They stated that they have taken the opportunity to renew the contract and add more vehicles to the tracking they already have in order to make certain that their mobile units are performing the best they can. They have a contactless interface which links to the vehicle’s on-board system. The system monitors all vehicles and provides detailed reports using Business Analyser Optimark.

Travis Perkins representative stated they are able to see how the driving is affecting efficiency and how they can change their management to ensure driver safety. The system will show the driving behaviour that may need to change whether it is a seat belt not being worn or heavy braking. They can also see acceleration, speeding, and excessive idling that may occur.

With the new investment the company is hoping to offer a driver programme in which drivers are rewarded for changing their habits. They feel this is a key tool to finding the best driver in their fleet, as well as recognising the driver’s hard work.

Real time tracking is a solution that Travis Perkins feels is necessary to any fleet business and certainly their own. They have also worked to include a PDA system management system to better help at the depot.

Travis Perkins is one of the largest builder merchants and home retailer brands in the UK with plenty of choices to choose from. The company also includes 1,800 outlets nationwide, which their vehicles deliver to.

They stated they see about 6,500 day gains, meaning that fleet vehicles are able to avoid congestion on highways with their fleet system. There is also a 12 per cent fuel cost improvement and 10 per cent reduction in vehicle running costs.

Scott Michael of Citroen stated that 50,000 Citroen LCVs have the devices. Many fleet operators have decided to try the Citroen vehicles because of the vehicle tracking and have thus decided to recommend it to others. It is a practical demonstration of how well the vehicles and tracking work together. The financial benefits and added safety and operational options also make it appeal to business consumers. There is every chance that TrafficMaster will try to pair up with another manufacturer of cars to provide their system.

The diesel trucks are fitted with tracking devices that provide data about fuel usage and driving behaviour to GeoManager. It is the software that reports on fuel and driver behaviour trends. In the first 16 weeks of the trial DHL learned several things about their drivers such as driving fast, braking harshly, and accelerating harshly.

The trial actually started in Europe with DHL in 2009. At the time they wanted to improve DHL driving behaviour and fuel usage by at least 5%. The devices were and are supplied by Trimble, a UK company. The company offers devices and customised systems to ensure that DHL and anyone else have what they need to find savings. Singapore was chosen as a secondary trial due to the urban location and issues they already have with their deliveries.

CEVA has also invested in 56 vehicles and 11 double deck trailers that will help to support the UK automotive network. All of these vehicles have tracking systems on them too.

CEVA is not the only company to make some top contracts in the last few months. TrafficMaster is another company making great strides in vehicle tracking. A lot of individuals and fleet companies are recognising the help vehicle tracking can supply. These companies are working to install at least a basic system to prevent against thefts, help protect their drivers, and for many other reasons. With many thefts of late in certain UK areas it is helpful to have vehicle tracking ensuring safe return of vehicles and other large and expensive equipment.

The bike was tracked eight miles to an estate between Bradford and Halifax. The housing development is being redeveloped. CTrack was able to track the movements of the bike and managed to ensure complete recovery of the vehicle. Mark Dempsey from the council stated that from the time that the break in was realised to the police finding the bike it was less than three hours. The ability to track so successfully is all due to vehicle tracking options for the quad bike.

Any fleet that has expensive trucks or the fear of theft can rest easy with vehicle tracking systems. CTrack is just one company that has recently managed to recover stolen property. Other companies have also been just as helpful.

They recently released a study on how much they are able to save using fleet tracking to reduce costs and save their residents money. The council has 380 vehicles that deliver services to residents. The fleet is made up of cars, minibuses, vans, refuse trucks, and road sweepers. All of these vehicles cost two million pounds to run on an annual basis. In March 2010, the TomTom Link300 was added to 260 of the vehicles the council runs.

A year later they have released their savings. They were able to reduce their fuel spending by 100,000 pounds in just over a year. This is a staggering amount when one considers that fuel costs have also increased in the last year.

West Dunbartonshire is looking for more than just fuel savings though. They have also looked at long term savings and less pollution. With the additional savings in fuel because they are using less fuel to do their tasks, the council is able to reduce their CO2 emissions. The TomTom ecoPlus will be set up on a number of vehicles to address the pollution issue.

Even for those who do not want to use vehicle tracking, the devices have shown how changing driver behaviour can be a savings to any fleet company. By reducing excessive fuel wastage it is possible to save money. For any company that wants to find a way to protect the environment and save money, the council is a good role model.

One would think that stealing a HGV vehicle would be difficult since the truck can really stick out. Despite the fact that these vehicles are huge they can still be stolen and hard to track down. Thieves have been stealing big trucks and other vehicles for several decades now. In more recent decades it has got more troubling for them to pull it off given the technology. Recent news shows us why it is more impossible now and it makes fleet owners understand the benefits of vehicle tracking.

Most fleet companies that have HGV’s know that they are indispensable. It is imperative for these vehicles to remain in good condition in order to keep their business going. They also know that it is easy to spot large vehicles like HGVs. However, they still get stolen so incepting this issue with fleet tracking is imperative.

Remote Asset Management is a live tracking option that allows the management company to know where its HGV vehicles are at any given time. They are in a management company base looking at the assets via GPS signals.

Any time a fleet vehicle is stolen the RAM company can issue an alert and have the police start tracking the GPS. It helps the company get the truck back before the GPS is disabled or the truck becomes truly missing. The most important feature of vehicle tracking with Remote Asset Management is that one gets alerts when the truck is moving but should not be. In other words, the early warning system helps stop thefts from being successful; therefore, saving money not only on the lost goods but also on obtaining a new truck.

Reduce Both Wage and Fuel Costs

Without a doubt, wages and fuel are the two biggest expenditures that any business with a fleet of vehicles can incur – meaning that it is imperative to keep these costs as low as possible. With the price of fuel at its highest rate in history, the emphasis is on the business owner to ensure that they are getting the highest fuel economy possible from their vehicles. How can this be helped by installing a tracking device though? Well, a tracking device will allow the business manager to monitor activities that are contributing towards a higher fuel bill – activities such as taking longer routes, speeding and leaving the engine idle when stopped. These might not sound like much, but they all add up to a massive saving!

When it comes to wages, tracking systems can protect the business against any dishonest claims made by employees, such as the amount of time they have spent driving and the amount of miles that they need to claim for. Nearly every driver has at some point fiddled their mileage sheets, but with a tracking device the information is with the manager before the driver even fills out his forms! In fact, there is no need for the driver to even fill out forms, as the mileage is already automatically and accurately calculated.

Track Locations

This system is already used by many of the emergency services throughout the country, but there is no reason why it can’t work for your business too. Being able to map out the locations of your fleet means that you will always know who is closest to that vital job or who is simply sitting in a service station and avoiding work! Integrating the system with satellite tracking and other geo location devices means that the driver should also never get lost, as direct routes can be supplied to them straight from the office.

Security

Vehicles and plant are probably the most valuable assets that a business has in terms of cost, therefore they are often the targets for unscrupulous thieves. Of course, most vehicles are insured against theft, but what about the income lost when the business is unable to work to full capacity? A tracking system will allow any stolen vehicle to be tracked around the country and therefore ensure that it is returned in the quickest amount of time.

A tracking system is also an important tool for ensuring the safety of your staff. This is especially true when a business has a workforce that often works alone or in areas where there are potential dangers. Being able to locate an employee who is potentially in danger is something that could save their life – and protect the business from costly legal action.

Increase Customer Service

Many businesses rely on a speedy response to ensure that their customers are happy with the service that they receive. In this highly competitive world, customer service is the one aspect that a business can still stand out in and having a tracking device will ensure that vehicles can be monitored and stationed in the correct places to respond to any customer requests. A tracking system will also allow a business to immediately tell their customers how long a member of staff will be and also if there are any delays in their response, due to traffic or other external circumstances.

Dispute Resolution

One of a business manager’s biggest roles is to resolve disputes, either between staff members or between a staff member and a customer. Due to the fact that a tracking system will log the date, time and length of every job attended, there can be no dispute regarding the location and promptness of the job. It can also help to settle staff disputes should one member of staff feel that they are being unfairly treated in terms of the jobs they are sent to.

Improve Staff Members’ Driving

We’ve all seen the van on the motorway doing 100mph, complete with the logo of the company emblazoned on the side, and we have all also thought some extremely negative thoughts about the company that this van driver works for! The staff of a business are the public face of the whole enterprise and as such poor driving will affect the reputation of the business as a whole – a reputation that most businesses have spent years trying to consolidate. A tracking system will provide information on any unsafe driving to the manager, who can then discuss the issue with the member of staff involved.

Motivate your Staff

Staff that don’t feel cared for are always going to be unproductive staff – that is an irrefutable fact of business. One thing that can really upset staff is being sent to a job alone and feeling that they have no protection should a situation occur – something that is remedied with the installation of a tracking device. With a tracking device, workers will know that they are constantly being monitored and that their employers care about their welfare.

A tracking system can also be used as a motivational tool because staff will be more conscious that their work patterns are being monitored. This will prompt them to ensure that they are as efficient as possible and to make sure that they attend any jobs on time and don’t make excuses for late arrivals.

Increase Productivity

Linked in with the above topic is the issue of productivity – something that will vastly increase when this system is installed in a vehicle. The driver will know that they are expected to perform a certain amount of tasks throughout the day and that therefore they are unable to simply go around slowly, not making the best use of their time. A tracking system will also decrease the amount of time that the driver has to spend on the phone – something that necessitates that they stop driving – therefore meaning that they can get to locations far more quickly.

Help the Environment

The environment is a hot topic throughout the world and most companies are bowing to public pressure and decreasing the amount of damage that they do to the earth every single day. By using a tracking device a business can be sure that they are always sending their drivers in the right direction and also that they are always asking the closest driver to attend – something that minimizes the amount of harmful fumes that a van releases into the atmosphere.

Duty of Care

Every single business has a duty of care towards their employees; a duty of care that means that they should always do everything possible to ensure that the safety of their employees is completely covered. A tracking device will meet this requirement and will ensure that all businesses can demonstrate that they are taking the safety of their employees seriously. This is especially important since the changes in rules issued by the Health and Safety Executive, which state that a company with lone workers or a fleet of vehicles has to periodically review their safety measures for employees.

Things To Consider

Before you purchase a vehicle tracking device ask yourself a few questions to ensure you are considering the right facts about the system for your company:

• You will want to choose a system that can be tailored to your needs for budget and operations. Choose only the system that fits your requirements, rather than those that partially fulfill your needs.
• Check the provider’s reputation to ensure it is strong. You will check for quality of product during this check. The device needs to provide a streamlined business solution to keep vehicle downtimes lower for a more effective business that you run.
• If your company requires drivers to go abroad, you want to make sure the system can be used overseas with mapping. The costs for roaming may be expensive if they are not included in the regular package, so be aware of the costs you may run into.
• Examine all costs for the product such as the contract, monthly charges, software charges, airtime charges and others.
• Ask the provider for a demonstration of the product before signing a contract. With a test you can determine if the product really fits your needs based on the software and other requirements you may have.
• For companies that have business in the UK, Europe or other parts of the world check the geographic areas while testing the software.
• The supplier should offer a Service Level Agreement regarding installation and warranty with a full term agreement contract.
• Check the level of consumer support you obtain with the service provider. You may need technical assistance throughout the contract, so you want there to be a good technical department.

Once the above has been compared and you are aware of the best providers, it is time to look at how you can get the most from your tracking device.The various tracking devices available to you provide different benefits and features. Some of the products will seem extremely similar, which is why you need to consider how you can make the most of the vehicle tracking system. Identify the features that will be most beneficial to you and your company. The following are a couple of ways to examine a system.

Check the setup: every company has different tracking needs, so you want to ensure the setup will work for your purposes; all of your purposes. The supplier also needs to understand these parameters to install the right device for such things as fuel monitoring, increased productivity and more.

Training requirements: even buying the best tracking system out there can lead to defaults if training is not sufficient to handle the system. Your employees and the service providers need to be well versed in how to use the system to its full advantage.

Product Features

Since your determination of the product is based on features it will pay to know what features are provided.

Satellite Overlay: this is where an aerial photograph is used as a Map such as Google Maps Satellite, where you can identify an actual vehicle, road, or house.

Real Time Mapping: live mapping will plot the locations of your vehicles in real time, with no lag time so that the user can narrow down the map for one specific vehicle if need be.

Reports: daily activity, daily visits, driver performance, and excessive idling reports can be provided to you and your business management team in order to help increase your company production.

Alerts/ Notifications: SMS text messages can be sent in the event a vehicle has moved late/ early, is idling, driver activated, or the location is needed. These alerts tell you if the vehicle is on the move without authorisation.

Geofencing: this is also known as POI, Landmark, or Ring Fence in which you can lock a vehicle within a certain border and if the vehicle moves outside of that border you will be sent an alert. Common usage is to include the employee’s home address and their work locations.

Can-Bus Integration: most tracking systems use a CAN-Bus system with electronic control units. These units will communicate with other units to send information such as sending tracking data to the management centre. HGV vehicle fleets often use this to manage fuel and driver behaviour.

Other features exist such as Driver ID, Driver Terminal, Temperature Monitoring, Panic Button, Remote Immobilisation and PTO. These additional features can help you identify the driver, ensure the vehicle cannot move without the proper driver and maintain temperatures for delivery. Some of these additional features can be used as a means to stop the vehicle from moving or get help to a worker in an emergency situation.

Payment Options

Funding options are also imperative. Payments will consist of hardware, installation, monthly access to applications, and monthly data subscriptions. Additional costs can include SMS alerts, extended warranties, maintenance, and additional features.

Your company can purchase the system outright paying for the hardware from the very beginning. There are no further payments and no interest on borrowing for this option. You do have the monthly subscription price, typically 15 pounds. The installation can be 350.00 pounds with a total cost per vehicle of 890.00 pounds.

Leasing options provide you with fixed monthly costs, no deposit needed, and a return on your investment. The key benefits of leasing are no large upfront costs and a term of 36 to 60 months to pay for the system.

Renting is another option where you rent the equipment for a little more than leasing options, but the terms are for 6 to 12 months rather than a 36 month period.

Pay as you go is a monthly payment lease where you pay for the use upfront and have fixed monthly costs. The term is usually for 3 months.

Mopar just announced a new type of tracking called EVTS or Electronic Vehicle Tracking System. It is a new innovation that offers multiple mobile to mobile technologies, which helps to improve consumer services.

The company stated EVTS will alert the owner of a vehicle being driven too fast or away from the location it should be in. For fleets this is perfect because they can alert the police if the vehicle has been stolen a lot sooner than before and get the vehicle back. It also helps to provide better road safety by curbing bad driver behaviours.

Smedley, the director of Connected World Magazine stated Mopar EVTS provides instant tracking for stolen vehicles and removes excessive speeds from the road. It also provides text alerts for any excessive speed driving to the owner.

For those who go with the silver plan it will include a security fence. It is also called geofencing by other companies. This type of fence sets up parameters for where the driver can go. If the vehicle goes outside of these borders the management company or owner is alerted.

For personal drivers this can mean learning about children driving outside where they are supposed to be. For fleet companies they can track if their driver may be using company time for personal runs or even theft. All in all it is just another option for fleet tracking. The fact that Mopar now offers it can help for those who have Mopar systems and want the improvement.