Fleet Tracking
Additional Add-on Services
When it comes to vehicle tracking devices for your fleet, you may be wondering what exactly they record and the GDPR implications that come with this.
In this guide, we’ll be explaining all of the data that Fleetsmart’s vehicle trackers record and store and how you can ensure you’re fully compliant with the UK’s current data protection laws.
In order to deliver a comprehensive tracking solution, our vehicle trackers record and store the following information about your vehicles:
Vehicle start and stop locations
Live locations
Time spent in depot
Point of interest (When vehicles enter areas marked as points of interest)
Overspeeding
Idling
Heavy braking and acceleration
Driver summary
Driver identification (when using add-on fobs)
Private usage
Mileage driven
Power Take Off (PTO) Reports
The use of vehicle tracking data in the UK falls under the category of personal processing data and is therefore governed by the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR).
The basic principles of GDPR expect adherence to the following principles relating to the processing of personal data:
Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.
Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the proposals for which they are processed.
Accurate and, where necessary, up to date. Every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that is inaccurate is erased or rectified without delay.
Kept no longer than necessary, to fulfil its purpose.
Processed along the lines of the individual’s human rights.
Protected against unauthorised or unlawful use, loss or destruction.
To ensure compliance, organisations should maintain a vehicle tracking policy that is compliant with GDPR.
The key things to focus on when it comes to legally tracking business vehicles are the following:
Ensuring your drivers know their vehicle is being tracked
Only recording business usage of vehicles
Storing data securely and keeping it no longer than necessary.
Let’s look at this in a bit more detail.
As we mentioned earlier, it is absolutely necessary to ensure your drivers are aware of and consent to having tracking devices installed on the vehicles they drive. This can be done verbally or written as part of their contract, though it must be made clear and you must receive consent.
In order to ensure you don’t get into any sticky situations later down the line, it’s always best to have this interaction in a written document and to get a signature from your employees to show that they understand and agree to driving a tracked vehicle.
Under the Human Rights Act 1998 that sets the right to respect for a person’s private and family life, their home and their correspondence, you must only record and store data on the vehicle’s business usage, so if your employees are allowed to use company cars for personal use, you must ensure that you add on Driver Privacy Switches.
These allow drivers to mask tracked positional details for private usage, ensuring you’re fully compliant with all UK privacy laws.
Finally, GDPR states that any data collected must be accurate and up to date and kept no longer than necessary. This means you should have a system in place to determine when data is no longer needed. For example, clearing vehicle speeding data 5 years after it has been collected.
You must also ensure that all data is stored securely and that only those who are authorised have access to it.
Yes. At Fleetsmart, we do everything possible to ensure the safety and security of all customer data. This includes conducting regular security audits from third party professionals.
All of our data infrastructure is hosted in data centres certified to ISO90001 Quality Management and ISO 27001 System Security Standards. This data is then backed up on concurrent hourly, weekly and monthly schedules distributed across redundant data centres.
For more information about the type of information our vehicle trackers record and how you can stay fully GDPR compliant, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.
Tracking a fleet of cars is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. By utilising a GPS fleet tracking system, you can keep a constant eye on your vehicles. Typically, you install GPS tracking devices in each vehicle, which then communicate their positions back to a central system. Depending on the service and software, you can monitor not only the locations but also the speed, fuel usage, and other key data right from your computer or mobile device.
The cost of fleet GPS can be a multifaceted issue, depending on various factors such as the number of vehicles, the sophistication of the system, and the level of support and features required. Some basic systems can start as low as £7.95 per vehicle per month, while more advanced solutions may cost more. It’s wise to obtain a customised quote from providers, taking into account your unique requirements and the scale of your operations.
A GPS fleet tracking system is essentially a combination of GPS technology, software, and sometimes cellular technology. Vehicles are equipped with GPS devices that relay information to a central system, often in real-time. This lets you see where your vehicles are at any given moment, their speed, the route taken, and more. It's a tool that's fundamental for many businesses, providing control, insights, and the ability to respond swiftly to changing situations.
GPS vehicle tracking is, without a doubt, a game-changer for fleet management. By having real-time information on each vehicle's location, you can optimise routes, reduce fuel consumption, enhance safety, and provide better customer service. Unplanned delays? No problem! With GPS tracking, adjustments can be made on the fly. It provides a panoramic view of your fleet's operations, helping in predictive maintenance and reducing overall costs. It's more than just tracking; it's a comprehensive management tool.
GPS tracking and telematics, although interconnected, are not quite the same thing. GPS tracking focuses primarily on monitoring the location, speed, and direction of a vehicle. Telematics, on the other hand, encompasses a broader range of information, such as driver behaviour, engine diagnostics, fuel efficiency, and more. It uses GPS tracking as part of the system but extends beyond by collecting, analysing, and utilising data for more in-depth insights. So, while GPS tracking is about 'where,' telematics is about 'how, what, and why.'