Guide to Choosing the Best Fleet Tracking System

A GPS tracking solution enables fleet companies to monitor their systems in real time from anywhere. According to companies that have utilized this technology, the benefits are actually even greater. Today, tracking systems have advanced to include cloud technology, making it easy for anyone with the appropriate password to access the GPS tracking information.


For companies that are still struggling with old fleet tracking systems or do not have one, it is time to consider the latest solution. Those who are already up to date should know how to evaluate the system and get the best from it. This is where the guide below comes in handy.

How to Choose the Best Fleet Tracking System

If you are still in the stage of choosing among the many fleet trackers on the market, here are the top factors you should consider.

Durability

The weather can get rough, and without a durable weatherproof unit, your driver may easily get lost because of a malfunctioning device. Trackers that are water-resistant will be able to withstand occasional water splashes without damaging the internal wiring or chip. This feature is important in choosing GPS trackers so they last for the price you paid. There are brands that offer a waterproof case as a separate purchase for easy deployment on vehicles. Tracki’s waterproof case, for example, has industrial-grade magnets attached to it and special slots to hook it to cargo, shipments, boat engines, or even expensive mobile construction equipment. Additionally, it houses a battery of 3,500 mAh (replacing the built-in 600 mAh), which is basically 6 times the regular battery life of the tracker.

SOS button

The SOS button in a GPS tracker is a highly important feature to watch out for in choosing GPS trackers as it could save your employees’ life. Tell them to simply press and hold this button for five seconds when in an emergency to alert the authorities or selected staff members of their current location, including directions. This particular feature has been proven helpful in emergency situations.

App

If the company you’ve purchased a GPS tracker from doesn’t have a standalone app, you’re going to miss out on many useful features. You can’t create or view geofences, view account settings, or track other vitals such as battery life. Note that notifications in/out can be displayed instantly on a smartphone if a tracking app is installed and that without a standalone app, you’ll have to keep logging in through your computer just to track your fleet.

Smart alerts

Sure, a GPS tracker’s use is mainly tracking a person or object’s precise location. But when your purpose for tracking includes safety, efficiency, security, and proper management, you’ll soon realize that knowing whether limits have been crossed or not is crucial in choosing GPS trackers. To ensure you are getting the most out of tracking, get yourself a device that will issue instant alerts if the device exits a safe zone, moves beyond schedule, changes location, or breaches speed limits.

Coverage 

Before you go on choosing GPS trackers, it’s essential to know first what cellular network the device you are buying will be utilizing. Make sure to determine (1) if you have coverage issues in the areas your vehicles travel and (2) whether or not you can afford to wait for the minutes, hours, or sometimes days before the device reports the location. If this feature matters to you, ensure that your GPS tracking provider can provide not just multiple coverage options but also tools to determine if there is a need for one coverage or another.

Battery life

In choosing GPS trackers, battery life affects how the tracking device reports its information, which is why you have to make sure that yours will be apt for use depending on your or your family’s lifestyle. There are portable, battery-powered GPS trackers with built-in motion sensors so they will only be used with minimal power when not on the move. Then there are power banks, which can give you extra battery life and charges. However, battery life tends to vary and is somewhat an inexact science. Most units can work for at least a week without recharge, but then again, they only last that long with an average use of about 2 hours a day.


Tip: If you know you only need to monitor one car, you can have a GPS installed into a vehicle as these trackers get their power from your car’s own electrical system. This means there is no need to recharge it when batteries run low. These systems require a quick, simple installation and are completely invisible inside your car so even the driver won’t know that it’s there unless you tell him. If you are one of those people who are not comfortable with basic automotive work, you could have the GPS installed and hardwired by professionals, but you can do it yourself if you have the skills. The installation is quick and usually takes only less than half an hour.

Vehicle health monitoring

To stand out from the rest, GPS trackers intended solely for vehicles to offer vehicle health monitoring. Their software comes equipped with a “virtual mechanic” that actively monitors the health of a vehicle and notifies users in advance if their car battery is running low or draining fast. Vehicle health alerts will display as in-app notifications or push notifications, if enabled, and include information about your vehicle's oil life, engine, transmission, emissions, brakes, suspension, restraints, driver assistance, and filters. Additionally, you will also be able to set a vehicle health report to be emailed at your preferred schedule, or you can choose to view one on demand.

Benefits of Choosing the Fleet Tracking System That Fits Your Needs

A Motorola study found that fleets save an average of $5,484 per employee per year by utilizing GPS fleet tracking technology. The fleet management savings were mainly attributed to an increase in mobile workforce productivity and enabling enterprises to become more efficient via a reduction in annual labor and fuel operating costs. 


Below are the ways an appropriate fleet tracking system benefits fleet managers.

Fuel consumption

Recent studies indicate that businesses have reported a reduction in fuel usage as the biggest advantage of GPS tracking. The use of a GPS vehicle locator mainly gives better route options for your drivers. Choosing which routes to take makes driving more efficient, saving you time and money. In doing so, you can eliminate unnecessary costs and reduce unproductive work. This will reduce the time your driver has to spend on the road, resulting in faster delivery arrival and lesser fuel expenses.

Unnecessary downtime

If your fleet vehicles are just idling on the road, it’s a waste of time and resources and your company won’t be earning money. You can monitor this kind of inefficiency by using GPS trackers. Once you notice that your vehicle is just idling, you can prod the driver to do his job or return to the fleet base. Idling can be monitored in real time or determined in daily, weekly, or monthly basis through a report generated by a cloud-based tracking system.

Driving habits

Vehicle information such as location, speed, acceleration, brakes, RPM, fuel efficiency, and engine data are among the vital information the GPS tracker gathers and analyzes. Its live tracking system allows you to receive this data automatically once the predefined limits are reached. Tracking this data is necessary to avoid unnecessary wear and tear and accidents due to bad driving habits. Suitable GPS tracking devices like Trackimo enable you to monitor all these.

Asset productivity

Your company’s assets include your employees, your equipment, and your money, and you have to make sure that all these assets are used in the best way possible. If you own a shipping business, for example, use GPS devices as vehicle trackers to find out the most efficient way and day to ship goods. Through tracking shipments, you may discover that Tuesdays are the slowest day of the week and that sacrificing one day by moving all Tuesday shipments to Wednesday may save you a lot of money.

Maintenance costs

Most sophisticated fleet managing systems notify users in case a vehicle requires repairs or maintenance, and that is crucial when it comes to preventing the truck from breaking down in the middle of day-to-day operations. In order to keep company vehicles in top shape, routine maintenance is necessary. Instead of manually monitoring company vehicles on a regular basis, which is a tedious task by the way, let GPS tracking do it for you. You won’t be needing paper files on vehicle mileage to know when to visit the shop for oil change anymore.

Theft

Stolen fuel, vehicles, and equipment are huge losses to any fleet company. With GPS trackers, you will be immediately alerted if your vehicle travels through a route where there are threats for burglars. You will also generally have no trouble noticing if your vehicle or your fuel has been stolen. Vehicle moving on a non-working hour? You’ll get an alert. GPS tracking quickly helps you track down the stolen vehicle, enabling you to recover it almost immediately. Aside from reducing the possibility of unnecessary losses, this helps you learn about any kind of trespassing or inside jobs happening on your property.

Insurance premiums

Many insurance companies lessen their premiums if a GPS tracker for fleet management is installed. Companies do not need to sacrifice their current coverage by doing so, saving the company a lot of money. Additionally, a GPS tracking device can be beneficial in case of an accident involving your trucks. The device records every movement made in your vehicle, justifying that your driver did no wrong if false accusations were made. Contact your insurance company regarding their policies of GPS-installed vehicles.

Customer relationships

A bad habit that most businesses do is attracting new customers all the while neglecting the old ones. This more often than not results in a lack of growth in clientele. With GPS tracking, you can prioritize both new and old customers. Deliver your goods on time and maintain healthy business relationships with all of your customers with the help of GPS technology, which ensures that you would be able to respond to customers in case of delay and calculate the estimated time of delivery, hence, increase employee productivity and positive feedback.

Conclusion

In short, GPS technology will help you and your company improve fleet management, consequently saving you more money, improving productivity, and ensuring driver safety. As of now, we’re actually only scratching the surface of what this means to our businesses and, ultimately, to our lives.


Equipping your fleet vehicles with GPS trackers is a highly recommended investment. Get one for your fleet now!