driver behaviors and operations through mobile apps, businesses are better equipped to monitor trips that incur unnecessary costs or occur outside standard working hours.
Automated Tracking
Automated tracking refers to the use of technology, like GPS units and software applications to track the location of vehicles. Automated tracking involves a group of components that work together to collect and transmit data while quantifying motion-related information.
The fleet vehicle itself consists of an onboard device powered by the vehicle’s battery, which contains a GPS antenna and a GPRS receiver. The onboard device collects position data and other motion-related information such as speed, acceleration, fuel economy, etc. The data is then sent over a wireless communications network (GSM/GPRS/3G) to the business’ centralized system, which can be monitored or archived as needed.
The system offers various advantages for businesses – increased safety, improved visibility into driver behavior, greater accuracy for regulatory compliance, performance evaluation tools for employee management, enhanced customer service delivery, and more efficient routing. Moreover, automated tracking systems allow businesses to accurately track their driver’s progress when en route to clients or job sites so that the delivery time is estimated more accurately. This helps managers optimize routes on-the-fly with realistic time windows in order to better serve their customers.
What are the Different Types of Fleet Tracking Systems?
Fleet tracking systems are tools that allow businesses to keep track of their vehicles and monitor their drivers’ activities. These systems come in different sizes and have a wide range of features that make them suitable for various needs. This article will discuss the different types of fleet tracking systems and why they are important for efficient fleet management.
Vehicle Tracking Systems
Fleet tracking systems are GPS-enabled devices that are mounted on vehicles to allow fleet managers and commercial operations to track, monitor, and manage their vehicles in real time. They provide fleet owners with the detailed data needed to optimize operations, enabling them to reduce fuel costs, schedule preventive maintenance, route vehicles more effectively, improve customer service and comply with mandated governmental regulations.
The most common type of vehicle tracking system is a plug-and-play model. This type of system is easy to install and requires no particular installation. It consists of a GPS device that is plugged into the vehicle’s OBD (onboard diagnostics) port, allowing it to draw power directly from the vehicle’s battery. These systems typically provide the location, speed alert notifications, and advanced analytics such as engine diagnostics, idle time monitoring, and driver scoring reports.
Other types of tracking systems include hardwired versions that involve professionally installed wiring from the tracker directly into the car’s electrical system. Hardwired trackers stay connected regardless of where the vehicle travels — even when using cellular networks — making them more reliable than plug-and-play models in remote areas with limited or no cellular coverage.
Integrated models combine hardware components such as cameras with software to comprehensively assess how a fleet performs. These systems incorporate telematics technology with navigation components for optimal fuel efficiency resulting in more significant cost savings over time.
Tracking software can be used in tandem with hardware solutions to generate reports or send alerts when certain events occur or when user preset conditions have been met (such as entering or leaving a specified area). Mobile apps are often included as part of these packages, too, so fleets can monitor ongoing activity on their smartphones anytime/anywhere—making them ideal for managing geographically distributed fleets consisting of both cars and trucks, which need complex routing optimization capabilities.
Fleet Management Systems
Fleet Management Systems (FMS) are GPS-based technology solutions designed to improve service levels, reduce fuel costs, and enhance the efficiency of vehicle fleets. It has various functions – from tracking and monitoring vehicle movements in real-time or ‘last mile’ deliveries to tracking individual driver performance metrics. It also includes features such as automated logs for easier record keeping, remote control of vehicles, dispatch optimization, real-time routing decisions, and improved customer service.
An effective fleet management system provides visibility into asset utilization and performance. This information can help enhance the decision-making process regarding scheduling shifts and routing – ultimately impacting time spent in transit and reducing fuel consumption along the way. Additionally, detailed GPS data can be integrated with other data sources, such as weather conditions to make more informed decisions on scheduling assignments, routing guidance, and safety standards based on multiple input factors.
FMS can enable fleet operations with real-time connectivity between office-based IT systems that control which vehicles should be dispatched, when who drives them, how fast they drive them etc., thus enabling efficient use of resources and assets for high-quality output at an optimal cost. Fleet management systems provide data analytics insights such as current position location and hours of operation for each vehicle; driver speeds; route reports; idle times; locations visited; cargo loaded or unloaded by truck or another asset along a route; when trips start/stop; energy consumption readings etc., helping fleets improve their operational efficiency significantly whilst simultaneously reducing their costs over time.
Furthermore, driver behavior metrics such as speeding incidents or unusual stoppages along the route can also be monitored along with safety alert abilities like brake checks in hilly roads, ensuring that both drivers’ welfare is also managed and maintained at all times through FMS visibility capabilities leading to overall improved satisfaction levels amongst involved stakeholders in an organization’s supply chain ecosystem including customers benefitted by timely deliveries made possible via the adoption of right technology solutions available today in this sector space!
Asset Tracking Systems
Asset tracking systems provide real-time information about the location, status, and condition of all types of assets, ranging from mobile equipment down to the individual components that make up a unit. These systems are designed to optimize fleet performance by providing accurate, up-to-date data on vehicle and asset utilization, maintenance needs, and general condition. This type of fleet tracking utilizes devices that attach or integrate with a company’s vehicles to monitor their speed and location. Companies can often use GPS/GPRS data to trace routes taken in order to reduce travel times and fuel costs. Depending on the vendor and your chosen equipment, you may also be able to monitor driver behavior like sudden braking or excessive acceleration, which could lead to costly repairs down the road. Additionally, asset tracking systems can be set up with parameters such as geo-fencing and time zone alerts in order for you to stay aware of when and where your vehicles go.
What are the Benefits of Fleet Tracking?
Fleet tracking systems allow businesses to track their vehicles and drivers in real-time, giving them the ability to save time and money. By tracking their fleets, organizations can improve efficiency, reduce overhead costs, and improve customer service. Additionally, fleet tracking can increase safety on the roads, as well as be used to optimize routes and track maintenance. In this article, we will discuss the various benefits of fleet tracking systems.
Improved Safety
Fleet tracking systems can be used to provide additional safety measures for drivers and equipment. Modern fleet tracking systems can detect vehicle activity and provide notifications when a driver has exceeded speed limits or traveled outside of a predetermined geofence. This alert system allows dispatchers to remotely monitor their fleet’s safety practices and increase driver awareness by providing real-time feedback on speeding incidents. Alerts can also warn dispatchers of idling vehicles, which can help reduce fuel costs. Additionally, when fleets are equipped with GPS systems, the location of each vehicle can be tracked in case of an emergency or accident. This improved visibility into drivers’ whereabouts provides peace of mind and helps ensure more excellent safety on the road.
Increased Efficiency
With fleet tracking systems, organizations gain access to real-time data that can be applied to driving operational success. This data can maximize efficiency by providing insights into vehicle routing and driver behavior. This tracks vehicle movement, allowing managers to accurately estimate the arrival time for deliveries or service appointments. It also helps reduce fuel costs by monitoring routes and speeds—idling time can be minimized, and environment-harming emissions.
Additionally, fleet tracking systems enable teams to react quickly should any issues arise during delivery or transportation operations, leading to decreased delays and increased customer service improvements. The data from fleets helps managers identify where optimizations are needed to better customize route scheduling and optimize overall services while simultaneously avoiding areas where vehicles may become stuck in traffic or take long detours due to road conditions.
By eliminating wasted time and reducing operational costs associated with inefficient routing, effective fleet tracking systems are a business’s best bet for improving profitability in terms of cost per mile driven.
Reduced Costs
Fleet tracking systems lead to considerable cost reductions in various areas. One is reducing the amount of fuel used for fleet operations. Knowing the location of vehicles makes it easier to plan routes for optimal transportation, set up carpools, and reduce vehicle idling time. This also helps conserve energy and contributes to a greener environment, in addition to lowering fleets’ fuel expenses.
Fleet tracking systems also allow companies to save time when they are dealing with issues such as accidents or breakdowns. Instead of wasting effort—and precious time —searching for missing vehicles, managers can quickly locate them with a few clicks. They can then quickly address the issue at hand and rectify any issues that arise instantly.
In addition, using fleet tracking systems leads to enhanced safety and security, as business owners always have an up-to-date view of their assets, even if they’re on the go. Plus, these systems provide an additional layer of protection against theft – as suspicious activities can easily be detected and resolved immediately before further harm is done. And with deeper insights into vehicle performance data, companies can better forecast maintenance needs for their assets and keep repair costs under control.
What are the Challenges of Fleet Tracking?
While efficient fleet tracking systems can help you maximize your vehicle resources and increase on-time deliveries, there are also certain challenges associated with them. Knowing what these challenges are and how to overcome them is essential for the effective use of a fleet tracking system. In this article, we’ll discuss some common challenges fleet managers face when using such a system.
Privacy Concerns
A significant concern for businesses when implementing a fleet tracking system is privacy. Companies must be mindful of employee safety and well-being to ensure their fleet runs as smoothly as possible. It is important to balance employee privacy with the requirement of providing accurate business data in order to maximize operational efficiency. Should a company decide to use GPS tracking, then the systems must ensure compliance with regulated standards of data protection and should take precautions to prevent any trace of location data that can be traced back to identifiable individuals or groups.
In addition, businesses should ensure that any personal details, such as name, address, and contact information, remain protected and private while included in the reporting dashboard. This safeguards employees’ rights when it comes to data processing, monitoring, and tracking. Staff should also be informed of their rights by their employers prior to any changes being implemented with respect to their current routine. Finally, any conversations or dispute resolution pertaining to staff should remain confidential unless there is legitimate cause for public disclosure or involvement from third-party legal bodies or authorities.
Data Security
Data security is one of the most significant challenges in implementing efficient fleet tracking systems. To ensure the integrity and safety of data, fleet managers must employ a security system that utilizes safe transfer protocols and authentication methods to prevent unauthorized access.
Additionally, data should be stored in an encrypted format in order to protect it if it is compromised. In addition, fleet managers should implement cyber security policies and practices such as segmented networks, strong access control measures, regular patching of firmware and software, anti-malware detection systems, and regular monitoring and reviews with third parties. These will help safeguard against potential vulnerabilities due to human errors or malicious attacks that could compromise sensitive information such as customer data or financial records.
It is essential that fleet managers prioritize data security when considering a system for tracking their company’s vehicles. By incorporating secure protocols such as encryption into their system design and implementing robust cyber security policies/practices as part of their operations strategy, organizations can protect their data from breaches or any other malicious attacks that may put their sensitive information at risk.
Cost of Implementation
The cost associated with implementing a new fleet tracking system can range from low to quite high, depending on your system’s needs and level of complexity. Whether your fleet consists of commercial trucks, construction vehicles, heavy machinery, or something else entirely, it’s important to accurately assess which features will be the most beneficial for your business. Upfront costs and recurring operational costs can include navigational hardware installation, activation fees, subscription and usage fees, training time, and learning curve expenses. Before committing to any particular system, a thorough evaluation of the return on investment is critical. Knowing the common issues involved with operating a fleet allows companies to identify their needs swiftly and seek out solutions that solve those problems while staying within budget.
What Features Should You Look for in a Fleet Tracking System?
When it comes to fleet tracking systems, there are a lot of options out there. You need to find the right one that fits your needs and budget. Knowing what features to look for in a fleet tracking system can help you make an informed decision. This article will discuss some of the features you should consider when selecting a fleet tracking system.
Real-Time Tracking
Real-time tracking is essential for efficient and effective fleet tracking systems. It provides invaluable information about your vehicles, such as current location, speed, and fuel level, and enables you to react in real time if needed. Many fleet tracking systems also provide alerts when specific criteria are met (e.g. exceeding speed thresholds). This makes it easier to know what’s happening with each fleet vehicle and respond quickly if needed. Moreover, knowing the exact location of each vehicle helps you plan routes more efficiently, thereby reducing fuel costs and optimizing delivery times. With real-time GPS tracking, you can reduce costs while increasing the productivity and efficiency of your fleet operations.
Automated Reporting
Automated reporting is a crucial feature for efficient fleet tracking. Comprehensive reporting tools can provide an in-depth overview of drivers, vehicles, and overall operating performance. Automated reports deliver actionable insights from data collected via tracking devices allowing managers to monitor details such as driver behavior, mileage, average vehicle life, and downtime. Access to metrics such as these enables management to better understand their fleet’s operations and make better decisions to improve efficiencies, safety, and profitability. Automated reports also offer the flexibility to create customized reports that can be scheduled for delivery on a regular basis or sent on demand as needed.
Geofencing
Geofencing capabilities with a fleet tracking system enable businesses to define geographic boundaries and be alerted if vehicles move in or out of them. This can help ensure efficiency during deliveries and boost customer satisfaction. Geofence rules can also be customized for each vehicle, allowing for more accurate tracking within limits defined by business owners and managers. Geofencing brings various tangible benefits, such as improved customer service, optimized route planning, more accurate invoice processing, enhanced driver safety, and even improved public relations with customers and the community. A fleet tracking system may even provide added features like geofenced area restrictions or event-based triggers to better integrate a business’ internal processes with external information. With a wide range of settings available, fleet trackers can become incredibly powerful tools that are capable of providing real-time feedback to the team behind each operation.
How to Choose the Right Fleet Tracking System?
Choosing the right fleet tracking system for your business can be difficult. With so many options available, it’s important to consider the various features and capabilities of the system to ensure you are selecting the one that best meets your needs. In this article, we’ll outline 7 key things to consider when selecting a fleet tracking system that will be both efficient and cost-effective.
Evaluate Your Needs
In order to pick the right fleet tracking solution, the first step should be to evaluate the needs and objectives of your business. Consider which tasks need to be completed in order for your delivery vehicles to run efficiently. Identify any challenges within your current system which could be solved with a better tracking solution.
Questions to consider while evaluating your needs:
-What type of tracking technology do you need? Options may include GPS/GNSS satellite tracking, cellular or Wi-Fi-based asset tracking
-How often will you need to update and receive data about location and vehicle metrics? Is real-time monitoring important for safety and regulatory compliance?
-What kind of reporting capabilities do you want or require in order to maximize fleet efficiency (e.g., predictive maintenance reports)?
-What other features do you need, such as alerts, routing tools, or analytics?
-Will you require installation assistance or tech support onsite or remotely?
Once you have identified the key requirements for your particular business, you’ll be more prepared to choose a highly effective fleet tracking system that fits within budget constraints and serves your operational needs well.
Research Different Vendors
One of the best ways to determine which fleet tracking system is right for you and your team is to research multiple vendors. Do your homework by researching past fleet tracking projects by different vendors, looking up customer reviews, and exploring relevant white papers. You can also learn more about each vendor’s pros and cons by speaking with industry colleagues and conducting an informal survey.
When researching vendors, it’s important to look for reputable companies with large customer bases and a proven track record for quality proprietary software. Additionally, consider a company’s size and scale — choose a vendor that can offer personalized service and the resources necessary to develop, install, maintain, and support your unique fleet tracking system.
Additionally, ask about customers’ benefits, like discounts on special accessories or devices that can make your fleet tracking system faster, more efficient, and cost-effective over time. Finally, be sure to review implementation terms such as deployment timescales; this is an important factor when making decisions regarding the implementation of a new system across multiple sites or vehicles.
Compare Features and Prices
When you’re shopping for a new fleet tracking system, it’s important to compare features and prices. Different systems offer different features, so you’ll want to take the time to understand which ones meet your needs.
For example, does the fleet tracking system provide up-to-date information on vehicle location, plus easy access and visibility into driver locations? Is valuable data such as idling and fuel usage provided? Does the system integrate with other tools, such as maintenance software and electronic logging devices (ELDs)?
Also consider pricing. Does the cost fit within your budget, or is it too expensive? Most providers offer subscription plans with set fees billed per user monthly or annually. Understand how the total cost of ownership fits within your longer-term budget before signing a contract. Be sure to compare prices between vendors as well – some may offer discounts or free services that can help reduce costs.
Written by- Terry Whysong
Terry is an Automotive Enthusiast and the face behind TTR. He’s an avid reader, mechanic and loves writing blogs about car guides. You can find him on Linkedin
