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Mobiles offer small-fleet GPS
Page 14
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• Small firms looking to keep track of their trucks but unable to pay for expensive satellite tracking technology can now do it via a new mobile phone-based system.
FleetOnline takes advantage of that fact that mobile phones communicate with their network provider telling them where the phone is located. Originally designed to enable pinpointing in an emergency, mobile phone operators are now selling various location services based on this facility.
For a haulier the set-up is simple—visit FleetOnline's website, set up an account and register your drivers' phone numbers. From there a regular SMS text message is sent to the phone user asking them to confirm that they wish to be tracked, something vital to remove any suggestions of 'bin brother' snooping, says boss Erik Jansen, Once all the set-up is completed, the website then allows the haulier to request the position of one, or all of, the mobile phones, which are pinpointed on an on-screen map. The service costs between 21p and 280 per request. Additionally the user can send text messages direct from the computer or request distances to the next drop. The haulier will be billed through his mobile phone provider, with the FleetOnline transactions Indicated. Companies can also check their accounts online.
Jansen says the system is ideal for the smaller operator: "We know there are good solutions for larger fleets—if you can afford a couple of thousand pounds per vehicle for a BPS system then fine, but until now you've been stuck with making phone calls. We looked at BPS systems and it seems that 80-90% of their appeal is the tracking function. It seems to us that the other features are an attempt to justify the high investment," he says.
At present FleetOnline cannot be used internationally but there are plans to launch this once the system is established in Europe.