Think of a private investigator and you probably think of the stereotypical jobs we do – tracking missing people down, investigating infidelity, that sort of thing.
But we are skilled in a wide range of fields, and using a lot of different resources, meaning we have a number of niche services that may only be useful to a small field, but to those we can be invaluable.
In this article we’re going to talk about one of those – vehicle tracking, specifically long-term vehicle tracking for fleet managers. Let us explain what we mean, and how it can be valuable.
What is Vehicle Tracking?
Vehicle tracking is a service we can offer that literally involves us adding a tracker to your vehicle(s). There are two main types – loggers, which only log the data on the device and have to be recovered to be read, and live trackers which constantly beam a signal.
If you’re a small business, you’re probably more interested in the logger, since you can recover the tracker whenever you want, and the need to constantly watch your fleet is minimal. As long as you can see where your vehicles have been, that’s enough to then act.
While we offer the service for all kinds of needs, and typically for the short-term, we can arrange long-term contracts with fleet managers who need to constantly monitor their vehicles.
How is Vehicle Tracking Useful?
So, now you know what we mean when we say vehicle tracking, how can that actually be useful to a fleet manager?
Reducing Unauthorized Use
A lot of companies allow drivers to keep their vehicles for personal use alongside business needs, but many don’t, and rightly so – you don’t want your company vehicle to be out of action because it’s been over-used for personal matters.
If your policy is that vehicles are for business use only, then you can use vehicle tracking to monitor that, and to make sure your drivers aren’t taking the vehicles anywhere they shouldn’t be, outside the scope of their role.
Holding Drivers Accountable
Vehicle tracking can also help you to hold drivers accountable – making sure that they are driving in a safe and responsible way. It’s harder with loggers, but if you use live tracking you can see how fast they are driving, and also how much time they spend idle when they should be working.
Confirming Timesheets
Without any form of tracking, a driver could claim more hours than they actually worked by using excuses such as traffic or roadworks to make their route last longer.
With tracking, you can confirm where the vehicle was at certain times, and verify this information. If a driver is manipulating their timesheets to claim more hours, you’ll know, and you can take the appropriate action. If you’re a fleet manager, and you’re interested in our vehicle tracking services, then give us a call. And if you’re interested in vehicle tracking for any other reason, get in touch as well, and we’ll help however we can. Our number is 01772 334700.