Fleet Tracking Buying Guide

Fleet Tracking Buyer`s Guide

The question often comes up [Are fleet tracking devices and service just a commodity and it doesn`t matter who I choose?" Let`s be honest. You are reading this article on a site that sells fleet tracking devices. So, it stands to reason that we would tell you that fleet tracking devices and services are most certainly not a commodity.

First, you have the gps tracking devices themselves. These range from vehicle tracking devices to equipment and asset tracking devices (including trailer trackers).

If there is a commoditized portion of the market, this is it. In the world, there are a few manufacturers of GPS chips that every tracking device manufacturer solders onto their silicon boards to make the [guts" of the tracking devices. There is a similar issue with the cellular chips and antennas.

The Difference in Fleet Tracking Manufacturers

The key difference is in the service and reliability of the manufacturers of GPS tracking devices. Here are some questions to ask when shopping for a GPS tracking device:

Where is the manufacturer headquartered?
Notice I didn`t ask where the tracking devices are actually manufactured. The reason is that, as far as I know, every GPS tracking device manufacturer has manufacturing facilities either owned or by contract in Asia. Most are in China with some in Taiwan.

The important part of the headquarter location is that you, and/or the company from which you purchase your device, has recourse if something goes wrong if the manufacturer is headquartered in the United States. If the manufacturer is headquartered overseas, that is understandably more difficult.

How many units does the manufacturer have in circulation?
This question is "how many total devices?" This gives you an idea of how long the company has been doing business and also lets you know that they have solved problems if they have a significant installation base.In our case, our manufacturers have millions of units out in the world.

How many of the units that I am looking to buy are in circulation?
This is secondary to the question before. Think of each fleet tracking device like a new model of car or truck. Ford or Chevy might produce a new truck that is simply a slight change to the last year`s model or they might revamp the entire line.
GPS tracking devices are ever evolving and can run into issues with new models. Like cars, the first iteration of a revamped device might have more issues than the 2nd or 3rd iteration.