Deciding Whether You Need a GPS Unit for Your Vehicles

While GPS systems are more attractive than ever thanks to their reduced cost, it is only a wise investment if you really need it.

Use the following short quiz to see whether a GPS system is right for you. During the quiz keep track of how many times you answer yes, and your score will be discussed at the end.

1. Are vehicles used as part of the business?
   a. Remember that the term vehicle includes heavy, medium, and light duty vehicles, construction equipment, cars, motorcycles, RV’s, pick up trucks, vans, buses, and taxis.
2. Has there ever been a theft of any of my vehicles?
3. Knowing where my vehicles and employees are during the day is important to me.
4. I would like to reduce my operating expenses, especially those related to wasted fuel.
5. My business demands that I give my clients accurate arrival and delivery estimates.
6. I want to know if any of my vehicles are being used outside business hours for personal reasons.
7. I would like to receive a savings of up to 30% on my vehicle insurance costs.
8. I want to know if my employees are engaging in reckless behavior with my vehicle, including speeding.
9. I want to be aware if any employees are using my company cars to work on their own time or moonlight.
10. It is important to be made aware of mechanical problems before fixing them becomes incredibly expensive.
11. I want to be able to locate my vehicle within minutes if it should ever get stolen.
12. I want to be able to protect against employee fraud by comparing vehicle use to overtime requests.
13. I would like regular reminders when vehicles are ready for routine maintenance tasks.
14. It would be helpful to have a database of the exact time and date of each customer delivery in case customers question when a particular item was delivered.
15. I would like to improve employee productivity by looking at their travel routes each day.

Scoring Your Results
First add up all the times you answered yes to a question, then look for that number below:

• Less than 7 yes answers: A vehicle tracking system does not appear to make sense for your business at this time.
• 7 to 11 yes answers: Your business could see great benefits from implementing a vehicle tracking system.
• More than 11 yes answers: It is clear that your business needs the benefits of a vehicle tracking system.

For most business owners their investment in a GPS tacking system can be recouped within six to twelve months. Depending on what happens with your vehicles your ROI may be shorter or longer. All is takes is to find one lost vehicle and you have fully paid for your system.

You will also see reduced operating costs and improved employee productivity with vehicle tracking systems. One way a vehicle tracking system allows you to reduce operating costs is that it identifies employees who waste fuel, speed, cause increased wear and tear on your engine, and increase your insurance costs. It also helps you keep your vehicles in good working order by giving you reminders when it is time for routine maintenance tasks such as oil changes.

Ways that GPS tracking systems improve worker productivity include:

• Show extended employee lunch hours and breaks
• Documenting unauthorized breaks
• Showing possible fraud in employee overtime requests by comparing it to actual vehicle usage
• Eliminating the unauthorized use of the vehicle outside business hours
• Doing away with the need for employee logs

Vehicles that are protected by a GPS tracking system are often eligible for discounts up to 30% from many insurance carriers.

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