When selecting a GPS Fleet Tracking System, select one that presents the information you need in a format that’s useful to the operation of your business.
GPS tracking systems have an uncanny ability to generate TONS of useless data. When you consider that your tracked fleet vehicles will be reporting in as frequently as every 15 seconds; with position, velocity, heading, altitude, telemetry readings, sensor readings, vehicle bus data and more, data can really add up. What makes matters worse is that most GPS tracking systems were designed by engineers who love the process of gathering and presenting this data in ways that are well, quite useless to most.
So, make certain the system you purchase has analytical capabilities and can present summarized exception data in ways that are meaningful to the operation your business.
Here are some quick examples:
You need data to complete your fuel tax reporting, so you need easily exportable state mileage summary information for your fuel tax reporting partner.
You would like a report each Monday morning that details which vehicles were used outside of normal business hours for the prior week.
Fuel prices are killing you; you know some idle time is normal, so just tell me which vehicles clearly have excess idle times.
Some of your drivers have speeding habits; tell me which ones do so that I can do something before accidents happen.
My vehicles should only be operating in one main service region, tell me immediately if any vehicles have left the service region.
Your mechanics need to know the vehicles engine hours, but specifically, to be notified every XXX hour of engine operation to ensure timely service.
The best systems allow you to graphically display your fleet’s key performance indicators. Look for increasing use of dashboards that can be configured to highlight only the information which is meaningful for your business.
As an example, your fleet maintenance manager might desire a PIE chart showing you the percentage of vehicles with normal service parameters, and the percentage that are not. Click on the slice that are not normal, and now you can drill down to see the details of vehicles needing attention.
