The Four Categories: Fleet Tracking & Management Solutions

While the market continues to expand, the categories of solutions remain the same. Below is a summary of each of the four categories with pros and cons for each.

Handheld Device Solutions
These devices combine the functions of a cell phone, PDA or handheld reporting device with a GPS location signal. They offer portability, but also become problematic for tracking anything related to a vehicle or driver behavior.

Pros:
In most cases it can be added to existing phones or handheld devices. 
Employees can use the device for direct voice or SMS text message communication with the dispatch team.    
Best for tracking a person’s specific whereabouts, especially at large jobsites or facilities.

Cons:
The device is controlled by the employee. It can be left at the jobsite while an employee takes the vehicle somewhere else.
When the device is indoors, the GPS signal is useless. GPS requires a view of the sky to be transmit¬ted and captured.
Many of these systems track the location through a combination of cellular towers, only giving you a location within miles, not feet.
Handheld devices track people, not vehicles. You cannot receive alerts on vehicle activity like speeding, idling, maintenance issues or simple travel and stops data.
Handhelds don’t help solve the issue of lost or stolen vehicles.   
Handhelds cannot track mileage for preventative maintenance programs.   

When prospects or customers compare other system types to handheld systems, they find that the loss of visibility of the vehicle becomes a roadblock. If your goals are more around vehicle use than employee location, handheld systems offer limited benefits.

Vehicle-Based Passive Download Solutions
These devices are hardwired into the vehicle, typically under the dashboard. When the vehicle returns to the company lot or parking area, data can be downloaded either through a removable memory device or via a wireless data connection.

Pros:
Provide an unbiased, accurate history of the vehicle’s workday.   
Good value for reporting and post action reviews of driver behavior, routes and associated costs.   

Cons:
Require vehicles to return to a specific location on a regular basis in order to collect the location data. If the vehicle is not returned in time, device memory will overwrite itself.
Often require more manual work for the user, especially if not downloaded over a Wide-Area Network (WAN).    
Lack the value of real-time knowledge such as alerts and dispatching functions. Dispatchers and fleet managers can’t impact the business when timing is critical (i.e. emergency customer call, driver rerouting or safety issue).
Cannot be effectively used as a security device for the vehicle.   

Passive download devices overcome the issues associated with handhelds in terms of user interference, but lack the value of real-time information that can save time and money at the moment, rather than days later.

Real-Time Vehicle Based Solutions
Real-Time solutions use a device hardwired under the dashboard of the vehicle, similar to the passive download solution. The key difference is that the device not only collects the GPS information, but transmits the data frequently over a cellular data network back to a network operations center. The data is collected, scrubbed and then refreshed into either a secure web
application or to a software solution housed at the customer’s location.

Pros:
Provides the most accurate location information for dispatching and routing decisions made during the workday. As the day changes, routes and jobs can be optimized to keep costs low and customers satisfied.
Removes any chance for driver interference, making the data as reliable as possible.   
Allows more freedom without creating more risk. Vehicles do not have to report to a specific location every day to collect information. This allows drivers to take vehicles home and save time from driving to a central location away from their route.
After-hour usage can be easily monitored and alerted, giving fleet managers and owners peace of mind.
Provides the ability to locate a lost or stolen vehicle and its assets immediately.   

Cons:
Can be more costly than the other two major groups, as they require an installed device along with a monthly monitoring fee.
Require some level of cellular data coverage in order to work effectively. If coverage is lost, data can be stored on the device and relayed when coverage improves again. Be sure to check with the provider as to which networks their devices utilize.

Though relatively more expensive to the customer initially, market feedback on real-time systems is that they reduce costs, create safety and help satisfy customers faster and more effectively than the other two solution sets. Dispatchers can see true vehicle location and find the nearest vehicle to an unscheduled job. They can also give customers more accurate estimates of
appointment and arrival times. Managers can act on driver behavior before risky or costly situations play themselves out on the road.

Asset, Trailer & Heavy Equipment Tracking
For fleets with more than just vehicles, these types of solutions allow you to track the exact whereabouts of as¬sets for insurance, security and maintenance purposes. The actual GPS devices used in these types of solutions may be ruggedized to absorb wear and tear and may also derive power from an alternative source such as a solar panel or an internal rechargeable
battery.

These solutions typically operate on a “ping” only basis as opposed to an automatic update frequency. In order to trigger security alerts they may store a security perimeter, or “geofence,” locally. To create a geofence around the device, a driver or operator may need to push a button on the GPS device. 

Pros:
Ping based approach to tracking location creates a lower monthly cost compared to other types of solutions.   
Good for monitoring hours of use on heavy equipment. Some solutions may include preventative maintenance tools such as alerts based on this metric.

Cons:
Limited data collected from the device provides little opportunity to create meaningful reports. These types of solutions can limit you to simple tracking capability.
Storing the security perimeter locally makes sense based on the ping approach to tracking location. But that design may also put security in the hands of your field service technicians and may include limits on the size, shape and number of security perimeters available.

Although these solutions are lower cost, their focus on tracking for security purposes makes them a bad fit for a fleet that has primarily vehicles. But in the right situation, this type of solution could be a perfect fit.

What if my fleet has vehicles AND heavy equipment?
Many fleet managers and business owners struggle to find the right solution for their business, and when their fleet contains a mix of vehicles and heavy equipment the challenge gets even more complicated. In these situations, here are your best bets:

Understand a provider’s focus: Most providers are either vehicle focused or heavy equipment focused. Depending on the size of the provider, they may have little to no experience outside their area of expertise. Be sure to ask what percentage of their units in service is heavy equipment. 

Consider using multiple providers: Depending on the size of your fleet, it may make sense to purchase from two different providers – one for vehicle tracking and another for heavy equipment. Purchasing from two different providers for what seems like the same thing may sound inefficient, but driving productivity in a mobile workforce and managing security for expensive
assets are pretty different things. For a big fleet, the savings and focus are probably worth having two relationships.

Don’t force the wrong solution: Most mixed fleets include more vehicles than heavy equipment. If you are dealing with a small percent of heavy equipment, you can probably go with a single vehicle focused provider that has some experience in heavy equipment. But you should think twice about going the other direction. Heavy equipment focused providers will struggle to
provide the reporting and insight required on vehicle activity.

As I travel today, I was thinking of something to write about.  I began to run through some topics that I have been thinking about, and one came to mind.  The topic deals with questions that prospective customers for me when discussing GPS tracking solutions for their business. 

I tend to get the same questions; different wording, but the same questions.  How does it work?  What can I see?  How do I see a return on investment?  All of these questions are important to consumers, and these questions deserve an answer.  Not an answer that someone believes will happen, but answers that can be proven with data that clearly shows the positive effects that GPS tracking has on business.

But, what about the questions that I want to ask?  What about the answers that you need to seek out before you consider a GPS tracking solution for your business?

So, I decided that I would dedicate this time to ask a few questions that I would like you to think about.

1): How are vehicle activities being tracked today?  This question sounds simple, but most companies do not know where their vehicles are during the day.  Think about all the times that you traveled to a job only to find that your employees were not there. 

2): How is fuel mileage tracked and accounted for today?  This question is not so simple.  Some companies do have fuel cards that allow a driver to put in the mileage on their vehicle when fueling up.  This does provide a way of tracking fuel mileage, but only if that driver puts the correct mileage into the system.

3): Do your vehicles move after business hours?  This is a problem that some business owners do not realize they have.  Company vehicles that move after hours and on weekends are doing nothing more than burning company gas. 

4): How much more productive could you be with GPS?  Aberdeen Group says that a company with GPS on their vehicles can complete 23% more service calls.

5): How is vehicle maintenance kept up today?  Vehicle preventive maintenance can prolong the life of a vehicle well beyond its normal lifespan.  Oil changes, tire rotations, brake jobs are all preventive maintenance measures that can easily be tracked with GPS tracking solutions.

6): How are time sheets accounted for today? Overtime payroll could be significantly reduced with the use of GPS.  

While reading these questions, take into consideration that GPS tracking solutions can provide answers to the above questions. 

The reasons behind these questions comes from years of dealing with customers that have the above problems: Customers who install GPS systems and cut overtime payroll by $250,000 in six months.  Customers who uncovered that employees were driving vehicles all over town on the weekends and using company gas.  Customers who created more efficient routes, saved gas, and touched more customers, faster.

For more information, or if you would like to discuss the questions above, do not hesitate to contact me.

If you are interested in GPS fleet tracking and management for your fleet, you value having total insight into your mobile workforce investment. Successfully navigating the buying process will require that same type of insight.

As you begin your search, there is no doubt that you will find many different providers that look alike. The first step in finding the right fit for your business is to outline your company’s distinct goals for this invest­ment. What specific problems do you wish to solve with GPS fleet tracking?

Once you have specific goals, you’ll need to navigate through different product options and providers in a rapidly changing and highly competitive industry – and that’s where this Buyer’s Guide comes in. We’ll give you a solid foundation of pros and cons for the different types of solutions in the market and a head start on what ques­tions you’ll need to ask any potential solution provider.

In a fast-growing marketplace, it can be hard to distinguish the right provider from a crowd. As a company with a long history of serving mobile workforces, OneBridge proudly offers our expertise to provide you the clarity needed to make a good decision. We are a leading reseller in the fleet tracking and management industry, and we are confident in our solution’s ability to deliver improved efficiency and productivity in any mobile workforce.

What’s All the Buzz about GPS Vehicle Tracking?

In 2006, North American fleets invested nearly 1.5 billion dollars on GPS vehicle tracking and management solu­tions. In 2007 that investment continued to grow. Analysts estimate that by 2009, the total investment will grow to almost 3 billion dollars.

Many factors play into this estimate, but the essence of this growing trend revolves the enormous positive impact projected through the adoption of such solutions.

Margins are shrinking.

Rising fuel, maintenance and insurance costs make it necessary to optimize daily activ­ity. Routes must become more efficient, unauthorized use of vehicles must be eliminated and fuel costs must be reduced to maintain profits. Mobile worker productivity and accountability must be improved as a means of getting more jobs done for the same cost, reducing overtime and even eliminating the need for additional drivers and vehicles.

Affordable GPS based solutions are now available for enhancing mobile workforce performance.

The advances in cellular technology, coupled with internet technology, make it possible to deliver solutions online that are secure, robust, reliable and fast.

Proven results.

As more and more companies adopt fleet tracking and management solutions within their busi­nesses, word of proven results is spreading with increasing speed. A March 2007 study by the Aberdeen Group cited tremendous improvements in driver and operator compliance (29.7%), vehicle utilization (13%) and reduced operating costs (10.4%)

Increased Productivity is the Primary Reason for Purchasing

When asked to share the primary reason for investing in fleet tracking and management, more than 500 responding customers cited the following reasons:

Increased Productivity  -  55%
Reduced Liability  -  16%
Enhance Customer Service  -  16%
Reduced Fuel/Payroll  -  13%

To read on, please fill out the contact box below.  Once filled out, we will send you the rest of the buyers guide in digital format.  We will post the remaining sections over the next few days.