Common Myths Series: Driver location

Most fleet-reliant businesses have at least considered the prospect of implementing some form of fleet management system – be it simple GPS tracking or a more comprehensive telematics solution. Many go on to do so, yet others hesitate and ultimately decide against it.

For the companies that choose not to follow up on their interest, the reasons are often the following:

1. It's not affordable.
2. I don’t want to be seen to be spying on my staff.
3. It’s not really necessary. 

The list goes on.

While these common concerns may seem understandable, in truth, very few of them are based on real facts. They are just some of the many common, perpetuated myths about fleet tracking and its worth.

Let's separate the myth from the measurable.

Myth two: I always know where my guys are

Another common objection to GPS tracking is not that drivers would see it as a breach of trust but that the trust is so strong between driver and boss that such a system is simply not necessary.

While that may very well be the case, and your drivers are always where they say they are, you may not be using the most reliable method of monitoring them. Many fleet drivers check in with HQ by phone throughout the day and even if they are where they say they are, this is a very time-consuming task for both the driver and fleet manager. That’s before you consider the practicality. Do you really want your drivers answering the phone when they're behind the wheel? With GPS fleet tracking installed, locating your drivers is simply a case of glancing at a screen – zero effort and zero interference.

And most importantly, knowing where your drivers are is just one part of the puzzle. A comprehensive GPS vehicle tracking system can also give you near real-time information, such as time spent at jobs and during stops, traffic updates, engine ‘on’ hours, maintenance alerts, driver behaviour, fuel usage and idle times. Can your current method do the same?

Then there is the unfortunate fact that, while we all want to believe that staff are always at their most productive, this isn’t always the case. Personal use of company vehicles is estimated to cost fleets £100 per month on average*. Geofencing permitted routes is an easy and non-intrusive way of solving this by simply mapping out the areas where your vehicles are permitted and should one go astray, you’ll be alerted of its location straight away.

Ultimately, those drivers that are already doing their jobs to the best of their ability will embrace the advantages offered by fleet tracking and those that aren’t shouldn’t be in your organisation anyway.

You can read the rest of our 8 Myths in our eBook here.

*www.automotive-fleet.com/statistics/detail/2015-personal-use-statistics.aspx