SmartPhone Tracking, Is It A Viable Option

The market share that smartphones enjoy is increasing year on year due big enhancements in features such as mobile web and GPS based services but are they a viable option for tracking and monitoring the activities of drivers? Whether they are Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, Android or iPhone smartphones have one major flaw as a tracking device, they can all be turned off by the user.

Smartphones have the added benefit that they can interact with the driver putting the office in their palm, they can run Sat Nav, use electronic forms and even take pictures. They go with the employee and don’t stay in the vehicle which is an important feature where the employee is working in a hazardous situation. For many companies where vehicle tracking isn’t practical making sure that the devices are kept switched on is simply a management task but for others this is a show stopper, preventing them from adopting a smartphone based solution.

For certain businesses vehicle tracking does offer benefits that a smartphone device can’t, vehicle tracking monitors the vehicles ignition status and can tell the employer when the engine is running or fuel is being wasted through unnecessary idling, they can also monitor hard breaking and acceleration events and the usage of doors and tail lifts.

Although many companies already use electronic forms on smartphones to collect signatures and information, some of these companies also run vehicle tracking solutions side by side. There is no doubt that the potential cost and business benefits of tracking smartphones are massive however until they make a device that can’t be switched off by the user they will always be second choice for most fleets.