Vehicle tracking system

Vehicle Tracking Systems are electronic devices installed in vehicles to enable vehicle owners or third parties to track the location of a vehicle. Most modern vehicle tracking systems now use GPS modules to allow for easy and accurate location of the vehicle. Many systems also combine a communications component such as cellular or satellite transmitters to communicate the vehicle’s location to a remote user. Vehicle information can be viewed on electronic maps via the Internet or specialized software.

Current vehicle tracking systems have their roots in the shipping industry. Corporations with large fleets of vehicles required some sort of system to determine where each vehicle was at any given time. Vehicle tracking systems can now also be found in consumers vehicles as a theft prevention and retrieval device. Police can simply follow the signal emitted by the tracking system and locate the stolen vehicle.

Many vehicle tracking systems are now using GPS or a form of Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) to allow for easy location of the vehicle. The GPS satellite system was built and is maintained by government and is available at no cost to civilians. This makes this technology very inexpensive. Other AVL systems do not require the antenna to be in direct line of sight with the sky. Terrestrial based systems such as Loran and LoJack tracking units use radio frequency (RF) transmitters which will transmit through walls, garages, or buildings. Many police cruisers around the world have a form of AVL tracking as standard equipment in their vehicles.

Some vehicle tracking systems incur a cost to the user in the form of monthly fees. Companies such as StreetEagle, and Track Star bundle mapping software, with hardware, installation and tracking into monthly subscriptions. Other companies such as the LoJack units are paid for upon installation and will continue to work for the life of the vehicle. The decision to adopt an active technology based on RF (e.g. Loran), satellite or public carrier (e.g. CDMA) is driven by the quantity of information, the frequency of updates, and the physical environment of the device. For example a fleet manager may want 5 minute updates, telling whether a vehicle is on or off, or may want 30 second updates tracking engine vitals, brake status, container status, vehicle speed and direction and so on.



Active versus passive tracking

Several types of Vehicle Tracking devices exist. Typically they are classified as Passive and Active. Passive devices store GPS location, speed, heading and sometime a trigger event such as key on/off, door open/closed. Once the vehicle returns to a pre-determined point, the device is removed and the data downloaded to a computer for evaluation. Active devices also collect the same information but usually transmit the data in real-time via cellular or satellite networks to a computer or data center for evaluation.

Some taxi services are using vehicle tracking systems for better serving their customers. By using Vehicle Tracking Systems, their operators can see all their empty taxis, so they can choose the closer one to pickup the order from their customer.


Common uses

Vehicle Tracking Systems are commonly used by fleet operators for fleet management functions such as routing, dispatch, on-board information and security. Other applications include monitoring driving behavior, such as an employer of an employee, or a parent with a teen driver.

Vehicle tracking systems are also popular in consumer vehicles as a theft prevention and retrieval device. Police can simply follow the signal emitted by the tracking system and locate the stolen vehicle. When used as a security system, a Vehicle Tracking System may serve as either an addition to or replacement for a traditional Car alarm. The existence of vehicle tracking device then can used to reduce the insurance cost, because the lost risk of the vehicle drops significantly.

Vehicle Tracking Systems are an integrated part of the “layered approach” to vehicle protection, recommended by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) to prevent motor vehicle theft. This approach recommends four layers of security based on the risk factors pertaining to a specific vehicle. Vehicle Tracking Systems are one such layer, and are described by the NICB as “very effective” in helping police recover stolen vehicles.

Some Vehicle Tracking Systems integrate several security systems, for example by sending an automatic alert to a phone or email if an alarm is triggered or the vehicle is moved without authorization.


Major markets

Vehicle Tracking can be used in the following scenarios;

Stolen Vehicle Recovery: Both consumer and commercial vehicles can be outfitted with RF or GPS units to allow police to do tracking and recovery. In the case of LoJack, the police can activate the tracking unit in the vehicle directly and follow tracking signals.

Fleet Management: When managing a fleet of vehicles, knowing the real-time location of all drivers allows management to meet customer needs more efficiently. Whether it is delivery, service or other multi-vehicle enterprises, drivers now only need a mobile phone with telephony or Internet connection to be inexpensively tracked by and dispatched efficiently. Asset Tracking: Companies needing to track valuable assets for insurance or other monitoring purposes can now plot the real-time asset location on a map and closely monitor movement and operating status.

Field Service Management: Companies with a field service workforce for services such as repair or maintenance, must be able to plan field workers’ time, schedule subsequent customer visits and be able to operate these departments efficiently. Vehicle tracking allows companies to quickly locate a field engineer and dispatch the closest one to meet a new customer request or provide site arrival information.

Field Sales: Mobile sales professionals can access real-time locations. For example, in unfamiliar areas, they can locate themselves as well as customers and prospects, get driving directions and add nearby last-minute appointments to itineraries. Benefits include increased productivity, reduced driving time and increased time spent with customers and prospects.

Trailer Tracking: Haulage and Logistics companies often operate lorries with detachable load carrying units. The part of the vehicle that drives the load is know as the cab and the load carrying unit is known as the trailer. There are different types of trailer used for different applications, e.g. flat bed, refrigerated, curtain sider, box container.