Haulage companies with large numbers of vans and trucks are faced with several issues that, if not managed adequately, could spell disaster for their businesses. Among the most significant of these, are the security and integrity of their vehicles and cargos, the performance of delivery personnel, the control of repair and maintenance costs and the ability to develop and sustain a network of efficient delivery routes through critical path scheduling. Without the aid of fleet management systems, many of these issues could only be addressed by trial and error or guesswork.

Transport managers once needed to juggle, often incomplete or fictitious data, dredged from multiple log books with fuel receipts to get some idea of how their fleets were coping. Using  the new generation of tools that employ tracking devices and smart software has not only put an end to the guesswork but is enabling tasks that once may have occupied several days to be completed more easily, with far greater accuracy and in a mere fraction of the time.

Just as with tracking procedures used as a means of theft prevention or vehicle recovery, when managing a fleet of vehicles whether on land, at sea or in the air, each vehicle to be monitored must be fitted with a GPS tracking device. These devices, in turn, must be capable of communicating the data collected via one or more communication protocols, to a base station or control centre where the raw data may be processed into useful information.

The means of data transfer may vary. In urban situations, GSM cellular networks may normally be used. When out of range, across our borders or at sea, a satellite link can tackle the task with ease.

Basic data returned are position and time but, to these, vehicle performance data such as engine revs and temperature, oil pressure and even data regarding the way the vehicle is being driven may be added providing all that a manager needs to run his fleet.

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Sad though it may be, vehicle theft and hijacking in South Africa has increased and remains a serious threat to both life and property. As vehicle security has evolved, the auto thieves have also grown in sophistication, finding ever new ploys by which to gain access and to seize control of cars and trucks owned by others. Keeping a remote eye on their movements by fitting them with vehicle tracking devices, however, can be invaluable in assisting recovery in the event that anti-theft measures should fail.

Fitting one of these units to any kind of vehicle is like having a concealed guard in the cab reporting every twist and turn and reporting a car or lorry’s exact position at any given time. If signals from the unit are under the watchful eye of a security company or fleet manager, the data provided may enable an operator to immobilize the vehicle remotely, reducing the location and retrieval of a stolen vehicle to a matter of routine.

Panic buttons and 2-way communications are a common feature of these systems and provide additional means with which to enhance the safety and security of vehicles, cargos and drivers.

Harnessing The Power Of GPS And GSM Or Satellite Technology

In order to establish its precise position at any given time, the concealed vehicle tracking devices must time the signals transmitted by four or more GPS sources in orbit. Armed with accurate details of the satellites predicted position at any time, special software is able to calculate the unit’s position relative to the satellites. Repeated measurements may then be used to construct a real-time display of the vehicle’s route indicating the time at each point along the way.

To do this, the software could form part of the unit as in the popular hand held satnav units but, for remote tracking, a communication link by GPS, broadband or satellite, to a control centre where monitors and processing software are located, will be required.

We are specialists in vehicle tracking devices, contact us for these and other communication solutions.

The need for reliable communications appears to have grown at least as fast as the world’s population. Despite the rising needs, however, there are still huge areas of the planet’s surface in which conventional telecom services such as provides by landlines are unavailable and in which even the modern cellular networks are unable to operate. This serious shortfall has spurred the development of new hardware and software designed to enable near-global reach by means of satellite communication networks.

The early devices used for this purpose where, like early mobiles, similar in size to a brick and required a long antenna to ensure a connection. Advances in this technology have made the manufacture and use of much smaller units possible and some of the newest models are very similar in size to the latest smart phones. Improvements to satellite design and an increase in their numbers has extended the network coverage to the point where almost any spot on the earth, however remote, may be reached by this technology.

Not Just For Voice Calls

The ability to talk to another person almost anywhere else on earth fills a vital gap and this type of communication can be invaluable to the safety and lives of those at sea or in other remote locations. Voice signals, however, are not the only ones to be carried in this way. Comsats in geostationary orbit such as those that make up the Inmarsat network, offer the high bandwidths required for more complex data such as video transmissions by news reporters in the field. In order to minimise signal lag due to the extreme altitudes of these units, satellites in low earth orbit (LEO) may be more suited to voice transmissions although more units are needed to provide enough coverage at their lower altitudes.

Both operate by line-of-site, so hills or mountains may make it necessary to relocate to establish a connection. Overall, however, their reach is essentially global, except where non-democratic forces prevail. Contact us for quality satellite communication solutions from an established industry leader.

This technology has been widely used in the tracking of all manner of mobile assets around the globe. These include various types of land-based transport, sea-going vessels and aircraft. In South Africa, the most frequent application lies in the monitoring of haulage vehicles both within the country and beyond its borders. Installing tracking devices in long-haul trucks offers both fleet owners and drivers a high degree of security that is not readily obtainable except through the use of satellite tracking solutions.

The benefits of these systems are many. Using a simple global positioning device, an array of sensors and two-way satellite communication, they may be uses to measure and record data regarding the vehicle’s position at any given time, its mechanical performance and the behaviour of its driver. In the event of an attempted hijack, they may, in some installations, be used to immobilize the vehicle.

More sophisticated thieves may employ a means to jam GSM (cellular) and GPS (satnav) signals but the more advanced systems may include the means to detect and frustrate these attempts.

Deviation from a planned route is easily detected and could suggest a hijacking in progress where the driver was prevented from using panic buttons or comms channels.

A Fleet Management Tool Also

In addition to the obvious security role of a tracking device, in conjunction with suitable software, it may also serve as a powerful tool for fleet management, offering insight into the performance of both vehicles and drivers.

Data both from the GPS component and from additional sensors that monitor a number of the vehicle’s performance parameters are relayed by GSM cellular or satellite channels to a control centre where further software functions make sense of the raw data.

Derived information about fuel consumption, freewheeling, and excessive acceleration or braking all serve to help fleet managers maintain a tight ship and assist them in efficient planning of routes and delivery schedules, reducing idle time and increasing productivity and margins.

Contact us for industry-leading products and all you need to know about satellite tracking solutions.