If you have a fleet of vehicles, whether you’re a car rental agency, plumbing franchisee, construction company, or university, companies across the world rely on vehicles and equipment to earn a living. These fleets provide essential services for everything from public transportation to disaster clean-up needs.
Regardless of size, whether you have 5 vehicles or 500, managing a fleet of vehicles presents both obvious and hidden challenges. Having data and insight into how your vehicles are operating is key to making important business decisions. GPS fleet tracking ultimately ensures your fleet — both vehicles and drivers, are being properly managed.
Fleet tracking devices mainly use Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to track vehicle locations and provide feedback on driver behavior. Many businesses with multiple vehicles consider implementing fleet management software systems to enhance safety, increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.
How Does GPS Tracking Work?
GPS is essentially a satellite-based tracking system developed in the 1970s and comprised of 24 satellites that orbit the earth. These satellites send data to receivers on earth via radio signals, which in turn help you pinpoint the precise location and movement of your vehicles. Once a GPS tracking unit is installed on a vehicle, you can track it by logging into your fleet management system portal on your computer or mobile device.
This information that your GPS unit collects is generally presented to you in one of two ways: actively or passively. When using active trackers the information will be sent directly to you via a cellular network, which allows you to see a live feed of the vehicle location from anywhere. When using passive trackers your vehicle’s journey information will be recorded on the physical device itself, which you can later plug into a computer terminal and download.
In the past, active tracking devices were not effective in areas with poor mobile network connectivity. However, advances in technology and the increase in the number of satellites has helped to ease this shortcoming. You should also keep in mind that GPS tracking systems might perform poorly when your vehicle is traveling in a tunnel, parking garage, or another area where the cellular could be interrupted. But, a good active GPS system will backup all of your data on the device itself, this way, once it gets a good signal again, it can update your software and you don’t lose any data.
How Does Zubie’s GPS Tracking Software Work?
Zubie’s GPS tracking software is a simple-to-install device about the size of a flip phone that requires no external hardware. Simply plug the key into the OBD-ll port of the vehicles of your choice and you’re ready to go — it can be installed by a non-technical employee. Once the device is plugged in, fleet managers can utilize Zubie’s reporting dashboard and software to track and monitor your vehicles. The user interface is designed to look and act like daily use software – if you can use Google Maps and Facebook, you can use Zubie. Zubie’s fleet management systems provide real-time updates and alerts, which allow you to monitor your drivers from a central location. Alerts are either sent via emails, push alerts, or text messages, saving time and resources that would otherwise be checking in with each vehicle manually. Here are all the key features to know about Zubie’s GPS Fleet Tracking.
Real-Time Location Tracking
Want to know where a fleet vehicle is at any time? Quickly locate your vehicles and drivers on the Zubie Fleet Connect Live Map on your smartphone or PC. Know if a vehicle is en route or parked, and the direction they are currently driving.
Trip History
Never miss a trip your drivers take in your work vehicles. View all trips taken by each vehicle, including the start/end time, exact route the driver took, mileage, driving habits, and more. Make sales reporting and tax filing easier.
Location Alerts
No need to ask drivers when they’ve arrived at a certain location. Get an automatic notification. Create geofencing alerts to know when a fleet vehicle comes or goes from a frequented visited location like the office or warehouse. Impress customers with accurate arrival time estimates.
How GPS Fleet Tracking Can Improve Your Business
GPS fleet tracking can give business owners valuable insight into the efficiency of their fleets. Having data on fuel consumption, mileage, and driver behavior can help you make important business decisions. Tracking devices enable you to plan efficient routes for your vehicles to take which ultimately translates to fuel economy. As for driver behavior, you can stay on top of drivers consistently making hard breaks and stops and instead encourage safer driving habits. Lastly, one of the major benefits of GPS tracking is locating lost or stolen vehicles quickly. Save time when vehicles get impounded and be able to provide an accurate location to whoever is recovering it. Bottom line, GPS tracking reduces costs and saves you valuable time.
Are you looking for a simple solution to fleet management? Explore our free White Papers to learn more about how Zubie can help protect your vehicles and optimize your business.