Why Vehicle Tracking Systems Benefit Both Employees And Employers

AS GPS tracking systems grow in popularity, so too does the controversy over their use. It seems that an incredible system, designed to enhance business efficiency, productivity and profit and that also benefits employees and customers alike, is regarded by some as a 'big brother' style device that strips employees of their right to privacy. The point of this article is to show the many reasons why this is absolutely not the case and that vehicle tracking systems are in fact a benefit to all.

Vehicle tracking is a highly effective security measure. Knowing where vehicles and drivers are, particularly if they are carrying costly cargo, is a way of ensuring the drivers safety and that of the goods they are carrying. It enables companies to trace goods, their containers, and deliveries from the point of origin right up to their destination.

As satellite systems orbit the earth, they are able to continuously monitor particular locations, down to a pinpoint. The designated areas can cover as much ground as the entire country of Australia, however with the capability of focussing on a single vehicle. Satellites must have a direct line of sight with the vehicle required however, to produce successful vehicle tracking.

There are many ways a company, their employees and also customers can benefit from these systems. Businesses are likely to see increased revenue due to improved productivity and vehicle operation. Monitoring close movements also allows companies to resolve disputes, provide proof of service or reconcile timesheets. For example with parcel deliveries, if there was a discrepancy over a scheduled delivery time, vehicle tracking becomes very useful for revealing the exact time the delivery was conducted. Vehicle tracking can produce reports focussing on this history, journeys, locations, speeding of vehicles, working hours and more.

Employees who drive over the legal limits are wasting diesel or petrol paid for by the employer, wear out vehicles prematurely (to be amended at the cost of the employer) and increase insurance rates (again to be amended at the cost of the employer). Keeping track of this behaviour can help reduce wastage.

The benefits are not just a one way street however. Employees no longer have to spend time hand writing driver logs. Instead, information can just be pulled from the tracking system, saving the driver time and effort. Secondly, if an employee is doing well, there's more chance they can be praised for their efforts when under inspection. Using info from the GPS tracking system, each employee's productivity can be quantified and compared. Employees never need to worry about getting lost en-route to their destinations, when their locations can instantly be located and if there is an accident and it is not the drivers fault, proof can be found in the tracking system.

Customers also benefit largely from these systems. Being provided with precise delivery times rather than a delivery day, means they don't have to take entire days off work to wait to a two minute delivery slot. Vehicle tracking undoubtedly offers a much better level of customer service.

With so many benefits, how can GPS vehicle tracking be regarded as restrictive? What is wrong with a business monitoring their vehicles and making sure their employees are doing what they're being paid to do? At the end of the day, aren't employees driving around in cars owned and paid for by the employer? Therefore shouldn't they have the right to keep a close eye on how they are being used?

For those of us who work in an office environment, we are fully aware that our behaviour is monitored constantly throughout the day. There is absolutely no reason why the same rules shouldn't apply to employees out of the office.

Similarly, when we do overtime in the office, our boss is aware because he can see us still at our desk at 8pm each night. However, when a driver clocks up extra hours in overtime, how can a manager be certain he is true to his word when he's out on the road? With a GPS tracking system, you can cross-check a vehicle's location with the time of day it was there and therefore validate an employee's word.

Vehicle tracking is a system that benefits the employer, of course but it also greatly benefits employees and customers too. It is not restrictive to monitor the work you are paying someone to do and assuming employees are behaving as they should, there should be no reason to feel threatened by the presence of a tracking system in your fleet, which is simply designed to aid your performance and make life that little bit easier.

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Comments

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 at 9:10 AM, by Arling Olson
I concur with your article, up to a point. You mention such benefits to the employee as no longer having to write logs, and no longer getting lost. What if the employer uses a GPS system and administration system which doesn't provide any benefits to the employee, or to enhancing the performance of the business? What if the employer instead uses this technology to determine the informal groups of association between employees, and uses the information gathered to discipline or terminate employees in a discriminatory fashion?
Technology is a wonderful and productive thing, when the people entrusted with the use can be trusted not to exploit the technology to further illegal or improper agendas.

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