GPS Tracking For Delivery Trucks and Couriers

Tracking devices are the ideal way to make your life easier because they help you to prevent crises and tackle business problems immediately. 

Using a GPS tracking solution does this because it provides a wide range of valuable data that gives you real-time oversight of your vehicles and drivers. 

Discover how you can improve your business operations with GPS tracking devices and learn where you can find the right one for your company.

Solve key problems & answer vital questions immediately

Van tracking devices are the perfect way to make your life easier by helping you to avert crises and solve business issues right away. 

GPS van tracking devices do this because they help you to: 

• Know where your vans are at all times 
• Answer questions about ETAs instantly
• Find out about accidents or breakdowns immediately,
• Spot and tackle any drivers who are causing wear and tear to your vehicles
• Plan the most efficient journeys for your staff 

Learn how to improve your business operations with vehicle tracking solutions and discover where you can find the best ones for your vans.

How GPS fleet tracking benefits your business 

The greatest benefit of using GPS fleet tracking for your business is that it’s a crisis management solution. It gives you the data you need to answer questions and solve problems right away, making your life easier and saving you time. 

These are the three ways that GPS tracking acts as an invaluable crisis management tool for your company: 

• Makes managing your truck drivers and couriers simple: your GPS trackers allow you to see where your drivers are at all times, so you can be sure they’re taking the quickest routes. 
• Boosts your customer service offering: your vehicle tracking system gives you the data to be able to provide your customers with live updates on their orders, so they know when their courier will arrive. 
• Enhances safety and security: your GPS tracking solutions show you exactly where your vehicles are, so you can see immediately if they’re in the wrong location and notify the police if you believe they’ve been stolen. 

Buying a vehicle tracker means you can see all of this information on your mobile devices, tablets or computer at all times, putting fleet management tools at your fingertips.

Top features of a GPS tracking system

The best vehicle tracking system options offer some excellent features that let your delivery business solve problems and answer questions instantly. 

These are the top features you get from using a GPS tracking solution:

• Driver timesheets that at 100% accurate and available in real time 
• Software that lets you plan your routes based on the weight and size of your trucks 
• Alerts that tell you if there’s been a collision or accident on your drivers’ routes 
• Reports that show you the MPG of your vehicles and helps you save on fuel costs 
• Breakdowns of driving behaviours that lead to fuel waste — like leaving trucks idling 
• Alerts that advise you of any road weight limits or bridge heights 
• Scores for your drivers based on driving habits to help reduce vehicle wear and tear 
• Tracking options from a mobile app, tablet app or computer software

Why you should compare tracking systems for delivery vehicles with telematics devices 

Vehicle tracking solutions are really beneficial to your delivery business, fleet managers and couriers. They give you, your managers and your couriers the tools to do your jobs quicker and more efficiently. 

But it’s not a simple question of picking one GPS tracker and getting all the same benefits and features. You should compare vehicle tracking systems with telematics devices to ensure you pick the best option for your business.

Below are the key features of the two solutions and how they compare to each other: 

Main source of data

Vehicle tracking

• Gets data from its own measuring devices, such as a GPS locator 

Telematics

• Gets data direct from the vehicle and its own sources, such as the Engine Control Unit (ECU)

Information collected 

Vehicle tracking 

Only key information (headline figures) is collected, including: 

• Vehicle location and location history
• Driver timesheet 
• Speed and speeding events
• Harsh acceleration, braking and cornering

This information is presented in a user-friendly format.

Telematics

Collects a rich array of data, including: 

• Vehicle location and location history
• Driver timesheet
• Tacho data and remote download
• Speed and speeding events
• Driving style such as over-revving, sudden braking, hasty cornering and  precise miles per gallon (mpg) breakdown relating to each of these habits
• Fuel level
• Power take-off (activation of vehicle parts)

This information comes in the form of customisable reports that include extremely detailed analysis. 

Accuracy

Vehicle tracking

• Information is generally accurate, with the data being estimated and calculated by software algorithms

Telematics

• Information is 100% accurate and totally reliable because it’s gathered from the ECU system of the vehicle 

Any additional devices supported by the technology 

Vehicle tracking

• Driver ID fob keys 
• Dash cameras 

Telematics

• Dash cams
• Driver ID fob keys
• Dual cameras, 
• Multi-channel cameras
• PTO relay switch
• Tachograph with remote download
• Temperature sensors

Who is the device most suitable for? 

Vehicle tracking

• Fleets that use commercial vans or cars 

Telematics

• Fleets that use commercial vans, HGVs and special purpose vehicles, such as ambulances, animal transporters and bin wagons 

Cost 

Telematics devices are more advanced than vehicle tracking systems, making them harder to use but potentially more valuable to your business. Because of this, telematics devices are more expensive than vehicle tracking systems.