Vehicle Tracking –Fast Forward To Running Effective Fleet

GPS Vehicle tracking systems have travelled a long way since the the early 1980s and the first commercially available automotive navigation systems, which used map-matching to improve on dead reckoning instrumentation.

The 1990s onwards, saw both Mitsubishi Electric and Pioneer- amongst several other major global nationals – claim to be the first with a GPS-based auto navigation system, through to 2000, when the USA unveiled a more accurate GPS signal available for civilian use.

From being a basic vehicle tracker, the next generation of intuitive telematics is a highly evolved, best of breed technology which has transformed the control process of entire vehicle management practice.

Today’s vehicle tracking systems are infinitely versatile and flexible, enabling customisable solutions to be implemented, which can be as simple or as complex as an individual business requires. This means SME fleet businesses running no more than six vehicles through to major national fleet operations, covering hundreds of vehicles, can benefit from a precisely specified telematics suite.

Most fleets of any size can gain significantly from using a basic fleet tracking solution, which simply locates a vehicle, and helps a fleet manager to identify the nearest vehicles to a new job and ensures the driver is in the right place at the right time.

The imperative for companies to become ever more productive and cost effective means the best mobile workforce tracking systems are now able to combine vehicle tracking, optimum route calculation, real time traffic, two-way communication, safety camera warnings, ‘exception’ alerts, i.e. entering a no-go area or driving out of hours, and providing in-depth reporting and analysis.

Progressive companies who have chosen to embrace fleet GPS tracking report a 42 per cent increase in work order completion compared to a 12 per cent increase for firms without a vehicle tracking system. In addition they have also seen a 23 per cent reduction in maintenance and vehicle running costs, compared to only one per cent reduction for companies without the system.