What Are Drivers?
Drivers are the employees operating the vehicles. Via the Drivers tool the GPS Trackit software shows not only which vehicle is which but also who’s operating the vehicles at any given time.
Why Are Drivers Used?
Effective fleet management includes the ability to review certain activities and behaviors not just from the perspective of the originating vehicle but also the driver responsible. The GPS Trackit software provides the ability to assign Drivers to Vehicles, creating a history of who used which vehicle and when. This allows Reports to be run from both perspectives as needed. In addition certain Alerts can be directed to not only to chosen Contacts but to the assigned Driver as well. Driver directed Alerts mean on-the-spot coaching regarding unwanted and/or risky behaviors. Driver assignment also provides an additional perspective when viewing the risk factors presented in the Behavior Report.
How Are Drivers Created?
Drivers are created in the Drivers section of the Manage tab. To Add a Driver to the system, click on the Add Driver button. This is a plus icon in the left corner. Create as many Drivers as needed. This should be one entry per person.
Driver information is very straightforward. A Profile Photo for the driver can be input at the top. Below this, the Driver’s name is entered into the appropriate field. Next, use the Vehicle field to indicate the Driver’s current vehicle assignment. If this is unknown or the Driver doesn’t have a current assignment select ‘none’. Use the Timezone field to show the Driver’s timezone.
Drivers can be organized through the use of the Tags function. Tags will need to be created first in the Account tab, then applied to the Driver in the Tags field. Multiple tags can be applied.
Below Tags is the field for the driver’s Contact information, either their cell phone number including carrier OR their email address. This information is required if any Alerts are to be directed to the Driver.
If using the GPS Trackit Driver App, the Driver will need to have login credentials set up in order to have access. Begin by entering a User Name for the Driver. There is a 5 character minimum. Next, create a password for the driver.
Be sure to write down both the Username and Password to give to the Driver. They will not have this information otherwise.
Be sure to save the settings. Please be advised that Drivers cannot change their own credentials. Changes can only be made here on the software platform.
As well as entering Drivers one by one, there is also a bulk upload option available. This is located in the upper left corner
Click the icon to see the drawers appear on the right. At the top, a CSV template is provided. Download this template and fill it out. Then upload the completed template back into the GPS Trackit software using the File field.
Drivers can be Inactivated or Deleted from the system at any time. The Inactive option should be used when Driver data needs to be retained for future reference.
Inactive Drivers will still appear on the Driver list, with their status marked ‘Inactive’.
To mark a Driver Inactive, use the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Driver settings. The Driver can be reactivated from the same field at any time. Drivers using the GPS Trackit Driver App will require a new password upon reactivation.
Deleted Drivers cannot be reactivated. Reports can no longer be run using the Driver’s name. GPS Trackit recommends downloading and storing any potentially necessary Driver reports before a Driver is removed from the software.
To delete a Driver, click the quick menu next to their name and select ‘Delete’.
How Are Assignments Managed?
Driver assignments can be changed at any time using the Edit function. Either select the new vehicle or set it to None to indicate that no vehicle is assigned to the Driver at this time. Assignments can be altered as often as needed. The change will take place immediately. However the software will NOT make these changes automatically and the changes are NOT retroactive. A Driver can only appear on one vehicle at a time. And multiple Drivers cannot be assigned to the same vehicle simultaneously.
The only exception to the absence of retroactive changes are the VidFleet Cameras. Driver assignments *can* be updated via the captured clips.
Driver Assignments can also be adjusted under Unit Settings. The current Driver (if any) will appear in the Driver column. To make changes, click on Edit for the vehicle.
Driver Assignments can also be managed by the Drivers themselves, either via the GPS Trackit Driver App or via Key Fobs. Use of either option means having all the benefits of Driver Assignment without the need for Users to be aware of those assignment changes.