GPS devices are a common sight now in most cars. Whether they use their smartphones, in-built GPS navigation on the dashboard, or a dedicated standalone device, drivers today have an easy and convenient way to see where their vehicles are while out on the road and find their destinations. With consumer-grade tracking devices easily available on the shelf of your local big-box store, commercial fleet managers may ask themselves why they shouldn’t just buy consumer car trackers vs. fleet trackers and install them in their vehicles?
It’s a fair question. After all, on the surface your average consumer car tracker does practically the same thing as a commercial fleet GPS tracking device. It provides a real-time picture of where the vehicle is using satellite communication, as well as navigation capabilities. What makes a fleet tracking system any better than a smartphone app or a cheap tracker suction-cupped to the windshield like on the vehicles your employees drive to work?
Although buying consumer-level GPS car trackers might seem like a good way to gain live tracking for fleet vehicles and save some money, the truth of the matter is that there are some significant differences between these and a dedicated commercial fleet tracking system. These GPS tracking devices simply don’t provide the full range of benefits of GPS fleet trackers made specifically for commercial fleets. Track Your Truck specializes in providing fleets between five and 40 vehicles with robust GPS-based fleet tracking systems, and we know what makes these a better choice for commercial companies than anything found in an auto parts store or electronics retailer.
Both consumer trackers and commercial fleet tracking solutions utilize the same kind of global positioning system (GPS) technology. In the simplest possible terms, these trackers use cellular networks to send signals to satellites at regular intervals. When bounced back to the device from the satellite, this provides the driver with real-time tracking of the vehicle’s position. The primary purpose of these devices for commuters and travelers is to give them turn-by-turn directions to their destinations. For commercial fleets, however, the use of GPS technology is typically much more complex and detailed, as explored later.
Even though they use the same basic technology, one of the key differentiators between the types of GPS tracking devices used in personal vehicles and commercial fleets is their form factors. For example:
Logistics companies, service providers, and construction crews often need live tracking to help them keep track of their fleets. Although consumer GPS tracking devices may appear to provide this, the truth is that real-time location tracking is only one aspect of what GPS can do for a business. Here is a comparison of what commercial fleet tracking systems have to offer compared to the types of GPS trackers found at most typical retailers:
Centralized Tracking Dashboards
A smartphone GPS app or dashboard tracker provides the driver with an up-to-the-minute picture of the vehicle’s location. The problem is that in most cases the driver is the only person who gets to see this. Fleet managers would have no visibility into where their vehicles are while they’re on the road. A fleet tracking solution made for commercial fleets connects all vehicles into a centralized dashboard, giving managers the ability to see where every vehicle is at all times. This can be critical for dispatching, route optimization, maintenance management, and more. Relying on consumer-grade devices is unlikely to provide this.
Driver Monitoring and Safety
Commercial GPS trackers use advanced telemetrics to provide more than just a vehicle’s location. Connected directly to the vehicle, these devices can monitor a vehicle’s speed and idle time in addition to location. This provides fleet managers with a wealth of information about driver behavior. They can see if a particular driver is accelerating too aggressively, braking too harshly, or driving too fast for the posted speed limit. This means they can pull drivers aside and provide coaching to help them practice safer driving habits before an accident occurs. A commercial vehicle GPS tracker also may have the potential to be connected to a dashcam, which delivers additional information about what’s going on in the cab as well as in front of the vehicle. Because consumer GPS devices don’t track driving behavior or connect to a centralized dashboard, they wouldn’t be capable of supporting fleet managers in terms of improving safety records.
Regulatory Compliance
Commercial fleets are subject to a wide range of regulations, depending on the industry. For example, drivers in the transportation and logistics industry must meet Hours of Service requirements to ensure safe driving. Typically, consumer GPS trackers don’t keep track of hours on the road or miles driven for fuel tax calculations. This means the burden of keeping track of these compliance requirements falls onto the fleet manager and drivers. Because they are created with commercial fleets in mind, however, a GPS fleet tracking system can automate many of these tasks. They can track driving hours, miles driven, and even provide breakdowns by state for fuel tax purposes. This means fleet managers can focus their attention on other tasks where their expertise will be better deployed.
Optimizing Routes
Route optimization for a commercial fleet means more than finding the fastest way to get from one point to the next. Commercial drivers often have to make multiple stops along the same route. Service companies such as plumbers and HVAC specialists have to keep numerous appointments while also accounting for customer visits that take longer than expected. A consumer car tracking system can show the driver the shortest route between two or more points, but they typically don’t factor in traffic patterns, delivery windows, or the capacity of a vehicle. Commercial fleet tracking offers all this, creating routes that are fully optimized for each vehicle and that day’s tasks. These systems also offer automatic adjustments on the fly, meaning drivers can be rerouted the moment a traffic jam or other type of delay is detected. This means less time spent idling in traffic, lowered fuel consumption, and higher customer satisfaction rates as deliveries and appointments are kept on schedule.
Systems Integration
With a commercial fleet tracking solution, fleet managers can take advantage of APIs that keep fleet data flowing into other systems. This means payroll, dispatch, maintenance, and billing software receives up-to-the-minute information about each vehicle and where it’s been. The administrative burden for the office is reduced to a significant degree, and there’s less concern over manual data entry errors. In contrast, consumer GPS trackers normally don’t offer this degree of connectivity, leaving fleets to rely on tedious and mistake-prone manual data entry.
Maintenance Management
Ensuring vehicles are well-maintained is crucial for commercial fleets, and that means keeping a close eye on how long each one has been on the road between services. With a commercial GPS tracking solution, managers can see at a glance exactly how many miles each vehicle has traveled since its last oil change, tire rotation, etc. They also can set up automated alerts to let them know when it’s time for a vehicle to receive servicing. Because consumer GPS devices are only concerned with providing directions and locations, they won’t be capable of delivering this kind of insight.
Theft Prevention and Recovery
No one wants to find out their vehicle has been stolen, whether it’s someone’s own personal car or a commercial fleet vehicle. Even if a personal vehicle has GPS, however, this may not be much help in recovering it. On the other hand, commercial GPS trackers provide always-on tracking that means they continue to ping their locations to the central dashboard even when the vehicle is off. This gives fleet managers a definitive idea of where a stolen asset is, giving law enforcement a much better chance at finding it and returning it. Commercial GPS tracking devices also may be able to prevent theft from occurring in the first place, thanks to geofencing capabilities. Fleet managers can establish boundaries around specific locations such as equipment yards, terminals, and jobsites, then receive automated alerts whenever a vehicle crosses outside those boundaries. This provides them with a warning of potentially unauthorized use or theft attempts that they can act upon as quickly as possible.
One of the most appealing things about consumer-grade GPS tracking for commercial fleets is their cost, and it’s one of the biggest reasons they may choose to install them in fleet vehicles. The data subscriptions required to operate standalone GPS trackers for personal vehicles is typically more affordable. In the case of smartphone apps they may not require a subscription at all, running instead on data plans that are already being paid for on the device. But as is the case with most things, you get what you pay for with these systems. A consumer GPS system is relatively inexpensive because it provides a bare-bones experience. Compared to commercial fleet management platforms, it doesn’t offer the same value.
Fleet managers also may be surprised to learn just how affordable a full-featured fleet tracking solution can be. For example, Track Your Truck offers plans starting at $15.99 per vehicle per month, with free devices provided. That comes with a two-year warranty on devices, a 30-day money-back guarantee, full customer support, and connected mobile devices on iOS and Android.
If you think a store-bought GPS tracker made for personal cars will be enough for commercial fleet management, think again. They may look the same on the surface, but they simply aren’t up to the task of tracking a commercial fleet and providing you with all the information you need to make the most of it. Track Your Truck offers a wide range of vehicle tracking devices built specifically for use in commercial fleet vehicles, as well as our comprehensive NetTrack GPS fleet tracking software platform to connect them all together. If you’re ready to learn more about what we have to offer, reach out and speak with one of our representatives today to get a quote.
