The Complete Guide to Fleet Vehicle Tracking Systems

Over the past five years GPS vehicle tracking systems prices have dropped considerably and business owners are reaping the benefits of low priced vehicle tracking devices with an ROI of only a few months.Fleet Vehicle Tracking can bring numerous benefits to a business from increasing productivity to reduced costs but before engaging on a long term contract with any vehicle tracking company, there are some vital facts you should know. This article will help you make a wise decision.What is Vehicle Tracking and how does it works?Vehicle Tracking systems use a combination of GPS technology, mobile phone network, internet, digital mapping and vehicle tracking devices with software to enable business owners to monitor their vehicles exact locations, as well as a complete set of information that tells what route was used, when the vehicle was turned ON/OFF, speed and even fuel consumption.The principles of Vehicle Tracking Systems are quite simple. Using information sent by GPS satellites orbiting the Earth, a GPS receiver calculates the vehicles exact location on the Earth's surface and sends the information via the mobile phone network to a remote server which can then be accessed by a computer via the internet, all the information is overlaid on a digital map area allowing you to see the location of each and every one of your vehicles with street level accuracy.The Benefits of Vehicle Tracking SystemsDispatch and allocate new jobs to the nearest vehiclesProvide transparency to your team's whereaboutsImproved health and safetyControl and reduce your overtime costsConfirm ETA's and offer enhanced customer serviceControl personal vehicle usage and eliminate moonlightingImprove your route planningReducing the average speed of your vehiclesLower insurance premiumsLet employees take vehicles home at nightTax reductionsProof of parking ticket validityChoosing the best Vehicle Tracking SupplierWith so many vehicle tracking suppliers claiming to be the best, it is easy make a mistake and choose one that won’t fulfil your fleet needs. Bare in mind that there is no such thing as the best vehicle tracking supplier. The best supplier is the one that meet your fleet requirements, offers good customer support at low costs, are reliable and well established. Watch out for hidden costs!Hidden Costs - There are a number of potential hidden costs with a tracking system, such as:* Installation fees* Monthly subscription fees* Annual software licence fees* Separate mobile carrier fees for GPRS data transfer* Polling Fees (when you want to discover where a vehicle is right now)* Callout fees for repairs even if under warranty* Uninstall/Reinstall fees when you want to move the hardware from one vehicle to another* Software update fees* Additional software user feesAsk your sales rep for all of the potential costs of their vehicle tracking systems - in writing! That way if you suddenly start receiving surprise invoices you are on solid ground to contest them.By following the instructions on this vehicle tracking guide I'm certain you will choose the right fleet vehicle tracking system to keep track of all your vehicles.