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GPS Vehicle and Fleet Tracking for Small Business

GPS Tracking Built For Small Businesses

In a tough economy, it helps to have an edge. Companies are beefing up their services in order to compete. When your business depends on the reliability of the vehicles you operate, an effective way to improve customer service is to improve your ability to monitor your equipment. One of the primary ways companies monitor their property and improve transportation services is through GPS tracking for business vehicles.

Companies that rely on ground transportation use GPS fleet tracking for business vehicles. Service companies — those that provide cable, plumbing or repairs, for example — use business vehicle tracking for communication and planning. Companies that deliver goods, whether long distance or across town, use GPS tracking to find efficient routes and keep customers informed. What’s more, companies of all types use vehicle tracking to keep a closer eye on employee activities.

Track Your Truck offers GPS tracking devices designed specifically for the needs of small business owners. Whether you are running one vehicle for your HVAC business or have a fleet of 50 pieces of construction equipment, you can maximize the use of your vehicles with GPS fleet tracking.

 

Best GPS Tracking Devices for Small Fleets

When you’re managing a small fleet of vehicles, you need proven and reliable ways to keep track of your assets. GPS trackers for fleets help managers monitor and record their vehicle assets’ activity, collecting actionable data they can use to improve operations, maximize productivity and reduce costs and risks.

With this real-time location tracking technology, the GPS tracker’s integrated software management system can provide intelligent insights such as mileage recording, fuel consumption and numerous other metrics to improve your bottom line.

This guide to GPS trackers for small fleets will cover some of the reasons GPS technology is such a valuable business investment. We’ll also explore which of the top devices are right for you.

What Are GPS Trackers for Fleets?

GPS trackers for fleets are integrated systems that consist of GPS hardware and monitoring software. A GPS tracker is a physical device you install in a vehicle. Depending on the model, the type of asset you’re tracking and the specific features you prefer, GPS trackers come in various sizes and capabilities. Some GPS trackers are portable units that plug into the vehicle’s integrated onboard diagnostics port. Others require hardwiring into the asset.

Regardless of the installation method, GPS devices use the same technology. With GPS, your device communicates with satellites from the Global Navigation Satellite System network, which calculates the vehicle’s location based on its latitude, longitude and elevation. These values allow the GPS network to pinpoint the vehicle’s exact location in relation to the satellite.

Benefits of GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems for Your Small Business

Small business owners face ongoing pressure to maximize every resource they have. From increasing fuel efficiency to maximizing route planning to mitigating safety threats, fleet managers have enormous responsibilities to ensure their drivers successfully deliver their services on time to satisfied customers.

GPS tracking provides a reliable and informed way for managers to maximize their fleets. Today, GPS tracking involves more than monitoring locations. The information collected by GPS helps fleet managers make informed operational decisions on improving driver behavior, minimizing downtime and achieving greater profitability. Below are some of the best benefits of GPS tracking for small businesses.

Improve Risk Management

Risk management is one of the most critical aspects of managing small fleets. Whether light-duty delivery vehicles or heavy-duty construction equipment, fleet vehicles always present some level of inherent risk. To mitigate this risk, fleet managers need to find ways to reduce incidents and improve operator behavior. GPS technology can help fleets achieve compliance by improving awareness of dangerous activity that reduces safety incidents.

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Drivers who are aware someone is monitoring them tend to drive safer and more responsibly. They’ll be less likely to speed because they know the integrated software will record it. The presence of GPS tracking can also help improve other potentially dangerous driver behavior, such as harsh cornering, weaving in and out of traffic or sudden braking. Limiting these habits is better for the vehicle’s service life because it reduces wear and tear 一 another essential aspect of fleet compliance.

GPS technology isn’t only beneficial for promoting good driving behavior. It’s also a tremendous asset if an incident occurs. If a driver gets into an accident or needs emergency help, knowing their exact location allows managers to record their whereabouts, resulting in faster response times. It also provides a record of the events leading up to the incident, which can be beneficial for liability and investigation purposes.

Control Fuel Costs

For small businesses, finding intelligent and effective ways to control fuel costs is essential to maintaining a healthy bottom line. Fuel accounts for approximately 60% of the average fleet’s total operating budget, making it one of the most vital expenses to monitor and control.

GPS tracking is an advanced way for managers to understand how drivers are consuming or wasting fuel. Before GPS tracking, managers would work with recorded mileage and fuel receipts to figure out fuel consumption. However, with GPS technology, fleet managers can identify driving patterns and habits that directly cause drivers to use more fuel.

Many different factors contribute to higher fuel costs across fleet vehicles, and one of them is unnecessary idling. Because GPS technology tracks real-time location, fleet management software tells managers how long vehicles spend idling. Measuring idle time against key performance indicators can tell managers whether they need to correct drivers on reducing engine idling and improving fuel efficiency.

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Another contributor to increased fuel costs is inefficient routing. GPS tracking can compare various approaches to route planning, demonstrating the fastest routes for fleet vehicles to take to limit the amount of driving time.

Recover Vehicle Theft

Small business owners make massive investments in their fleets, purchasing the optimal vehicles that will help them provide the best value to their customers. Unfortunately, the longer a business is in operation, the greater the risk that eventually an asset will be involved in a theft or vandalism incident.

According to the FBI, there were over 700,000 thousand vehicle thefts in the United States in 2019. Having a plan to minimize vehicle theft and recover stolen assets is a critical defense against this threat. Just like you’d protect your business from burglary or online banking fraud, you also need to safeguard your fleet. Equipping your fleet with GPS tracking offers an immediate way to identify and be aware of unauthorized use. If someone steals one of your vehicles, having precise coordinates to provide the police gives you an extremely high chance of recovering it quickly.

Fleet vehicles with GPS tracking stickers also present a considerable deterrent to theft. Vehicle thieves are highly unlikely to steal marked fleet vehicles when they know covert GPS tracking is on board.

Increase Route Efficiency

One of the most critical aspects of successfully managing a fleet is the ability to plan the quickest routes to pickup or dropoff locations. Route planning allows you to allocate resources wisely, including which drivers to send where and in which vehicles. This process maximizes productivity, reduces fuel costs, extends vehicle service life and achieves higher levels of customer satisfaction.

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To successfully plan your drivers’ routes, you need to rely on accurate GPS tracking data. GPS tracking gives you a bird’s-eye view of your drivers’ whereabouts. By monitoring driver behavior, you’ll be able to determine whether they adhere to the planned route and if any unplanned stops delayed service times. If you need to, you can easily reroute a driver and dispatch the one nearest the customer. GPS also allows you to route a driver away from construction, congestion or other hazards.

In addition to route planning, integrated GPS tracking systems also help drivers avoid getting lost, allowing businesses to minimize wasted time and fuel. By recording trip history, fleet managers can also determine which routes were most effective and compare this data to future routes.

Maximize Productivity

For fleet managers to maximize productivity, they need to increase output while reducing the labor hours involved in service delivery. For small businesses, it’s vital to control labor costs. You want to ensure the limited staff you employ are working under optimal conditions and driving the highest amount of profit possible.

GPS tracking for small fleets can help your business increase productivity while maximizing payroll costs. With GPS tracking, you can dispatch each driver on the most efficient route possible while identifying inefficient employee practices. GPS tracking and integrated fleet management software allow you to determine which deliveries take longer than usual or which geographical areas tend to inspire off-route driving. These technologies give managers greater insight into individual driver habits or general patterns to correct.

With precise GPS tracking, managers can also better log employee workdays. Fleet management software based on GPS technology records precise timestamps, acting as an electronic timesheet for accurate and automated payroll. Overall, GPS tracking solutions help managers keep an eye on how drivers spend their time and provide you with the tools to better control labor costs.

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Automate Preventive Maintenance

Small business owners can’t afford sudden breakdowns and costly downtime associated with poor vehicle maintenance habits. For small fleets, reliable vehicles are the lifeblood of the business, and fleet managers need to be confident their assets will continue to deliver. Having a preventive maintenance strategy is crucial for ensuring fleet trucks stay on the road where they’re most valuable.

Investing in GPS tracking devices for small fleets allows managers to precisely record mileage and driving habits that inform a preventive maintenance schedule. Advanced GPS tracking solutions automate this responsibility, alleviating the burden from fleet managers who can free up their time for more pressing tasks.

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GPS tracking for fleets allows you to:

  • Get notified of upcoming service intervals based on mileage or operating hours
  • Create an automated maintenance schedule
  • Keep detailed maintenance records to ensure fleet compliance

With GPS technology, fleet managers can streamline the entire preventive maintenance strategy, which prevents missed servicing dates and leads to improved uptime. Managers will find using GPS trackers to automate preventive maintenance also leads to other benefits, such as better fuel efficiency and longer service life for a higher return on your investment.

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6 Best Small Business GPS Tracking Systems

GPS trackers and vehicle trafficking software give fleet managers peace of mind while making their jobs easier and more streamlined. That’s why it’s essential to choose the best GPS tracking system for your fleet’s unique needs. When deciding which of the best GPS trackers for small businesses are right for you, consider some of these factors.

  • Installation method: Determine if your fleet vehicles have an OBD II port for a plug-in model or whether you would need to have the tracker hardwired in.
  • Real-time vs. periodic updates: Decide how often you need location updates and what you primarily use the data for.
  • Type of asset: Whether it’s a vehicle, a trailer or valuable equipment, different trackers are more suitable for specific assets, so choose the right type of asset tracking device.
  • Device and software features: Various trackers offer different levels of features, including driver ID authentication, remote disable and various battery options.

When choosing the right GPS tracking device for small fleets, you need a solution that’s reliable, certified and, above all, easy to install and use. Small business owners don’t have time to learn robust new technology or fiddle with complicated technical installations. GPS tracking for a business needs to help managers streamline the entire process from install to ongoing use. These six GPS tracking devices for small fleets will help your company protect your valuable assets, improve business operations and encourage better driving habits for increased safety and service life.

1. Premium GPS Plug-In Vehicle Tracker

Whether you’re running a small fleet of service vans or delivery vehicles, small business owners need a no-fuss, reliable way of leveraging the benefits of GPS tracking. The premium GPS plug-in vehicle tracker from Track Your Truck is an easy-to-use plug-and-play system that requires no hardwiring. Insert the GPS tracker into the vehicle’s OBD II port, and it’s ready for use.

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The premium GPS plug-in vehicle tracker is a compact device that offers all the features you need from a vehicle tracker. This GPS tracking device for small fleets monitors the vehicle’s location, speed and heading around the clock. Its integrated software allows you to receive multiple different GPS update options. You can monitor your drivers’ safety while they work in separate locations, giving you an integrated and comprehensive solution at an affordable price.

Among the available GPS tracking devices for small businesses, the premium GPS plug-in vehicle tracker is one of your best options for reliability, with ongoing over-the-air programming and firmware updates and certified for reliability by wireless carriers.

The premium GPS plug-in vehicle tracker from Track Your Truck is ideal for small fleets like:

  • Utility service vans
  • HVAC contracting trucks
  • Broadband provider vehicles

For more information on how the premium GPS plug-in vehicle tracker can help improve safety and productivity within your small fleet, contact the experts at Track Your Truck.

2. Hardwired GPS Tracker

For fleets managing OTR vehicles or other equipment without OBD II ports, a hardwired GPS option will give you all the benefits of tracking technology suitable for your type of fleet. The hardwired GPS tracker from Track Your Truck offers real-time tracking technology for your small commercial or industrial fleet.

Weighing just three ounces, this hardwired GPS tracking device for small businesses is easy to install out of the way and out of view of the driver. Like other GPS trackers, it can track a vehicle’s location within two meters, providing managers with accurate real-time information. Receive a location update every two minutes while the vehicle is moving, and once every 24 hours while parked. With a full suite of recording features, managers can monitor driver behavior, including speed, braking and cornering, thanks to its built-in accelerometer. Get updates sent to your computer or mobile device so you always have a complete and accurate picture of the digital data the way you want it.

With advanced security features like driver ID recognition and starter disable to remotely disable the ignition, you can rest assured you always have control over the authorized and safe use of your fleet vehicles.

Contact Track Your Truck today to learn more about our hardwired GPS tracker for small businesses.

3. Essential Vehicle Tracker

Another of the best GPS trackers for small businesses is the Coyote ST essential hardwired tracker from Track Your Truck. As a real-time GPS tracking device, the essential vehicle tracker will monitor your driver’s precise location within 10 feet, as well as their speed and heading 24/7. Like all Track Your Truck GPS tracking devices, wireless carriers have certified the essential vehicle tracker’s reliability. It operates based on satellite location for the most accurate data recording available.

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With a built-in lithium-ion backup battery, managers can receive alerts whenever the tracker’s power gets disconnected, indicating someone has tampered with it. As with other hardwired models, fleet managers can remotely disengage the vehicle’s ignition using the tracker’s starter disable feature. Weighing under four ounces, the essential vehicle tracker is an excellent choice for service and equipment fleets needing a reliable, user-friendly and simple-to-install GPS tracking device.

Learn more about the essential vehicle tracker’s benefits and compare it to other GPS tracking devices by contacting Track Your Truck today.

4. GPS Trailer Tracker

GPS asset tracking helps small business owners monitor vehicle and equipment assets, deter and prevent theft and recover stolen property quickly and effectively. For small businesses with trailers to track, the GPS trailer tracker from Track Your Truck is your best solution for protecting your valuable cargo.

The GPS trailer tracker is a precise way to monitor your trailers from virtually any location, both when tethered and untethered to your trucks. While tethered, you’ll get real-time information on your trailer location based on current GPS coordinates. With the ability to receive location updates every two minutes, you’ll always have an accurate idea of where your trailer is and where it’s heading while tethered.

When your trailer is untethered and stationed at a yard, the GPS trailer tracker provides ongoing updates every four hours. Using its internal backup battery power, the trailer tracker can keep you informed while it sits vulnerable to tampering or theft. Once tethered again, the GPS trailer tracker will continue to provide your real-time updates every 120 seconds.

The GPS trailer tracker is a hardwired device that’s easy to install. Find out more about how your small business can benefit from the GPS trailer tracker by Track Your Truck. Contact our experts today.

5. Satellite GPS Equipment Tracker

Have you ever worried about your business equipment and what theft or loss could do to your bottom line? Business owners and managers need ways to manage their assets and protect their equipment when they can’t be around 24/7 to ensure their security. GPS equipment trackers solve this common problem by enabling small business owners to receive accurate updates as to the location of their equipment.

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With Track Your Truck’s satellite GPS equipment tracker, you’ll benefit from passive location tracking and receive up to six location updates per day. Receive alerts about potential theft or unauthorized use, all with an easy-to-install and compact tracking device. Operating on lithium-ion batteries, our satellite GPS equipment tracker is a long-lasting investment you can benefit from daily.

Discover the difference a GPS satellite equipment tracker can make in your business operations. Contact Track Your Truck today to learn more about this device and others for small fleets.

6. Essential Rugged Equipment Tracker

If you’re managing a fleet of rugged equipment, including heavy-duty constructing equipment and industrial machinery, you need precise information on these valuable business assets. The essential rugged equipment tracker from Track Your Truck is a hardwired satellite tracking device that provides you with real-time updates on your equipment’s location. In addition to location tracking, you can also keep up with key performance metrics like operating time, idle time and towing time, helping you make informed training and ongoing personnel decisions.

Designed for the rugged conditions of industrial and construction work, the essential rugged equipment tracker comes with a waterproof enclosure to give you control over the precise mounting location without worry. Learn more about our equipment tracking solutions by contacting Track Your Truck today.

5 Elements Small Business Owners Need From GPS Fleet Tracking

See how we can help your company succeed with these five features business owners should be getting from fleet management software.

1. Real-Time Tracking

Know where your trucks and equipment are at all times with real-time tracking. Your fleet is monitored via GPS tracking to give you up-to-the-minute location information at any time. This is ideal when working with shipping customers who need to know the exact arrival time for delivery. Boost customers’ confidence by providing real-time tracking data instantly for their shipments. More importantly, track your trucks 24/7 to make sure you are protected against cargo theft and vandalism.

2. Easy Data Access

View driver behavior, engine hours and fuel use reporting with data from your fleet management software. Monitor drivers who are aggressive and performing harsh braking on an all-too-frequent basis. Crunch the numbers quickly and identify weak links or poor behaviors that need to be remedied. Use this data to support your case for changes in your fleet. You can also look at driver behavior across your fleet. Use this information to create rewards programs for your drivers.

3. Data Collection and Reporting

Along the same lines, you need to access data that is collected for your reports. Whether you are interested in filtering data to find a specific data set, or you are looking for overarching driver behaviors, fleet management software should be able to handle this task with ease. Data is also beneficial for creating new trucking business plans and updating business continuity plans. You have the raw facts and figures right in front of you, regarding how well your fleet performs. It is difficult to argue with the facts, which is why data collection and reporting is so instrumental for fleet management software.

4. Intuitive Interface

When purchasing fleet management software, the system should be as user-friendly as possible. An intuitive interface and easy-to-use dashboard is a good place to start. You need to be able to get the most out of your software. Otherwise, you are not taking full advantage of your software for your fleet management. Track Your Truck features a reliable system that is equipped with an intuitive interface. This lets you maximize your fleet management system.

5. Reliability

The last thing you want when sending drivers over the road is for your management software to fail your fleet. Reliability is key when using this high-tech solution. You should have round-the-clock service. More importantly, if you do experience system malfunctions or user errors, you need to have a provider behind the scenes ready to assist you.

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Choose Track Your Truck for the Best GPS Tracking Systems for Small Business

When choosing the best GPS trackers for small business, choose Track Your Truck for your most reliable location-tracking solutions. Our broad range of GPS tracking devices designed for specific applications will ensure you find the best option for your unique business needs. We’ve designed all our fleet trackers to provide you with steady information you can use to make informed business decisions.

View all our GPS tracking devices and request a demo to determine the right model for you. Once you’ve selected the right tracker, you can request a free quote online or call us at 888-434-3848.

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Schedule Your Demo of Our Small Business Fleet Tracking Systems Today

At Track Your Truck, we believe small businesses should be able to run just as efficiently as large ones. Contact us today to schedule a demo of our small business GPS fleet tracking and see how your business can benefit from Track Your Truck’s unique tracking products.

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