Therefore they have just leapt on the vehicle tracking band wagon. It helps them save money in many different ways.

Firstly it helps them save money by giving them lower insurance premiums on the contents of their lorries and the lorries themselves. Insurance companies give lower premiums to trucks, cars and indeed any vehicles that are fitted with tracking equipment. The reason being is that if they are stolen the likelihood of them being recovered is much higher and therefore the insurance company is less likely to have to pay out.

Lower fuel bills can be achieved as managers can keep a close eye on the routes taken by their drivers. They can make sure they are taking the best routes possible as well as cracking down on journeys made for personal use.

Lower the amount of money paid out on over time as drivers cannot skive off without being caught. This leads to an increase in drivers claiming overtime to get a job done that could actually be done in half the time if they had not gone home for tea and biscuits.

There are many more advantages to vehicle tracking, but these are just a few.

We have a variety of different situations in which you might want to use the VTS systems:

First you own a fleet of vehicles that need to be managed. By using the VTS system you can find its real location to help customers more easily. It doesn’t matter if you are delivering something or going in for a pickup you will be able to send the closest vehicle to the job and get it done without worrying about costs related to mobile phones or dispatch errors.

You can track any asset that your company owns whether that is a vehicle, supplies, or something else. You will be able to make sure those assets don’t stop at an unscheduled spot.

Companies that do repair or maintenance will also be able to track their employee’s time on a job. For example say employee X filed a log for 40 hours at location Z, but you use the tracker system and find they only spent 20 hours at that location working, and the other 20 hours were spent at location A, which had nothing to do with business.

For employees who work in the field with sales, GPS or other tracking systems can be very helpful. These employees may be sent to a new area to do sales, but if they don’t know how to get there or home again it can waste a lot of time. VTS offers directions and itineraries to make sure employees are as productive as possible and to reduce drive time.
Are you a hauling company? Perhaps you have trailers that get switched from truck to truck or even from dock to truck. The VTS options allow you to track the trailers movements so you know where the load is at all times, the equipment is safe, and the time of delivery.

There are two types of vehicle tracking you might want to consider. You have AVL or Automatic Vehicle location and Events Activated Tracking System or EATS. AVL is when fleet management sets up the programme to transmit information at certain intervals about the vehicles. It will also state when the truck is running or not. E.A.T.S is a little more involved.

This second system will be used to help offer driver security. In other words if a thief tries to steal the vehicle the VTS system will automatically start. It usually has a motion sensor. The company monitoring the signals will then be notified that the vehicle is on the move and that it may not be at the driver’s hands.

There are a couple of options that offer the two combined technologies into one device. Most fleets tend to like the options to be separate though.

AVL is usually for fleets and fleet management. For example if a truck breaks down on the road the driver can use the system to call for help. This allows the truck and driver to get moved easily and back on the road after repairs. The dispatcher doesn’t even have to find out where the driver is by telephone as the signal will transmit the location. Mobile information and satellite navigation are offered to the driver to make their job easier than it has been in the past. This means a fleet company can save money.

You also don’t have to use the phone to find out where your employees are. You just look at the computer screen and the map. You can give employees directions with the system or find out if they are really telling you the truth of where they are. By using GPS systems you can ensure that your employees will offer the best customer service because you can tell your customers where they are and how long it will take for a pick up. GPS devices like those for fleet tracking will help you remember maintenance dates. If you need to know when a vehicle needs tyres rotated or an oil change the GPS will tell you. Insurance companies are also offering 30 percent deductions on premiums if you use these types of devices.

Employees will also find there are advantages to the GPS tracking devices in their vehicles. The driver will no longer need hand written logs for record purposes. The GPS can even tell an employee where they are if they need directions. The system will tell fleet management who is honest and deserves that bonus, where as someone else who is not quite up to the standards won’t. The fleet management dispatcher can locate vehicles and help consumers and drivers out with ease.

There are plenty of advantages when it comes to GPS tracking devices. Businesses are able to give better time estimates. They can also tell them if a driver is in the area. It might seem a little overwhelming at first to understand how the GPS works and what all it will help you with, but don’t let it become too much information. Compare the different GPS units for the one that will serve you best. You already know what could improve in your business.

Sometimes fleet management wants the GPS system for the panic options. If a driver is in a rough area or their car is being jacked they can hit the panic button and alert the dispatcher right away. There is also the button for a driver who might have an emergency such as a health problem or perhaps they were just in an accident. Whatever the reason is for the GPS panic button to be hit, the fact that it is there offers safety.

Perhaps you have locked your children in the car or your keys. By calling your service they can unlock the car without you in it. They can also help you locate your car if you are in a crowded parking area and need the help.

Say that your car begins to act funny while you are driving, but you don’t know where you are. You could use the road assistance to give you directions to the nearest mechanic. If the car is un-drivable you can also have a tow truck come pick you up. You don’t have to be left in the middle of nowhere again. Communication is just a touch away to help you.

Using GPS is more than just navigating your way through towns, cities, and outlying areas. You will know where your car is at any time. For example if you need to track your teenager you can log on to the online interface and just find where the car is parked. Anytime your car might be stolen you are able to get the vehicle back more often than not. It used to be that a car stolen would be chopped, sold and never seen again. Now you don’t have to worry.

The vehicle tracking device in your car will be able to help you get your car back safely. You may even find out who stole the car as well as where they were taking the vehicle after the heist. By protecting your property with a GPS device you will always know where it is. GPS devices are about saving your money and time replacing a car that can be fully protected from now on with just a little expense.

The systems in the 80’s and 90’s were expensive making it difficult for just any one to log into the system. They usually had to use a system that was less accurate or fast as that of the military. Luckily with plenty of work a better option came along in 2000 for most anyone to pick up and use.

In 2000 Bill Clinton allowed the GPS signals to remain unscrambled, which made it easier for the lay person to use it. However, this still didn’t gain as much notice for regular people. It may have been easier to use and definitely easy to find, but you still had to have a signal on your car, boat, or other vehicle in order to be able to track it.

Now GPS is available to anyone and everyone, making it a great industry for companies and allowing for more consumer options. The GPS tracking systems are less expensive, easy to install, and are placed in most cars now. Even mobile phones have a GPS signal to help with tracking.

The fleet tracking systems work with a GPS device attached to the vehicle in a strategic location. The GPS device in the truck or car will then transmit a signal to the control room where you can receive vehicle signals on a map. It will show you the time your workers are actually in their vehicles and if they are stopping at unscheduled places. The information is always refreshed to give the best details.

There are five reasons a company might wish to have a vehicle tracking device and system at their place of business. These are listed below.

• The most important thing in a business is usually making enough money to stay in business. With the GPS devices it is possible to limit running costs of the fleet and focus on streamlining your business for better revenue, such as increasing your fuel usage.

• The devices usually come with reminders for each vehicle regarding maintenance. This means that you will get an alert when the truck or car needs to be serviced, optimising time that the vehicle is in the shop and on the road. There can be legal issues surrounding vehicles that are not maintained properly, especially if they cause accidents.

• Insurance companies are also offering discounts to customers with GPS devices. Part of the reason for the discounts is that the vehicle can usually be found when stolen. It can also help you record driver behavior and quash any issue that might lead to a dangerous accident.

• Production can be tracked with more accuracy. This means that breaks and stops can be monitored for wastefulness.

• Fleet companies are also better able to service their customers with fleet tracking devices. For example if a customer asks when an employee will be able to arrive for a pickup of a package or even as a taxi a fleet can estimate where the closest car is, when they will be done with their job, and be able to go on to the next. It will also help with other types of industries in estimating time appropriately. The system will also help with time in establishing just how long a driver was with a customer.

There are more reasons than just the five we have mentioned above for you and your company to have the GPS fleet tracking systems. The technology is there for anyone to use and it is affordable. You shouldn’t have higher operating costs just to save a few pounds once.

This can place more work on the police resources and they may find that even using the systems they don’t have the minimum needs. The study completed is to ensure that the operating company will at least have police requirements met so that the police may be able to use it. This could enforce some changes. Once the system has been updated companies will also have to make sure they have updated their side in order to be within compliance of the new standards. The hope is to make it easier for stolen vehicles to be tracked, recovered, and the perpetrators brought to justice.

Tracking Systems

Any tracking system from the System operating centre must be completely accurate about a vehicles location. Furthermore it must comply with national and international mapping definitions to help police find the real location, within 100 metres. This will provide street names and other location attributes that will be recognised by the police.

Communication between the police and tracking service will be direct. Police may have facilities that generally take care of details recording stolen cars now, but they must be able to work with the GPS centre in passing on details. The police may request help to involve the systems company.

Other Aspects

Once the vehicle is recovered the police will need to stop the tracking of the vehicle. During the tracking a “call” should not be continuous, unless the police need the help. The police may enable other alarms at the time for more important calls that are received, which means they may terminate following a stolen vehicle if need be. If safety of the public or officers becomes an issue the tracking of the vehicle may be stopped.

OPERATIONAL RESPONSE:

The police may use computers and control systems to help in tracking a vehicle. They can get the reference number from the control centre in order to track the vehicle on their own. Headquarters is generally responsible for communication between the tracking company and the police in pursuit of the stolen vehicle.

A stolen vehicle report can be filed with the police by anyone who has knowledge of the theft or the person who owns the vehicle. The theft will then be logged in the system and will be tracked at the earliest convenience of the police force, by any car that has a portable tracking computer in their unit.

The police will then use the details given in the report, and concentrate solely on the information the GPS signal offers in order to confirm the theft occurred. Police will not take action if the confirmation of the theft cannot be made. The police will also only take action if there are circumstances such as knowledge without confirmation in which the police have some other knowledge.

Time may elapse during which time the police unit is made aware and confirms the theft before action is actually taken. If the police find that there is life at risk they are able to track the vehicle without confirmation or consent by the owner of the vehicle. For example if the owner is thought to be part of a crime or suicide and is thought to be the aim, they are able to get permission through their laws to track a vehicle. A supervisor may have to give that permission to the police unit at the time.

We’ve already mentioned that you can track your teenager to find out where they are. Your child will also be safe if they have had a wreck or use all the gas. They can call you if they don’t know where they are and you can find them immediately. Some GPS devices will also track speeds or make sure that the vehicle can’t go above a certain speed.

GPS systems like the Spy Matrix offer real time tracking. This means that you can look at the screen and watch your car as it is moving on the road. The history will also be recorded for you to look at later. We may talk mostly about teenagers using your car and being able to track them, but there is much more to the GPS system. Just because you want to make sure your teen is where they say they are is not a bad thing. You get peace of mind and they get to feel independent. You can also track other family members who might drive your car. You never have to worry with GPS in your vehicle.

The device is usually placed in the car in an area that hides it from view. In other words the thief who takes the car won’t even know it is there. There are also no warnings to tell the driver that there is a vehicle tracking device engaged. It is designed this way to make thieves unaware of the system and therefore easier to track.

Anytime a vehicle is stolen the system can be logged into by the police. Then the police can track the signal to determine where the car might be at that time. There are some systems with more advanced technology that will alert the driver if the car is moved or touched.

The GPS system works by sending a signal to a satellite and then relaying it to a tracking device in the police car. This signal shows up on a map showing the police exactly where the vehicle is. Many of the police cars are fitted with GPS systems in order to gain the information needed to track the vehicles. It is definitely worth purchasing the vehicle tracking system if you want to prevent the theft of your vehicle.

These systems are still going to use the GPS technology. The manufacturers of these systems will have to change a few things in order to meet the insurance demands though. For example the devices will need to be hidden in a secure location and they will need a secondary battery supply to thwart even the best of thieves. Volvo and BMW are two companies that are having a hard time updating their system because they already offer a product with decent software, but the hardware won’t support new software.

SBD announced their findings regarding their recent study. They determined that some of the companies in the UK and Europe have different standards, which will make the transition a difficult one to meet the new standards. The vehicle tracking options may all be able to receive the telematics portion of the technology, but there may still be a delay in 2009.

Tracker is one of the most notable companies right now with vehicle tracking options. They offer SVT and have done so since 1990. They built a system based on radio frequencies rather than GPS to help police recover stolen vehicles. The catch is police cars needed to be fitted with special equipment.

Insurance companies have also found Thatcham to be a decent system with their Cat 5 released in 2004. The system calls for all employees to be screened and monitor vehicles. Whenever they receive an alert they are to notify the police. Unfortunately the Cat 5 will need a lot of improvements in order to make it ready for 2009 at the new needs the insurance companies are requiring. They don’t yet have the GPS standards needed. The company is working on fixing these issues to get their systems online.

Belgium, The Netherlands, and Norway have already posted insurance standards requiring changes to systems. All high valued cars will be required to have the technology because they are considered a higher risk target. France and Italy has also released some standards for changes.

Most vehicle tracking systems are purchased as aftermarket technology rather than from the dealer, but more and more car companies are starting to offer dealer products and sales have increased. Marketing is considered responsible for this change in sales. The drawback is that the systems can be rather expensive from the dealers and many people don’t want to have to pay that high price.

SBD stated that SVT is not the top choice when it comes to insurance companies. However, they may change their mind if the systems are more of a standalone option not requiring a service provider.