How to choose a vehicle tracking system: 7 features you need
Written by VisionTrack
25 January 2019
You’ve researched the market and decided to implement a vehicle tracking system at your company. Now you’re probably wondering what factors you need to take into account for choosing the best technology for your organization. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Read this article to find out which seven features you need to take into account to ensure that you’re investing in a high-quality vehicle tracking tool.
1. Real-time tracking
The first feature to which you need to pay attention to real-time tracking. The vehicle tracking system attached to the GPS device installed inside the vehicle allows processing information about its location. Most tools will show the vehicle’s location on a map, indicating the speed at which it’s moving.
The map should also indicate the current status of other vehicles that are in motion or parked. You should also be able to group and manage multiple vehicles at the same time using the simple interface of the map. Finally, this feature should also allow verifying whether the driver is taking the right turns while driving your vehicle.
2. Trips tracking
Vehicle tracking software should allow your managers to track all the trips undertaken by every vehicle. Most of the time, trips will be displayed graphically on the map. The tool should also include information like average speed, stoppages, idling time, and kilometers traveled. More advanced solutions offer the option of replaying the entire trip from departure to arrival at the destination.
3. Alerts
Fuel usage and driver behavior are still some of the most critical factors that impact your operations. Fortunately, vehicle tracking solutions can analyze these metrics and help you with alerts such as speeding alerts, route deviation alerts, tampering alerts, excessive stoppage alerts, as well as alerts related to maintenance and fuel usage. Alerts help companies to make sure that their fleet is an optimal state and managers can react quickly to any problems that may arise on the road.
4. Geo-fencing
One of the most impressive advanced features of vehicle tracking systems is geo-fencing. It’s like an alert taken to the next level. By using this feature, you can create boundaries called geo-fences on the map surrounding a specific landmark. The solution will alert you through email or text when the vehicle enters and leaves that area. Your fleet managers can take advantage of this information for monitoring drivers and elevating the level of safety. All in all, geo-fencing helps to increase operational efficiency.
5. Historical records and dashboard summary
This feature of vehicle tracking systems comes in handy if you have deployed a large fleet of vehicles for commercial purposes. You can access data about vehicle locations and reports related to specific events. Moreover, some solutions offer information related to particular vehicles for the past 90 days. Fleet managers can use that information to make smart, data-driven decisions that boost your ROI.
For example, they can use analytics dashboards to get reports on the distance traveled, over speeding, idling time, utilization and stoppages. With all these metrics at hand, it’s easy to monitor the performance of the workforce and ensure that they’re productive at the level required by your business. Fuel economy is much easier to, adding to the profitability of your business.
6. Intuitive, user-friendly interface
Make sure to invest in a GPS tracking system that offers an intuitive and straightforward user interface that provides a rich selection of features without having to open multiple accounts. A perfect solution offers a brief view of the entire fleet on the map. The real-time information helps to keep fleet managers updated with the current location and status of different cars.
Moreover, the historical record and analytics dashboard need to be presented in a user-friendly and intuitive way. With a tool like that, you won’t lose any time on onboarding your employees and training them to use the solution. Instead, they will be able to plan the movement of your vehicles quickly, analyze routes for efficiency, and optimize fuel usage.
7. Easy installation and implementation
Another factor you need to take into account when choosing a vehicle tracking system is whether its installation, implementation, and configuration is difficult and time-consuming. Don’t forget that a vehicle tracking system is made of two parts. The first part is the GPS devices installed inside your vehicles. Make sure to ask the provider how much time the entire process will take. The second part of GPS tracking systems is the software which centralizes all the information coming from the devices, providing you with a comprehensive view of your fleet. Make sure that the software is easy to install and implement on all the computers and mobile devices used by your fleet managers.
Pay attention to these features when choosing a vehicle tracking system for your company and you will be on your way to making the best choice for your organization.
Do you have any questions about vehicle tracking system features? Get in touch with us; our consultants help companies learn more about the available features and tell which ones can help take their business to the next level.