Who invented GPS?
It was 4 exceptional individuals throughout history. The invention took decades of advancement before GPS could be the user-friendly technology it is today.
However, simply hopping on Google maps from point A to point B isn't all GPS can do. When you combine GPS devices with a fleet tracking system, you can revolutionize how you do business.
What is GPS tracking? Read on to find out.
GPS Trackers Interact With Software
Using GPS technology and advanced platform features, a fleet management system gives you total control. Instead of wondering where your vehicles are and what they're doing, you'll be able to tap into real-time data. Business owners can then use that data to help their fleet perform more efficiently.
A GPS tracker is only as powerful as the software system it operates with. When you purchase access to a fleet tracking system, you're getting the best of both worlds. You'll have highly advanced trackers, along with user-friendly software platforms.
Simple Platforms outperform complex ones
Software companies understand that business owners don't need another complex platform to navigate. That's why many fleets tracking systems mimic platforms you're already comfortable with, like Google maps. Typically, it only takes a matter of minutes before you can start tracking their entire fleet.
Track More Than Fleets
What exactly can you put a GPS tracker on? Anything you value. If there's an item you want to keep tabs on, there's a GPS tracker that can get the job done.
GPS trackers can receive power from rechargeable batteries, the vehicle's battery, or even solar power. Along with vans and trucks, tracking devices can work with motorcycles, ATVs, utility vehicles, and more. Assets trackers also work for including boats, trailers, and rail cars.
Tracking Electronics
When we say you can track anything of value, we mean it. Some companies use fleet management systems to keep tabs on their electronics.
Let's say, for instance, your company has a lot of laptops out in the field. You can use a fleet management system to pinpoint the exact location and even condition of each computer.
Creating a User Account
What type of tracking device and system would you need? Since not everyone is operating a large-scale business, tracking systems tend to offer flexible accounts.
For instance, let's say someone is tracking a fleet of 10 vehicles. Meanwhile, another company needs to follow a fleet of 1,000 cars. The software setup, and tracking experience, will be much more simplified for the person with a fleet of 10 vehicles.
The smaller company wouldn't need the same amount of extensive scale reports that we need a fleet of 1,000 cars. That's why a lot of fleet tracking systems are entirely customizable.
You can usually get very specific about the type of data you want to track. Then, you'll be able to set up your account to filter that data in a workable way. A small company that's only following a few vehicles might enjoy getting alerts on its phone.
Whereas the larger company could quickly become over well but hundreds of alerts every hour. Instead, they might set the alerts to go up to their email. Then, any house team member can handle the email alerts or even access the tracking system directly!
After establishing your needs, you'll be able to purchase the appropriate trackers. You'll also gain access to the GPS tracking system. Where you access the GPS tracking system is entirely up to you. Phone, desktop, laptop; most tracking software work on a variety of devices.
Installing GPS Trackers
As we mentioned earlier, before you can access the system, you need a GPS tracker. After all, there's no point in accessing data if you're not tracking anything.
Installation is easy if you’re getting standard trackers. You won't need to hire a professional. Instead, fleet owners can handle the installation on their own.
Device Choices for Different Vehicles
Next, you'll have to choose if you want your device to plug or wire into the fleet. Plug-in tracking devices work well for any vehicle manufactured after 1996. If you have an electric car, you'll want to steer clear of the plug-in trackers.
Instead, wire-in trackers work the best for electric cars. Wire in trackers is also great for any vehicle that's older than 1995.
You'll be able to complete the installation in a matter of minutes. If you're getting a plug-in device, you'll simply need to locate the OBD in your car.
Next, you'll plug the tracker into the OBD port. Once it's securely attached, you're all done.
For the wired-in device, you'll need to take the dash off of the car. You'll fuse the tracker wires to the correct wires in the wiring harness. After reinstalling the dash of the vehicle, you'll be good to go.
Fleet Management Devices
Hardware and equipment used in fleet management can include GPS tracking devices, telematics systems, and other types of sensors and monitoring devices. These devices may be installed on individual vehicles or integrated into a centralized system for managing multiple vehicles.
GPS (Global Positioning System) devices are an important part of fleet management. These devices use satellite technology to determine the location of a vehicle in real-time, allowing fleet managers to track the movement and performance of their vehicles. GPS devices can be installed on individual vehicles or integrated into a centralized fleet management system.
Many types of GPS devices are available for fleet management, ranging from simple tracking devices to more complex telematics systems. Basic GPS tracking devices typically provide the location of a vehicle in real-time and the ability to view the vehicle's past movements. More advanced GPS systems may include additional features such as real-time traffic updates, speed tracking, and alert notifications for maintenance or safety issues.
GPS devices can provide a range of benefits for fleet management, including improved efficiency, increased safety, enhanced compliance, and reduced costs.
Improved efficiency
By tracking the location and performance of vehicles in real time, fleet managers can optimize routes and schedules to reduce fuel costs and increase efficiency.
Increased safety
GPS devices can alert managers to unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding or sudden stops, allowing them to take corrective action to improve security.
Enhanced compliance
GPS devices can help ensure that vehicles and drivers are compliant with relevant regulations and laws, such as those related to safety and emissions.
Reduced costs
GPS devices can help identify areas for cost savings, such as placing the most fuel-efficient routes or identifying maintenance issues before they become significant problems.
GPS devices are a valuable tool for fleet management, providing real-time data and insights that can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of a company's vehicle fleet.
Reporting With Apps
Are you on your phone all day for work? Sometimes you can track the vehicles from your smartphone. That’s only if the company offers fleet tracking apps, along with PC access.
Fleet tracking systems can use native applications for Android and IOS. This can make the day-to-day workload much easier to monitor.
The applications give you the power to see the location of whatever it is you're tracking. The apps also help you see the direction that your equipment or vehicles are traveling.
However, the direction isn't all you'll see. You'll also get access to the speed things are traveling.
Filtering Vehicle Data
You’ll want to look for a tracking system that lets you use advanced search features. Life’s easier when you can filter the data in the tracking system. For instance, let's say you need to know the vehicle's route taken on a specific date.
Instead of going through the entire vehicle's route history, you could filter the results to cover that date. This way, you can get directly to the data you need faster. You'll be able to see a bird's-eye view of where your equipment or vehicles are, along with the information you want.
Monitor Delivery Timelines
Perhaps you want to cut down on delivery wait times but need a way to track the results. Using vehicle trackers would be the perfect solution. You'd be able to see precisely when customers are receiving their products and when things are running behind.
Since the information is specific for each vehicle, you'd be able to pinpoint any trouble areas your company might have. For instance, maybe the route a driver's using isn't the most efficient for making the delivery.
By tracking the delivery time, and chosen route, you'd be able to offer alternative solutions. Before you know it, your customers will be getting a better, faster service.
Assessing Driving Behaviors
Locations aren't the only thing that you'd be able to use a fleet tracker for. They also provide owners with access to driving behaviors. If anyone on your team is accelerating aggressively or slamming on the brakes, you'd be able to tell right away.
In addition to tracking driving behaviors, you'll also stay in touch with the vehicle's condition. Any maintenance needs will be communicated to the tracking system.
Updates on Movement
Do you always have to search for the data you want in a tracking system? Or will you receive notifications and updates?
When you're tracking vehicles, you'll receive a location update every single minute. As long as the car is moving. If the vehicle is off, the updates happen every hour. After all, you don't need to know the vehicle's direction if it's not turned on.
Are you tracking equipment? GPS tracking systems provide daily reports using the equipment battery. When the equipment is on and moving, the alerts happen every 10 minutes.
Accommodating Fast Response Times
Fleet Management systems are beneficial for companies that aren't able to verify their daily routes in the morning. For instance, let's say you offer emergency support to your customers.
By knowing the location of each driver, you'd be able to dispatch the closest vehicle at a moment's notice. You'll also be able to see what the current traffic conditions are.
Rewatching Routes to Identify Pain Points
Let's say you wanted to review a driver's performance over a period of time. Instead of simply reading the reports, you could watch them happen.
As long as the software’s equipped with playback features, you see the past. For instance, some tracking systems use an animated interactive route. This allows the history of the vehicle will replay for you.
Live View With Dash Cams
Do you want to keep an even closer eye on things? Then you’ll want to combine the power of dash cams with a fleet tracking system. It's best to use dash cams that are GPS enabled.
You'll be able to literally see what the drivers are seeing live. You'll simply log into the fleet's tracking system and click to access the dashcam footage.
Look for a system that uploads to the cloud, so you don't have to worry about it taking up space on your hard drive. The best live views are active when the vehicle’s stationary. Good systems will also let you upload the dashcam videos while the vehicles are off.
Mark Key Locations
Are there opportunities hiding in your driver's route? Fleet management systems let you review each driver's course to identify areas of importance.
Does the system you’re using offer geo-fencing? Then you can mark critical locations such as customers' residences. You can also customize fences to cover a specific area.
For example, let's say you want to know when one of your drivers gets back in town. You can set your geofence up to cover your hometown. Whenever a vehicle enters through the geofence, you'll receive an immediate alert.
Basically, you can think of a geofence as a particular area of your choosing. Anytime the equipment or vehicles you track enter or exit a specific area, you'll know about it if you set up a Geofence. Geofences are especially helpful if there's a piece of equipment that isn't allowed to go off company premises, such as laptops with sensitive data.
Monitoring Vehicle Conditions
Next, if one of your cars needed an oil change, a GPS tracking system could send you an alert. How does this work exactly? It all comes back to the tracking device.
Remember how you have to plug the tracking device in under your dashboard? The plugged-in GPS device links with your vehicle's diagnostic system.
If your check engine light goes off, the device will be able to register that data. Then, the data is immediately sent to the tracking system. After receiving the diagnostic trouble code, the tracking system will give you more details.
For instance, you can find out exactly what the trouble code is saying and
We suggest setting up your software account to send you text messages or app notifications. That way, if a check engine light is active, you'll find out sooner rather than later.
GPS Tracking Lowers Fuel Costs
Do you live in one of the states with the highest fuel cost? Rising gas prices are a major problem for a lot of business owners.
Thankfully, the right tracking system can help you cut down on lost fuel, due to idling. You'll be able to generate reports to show you what vehicles tend to idle the most.
Simply set the tracking system to notify you after a vehicle has been idling for a specific amount of time. If you find one vehicle idles a lot more than another, talk to the driver to find out why. Sometimes, all it takes is one short conversation to help drivers understand the impact idling has on the company budget.
What is Fleet Management?
Fleet management is the efficient and effective organization and operation of a company's vehicle fleet. It includes the management of vehicles, drivers, and related equipment and services, such as fuel and maintenance. Fleet management helps companies optimize vehicle usage, reduce costs, and improve safety and compliance.
Types of Fleet Management Companies
Many companies offer fleet management services, including standalone companies and divisions of larger organizations. These companies often use specialized software and hardware to track and manage their fleet, including GPS tracking devices and telematics systems. Telematics systems can provide real-time data on a vehicle's location, speed, and other performance metrics, as well as alerts for maintenance or safety issues.
Fleet Management at Service-based Businesses
Fleet management is an important aspect of service-based businesses that rely on vehicles to support their operations. These businesses may include delivery services, transportation companies, and service providers that make house calls or visits to customers.
Effective fleet management can help service-based businesses improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure their vehicles' and drivers' safety and compliance. This may include using GPS tracking and telematics systems to optimize routes and schedules, managing fuel usage and maintenance, and providing driver training and certification programs.
Service-based businesses may also need to consider additional factors in their fleet management strategy, such as the type of vehicles needed for their operations and the type of services they provide. For example, a delivery company may need a fleet of smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles. In contrast, a transportation company may require larger, more specialized vehicles.
In addition to traditional fleet management services, service-based businesses may also benefit from specialized software and hardware solutions tailored to their specific needs. For example, a service provider may need scheduling software that can optimize routes and appointments based on the location and availability of technicians.
Fleet Management Modules
Modules are specialized software programs that can be added to a fleet management system to provide additional functionality. These modules may include features such as routing and dispatch, fuel management, and maintenance schedule.
Software modules are specialized programs that can be added to a fleet management system to provide additional functionality. These modules may include features such as routing and dispatch, fuel management, and maintenance schedule.
Routing and dispatch software
Routing and dispatch software modules can help optimize routes and schedules for fleet vehicles, reducing fuel costs and improving efficiency. These modules may use real-time data from GPS tracking and telematics systems to identify the most efficient routes and schedule deliveries or pickups.
Fuel management software
Fuel management software modules can help track fuel usage and identify ways to reduce costs. This may include real-time fuel tracking, alerts for unusual fuel usage, and reports on fuel efficiency.
Maintenance scheduling software
Maintenance scheduling software modules can help schedule and track routine maintenance for fleet vehicles and manage any repairs that may be needed. These modules may include alerts for upcoming maintenance, tracking of maintenance history, and the ability to schedule maintenance appointments.
These software modules can provide a range of valuable features and functionality for fleet management systems, helping companies optimize the use of their vehicles and reduce costs.
In addition to tracking and monitoring vehicles, fleet management companies may also provide various other services, such as fuel management, maintenance scheduling, and driver training. Some fleet management companies also offer financing and leasing options for vehicles.
Fleet management services can cover various activities, including vehicle acquisition, maintenance, fuel management, driver management, routing and dispatch, vehicle tracking, and compliance.
Vehicle Acquisition
Fleet management companies may assist with purchasing or leasing vehicles, including negotiating prices and arranging to finance.
Vehicle maintenance
Fleet management companies can handle the scheduling and coordination of routine maintenance and the management of any repairs that may be needed.
Fuel management
Fleet management companies may provide fuel cards and fuel management software to help track fuel usage and identify ways to reduce costs.
Driver management
Fleet management companies may provide training and certification programs for drivers and track driver performance and compliance with safety regulations.
Routing and dispatch
Fleet management companies may use software and GPS tracking to optimize routes and schedules, reducing fuel costs and improving efficiency.
Vehicle tracking
Fleet management companies may use GPS tracking and telematics systems to monitor the location and performance of vehicles in real time.
Compliance
Fleet management companies can help ensure that vehicles and drivers comply with relevant regulations and laws related to safety and emissions.
Various providers and services are also available to support fleet management. These include fuel providers, maintenance and repair services, and driver training and certification programs.
Some examples of the types of training provided to fleet drivers include:
Defensive driving courses for fleet drivers
Defensive driving courses teach drivers how to anticipate and avoid potential hazards on the road, such as other vehicles, pedestrians, and animals. These courses can help reduce the risk of accidents and improve the overall safety of a company's vehicle fleet.
Vehicle operation
Drivers may need training to safely operate specific types of vehicles, such as delivery trucks or buses. This training may include information on properly loading and unloading cargo and using and maintaining the car.
Compliance
Drivers may need to be trained on relevant regulations and laws, such as those related to safety, emissions, and service hours. This training can help drivers comply with these regulations and avoid fines or penalties.
Professional development
Drivers may also benefit from professional development training, such as customer service or communication skills, to help them better serve their customers and improve the overall efficiency of their routes.
Hazardous materials handling
Drivers who transport hazardous materials may need specialized training on safely handling and transporting these materials.
Emergency response
Drivers may also need training on handling emergencies, such as accidents or mechanical failures, and how to safely evacuate passengers in an emergency.
The types of training provided to fleet drivers will depend on the specific needs and requirements of the company and the type of vehicles being operated. By providing appropriate training to their drivers, companies can help ensure the safety and compliance of their vehicle fleet.
Fleet Management Services
The services provided by fleet management companies are designed to help businesses optimize the use of their vehicles and reduce the costs associated with fleet management. By outsourcing these tasks to a fleet management company, businesses can focus on their core competencies rather than worrying about the day-to-day management of their fleet.
Fleet management is a critical function for companies that rely on vehicles to support their operations. By effectively managing their fleet, companies can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure their vehicles' and drivers' safety and compliance.
Understanding Fleet GPS Tracking Systems
Now you know what a fleet tracking system can do for your company. Knowing how fast your vehicles travel and what routes work best can help you structure your company for success.
Here at Linxup, it's our goal to make complicated things simple. That's why the Linxup Fleet Tracking System is easy to use and perfectly out-of-the-box ready to use.
Want to know more about the solutions discussed in this article? Click to learn more about Fleet Tracking solutions. Or reach out to us, click here on your phone, or dial: 1-877-907-0801.
