Fleet Tracking Review: The Geofence

Since the turn of the millennium, fleet tracking has been widely adopted by businesses looking to make the best use of their fleet resources. This technology continues to enhance the effectiveness of fleet management, empowering operators to boost efficiency in a number of areas. Geofencing is one feature of fleet tracking which is helping businesses deliver improvements.

Geofencing: what is it and what does it do?

Geofencing uses GPS or radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to delineate a virtual boundary around a particular geographical area. This can either be generated dynamically or it can be predetermined (around particular towns or suburbs, for example). Fleet operators can be automatically notified when this boundary is breached by one of their vehicles and a record of breaches can be recorded and reported on.

Geofencing is becoming increasingly important in fleet management. But how exactly are firms applying the technology, and what benefits are they seeing from it as a consequence?

How are fleet managers getting the most out of geofencing?

• Restricted zone alerting. This allows fleet managers to obtain daily reports on which vehicles entered a specified restricted zone, allowing them to ensure that the appropriate payments are made in a timely manner - and that fines are avoided. Perhaps the best-known examples of restricted zones affecting UK fleets are the congestion charge zone and the low-emission zone, both in London.

• Customer invoicing. Geofencing provides fleet managers with hard evidence of when a vehicle arrived at a location and when it left the location. This allows for 100 per cent accurate and fully transparent invoicing, enabling businesses resolve any invoicing queries quickly and professionally.

• Social responsibility. Fleet managers can use geofencing to set defined criteria for vehicle speeds within specific locations, for example the setting of lower speed limits in and around schools. If the criteria is breached within the boundary fleet managers will receive an alert. This helps to promote a culture of careful driving as well as bolstering the firm's overall credibility when it comes to social responsibility,

• Workflow efficiency. Firms which make multiple site deliveries can use geofencing to ensure they receive alerts whenever a vehicle is a set distance away from the base. This means that the operations team can then ensure that the next collection is ready in advance of the vehicle's return, enhancing efficiency and responsiveness.

• Protecting employees. Geofencing can be used retrospectively to determine the accuracy and fairness of any complaints made against members of your team. Fleet managers can use the data gathered via geofencing to determine when a particular vehicle was at a set location, and to work out whether or not they were driving in an acceptable and safe manner.

Geofencing is one of the pillars of telematics, and as we've seen it's helped fleet managers to gather new insights into the way their fleet operates. From asset protection to scheduling, the technology is taking fleet management to new heights.