The Real World Applications of GPS Tracking

GPS tracking as enabled in modern day vehicles is capable of doing so much more than just telling you where a vehicle is at a given time, or where it is going. Used in conjunction with the right software platform, GPS is able to develop a full and living picture of the behaviour and performance of your entire fleet. You can use it to build long term pictures of fuel economy, route efficiency and driver working hours. The software platform that your GPS system is built on, or relies on, is key. The more functionality you have here, and the easier those functions are to use, the more knowledge and assistance the GPS tracking system will be able to give you. The best software interfaces for GPS systems are user defined as well as capable of delivering standardised reports. Common standard reports will include history; idling time; location reports; stop reports; speed reports; and full summaries of behaviour for individual units or whole fleets. User defined reports build on this information by customising the reports so that the information given by the tracking system becomes specific to your company or fleet. Typical examples of user defined parameters on a GPS tracking software platform are map locations, which can be added freely by the system user; permitted vehicle use boundaries, which, again, can be added to any location and can cover any area. The purpose of these parameters is twofold - first, to make the reports delivered by the software platform as meaningful as possible to the individual user (as noted above); and second, to enable the system to flag up alerts if vehicles start to transgress predefined boundaries. The GPS software platform can also be used to set whole fleet reminders for MOT, services and tax payments. Anything that applies to the daily, weekly, monthly or yearly running of a fleet can be set as a reminder, ensuring that fleet efficiency remains as high as possible. The more customisable the GPS tracking system's software platform, the better it works for individual companies. BY developing your own custom reports and alerts you are able to completely mould the GPS software to your company's needs and personality. That means a total control over the data you get out of the system - and that means meaningful reports, delivered whenever you need them, that can help you address fleet issues and develop new procedures to maximise your company's potential at every stage of its life. Employees can be tracked and managed using the GPS system too. As drivers, fleet employees' behaviour is directly related to company performance through the medium of their vehicle. That means you can track and change not just mechanical issues, but issues related to the routes chosen by your drivers, or the length of time they spend on the road. Customisable driver working hour reports, delivered through your GPS tracking system software, allow you to make sure that all drivers are adhering to safe working hours and achieving the right amount of rest in between journeys.