There are a number of prejudices against fleet tracking systems that prevent business owners from leveling up their fleet. Some of these prejudices include: the fear of angering employees, the belief that car GPS trackers are a waste of money and the worry that it will make more work for the fleet manager.
However, business owners shouldn’t put stock in these concerns. Investing in a fleet tracking system will save your business time and money, and can benefit your employees — so long as you’re completely transparent and have an open conversation with them before installing the car GPS trackers.
Below are some of the most common prejudices against fleet tracking systems and Vimcar’s advice on dealing with them.
1. A vehicle tracking system isn’t worthwhile
A common misconception about car GPS trackers is that they’re not worth the money. That couldn’t be further from the truth! A recent survey found that 45% of businesses achieved a positive ROI in less than 11 months after investing in a fleet tracking system.
Moreover, a fleet tracking system does a lot more than log the location of each of your vehicles. With a fleet tracking system, you can set custom alerts on your vehicles to be notified when they make a delivery, when they’re being used outside of business hours or if there’s a suspected theft attempt being made. You can also utilise car GPS trackers to provide customers with accurate ETAs, which improves customer service.
The many benefits that come with using a fleet tracking system more than makes up for the cost of use.
Download a Memo to help communicate installing a Car Tracking System
2. Digital tracking systems require more work
Although car GPS trackers collect more data than a traditional paper log, you must remember that this data is stored digitally. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can filter out any unwanted data and scroll through the information on all of your vehicles quickly and efficiently.
Read more: What is a connected car?
If you worry that a fleet tracking system will add more work to your plate, it’s important that you invest in a system that has only the functions you need. Vimcar takes a less-is-more approach when it comes to fleet tracking. We offer only what you need — practical features that are easy to use and provide the data that most benefits your business. After all, why pay for all the bells and whistles if your fleet won’t use them?
3. Drivers will think they’re being spied on
Businesses are legally obligated to inform drivers before installing GPS trackers in their vehicles. This is the perfect opportunity to have an open and honest conversation about car GPS trackers with your drivers. Listen to their concerns and take their feedback into account.
Drivers may fear they’re being tracked unnecessarily or being spied on because they’re not well informed about their employee rights or the ways they’ll benefit from a fleet tracking system. One such benefit is that GPS car trackers can minimise drive times. Fleet managers can examine routes retrospectively and alter them accordingly so employees are on the road for less time.
4. GPS tracking is an invasion of privacy
Both the government and fleet management software providers have regulations in place to protect all parties from invasion of privacy. Your employees have rights, and their privacy will be respected.
For example, company cars may only be tracked for business purposes. They should come equipped with a privacy setting so that employees won’t be tracked when using it for personal reasons. Alternatively, tracking pool vehicles at all times is legal because they can be driven by multiple drivers. As such, the information gathered by a GPS car tracker system is not considered ‘personal data’.
Again, having an open discussion with your employees about their privacy rights is crucial. GPS tracking won’t invade their privacy, but it’s up to business owners to clearly communicate this information.
Read more: Car Tracking System In Business: Laws And Best Practices
Is a Car GPS System Right for Your Business?
Vimcar wants everyone to feel comfortable with a GPS car tracking system. There are rules regarding employee privacy that both employers and drivers should know. For more information on privacy regulations in the UK and the best practices for introducing your employees to GPS tracking systems, Vimcar has can be found above.
How Car GPS Trackers Can Make Your Fleet More Secure
A lot has been said about the utility of car GPS trackers. If you are a small business that requires a fleet to operate, the upsides of installing an effective vehicle tracking system mean that they are certainly worth the investment.
Here, we look at ways car GPS trackers can help secure your fleet:
Prevent Vehicle Misuse
Car GPS trackers provide fleet managers with the tools to monitor driver behaviour to prevent vehicle misuse and enhance safety. Thanks to real-time GPS tracking, you can see the exact location of your vehicles. Geofencing alerts you whenever drivers take company vehicles out of a pre-determined geographical area, helping you to stop them from unauthorised use of fleet cars.
Fleet management systems like Vimcar’s Fleet Geo also provide a timefence feature that alerts you if company vehicles are moved outside scheduled hours. These functionalities help you monitor employees and can effectively prevent them from using company vehicles outside of business hours or for private or unauthorised purposes.
Prevent Vehicle Theft
Car GPS trackers are one of the most effective tools for preventing vehicle theft. Vehicle tracking systems provide real-time location of company cars, making it easy for law enforcement to locate and recover stolen vehicles. Some car tracking devices can also disable the ignition and send you alerts, effectively foiling car thieves’ attempts.
Read more: Why Buy a Car Tracker?
Improve Driver Behaviour
Drivers tend to behave more appropriately when they driver vehicles with car GPS trackers. Fleet software allows you to track several variables about the driver’s conduct, including their speed, idling time, location, route history, among others. The knowledge that fleet managers can track and monitor their driving habits can nudge drivers to behave better on the road. Fleet tracking systems can contribute to fewer accidents, longer lasting fleet vehicles, less traffic penalties, and lower insurance premiums.
- Promote Timely Maintenance
Because you can configure car GPS trackers to notify fleet managers when vehicles reach certain milestones, they can help improve maintenance, and ultimately enhance safety. Since you can track the mileage of fleet cars more accurately, it is easier to perform vital maintenance that will reduce wear and tear and keep your fleet and drivers safe.
2. Reduce Over-speeding
Car GPS trackers can alert you when drivers exceed specific speed limits. Since drivers know fleet managers monitor their speed, they are less likely to engage in dangerous driving, which keeps both driver and fleet cars safer.
