This is a common question asked by many fleet owners since many fleet owners already use Nextel GPS enabled phone and two-way radios. Many companies opt for this technology only to learn the true issues associated with using this type of GPS technology on a daily basis. The initial attraction is always the price. Not only the price of the GPS enabled cell phone itself, but also the monthly service fee. GPS enabled phones from Nextel offer the cheapest way to start tracking your employees and your fleet because you are simply adding to an existing technology and capability. When the phones are tested by managers and owners they work great. But beware because once you introduce the true human factor into the day to day use you quickly learn a few hard and costly lessons. As with all technology "You get what you pay for”.
Over the years we have heard several companies provide feedback on their experience with GPS cell phones. Several of our customers started out using these GPS cell phones, but after a few months began to realize the downsides of the phone tracking solution versus the dedicated GPS tracking solution which stays with the vehicle at all times and requires little to no driver intervention.
Driver Intervention. The number one issue with GPS phones is the drivers are involved in almost every aspect of the phones use. The driver is required to turn the GPS application on each time the phone is turned on. If a driver does not want to be located or tracked for a period of time the GPS portion of the phone is simply not turned on. This can create great frustration and confusion for managers. Managers are not able to determine the reason why a driver "blacked out" for 3 hours, has more miles on the truck than indicated by the GPS cell phone or cannot locate the driver in a time of crisis because the phone is at the job but the truck is at the bar.
Drivers can prevent from being tracked by either turning off the java applet running the GPS tracking or the phone all together. Another neat trick is to leave the phone at the job site or the house while the the truck is out running errands, going to a local bar or conducting side work. There are message boards throughout the Internet where crafty employees are spreading the knowledge on how to disable the GPS tracking on the phone without being detected. Even if the phone remains on the job site, no GPS device can determine a position if inside a building or metal tool box.
The only way to increase the
chances of knowing what your fleet is doing is by removing
the driver from the equation. Dedicated vehicle tracking systems
make it significantly harder for drivers to not be tracked
the majority of the time. There are cases where a vehicle
would be left at a job site while the driver is picked up
by someone else, but these are the true exceptions. Few employees
are willing to go to such an extreme on a daily basis. If
they do, at least they are not using your fuel, putting wear
and tear on your vehicles and increasing the chances of having
an accident. The MARCUS
system and other vehicle tracking systems provide better
long term results and customers satisfaction than GPS cell
phones. You can even get GPS vehicle tracking systems with
no monthly fees such as the short range wireless download
system by CHECKmate.
All GPS receivers must have a line of sight with
the sky in order to receive GPS signals. Additionally, GPS
antennas are directional. A GPS phones antenna is located
in the back of the phone. By taking your GPS cell phone and
placing it under the seat of the car, in the glove box, or
simply laying it on it's back, the driver can prevent the
system from determining the position or significantly reduce
the accuracy. With a dedicated GPS vehicle tracking system,
the GPS antenna is permanently installed on the vehicle and
always available to record the satellite signals from above.
Some systems can even be covertly installed so nothing is
visible or easily accessible to the driver.
Price is always a concern with owners and manager when considering the GPS tracking side of fleet maintenance. Most GPS cell phones can be bought for about ½ half the price of a dedicated vehicle tracking system but if it does not work sufficiently you must then make a second investment to outfit your fleet with a dedicated vehicle tracking system. Think about the wear and tear on the company cell phones, the replacement rate, repair costs, and the other cost factors going into maintaining your cell phones and Nextel radios. The life expectancy of your average cell phone is about one to two years, versus the expected lifetime of a dedicated GPS tracking system which is between three and seven years. Once a dedicated GPS unit is installed, it never needs to move again. They often last as long or longer than the vehicle in most business applications.
The difference in reporting is varied as well. Although the GPS cell phones can usually report on 3-15 minute intervals like their dedicated counterparts, the fact that a signal can be lost so easily dramatically affects the Start-Stop reports it can produce. Businesses are relying on accurate reports and need to be confident so they compare their employee time sheets against the GPS software report. Using a system that is only accurate 50% of time only leads to doubt by the employee. Dedicated GPS systems take this issue out of the equation. Because they are “always on” and have the best ability to maintain a GPS lock with the satellites, the reports a manager has to look at are generally 99% accurate.
The simple truth is that companies that started out using a GPS cell phone solution have eventually come to the conclusion that it was not as useful and "cheap" as they had first believed. Incomplete reports and driver tampering force them to look into the dedicated GPS solutions. We hope to help educate the buying public of these potential problems with the GPS cell phones. For a side-by-side comparison of the Nextel GPS phone versus our MARCUS real time system, please click here. If you are interested in learning more about dedicated GPS tracking systems please feel free to contact us using our web form or give us a call. We currently provide over eight dedicated GPS vehicle tracking systems and want to match your business needs with the system that is right for you, not us.