Past, Present, And The Fleet Tracking Future!

Fleet Tracking was developed during the??1990's, and like most things, it's changed a lot since then.

Its main purpose was originally for fleet managers to identify the location of their drivers, interestingly sitting separate from the internet and depending on the method of SMS messaging.

Fast-forward two decades and fleet tracking has evolved into a much more advanced piece of software; with the ability to measure everything from driver behaviour, idling and CO2 emissions.

We spoke to Peter Millichap, Director of Marketing in the UK at Navman Wireless (who has worked within the fleet tracking industry for over 10 years) about how changes in tracking technology have transformed the state of the industry today.

Hi Pete, what did the early days of fleet tracking look like?

"Very different, it's hard to image now but tracking systems were actually separate from the internet as it was still in a very early stage then.?? Tracking data was established via a base station (normally a dedicated PC that sat in the corner of an office) and vehicles would have a tracking device installed in them as they do today.

"However, the devices would normally relay messages via SMS which could end up costing businesses a lot of money if they were tracking quite a few vehicles. The systems weren't even delivering information in real time; they were purely there for historical reporting purposes only.

"Navman Wireless came along and introduced an internet-based system that used GPRS network data. This was revolutionary at the time as it offered customers a cheaper alternative and with the huge advantage of real-time visibility of a customer fleet".

What are some of the interesting ways fleet tracking is being used today?

"One of our customers recently told us about a situation that occurred where they'd been contacted by a head teacher who was concerned about the speed in which their vans were travelling past a local school during busy times. The company wanted to maintain a positive relationship within the community and decided to use Telematics to address the situation.

"The fleet manager established a geo-fence around the problematic area in order to monitor the speed in which vehicles were travelling as they passed the school. We also helped the company to set up an alert that would email them and the head teacher if a staff member drove over a certain speed through that area.

"This did wonders for the businesses relationship with the school and is a good example of the variation of benefits fleet tracking data can provide."

What is your prediction for the future of fleet tracking?

"I don't think we're a million miles away from seeing biometrics become??more common place. With the increasing popularity of technologies such as wearable heart rate monitors, the advantages this technology can bring to fleet managers could be huge.

"I think this type of technology will be embraced for very practical purposes in fleet management, like getting a better picture of the health of staff or improving security.

"Here at Navman Wireless though, we're excited about the launch of DIRECTOR because we feel it will play a big part in the future of our customers operations. It's an updated version of our OnlineAVL2 platform that will provide an enriched feature set and newly optimised user interface designed for ease of use.

"It's also 100% web-based. This means our customers can access Navman Wireless DIRECTOR directly from their browser without having to download software to a desktop or computer.

"We've made several updates that improve the daily management of a fleet, such as better mapping, driver behaviour monitoring, dispatch communication, reporting and analysis, sites and alerts, and maintenance scheduling.

"It's a really exciting time for Navman Wireless and the industry as a whole!"

Click here to find out more about how fleet tracking can help your business.