GPS vehicle tracking was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Defense for military purposes, but vehicle tracking has had a trickle-down benefit in governments of much smaller size. State government, townships, mid-size cities and even small villages with total population of maybe a thousand residents can reap real rewards by adding vehicle tracking systems to their municipal vehicles.

Vehicle tracking systems note the mileage, speed, direction and stops of a vehicle using GPS satellite signals. The information can be printed out in a vehicle tracking report or viewed over an animated or satellite map on a remote computer. These vehicle tracking reports can be viewed in real time, or recorded in memory for later viewing.

Used in a municipal setting, vehicle tracking devices will let supervisors know if workers are where they should be during their shifts.

Vehicle tracking solutions help municipalities in the following ways:

·         Cut excessive fuel consumption by reducing repeat trips, overlapping routes, speeding, and excessive idling.

·         Save payroll costs by eliminating personal errands on work time, excessive breaks, inaccurate logging of time.

·         Reduce insurance costs by proving safe driving records, and/or having a vehicle tracking system with theft recovery (real-time vehicle tracking).

·         Extend life expectancy of vehicles by keeping better routine maintenance schedules (oil changes, belt checks, tire rotation, etc.)

·         Run services more efficiently, for example snowplowing, street sweeping or police patrols.

·         Defend an employee or prove innocence with a vehicle tracking report, noting speed, location and time, to conflict with a complaint or criminal charge or moving violation.

·         Show evidence against an employee at a disciplinary hearing.

People may not treat someone else’s asset with as much care as their own. The scratch on the car, the ding in the truck bed is not so tragic when the vehicle belongs to someone else. A vehicle’s lifespan can be shortened as a result of reckless driving or negligence. Vehicle tracking can extend the life of a vehicle.

In a municipality, city property is not the ownership of an individual, or a business man or a corporation. City property belongs to the people and taxpayers. City employees and elected officials are obligated to be responsible and accountable with city funds and property.

In a vehicle tracking system, a geo-fencing feature could be activated exactly at the city’s boundary to ensure that municipal vehicles do not leave the jurisdiction they serve.

Employees can remotely clock in or out to the vehicle tracking system, using a cell phone or laptop.

The township of North Brunswick, New Jersey, (population of 38,000) is considering installing GPS tracking systems in municipal vehicles. The township has 150 vehicles and officials want to equip 50 vehicles with vehicle tracking in the first phase of the project.

Vehicle tracking systems are reasonably cost effective, but they can be pricey when used in a fleet arrangement. North Brunswick is considering a quote of $17,500 to set up the system and about $15,000 annually in service fees for real-time vehicle tracking.

Industry-wide, municipalities that install vehicle tracking systems usually experience a great Return on Investment (ROI). A Connecticut town about the same size as North Brunswick put in a real-time vehicle tracking system last year. The cost was $21,000 and annual fees are about $18,000. The first year of the vehicle tracking system, town officials noticed a $32,000 savings in labor costs, vehicle repair bills and paperwork.

One of the biggest challenges for municipalities is getting employees to support and cooperate with a vehicle tracking program. An individual will naturally resist a vehicle tracking program that captures and documents activities of their personal lives, such as where they worship, where they dine or drink or who they visit.

Some town officials who have witnessed great benefits from instituting vehicle tracking systems, recommend disabling vehicle tracking devices once employees clock out for the day. Another municipality launched an incentive program. Each employee got a $750 monthly bonus when he or she agreed to vehicle tracking and consistently completed assignments on time. As an example: City trash pickup improved over a period of six months from 50 percent on-time to 95 percent on-time.