Vehicle GPS Tracking System

[thcri]

I guess it's time to bite the bullet. I am finding my employees are leaving jobs early and charging me for a full days work and am finding my vehicles used on week-ends and nights for side jobs.

So who out there has any experience with GPS tracking systems. There is a million of them out there.

1. I want to be able at any time click on my browser or software and display of list of where my vehicles are in real time.

2. I want to be able to back track of where that vehicle is by time.

3. I want to know the travel speed of each vehicle also.

murph

[Melensdad]

Murph, we've had a couple differnet systems here, I was not sure exactly what we are using now so I asked one of the guys here and he gave me this response:

We are presently using Nextel phones, java enabled with the TELENAV tracking system. I am also looking at the newer AIR-TRAK system, and have a free trial coming up as soon as I get the new phones initialized.

Both systems will provide the information Murph is looking for. Air Trak will allow you to set up ‘fencing’ around certain areas, like an employee’s home or neighborhood bar, for certain time periods, like 8-5, and if the phone/driver enters the ‘fenced’ zone during the prohibited hours, you will be notified by email immediately.

Both systems work only with specific Nextel phones and you can set the phones up so that the operators cannot turn the tracking system off.

[Eric L]

I would like an affordable "bug" that can be hidden on a vehicle to track its location...

:evil voice on: cause if it's stolen, I wanna find the thief before the police do. :evil voice off:

Eric

[Melensdad]

Originally Posted by Eric L

I would like an affordable "bug" that can be hidden on a vehicle to track its location...

:evil voice on: cause if it's stolen, I wanna find the thief before the police do. :evil voice off:

Eric

Eric, my truck fleet used to have a system that was built into the truck. They system was an analog system and is no longer usable. It was not easily hidden (way to big) and probably not what would be considered affordable by consumer standards! But I like the way you think

[thcri]

I thought I wanted something that could be hidden real easy and then I could find out who my problem people are.

If I put a system on and they are aware of it I would not be able to catch the guys as I am sure they would quit cheating immediately. But there has to be something out there a guy could stick on the top of the van that is real small and have a battery in it that you could track position and time only. Then I could catch the guys.

murph

[Melensdad]

Murph, what about the NEXTEL phone system that my company uses? We issue phones to drivers, the tracking feature is simply a microchip built into the phone.

The thing my guys really liked was the "fence" feature. It allows them to set up an area and a time and if the truck is there during that time, we are notified by email. Further, if the "fence" can be used the opposite way so if we need our driver in a specific area by a specific time and he is NOT there then we are also notified. If a driver goes home, we are notified. If a driver deviates from a scheduled route, we are notified. It allows us to monitor things without actually having to watch anything. We set up a set of rules, if the rules are violated, we get notified automatically.

[thcri]

Bob,

I thought about the Nextel phone system, but for my guys that are using my trucks for side jobs at night alls they have to do is turn their phone off or claim they carried it with them in case they got a call for service. I would only be able to track them not my truck, but would work for cheating on time cards.

I talked to my cell phone provider today and they told me within a month or so they would have a tracking system that would track both phone and vehicle, equipment is free and only a monthly charge. But I did find a unit out there that is small and can be magnet mounted even under the hood of the vehicle. It runs about $290.00. It would not be real time but I can set it under the vehicle of the suspect person and then a week later go retrive it. It tracks both time and position. So I might just try a few of them and if I really do have a problem I can then purchase full blown systems for the whole fleet.

Need to research it some more but here is the link Rmtracking

[Doc]

Originally Posted by thcri

If I put a system on and they are aware of it I would not be able to catch the guys as I am sure they would quit cheating immediately.

murph

Murph,
Seems to me that might be a good thing. An employee who can be trained, even if it is Big Brother watching, would be better than having to go thru the hiring & training process all over again.

Cool new avatar. It makes me smile.

[thcri]

Originally Posted by Doc

Cool new avatar. It makes me smile.

Doc,

Do you know where it comes from???

[Doc]

Not sure but I was thinking it was "Car 54 where are you?".
Isn't he the same actor who later played Herman Munster?

[thcri]

You got it right Doc. Good memory you have!!


murph

[dzalphakilo]

www.discretewireless.com

Have four customers who use various types of tracking systems for their guys. Seems that the above company is the one best liked by the company using it out of the people who I've talked to. Initial cost is $400 per van set up, $28 a month per van. Guy who loves this company has it on fourteen service vans and eight instal trucks.

May not fit all your needs, but guys are smart. Sooner or later they will know you're "tracking" them, then word of mouth, then if you have to let a guy go, then you got the pain trying to find a replacement. Might as well just let them know you know where they will be at and be done with it.

[thcri]

DZ, I totally agree with telling them up front. I kept telling myself one day I wanted to know if they were ripping me off and then the next day I would say to myself I didn't want to know if they are ripping me off.

What bugs me is the monthly fee for each vehicle, it just seems like a rip off when the GPS portion of the software from the satellites is free. But I guess it is a cost of doing business.


murph

[Doc]

I wonder if the increased productivity (since they can't go off course and you know where they are all the time) would off set the additional cost?

[bczoom]

Do you need to keep the tracking on for each vehicle that has it installed?

Not sure how it is now but thought I recall vehicles had tracking and/or cameras (for inside of busses and such) setup but the drivers never knew if they were in one that was being tracked on any given day.

You could have it setup where every vehicle has the tracking installed but only a percentage of them have it turned on and you then monitor as needed (random or track potential problem drivers).

[thcri]

Originally Posted by Doc

I wonder if the increased productivity (since they can't go off course and you know where they are all the time) would off set the additional cost?

1. Accurate Time Cards, I have guys leaving the job at 3:00 and filling time out card out at 5:00pm. If this is happening at night it may also be happening in the morning.

2. Guys doing side jobs on evening and week-ends using my van. This is lost of material as you know they are taking stuff out of the van, insurance risk and gas usage.

3. One guy that I talked to said he tracked his van 30 miles away from the gas station he supposedly bought gas at. Here his wife actually filled her car up with the company card.


These GPS Tracking companies have lots of stories and may be mostly a sales pitch but for the most part they are right.

I am going to buy a couple and monitor for a few months.

murph

[dzalphakilo]

Murph, if I remember correctly, from the company that I listed, they do give you a free trial period to see if you actually like it.

The guy who I mentioned wasn't sure if he would like it, but he loves it.

He lets the guys take the vans home from work, he can see when they start in the morning, where they stop and for how long, and when they go home. I think he can even pull up the vans "route" from days before and save the information.

One time took one guy out to dinner one a couple of years ago. Driving with him, we drive past a strip club, and low and behold, there was two of his vans sitting in the parking lot AT the strip club. You should of heard him after he saw that. Those guys were in for it the next Monday!

[thcri]

DZ,

I think the list of what happens out there can go on and on and on. I plan on callling the company you suggested next week. I have an idea of costs now so will decide if I want to go ahead with project first.


murph