What do we know about trackers cos the company i work for has just decided to do a full review of our van routes (undoubtedly to give us more work)
Anyway the story so far, i complained to my regional manager that our vans were leaving the depot overloaded and we were having to work ten hours a day to cope (only get paid for 37 1/2 weekly) so asked for summat to be done.
Did they get another van or shift some of the workload to another depot NO they sent us a van with a tracking device so they can see what we are doing allday,what i want to know is what information can they get from trackers and what type??does it plot your route like a sat-nav or is it text,does it know what speed your doing or even the speed limit
It would be handy to know what they're about cos then i could speed up or slow down also it takes awhile sometimes for delivery to be made can it tell them how lomg we at each customer
let me know what you guys know or even just suspect about these things
2004 Iron Grey 407se 136bhp......Written Off
2006 Moonstone blue 407 se 136 bhp.....Written off
2006 silver 407 SW..........replacement
The cheap type uses a GPS receiver and logs your position to flash media every 30 seconds or so. At the end of the day/week/month the logger is connected to a PC and the data's processed there. Basically you get to work out average speed (per time period) and position. They can work out if you spent 3 hours parked outside your house or if you did 150 down the M1
The expensive type incorporates (essentially) a GPRS-enabled mobile phone which updates a central server with your position data every so often, enabling the Powers That Be to see everything in realtime.
Speed limits on the road you're on can be acquired without difficulty and a record of your speeding would be trivial to produce. Note that the frequency of updates (sent live, or logged) can be varied down to about 1 per second!
<steve_earwig> I think this forum is more about keeping our cars going with minimal outlay than giving our cars more reason to go bang
I am a aware of these systems, at work we run 3 small vans and I have been sent tracking stuff in the post before.
It provides live data on where you are, what speed your doing, whether the engine in on or off, whether you are stationary with the engine on or off, how long you stop for each time etc. Not sure if it can plot your actual route compared to your intended route (that would be a bit difficult unless your GIVEN a route first) we didn't look into it that much because we couldn't afford it
Hope this helps.
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
Dont know anthing about trackers but it does sounds like they work a bit like a tacograph. My piggin van has a digital tacogragh fitted in it that records everything on a card which my boss will download all its infomation onto a computer every couple of weeks. It records time driving, time stopped, distance, speed, and the best thing about it, it also has a small printer for when i get pulled by the feds for a "routine check sir". They can have a look at what ive been doing
Last place I worked had them on the vans, one on mine didn't work what a shame.
They track where the van is, where the vans has been, the vans current location, current speed, if you have been speeding and what speed you have been doing. Work out how many miles you should have done. ....
If they fit trackers it may be good for you. They can see that you are working, going decent routes, not stopping having fag breaks all the time etc. only a prob if you are always trying to pull fast one. All you have to do is drive round at the speed limits, go a decent route and the tracker system will prove that you are not lying about being over worked!
Providing you are doing your job they could stop them complaining at you or firing you because the tracker logs will be evidence, therefore it must show your doing something wrong for them to be able to do owt.
Amazing is'nt it? I can imagine the conversation now.........
Tremmy: "we need another van & driver for sure"
Gaffer: "oh really! we'll be the judge of that"
Gaffer: "writes out cheque for £6,000.00 for tracker fitting"
*a few weeks go by*
Gaffer: "Right lads, this is Jim your new driver, we've identified we needed another van"
*later*
Office Admin: "Hey look, tremmy was doing 70MPH in a 60 zone what shall we do about it?"
Gaffer: "nothing, what does it matter?"
*Early 2008
Gaffer: "Er, sorry lads about the pay rise thing, it's just that our overheads are too high, what with the trackers and that"
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
or even the speed limit 
also it takes awhile sometimes for delivery to be made can it tell them how lomg we at each customer
