What is the Difference Between Truck GPS and Navigation?

The terms “GPS” and “navigation” are often used in a similar context, but the two are not interchangeable. While both products can be used for helping guide a vehicle, navigation systems can be limited in terms of data transmission and storage, making them less useful for business purposes. In fact, the two types of systems have separate features and functions, and they are used for very different applications.

So, exactly what is the difference between truck GPS and navigation? Below, learn about the differences between the two so that you can better identify the system that suits your purposes.

GPS Truck Tracking

This method is more commonly used for commercial applications. GPS truck tracking is based on a set of data that help a business better monitor a single vehicle or an entire fleet. The purpose is to track a specific location of a vehicle. For more advanced systems, such as the ones provides by Track Your Truck, the data can also include direction of travel and speed.

Truck tracking often can be done in real time. At Track Your Truck, we provide multiple devices designed specifically for tracking vehicles of all types, in most terrains. The information made available through our tracking services is relayed to our own NetTrack web service, allowing customers to access it from any computer with an Internet connection. Customers can view historical data, as well.

Tracking services typically include mapping, allowing the user to identify points of interest or to find efficient routes.

Our truck tracking system gives customers the ability to mark pre-determined points of interest on a map. Customers may also monitor vehicle idle time. In the event of an emergency, people using certain Track Your Truck devices may remotely kill a vehicle’s starter.

Businesses and other groups that benefit from GPS truck tracking include delivery companies, services companies, shipping and logistics, municipalities and schools.

Navigation

Navigation systems can be used for commercial purposes, as well, but they are more commonly used by consumers. In general, navigation units do what the name suggests: They navigate a user to a destination with routing software. Some models can be used to find specific destinations, or they can be used to search businesses. In an emergency situation, a navigation unit can sometimes guide responders to the unit.

Unlike a GPS truck tracking system, navigation systems are not made for remote monitoring applications, meaning a person could not use a navigation device to find vehicles or record such data as direction and speed. Navigation units typically are limited by an inability to track historical data. For that reason, they are less often used for commercial purposes.

At Track Your Truck, we specialize in GPS devices that allow customers to monitor employees and reduce costs by minimizing idle time. Call us today or browse the Track Your Truck site to learn more about specific products we sell, including our comprehensive NetTrack web service.