A semi loaded with high-end electronics would seem to be an attractive objective for a thief. For a semi loaded with rhubarb and Brussels sprouts, you might find a thief willing to pay you to take it back. No matter what the cargo, GPS for trucks makes sense if there is a risk of theft. Desirable cargo would seem to make the investment in a GPS device worth the investment. But what if your fleet really does move rhubarb and Brussels sprouts?

Fleet managers need to know that GPS for trucks does a lot more than locate stolen vehicles. It will help you manage your fleet more efficiently than you ever dreamed possible. Here are five other things you can do with GPS for trucks.

1. Know where every truck is at every moment with GPS for trucks. When you know where every truck is, you can improve customer satisfaction by monitoring distance to destination and notifying the customer if the driver is running early or late. Or do some valuable troubleshooting when you know where the nearest service vehicle is to a customer with an emergency.

2. Save fuel and save money when you invest in GPS for trucks. When you are able to track the routes your drivers are using, you can help them find faster, more direct, or more fuel-efficient routing. Choosing the best route will save time and save fuel, which will, in turn, save money. You will also know who is wasting time on the road, sitting on the side of the road, or at each stop. You can also improve productivity and save more money.

3. Control where your trucks are taken with geo-fencing options. GPS for trucks will allow you to create “no-go zones” with to alert you and the driver if a truck is being taken out of a reasonable area. Do you have a truck coming back with an extra 300 miles on it per run? You can use the tracking and mapping capabilities of GPS for trucks to know exactly where that truck has been.

4. Reduce operating costs for each vehicle equipped with GPS for trucks. There is a clear connection between vehicle maintenance and vehicle operating cost. When you install GPS for trucks you will be able to monitor maintenance needs and receive alerts when a problem is beginning, instead of when it disables the vehicle for several hours.

5. Improve driver and vehicle safety with reports and alerts. You will know if you have drivers to race up to an intersection and then slam on the brakes. You will also know if they waste fuel and overburden the engine by racing away from the intersection. You can set up alerts to let a driver know when the speed limit is being exceeded and send you a report.

These are just five of the ways GPS for trucks can help you manage your fleet more efficiently and effectively. You will save time, improve productivity of both the trucks and the drivers, and you’ll save a bundle of money for the company. Isn’t it time you learned more about the many benefits of GPS for trucks?

If you own a fleet of trucks, there is far more to managing that fleet than just knowing where each truck is at a given moment. Those trucks are critical business assets. You need to know those assets are being properly managed. You can improve asset management with truck GPS tracking.

Everyone with a cell phone knows what GPS tracking is all about. The GPS device sends a signal to a satellite which transfers it to a tracking station. Truck GPS tracking goes a step beyond this, allowing the fleet manager to see the position of each truck on a single-view map. Some systems also use satellite imaging to show the surrounding topography and streets.

With truck GPS routing systems, the same GPS technology is used to map out the best route for each truck. You might define the best route as the most direct, the fastest, or even the route that supports maximum fuel efficiency. Once the truck is on the road, the system can identify traffic jams, accidents and other situations the driver should avoid. It can then calculate a new route and communicate it instantly to the driver.

A good truck GPS tracking system also offers certain protections in the event of an attempted theft or hi-jacking. With geofencing technology you can define parameters of the region within which the truck should be operating. If it is taken outside of those parameters, you receive an alert. If the truck is actually stolen, you will be alerted and you can use the system to disable the truck or call attention to it with very narrow geofencing, disabling the starter, locking doors and triggering horn blasts. Finding the truck is as simple as looking at your map and calling police.

Truck GPS devices cost as little as $300 each, can be installed in less than one minute, and immediately begin to gather and communicate vital information back to your home office about how the truck is being driven. It also begins to build a history of every time and place the truck is driven, when it is serviced, fuel efficiency and much more.

The data received through the truck GPS monitoring system will help your managers handle your trucks as the costly investments they are. They can then be managed and serviced in order to protect the engines, get the most use from tires, and achieve optimal fuel efficiencies. If you are operating trucks on the highways, you are spending a very significant amount of operating capital on fuel. Fuel economy is a good business practice and an environmentally responsible outlook.

The U.S. Department of Energy conducted a recent study of fuel efficiency and other maintenance costs for vehicles driven in particular ways and at specific speeds. A few of their most significant findings relevant to truck GPS tracking are:

- Running at 60 mph instead of 50 or 55 requires 73% more horsepower from the engine; running at 70 mph uses 159% more horsepower.

- For every mile per hour above 50 mph, the fuel consumption in increased by 1.5%. This means running at 70 mph uses 30% more fuel.

- Running at 70 mph instead of 50 mph will double the wear on tires.

- Running at 70 mph instead of 60 mph will increase maintenance cost by 80%.

Other studies have also demonstrated that running up to a traffic light or stop sign and slamming on brakes and accelerating too quickly also drastically cut into fuel economy. Other practices, such as not leaving the truck idling or following routes that can be expected to involve extensive idling in traffic will also dramatically reduce fuel economy. All of these habits can be detected and addressed with the help of truck GPS tracking.

Fleet management involves far more than simply dispatching a particular truck and driver to a particular location with a load of cargo (whatever that might be). Truck fleet asset management also includes fostering safe and efficient driving styles and practices, making the most efficient route choices and properly maintaining the equipment. With a truck GPS tracking system, you can make the task of truly managing these assets easier and more scientific for your staff.