Vehicle Tracking & Management

VEHICLE TRACKING & MANAGEMENT

In Pakistan, Vehicle Tracking and Management system was introduced 16 years ago, so one can easily say that this market is still in an infancy stage and not all potentials have been tapped. Primary reason being the geographical placement of Pakistan next to Afghanistan makes it of more utility for monitoring Vehicle Thefts as demand of stolen vehicles (specific brands) is high in the neighboring country. Almost all vehicles stolen end up across the border, either for spare parts or mobility in areas where there is no check and balance by the Afghani Authorities.

At this point of time very few companies offer Vehicle Theft and Recovery solutions professionally. When I say very few, I primarily focus on those companies who have been operating for more than a decade and are engaged in not racking individual vehicles only but are also involved in project management in both Government and Corporate sectors. Having no barriers to entry and proper verification of investors, profit mongers just step in the industry and try their luck. Vehicle Tracking and Fleet Management is not that simple, like it’s said in Golf that “No two shots are alike” it can be easily stated here that “No two vehicle Thefts/white collar crimes are alike”. Just by acquiring a license no one gets a license of eligibility to handle such a business in long run, that is why as of today more than 400 licenses are issued but not more than 50 companies exists. Investors come in, work on the project for couple of years and then simply vanish. Such an activity disturbs the whole environment of operations and trust factor in the consumers. Short term thinkers come in the industry reduce the cost of activity by using low grade products and do easy sales. When the product doesn’t work, they just disappear. Eventually, customers turn towards more professional organization and demand the product on reduced prices. This too is one of the reasons that vehicles tracking system is still considered as an accessory not a need for the vehicle by the owner and this industry can be declared as the only industry in which cost of electronics has decreased in past 16 years.

Consumers come to realize the very need of such a product, once their vehicle gets stolen or snatched. Gone are the days when a vehicle used to get stolen in public places or Marriage halls only, today they are being stolen from a perfectly guarded parking area, so much so, from home garages, which are secured by placing not one but two locks on the main gate, in presence of all family member at home. Moving on to the type of tracking devices available in the market, coming details will give you an overview of the technicalities and capabilities of devices available in Pakistan. There are two types of vehicle Tracking and Fleet Management Devices:

• Passive Tracking Devices 
• Active Tracking Devices

Several types of vehicle tracking devices exist. They are classified as “passive” and “active”. “Passive” devices store GPS location, speed, heading and sometimes a trigger event such as key on/off door open/closed. Once the vehicle returns to a predetermined point, the device is removed and the data downloaded to a computer for evaluation. Passive systems include auto download type that transfer data via wireless download. “Active” devices also collect the same information but usually transmit the data in near real-time via cellular or satellite networks to a computer or data center for evaluation.

Many modern vehicle tracking devices combine both active and passive tracking abilities: when a cellular network is available and a tracking device is connected it transmits data to a server; when a network is not available the device stores data in internal memory and will transmit stored data to their server later when the network becomes available again.

Common Uses of Tracking Device

Vehicle tracking systems are commonly used by individuals for securing their assets form theft. It also helps fleet operators for fleet management functions such as feet tracking, routing, dispatching, on-board information and security, Banks use it for security of their assets and at the time of need this system can help recovering their assets in case a client goes into default. Other applications include monitoring driving behavior, such as an employer of an employee. Vehicle tracking systems are popular in consumer vehicles as a theft prevention, monitoring and retrieval device. Police can simply follow the signal emitted by the tracking system and locate the stolen vehicle. When used as a security system, a Vehicle Tracking System may server as either an addition to or replacement for a traditional car alarm. Some vehicle tracking systems make it possible to control vehicle remotely, including block doors or engine in case of emergency. The existence of vehicle tracking device then can be used to reduce the insurance cost, because the loss-risk of the vehicle drops significantly. Some vehicle tracking systems integrate several security systems, for example by sending an automatic alert to a phone or email if an alarm is triggered or the vehicle is moved without authorization, or when it leaves or enters a geofence.

Other scenarios in which this technology is employed include: 

• Stolen vehicle recovery: Both consumer and commercial vehicles can be outfitted with RF or GPS units to allow police to do tracking and recovery. 
• Fleet management: When managing a fleet of vehicles, knowing the real-time location of all drivers allows management to meet customer needs more efficiently. Whether it is delivery, service or other multi-vehicle enterprises, drivers now only need a mobile phone with telephony or Internet connection to b inexpensively tracked by and dispatched efficiently 
• Asset tracking: Companies needing to track valuable assets for insurance or other monitoring purposes can now plot the real-time asset location on a map and closely monitor movement and operating status. 
• Field service management: Companies with a field service workforce for services such as repair or maintenance, must be able to plan field workers’ time, schedule subsequent customer visits and be able to operate these departments efficiently. Vehicle tracking allows companies to quickly locate a field engineer and dispatch the closest one to meet a new customer request or provide site arrival information. 
• Field sales: Mobiles sales professionals can access real-time locations. For example, in unfamiliar areas, they can locate themselves as well as customers and prospects, get driving directions and add nearby last-minute appointments to itineraries. Benefits include increased productivity reduced driving time and increased time spent with customers and prospects. 
• Trailer tracking: Logistics companies often operate lorries with detachable load carrying units. The part of the vehicle that drives the load is known as the cab and the load carrying unit is known as the trailer. There are different types of trailer used for different applications, e.g., flab bed, refrigerated, curtain sider, box container. 
• Surveillance: A tracker may be placed on a vehicle to follow the vehicle’s movements. 
• Transit tracking: temporary tracking of assets or cargoes from one point to another. Users will ensure that the assets do not stop on route or do a U-Turn in order to ensure the security of the assets. 
• Fuel Monitoring: monitor the fuel through tracking device (with help of fuel sensor connected to the device) 
• Distance Calculation: calculate the distance travelled by the fleet.