Geofence, Track Your Fleet Location for Safer Management!

Geofence is a very important service for road users to enjoy. So, how can technology be so important? How does it work? You can refer to the following article from  TransTRACK  to find out all the benefits!

Definition of Geofence

Geofence is a location-based service where an application or other software uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or cellular data to trigger pre-programmed actions when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a virtual boundary set around a geographic location, known as a geofence.  

Depending on how the geofence is configured, it can prompt mobile push notifications, trigger text messages or alerts, send targeted ads on social media, enable vehicle fleet tracking, disable certain technologies or deliver location-based marketing data.

Some geofences are set up to monitor activity in secure areas, allowing management to see alerts when someone enters or leaves a certain area. Businesses can also use geofencing to monitor employees in the field, automate time cards, and track company property.

Benefits of Geofence in Vehicle Fleet Management

Geofences, known as virtual “fences”, cover the boundaries of a certain area on the map, and we can use them to know when fleet assets enter or exit the area.  The system sends us alerts to keep us updated. What are the benefits of geofencing?

Stop Theft

Because we have greater insight into the whereabouts of the fleet, geofencing will give us knowledge about the operation of our fleet. Then we can also identify and prevent theft, and in some cases, geofencing lowers insurance premiums.

This can happen because of how the technology prevents equipment damage and lawsuits resulting from car accidents. As a result, car insurance companies are willing to lower premiums.

In fact, preventing fuel theft through geofencing can even save up to $400,000, as one incredulous company discovered. When we see a vehicle leaving the geofence, we can report it faster, making it easier to bring criminals to justice.

Employ Assets More Effectively

The movement of vehicles inside and outside the geofence will help us see the appropriate and inappropriate use of vehicles. Sometimes employees will spend most of their time idling outside the geofence, or they will take non-customized routes that can utilize our fleet assets for personal use.

We want to identify and eliminate this costly waste from personal travel and fleet expenses.

Improving Our Productivity Levels

Along with guaranteeing proper asset utilization, geofencing demonstrates efficiency. Fleet managers can verify and ensure employees are following the best routes to lower fuel costs, and geofencing ensures that employees are using their time wisely. In the event of an emergency, we can identify the best person to put forward to respond with real time location GPS. We no longer have to follow up with futile phone calls where our employees may or may not be telling the truth. Instead, we look at the map and take action based on what we see.

Improving Communication Quality

Ever wished we could minimize fleet manager-to-driver communication? To do this, we can use a GPS fleet tracking solution. We no longer have to do manual confirmations once employees arrive at the work site.

Instead, an automatic alert is sent directly to our phone once the driver arrives, and we can always use this as a reference for real-time location with a map.

Safer

Due to the higher level of knowledge provided by this technology, we know when and where our drivers are throughout the day. This knowledge adds to safety on the road because in the event of an emergency such as a car accident or other hazard, we can locate them quickly. we increase the level of visibility and improve safety in the process.

Better Data

Once we implement this system, we will eventually gain access to a lot of valuable data that we can use to improve our fleet. For example, we can use it to generate insights or use it to understand which fleets are performing best and why. we can then form policies to improve performance across the company.

How Geofence Works

To use a geofence, an administrator or developer must first set a virtual boundary around a specific location in GPS- or RFID-enabled software. This can be as simple as a circle drawn 100 feet around a location in Google Maps, as specified using an API when developing a mobile app. This virtual geofence will then trigger a response when an authorized device enters or leaves the area, as specified by the administrator or developer.

Geofences are most often defined in the code of mobile apps, mainly because users need to opt-in to location services for the geofence to work. If we go to a concert venue, they may have an app that we can download that will provide information about the event. Alternatively, a retailer might create geofences around its stores to trigger mobile alerts for customers who have downloaded the retailer’s mobile app. In this case, the geofence managed by the retailer is programmed into the app, and users can choose to deny location access for the app.

Geofences can also be set up by users using the geofencing capabilities in their mobile apps. These apps, like iOS reminders, allow us to select an address or location where we want to trigger a specific alert or push notification. These are called “if this, then that” commands, where the app is programmed to trigger actions based on other actions. For example, “If I am five feet from my front door, turn on my lights.” Or we can ask a reminder app to send us an alert once we reach a certain location.

Geofencing isn’t just for mobile apps – it’s used to control and track vehicles in the shipping industry, livestock in the agriculture industry and – we’ll see this topic come up in drone discussions. Almost every drone is pre-programmed to accommodate geofencing, which is typically installed around airports, open spaces and even the White House. The FAA can set up these drone geofences on-demand – some barriers will stop the drone in mid-air, while others will trigger a warning message to the user. Some drone geofences will request user authorization – a process that ties the user’s identity to their drone – so that law enforcement can track the unmanned drone.

How to Implement Geofencing in Our Fleet

So, how do we apply geofencing to our fleet? The only way to apply it is, you don’t need to bother and be confused about how to install it. Because, you only need to have products from TransTRACK, and this geofence is automatically on the fleet you use.

Not only geofences, you will also get other features such as fuel sensors, immobilizers, double protection, speed limiters, and other features. Use  Fleet Management System for better management of your fleet!