Vehicle Tracking & Fleet Management

Routing, Dispatching, Accountability & Security

For those who own rental companies, keeping track of a fleet of vehicles or equipment can be challenging.  Customers rent equipment, and when the item is released into their custody, they have no idea where the equipment will end up, how it will be used, or abused, what kind of conditions the customers will subject it to and no method of proving abuse except the condition of the equipment when it is returned.

Deposits can be successful in protecting equipment, but think about how much better one would feel if they had access to exactly where the equipment had been and how it was used. The possibility of live vehicle tracking may interest some.  At any point in time, they could have access to real time information about where the vehicle is, how it is being used, and how fast it is traveling.

GPS vehicle tracking devices can make these dreams a reality for rental companies.  GPS trackers fall into two categories - Live and Passive. Live GPS tracking systems, units such as the Victoria tracker, employ a transmitter that is positioned inside the vehicle to be tracked. The transmitter is tracked by satellite and uploads the information about its position and movement to a satellite. Using a web browser-based program on the company’s computer, they can access that uploaded information and find out in real time the whereabouts of the vehicle.  Passive GPS tracking systems, units such as the GPS Tracking Key and GPS Tracking Key Pro,  utilize a GPS receiver that stores information about positioning and movement during a specified time. The receiver is then recovered and the information is available for upload to computer for review.

Many vehicle tracking systems can be installed in vehicles without much or little installation, such as splicing wires.  Some are plug-and-play devices which are powered by the DC power outlet or batteries. Beyond just tracking travel activity, vehicle tracking devices can provide quick recovery of a stolen vehicle. It can also be utilized to understand how the service vehicles are being used so that rental companies can improve usage and cut operating costs. The benefits of vehicle tracking are certainly attractive.

by Greg Bartlett / guest author

Bartlett is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology for Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc.