Tracking company vehicles
Discussion
I am responsible for a fleet of 260 vehicles all under 3.5 tonnes and have run a couple of trials on tracking systems.
The theory is good but the reality was quite different.
One of the systems showed on the stop/start report that a vehicle had stopped in Bristol in a residential road by Durdham Downs for nine minutes. The map of the same journey showed that the van had in fact travelled along the Portway beside the River Avon, without stopping, about 400 metres horizontally and about 250 metres vertically from the residential road! There were other inaccuracies with the system too.
Suppliers are very reluctant to let you have a trial and always want you to pay around £400-600 including install and deinstall for a one month trial.
They will all tell you how much that you can save but I am not convinced.
My big objection is that every potential supplier that I have contacted wants a minimum four or five year agreement at around £1 per day minimum per vehicle, 365 days per year. That's a commitment of around £1800 per vehicle over five years.
You have to be sure that you can save at least that amount in your business. With fixed routes and timed and signed delivery sheets I couldn't see it.
The theory is good but the reality was quite different.
One of the systems showed on the stop/start report that a vehicle had stopped in Bristol in a residential road by Durdham Downs for nine minutes. The map of the same journey showed that the van had in fact travelled along the Portway beside the River Avon, without stopping, about 400 metres horizontally and about 250 metres vertically from the residential road! There were other inaccuracies with the system too.
Suppliers are very reluctant to let you have a trial and always want you to pay around £400-600 including install and deinstall for a one month trial.
They will all tell you how much that you can save but I am not convinced.
My big objection is that every potential supplier that I have contacted wants a minimum four or five year agreement at around £1 per day minimum per vehicle, 365 days per year. That's a commitment of around £1800 per vehicle over five years.
You have to be sure that you can save at least that amount in your business. With fixed routes and timed and signed delivery sheets I couldn't see it.
The real question is what are the staff going to think about you wanting to track them. Vehicles might take unusual routes, staff might occasionally vanish for an hour or so, but does that matter as long as they get the work that you expect them to do done?
The honest members of staff will be wondering why you feel the need to track them, whilst the dishonest will be looking for a way around the system!
I'd investigate whether having a quiet word with thosesuspected of taking the piss wuld work better.
The honest members of staff will be wondering why you feel the need to track them, whilst the dishonest will be looking for a way around the system!
I'd investigate whether having a quiet word with thosesuspected of taking the piss wuld work better.
there are some cases where having the track of the vehicle can be usefull for both employer and employee. On one site i worked at the had tracking and it saved them a fortune in false insurance claims. They had distinctive vehicles and people were regularly saying one of you vehicles hit my car or took my wing mirror off etc. with the tracker they could prove none of the vehicles were there at the time..
No worries, I totally understand. 
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