Monitoring your business fleet has never been simpler.

A single tap on your phone and that’s it – you get access to all the information you need on every single vehicle in your fleet. Modern GPS tracking software and mobile apps have made fleet management much more sophisticated and accurate than ever before.

Businesses are already reporting better performance, more efficiency, and enhanced transparency, all because of the GPS tracking technology. All of this has been made even better through the advent of modern smartphones with powerful processing capabilities.

In this article, our main area of focus shall be the ways in which cell phones have helped make GPS fleet tracking much more effective than ever.

Fleet Tracking VS. Cell Phone Tracking

To start, let’s explore the use of mobile phones as both trackers and monitors in a GPS tracking system. While the use of GPS tracker devices and apps has not gone out of fashion and will not for the foreseeable future, there is a rising trend of substituting GPS devices with cell phones.

Though the features of such a tracking solution are minimal at best, they are still better than nothing at all. The idea is simple: instead of tracking a vehicle, you can simply track the driver’s cell phone and know where they are.

Even as we’ve written this down, you may already have started wondering about stuff like how can we track speed, unsafe driving patterns, fuel usage, onboard diagnosis, and so on, with this approach? Well, to tell you the truth, you can’t.

The best such mobile tracking apps can do is to share the real-time location of the said device, nothing more, nothing less.

Thus if you feel that cell phones are on the verge of replacing the fleet tracking technology then you may want to rethink your hypothesis. However, there is no denying that fleet tracking and phones pair well and make the process much simpler and all the more accessible too.

A manager could be out busy doing something, and with no safe access to a computer network, no problem, their trusty phone connection (dedicated fleet tracking mobile app) will keep them up to date. This also means that they won’t have to keep your eyes constantly peeled at a screen in the hopes that all plays out fine while being haunted by the fear of things going wrong and you missing it.

We’re not done with the applications of cell phone GPS tracking, but before we dive deeper, let’s first understand GPS tracker devices in detail to see how cell phone tracking stands in comparison.

GPS Fleet Tracking Systems

Software and tracking systems like Fleetr have seen a spike in popularity over the past few years due to their immense applications and because they don’t demand much either. Before we attempt to compare GPS trackers and cell phone tracking, let’s understand the former.

So, here’s a summary of what a decent fleet tracking system like Fleetr can do for you:

Real-Time Location Tracking

The basic principle of fleet tracking is knowing precisely where all of your fleet vehicles are at a given moment, this is called real-time location tracking. This way, you don’t simply get updates about where your vehicles are headed but also get to see them live, as they move, on your screen.

The interface is quite simple: you see a map with landmarks dotted across it to help you orient yourself, and then there are the vehicles, as icons, moving on the map as those vehicles move in real-time. You can contact the drivers if you feel they’re deviating off course of acting in a manner unacceptable to you (speeding, aggressive driving, and so on).

Better monitoring ability has allowed business owners and managers to increase the efficiency of their fleet staff and thus avoid cuts and losses due to poor route planning, idling, and so on. It all starts with knowing who, where, and when – and the answer is live GPS tracking.

Some may contest that a GPS phone tracker app can do the same, but as we will explain later on, that is not the case.

Complete Transparency

We don’t expect anyone to question the truthfulness of their workers, but relying upon someone else’s honesty is risky, to say the least. If you feel like your team is not performing optimally, then feel free to share your data and stats (from the app) with them and explain how they can improve their approach.

When we say complete transparency, we mean it: if your drivers speed, drive aggressively, hard press brakes, don’t slow down for turns, waste fuel by idling or do pretty much anything else of the sort, you’ll be the first one to know.

By knowing exactly where the problem lies, you’d be in a much better position to solve it than otherwise.

While cell phone tracking solutions do offer live location updates, they can’t hope to compare this level of transparency and won’t give you the data you need to run a fleet effectively.

Fleet tracking systems do work with mobile apps, and you can view all of these insights with just a tap, it’s that simple with GPS tracker software like Fleetr.

Route Optimization

There may be a dozen routes for wherever your vehicles are headed, but not all of them may be equally efficient. But if your business is to run with full efficiency, your fleet needs to take the best possible routes for every journey.

Normally this may not be possible, but fleet tracking just made your life easier!

Not only do the apps allow you to pick the optimal route based on the distance, road conditions, traffic, weather, and so on, but it also keeps you in the loop of all that’s happening. Thus if there’s ever an unexpected problem in the route you planned on using, just let your drier know that it is so.

Through better planning, not only do you save up on fuel costs (which eat up a huge chunk of business profits) but also get to do things on time. Punctuality is a matter of life and death for the transportation business, if your client has been waiting for hours for your guys to show up, that’s not going to reflect well on your business reputation, especially with online review sites!

Automation Of Records

No need to keep those manual logs now, it’s all going to be fully automated. By the end of the day, you’ll know who did what, when, and how. While you may still go on and keep a manual register just in case, it isn’t necessary, and you certainly don’t have to depend on it.

You won’t imagine the number of businesses that shared that their previous records were deeply inaccurate. Workers are known to use company assets and time for private gigs or simply manipulate the data to look good.

This ends now!

You don’t have to be bossy or mean (in fact, you shouldn’t be), but you can be straight with your workers and let them know that work time is for work and that you expect everyone to take their jobs seriously.

How do you follow through?

Well, that’s what the automated data logs are for.

Timely Alerts & Notifications

Managers can’t spend an entire day in front of the screen with their eyes peeled for any anomaly or deviation which may or may not happen. You’ve got a business to run! There is probably tons of other stuff that demands your attention more urgently than busying yourself with a screen.

Don’t worry, go ahead and do the stuff that matters.

If anything worthy of your attention comes up, the GPS tracker app will simply send you a notification; you can check out the screen then.

Why Do Some People Turn Towards Cell Phone GPS Tracking?

Now that we’ve seen how fleet tracking systems can be vital assets for any business with a transportation component, let’s explore why people are using cell phone tracking instead. We won’t lie, people do use cell phone tracking, a lot, and here’s why:

Budget Restraints

Let’s face it, businesses, especially startups, are not willing to spend more than what they really need to. This means that a GPS fleet tracking system won’t probably be on the list of things that the business really needs.

Despite its many merits, only a handful of which have been mentioned in this article, it is understandable why people generally feel that an investment in a fleet tracking system may be too much. And for most cases, this is somewhat true considering all the installation charges, device fees, hidden dues, and so on.

However, Fleetr does not ask for anything except for a $9.99 per month payment per vehicle and this same sum also covers the cost of the GPS tracker device.

Moreover, in contrast to most other options on the market, Fleetr is actually meant for a small fleet. This is relevant because most business owners simply feel that their fleets are not big enough at the moment to require a sophisticated tracking system.

While Fleetr can manage bigger fleets with the same level of excellence, it is at heart meant for smaller fleets. Thus if you’re financially burdened but still wish to keep an eye out for your vehicles then Fleetr will be perfect for your business.

It Is The First Step

Most business owners do plan on getting sophisticated trackers for their fleet but simply think that now’s not the time (don’t we all?) This, once again, is because of affordability and cost-effectiveness of most services, but software like Fleetr are perfect for smaller fleets and business on a tight budget.

Those who feel that the fleet tracking technology may be too much for them should just check out the software features offered by some of the top-rated options. On the user’s end, the interface is as simple as things get – there is no complication at all.

Others feel that the influx of information is either not needed or may simply add to their workload. Fuel wastage is one of the major monetary drains for any business with a transportation component, and if you can avoid that and speed up things at the same time, it works perfectly in your favor.

Moreover, these apps actually help lighten the burden, not to make it worse.

Avoiding Delays

Some users simply wish to avoid any delays and this skip the hardware installation part, simply download the app and get started with cell phone-based tracking.

However, this is another issue that can be circumvented by using simple plug-and-play devices that are pretty simple to set up and take no more than a couple of minutes to get started with.

Fleetr offers its free plug-and-play device – the cost is covered in the $9.99 per month/per vehicle rent.

Not Ready To Commit

This is one of those areas where GPS trackers have not really made things any easier. Many companies demand users to stay bound by contracts for an extended duration, and this may seem intimidating to people – and it is completely understandable.

However, this is again one of those areas where Fleetr stands out as it does not demand any commitment from the user’s end, whatsoever!

Comparison: GPS Fleet Tracking & Smartphone GPS Tracking

So, how do the two compare? Let’s see:

GPS fleet tracking involves a GPS tracker device placed in the vehicle that offers all the data updates, while in smartphone tracking, it is the user’s smartphone that is being tracked.
Smartphone GPS tracking will allow you to track your vehicle only as long as the said smartphone is inside the vehicle (i.e. not if your driver forgot their phone home).
Fleet tracking systems allow you to retrieve data from your vehicle in case of theft thus allowing the police to easily track it down, this is not possible with a smartphone tracking solution.
The data offered by fleet tracking systems covers several areas of performance and even hints on the vehicle’s condition (i.e. the need for maintenance), smartphone tracking cannot cover this much information.
If your driver turns off their phone, you can’t track your vehicle, however, this is not true for fleet tracking systems; however, in all fairness, plug and play devices can be removed with relative ease – so you should be careful about who you hire, get only the most reliable people on the job.

In short, GPS fleet tracking is far superior. While a lot of people prefer mobile device tracking, it is not because of what this option offers but simply because they either don’t have the budget or mental preparedness for getting hooked up with a GPS tracker system.

But apart from that, however you look at it, fleet tracking systems take the edge.

Fleetr Is Your Go-To GPS Tracking Option

Fleet tracking is more accessible than ever before. Most people hold back simply because of financial constraints or the fear of making long-term commitments, but Fleetr won’t burden you with either because it has been designed to eliminate precisely these issues.

No contracts, no activation fees, no hidden charges, no binding terms and conditions – in short, no hassle – Fleetr is all about fleet tracking, it’s as simple as that. The monthly payment of a mere $9.99 per vehicle will cover the charges for the tracking device and keep your fleet completely visible for you, from wherever and whenever.

Thousands of businesses have reported great satisfaction with our product and all for good reason: it works well and does not bind you in any way.

Just give it a try, and you’ll know what makes Fleetr unique.