Vehicle Tracking VS Lone Worker Tracking

There are many types of tracking system available on the market today but how do you know which one is right for your business? In this article we will be looking at 2 types of tracking system, vehicle & lone worker, and what they have to offer.

How do they work?

Vehicle tracking: These systems use a device that is installed into a vehicle to record and feedback information regarding the vehicles movements. The majority of these systems use GPS (Ground Positioning System) technology which is the most accurate way of calculating the vehicles position.

Lone Worker tracking: These systems come in many varieties such as: small tags carried by an individual, identity badges that form part of a uniform and mobile phones that track an employee’s movements. Lone worker trackers use a variety of technologies including RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), GPS and the mobile phone network to track assets.

How do you choose which solution is right for your business?

By asking yourself the following questions……

Why am I tracking mobile workers?

- For employee safety purposes, to improve employee productivity, improve fleet management, reduce fuel and maintenance costs or simply to ensure that employees are where they are supposed to be.

What is the environment the employee will be tracked in?

- A lot of time spent on the road, commuting via public transport, home visiting staff at potential risk, security workers (on foot or vehicle based), large working environments such as construction sites or airports,

Any additional requirements?

• Vehicle Tracking:

  - Driver ID (Informs of who is driving what Vehicle).
  - Panic/SOS Button (Allows employee to raise an alert to the office from the vehicle).
  - Vehicle insurance Discounts (vehicle tracking can lower insurance premiums by up to 30%)
  - Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), 2 way messaging system between driver and office.
  - Increase vehicle security, can improve vehicle recovery time when stolen.

  Lone Worker Tracking:

  - Panic/SOS Button (Allows employee to raise an alert to the office using the tracking device).
  - Satellite Messaging, a tracking device that is able to send pre-programmed messages to a recipient or an emergency centre via GPS satellites in parts of the world where there is no mobile phone network available.
  - Use existing mobile phones to track employees.
  - Tracking devices integrated into 2 way radios (Walkie Talkie).

Many products/solutions within the Lone Worker tracking category are specifically focused towards the safety of the employee. A good example would be covert tracking tags or identity badges that not only track the individual but allow them to raise an alert using as SOS feature. These products can dramatically increase safety when in potentially dangerous working environments, having proved particularly effective for staff who carry out home visits.

Another popular tracking solution is GPS enabled mobile phones. These solutions are often used to track mobile employees such as sales reps and can sometimes be a cheaper alternative to vehicle tracking.

If you are looking to simply track an employee’s movements or improve productivity for road based employees then vehicle tracking has many advantages over its counterparts. Vehicle tracking can be less of a burden on employees when opposed to lone worker tracking as they do not need to keep it charged or remember to take it out with them. Another advantage is that vehicle tracking cannot run out of battery (unless the vehicle does) and cannot be switched off by the driver. Vehicle tracking also provides companies with information as to the status of the vehicle (vehicle ignition on/off, idling) and this information can bring further cost reductions as it allows companies to reduce any unnecessary fuel wastage.