As a fleet manager, you know how hard it can be to keep track of the numerous assets and vehicles that make up your fleet, stay organized, and collect all the data you need to make smart decisions for your fleet. How can you do it all successfully?
Whether you’re managing just a few vehicles or a large fleet, portable tracking devices are a powerful tool that can help. They’re a convenient and efficient addition to your fleet management strategy that will make it possible to monitor your fleet remotely and in-real time with ease. So, in honor of the week of giving, we’re going to tell you why you’ll be thankful for a portable tracking device this season!
What is a Portable Tracking Device?
Fleet management is a job that requires good data, strong decision-making skills, and an eye for optimization. Portable tracking devices are designed to help give you the tools you need to be successful in this role. But, you may be wondering: what is a portable tracking device, and is it the right solution for my fleet?
A portable tracking device, which is sometimes referred to as a pocket GPS tracker or mobile GPS tracking device, is a type of GPS tracking device that is lightweight, easy to use, and travels with your employee. Unlike traditional vehicle tracker devices, which work by attaching GPS tracking devices to your fleet vehicles, a portable tracking device attaches to your employees or important assets.
One type of portable tracking device is a small tracking device that can attach to your employees’ keyrings or clothing. It is small, lightweight, and not burdensome to the employee. A benefit of using this type of small tracking device is that it can be used to keep track of not only your employees, but other valuable assets as well. GPS tracking devices can be attached to containers, packages, or other small but valuable items.
Another type of portable tracking device is a type of fleet tracking software that works through your employees’ smartphone. Mobile GPS tracking turns your employees’ smartphone device into a tracker and provides you, the fleet manager, with real-time data on their location, driving habits, and status updates.
Why do Modern Fleet Managers Need Access to Mobile GPS Tracking?
As a fleet manager, ensuring your fleet management strategy is efficient is imperative. Using a pocket GPS tracker, you have access to the data you need to make smart decisions about your fleet in your pocket—literally.
While a vehicle tracker device might be too costly or not specific enough to your needs, a portable tracking device is a useful asset to a fleet manager because of its versatility and ease of use. From law enforcement to service providers, a portable tracking device lets you keep track of your employees activities, regardless of whether or not they are currently in their vehicle. This kind of real-time tracking provides you with increased accuracy, which is critical to fleet management.
Whether you are using mobile GPS tracking via your employees’ smartphones, or a small tracking device, making use of this technology can help you cut fleet costs, track employees independently of their vehicles, monitor driving habits, and improve safety and security.
The 5 Benefits of Portable Tracking Devices
Using portable tracking devices is an easy solution to multiple facets of your fleet management strategy. As a fleet manager, by implementing mobile GPS tracking, you can boost your fleet efficiency, track employees, monitor driving habits, and prevent vehicle theft—all from your own mobile device.
By using fleet tracking software, you are able to access the critical data that you need to make informed decisions about your fleet and ensure that your operations are running as smoothly as possible. What will this mean for your business? The ability to:
1. Cut Fleet Costs & Boost Efficiency
As a fleet manager, cutting costs and boosting efficiency is of utmost importance. Using the data that a pocket GPS tracker provides, you gain the insight to understand your drivers’ routes, travel history, and milage, which can, in turn, make it possible for you to optimize routes, cut down on fuel costs, and maximize your employees’ time that they are providing services. Knowing the precise location of each employee can also be helpful for fleet managers so that they can dispatch the closest workers to a service site, cutting down on travel times and reducing inefficiencies.
2. Track Employees Independently of Their Fleet Vehicle
If your fleet spends any time out of their vehicle, it’s important to know where they are and for how long. For service providers, this is critical. By using a small tracking device, you can have real-time data on how long your employees spend on a service call, as well as their precise location.
For field workers that might be fixing telephone polls, responding to a fire or burglary, or repairing a faulty water pipe, having the precise data on where your employee is—not just where their vehicle is parked—can help you make the most optimal decisions in a timely manner.
3. Monitor Driving Habits
While you might worry that using a portable tracking device could mean compromising on key features provided by vehicle tracker devices, mobile GPS tracking can actually help provide many of the same features, such as travel speeds, braking habits, and turning motions. Using comprehensive reports that show driver data over time, you won’t miss out on important driving data by opting to use a small tracking device over a vehicle tracker device.
This enables you to improve driver habits and avoid the costs of unsafe driving in your fleet—including the higher worker’s compensation premiums, legal fees, and vehicle repair costs associated with auto collisions.
4. Prevent Vehicle Theft & Keep Drivers Safe
As a fleet manager, your vehicle, asset, and driver safety is critical. GPS tracking devices can help you increase your safety and your peace of mind. By using a portable tracking device on employees and important assets, you can stay assured that you always know where your high-value assets are. This way, you can quickly identify if a vehicle or employee is not where they are supposed to be.
Since you can’t physically be in each vehicle with each driver at the same time, you will be thankful that you have access to information about your drivers’ location and your asset location. Knowing where your assets are and when they moved from their location is critical information for law enforcement fleets especially. With mobile GPS tracking, you’ll have the information you need to more quickly identify if an asset or vehicle has been stolen, increasing the chances of recovering those stolen items.
5. Easy Mobile Tracking for Fleet Managers
One of the most critical advantages of using a portable tracking device is that you, as a fleet manager, can access the important data that you need while working on-the-go. Using a pocket GPS tracker, you can access critical information about your drivers and assets from your mobile device.
As a busy fleet manager, you know how critical it can be to have the information you need, and mobile GPS tracking allows you to access that information from anywhere that receives cell phone service. This way, you aren’t tied to your desk in your office. This kind of unparalleled real-time data can make a huge difference in your efficiency and your ability to do the best job you can—no matter where you’re working from.
Simplify Remote Fleet Management With Rastrac's Portable Tracking Devices
Curious about your options for portable tracking devices? We’ve got you covered. Rastrac offers comprehensive mobile solutions including PocketRastrac and RastracGo, and has also listed the top 5 GPS Tracking Apps for Androids and iPhones so that you can begin implementing the mobile GPS tracking devices you need in your fleet with ease.
Curious about using a pocket GPS tracker? Reach out to us today to learn more about our mobile solutions or request a demo to see this powerful technology in action for yourself!
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