To run a successful fleet business,Vehicle trackingCrucial! Vehicle tracking provides telematics technology to operate fleet operations efficiently and successfully. Let us find out how it works and why your business will benefit from it.

The development of vehicle tracking systems began in the 1960s. Today, vehicle tracking gives fleet managers and businesses more control over their fleets. The truck, taxi, logistics and automotive services industries rely on vehicle tracking systems to operate efficiently. However, vehicle tracking is more than just determining the exact geographic location of a vehicle. Let's discover what else is in vehicle tracking.

 

Why do vehicles need tracking systems?

 

As the name suggests, a vehicle tracking system allows you to track the geographic location of your vehicle in real-time. Thanks to innovation, vehicle tracking systems now don't just determine the exact location of a vehicle at any given time, but collect data and provide detailed reports on driver behavior, vehicle maintenance, vehicle trip history, and even vehicle fuel consumption and management. 

IN ORDER FOR VEHICLE TRACKING TO WORK PROPERLY, A GPS TRACKING DEVICE IS REQUIRED. THIS IS A SMALL, PORTABLE UNIT THAT IS MOUNTED ON A VEHICLE (EVEN AN ASSET USED FOR TRACKING) AND ENABLES YOU TO TRACK THE EXACT LOCATION OF A VEHICLE OR ASSET AND RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW THE VEHICLE IS BEING USED.

SOUNDS SIMILAR TO A CAR NAVIGATION SYSTEM, RIGHT? BUT THERE ARE ALSO CLEAR DIFFERENCES. ON THE ONE HAND, THE GPS NAVIGATION SYSTEM SHOWS YOUR LOCATION ON A DIGITAL MAP AND GIVES YOU DIRECTIONS FROM POINT A TO POINT B. GPS TRACKING DEVICES, ON THE OTHER HAND, USE TELEMATICS TECHNOLOGY TO DETERMINE THE VEHICLE'S EXACT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND TRIP HISTORY, AND FURTHER STORE THIS DATA IN A COMPUTER, SMARTPHONE, OR TABLET.

Let's dive into how this smart device works?

 

HOW A GPS VEHICLE TRACKING SYSTEM WORKS

 

GPS STANDS FOR GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM AND IS A SATELLITE CONSTELLATION THAT SUPPORTS GLOBAL HIGH-PRECISION POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND TIMING (PNT) MEASUREMENTS. GPS TRACKING SYSTEMS USE THE POSITIONS OF THREE OR MORE SATELLITES FROM THE GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (GNSS) TO DETERMINE THE EXACT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.

GPS vehicle tracking systems can work in different ways. Active or commercial tracking systems provide real-time visibility into a vehicle's geographic location, while passive tracking systems or GPS loggers do not. Instead, they simply collect and store the vehicle's GPS location and trip data based on specific events to be viewed later.

WHILE ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VEHICLE TRACKERS ARE THE SAME GPS DEVICES, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS. FLEET MANAGERS USE ACTIVE TRACKING SYSTEMS TO MONITOR THE REAL-TIME LOCATION OF DRIVERS AND DRIVER BEHAVIOR. PASSIVE TRACKING SYSTEMS PROVIDE FLEET MANAGERS WITH DATA AND INFORMATION ABOUT FLEET VEHICLE GEOLOCATION, DRIVER BEHAVIOR, AND OTHER VEHICLE INSIGHTS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY NEED ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND DATA.

 

How do I use the vehicle tracking system?

 

Since different vehicle tracking devices exist, different vehicle tracking systems should be employed. Let's explore the different scenarios in which a vehicle tracking system can be used:

• To track a fleet: You are a fleet manager and want to know the exact geographical location of the driver and the fleet. To make matters worse, customers are dissatisfied with the services of the business; Complaints include delays or non-deliveries and loss or damage to assets. If that's not enough, you still have piles of paperwork to work on, including lost and unsigned proof of delivery (PODs). In this case, fleet managers often use GPS tracking to monitor the whereabouts of vehicles. With vehicle tracking, fleet managers have a streamlined and simple way to manage and supervise vehicles. Fleet managers receive information about the location of drivers and vehicles at any given moment, where drivers are traveling throughout the day, completed deliveries, and electronic PODs.
• Keep an eye on your car: You are the owner and need to rest assured that you will find your car where it was parked. You want to have fun, live your life, shop and have lunch with friends without worrying about every second of your vehicle's safety. You can use GPS tracking to know the exact geographic location of your vehicle at any given time, receive notifications when you suspect the engine is idling, and track and recover your vehicle if it's stolen. 
• To access data and information when you need it: You're a fleet manager and you're looking for an affordable tracking system that will give you the information and data you need to increase productivity, increase customer service, and effectively manage and maintain your vehicle. In this case, vehicle tracking is used to monitor vehicle mileage for fleet operations, accessing data and information that helps improve driver behavior and reduce vehicle abuse.

 

3 fleet management challenges solved with fleet tracking

 

The purpose of fleet tracking is to collect data about the fleet using telematics. Fleet managers can use fleet tracking to help solve fleet management challenges. Here are three common fleet management issues that can be solved with fleet tracking:

1. Driver responsibility: Accountability can be defined as the willingness to take responsibility or articulate one's actions. Fleet managers need to be able to confirm that drivers complete tasks as expected at the specified time and place. Real-time GPS tracking is the solution to this problem. Fleet tracking helps fleet managers set clear expectations for drivers and allows them to focus on achieving goals and tasks.  
2. High customer expectations: With efficient delivery options such as a week, a day, or even a day, customer expectations have been rising over the years, as have competitors. However, vehicle tracking systems make it easier to meet the high expectations of customers. With vehicle tracking, fleet managers can optimize routes for drivers, ensure on-time delivery, and track assets from dispatch to delivery.  
3. High operating costs: From fuel usage to vehicle maintenance, vehicle theft, and even time, fleet operating costs can be very high. Vehicle tracking provides fleet managers with the information they need to monitor fleet operating costs and effectively manage their fleets to reduce them.

 

9 Benefits of Vehicle Tracking

 

The obvious benefit of vehicle tracking is that it provides real-time tracking of the vehicle, which is an essential feature that paves the way for more benefits of vehicle tracking. There are many more reasons why your business will benefit from vehicle tracking, here are nine:

1. Full transparency for drivers, fleets and assets: Previously, fleet managers had no way of knowing the exact geographic location of the fleet or even the completion rate of deliveries. Now, the GPS tracking system allows fleet managers to create, assign and monitor driver tasks on one platform. The ability to oversee your entire fleet operations gives you control over productivity, service delivery, and costs.  
2. Reduce operating costs and increase profits: Whether it's reducing money or time, GPS tracking provides actionable insights into the time, money, and resource usage of fleet operations. This way, fleet managers can analyze operating expenses and reduce unnecessary costs, wasted time, and increase profits.  
3. Reduce vehicle downtime: Fleet vehicles are either on the road every day (whether long or short) or, in some cases, not used for long periods of time. Whatever the case, vehicles cannot curb the need for regular maintenance, otherwise they will suffer damage such as wear and tear and engine failure. With vehicle tracking, fleet managers receive diagnostics and alerts to ensure potential vehicle damage is identified and vehicles are maintained regularly. This information reduces vehicle downtime and the risk of the vehicle breaking down when the driver completes the task and deliveries.
4. Improve customer satisfaction: Vehicle tracking not only increases productivity with clear task assignments and task progress tracking, but also enhances the customer experience by engaging customers every step of the way. With vehicle tracking, customers can track their goods from shipment to delivery in real-time. This allows both fleet managers and customers to communicate and stay informed of any urgent changes to delivery. Customers can further effectively sign the electronic POD and receive a confirmation email.  
5. Anti-theft: Another reason fleet businesses benefit from vehicle tracking is that it provides the ability to retrieve stolen vehicles. Vehicle tracking systems help reduce crimes related to vehicle theft by tracking the whereabouts of vehicles with ease and easy access, saving on the financial and resource losses that vehicle theft can cause.  
6. Seamless fleet management: With vehicle tracking, fleet managers can not only get a bird's-eye view of the entire fleet operation in real time, but also further seamlessly create, assign, and track tasks. The ability to easily assign and track tasks can increase productivity, reduce errors or late deliveries, and reduce operational costs. One game-changing benefit of fleet management vehicle tracking is the ability to communicate effectively in emergency situations. When the unexpected happens, fleet managers can communicate changes with drivers, quickly decide which vehicles to send where, or decide on the best alternative route for drivers.
7. Minimize paperwork and management: Managing handwritten paperwork can be stressful and time-consuming. With vehicle tracking, there's no need to manually create timesheets, create receipts to record payments, or fill out and search piles of paperwork. Vehicle tracking allows fleet managers to reduce the administrative burden by assigning tasks, tracking drivers and fleets, and storing electric pods in one place. Reducing paperwork and management increases employee productivity as it relieves employees of paperwork and administrative burden, allowing them to fully focus on completing tasks.
8. Increased driver accountability: The ability to seamlessly create, assign, and track tasks ensures clear expectations for tasks and work ethics. By accessing information and data about the vehicle's precise geographic location, vehicle driving history, and driver behavior, each employee can be held accountable for their work ethic, good or bad. In this way, vehicle tracking fosters a culture of accountability, integrity, and honesty and reduces internal and external conflicts.  
9. Improve driver safety: Driver safety should be a major priority for fleet operations, as the success of the business depends on the driver's ability to complete tasks efficiently and safely. On the other hand, road safety risks can lead to accidents, driver injuries, legal problems, and financial losses.

 

Vehicle tracking can improve driver safety in a number of ways. Some of these methods include route optimization, which allows fleet managers to create the most cost-effective, time-saving, and safe routes for drivers, with camera solutions monitoring driver behavior and assisting drivers in emergency situations, regardless of the size of the fleet business. Vehicle tracking tools also allow fleet managers to monitor driver bad behavior, such as speeding, hard braking, and acceleration.

 

Why your car needs tracking devices

 

Whether it's a fleet manager or a fleet business owner, getting a vehicle tracking device is beneficial because it allows you to personally monitor the geolocation of your car at any given time.

Here are some reasons why you should buy a vehicle tracking device for your car:

• Keep your car safe at all times.
• Get alerted when your car is tampered with or stolen.
• Remotely deactivate the car's ignition to prevent theft.
• Get quick help when your car is stolen.
• Recover the stolen vehicle.
• Receive reports on maintenance, driver behavior, and vehicle trips.

This sounds like a bunch of administrators, but it's not. All of the above can be done remotely using the Cartrack app on your smartphone.

 

Boost your business with Cartrack GPS

 

Cartrack provides an easy-to-use platform that allows fleet managers to oversee entire fleet operations in one place. Cartrack capabilities ensure fleet managers operate their fleets best possible at the lowest cost, ensuring your business gets a return.

Here are some of the Cartrack features that allow fleet managers to monitor fleet vehicles, driver behavior, fuel usage, and more

• MiFleet: With MiFleet, fleet managers can effectively manage their fleets, drivers, and fleet-related costs. MiFleet is an easy-to-use software that allows fleet managers to monitor fuel transactions, alert to fuel risks, understand possible fraud, investigate ways to save fuel and money, and reduce management. 
• Geofencing: Geofencing uses precise GPS positioning to set boundaries in certain areas that restrict vehicles from traversing. With this Cartrack feature, fleet managers can receive notifications via SMS and email to monitor when vehicles enter or leave preset geographic boundaries. 
• AI lenses: Cartrack's easy-to-use on-board footage provides fleet managers with real-time information about fleets, assets, and drivers. With this AI-powered streaming footage technology, fleet managers have access to event records as well as information and data that provide critical information to improve driver behavior and productivity. 
• Routes: This is a feature of Cartrack that allows fleet managers to easily set up, optimize, and manage predefined routes for fleet vehicles to reduce waste in operating costs. In case of deviation from the route, fleet managers receive an instant alert. This way, fleet managers can ensure that drivers stick to their tasks.

 

Get 24/7 vehicle tracking with Cartrack

 

Cartrack offers fleet businesses and owners a variety of packages with a variety of vehicle tracking features. In this way, you can find the package that suits you best based on your personal or business needs.

Contact us today!