What is GPS Trackit Driver?
GPS Trackit Driver is routing and dispatching software, providing electronic communications between the drivers and their home base.
How Does GPS Trackit Driver work?
Drivers are sent work assignments, known as Routes, which are accessed via a mobile app. These Routes are created, assigned, managed and monitored via the Cloud software platform in the Routes section. Routes consist of two components: Stops and Waypoints.
Stops are designated work locations where the driver is required to halt and carry out specific tasks, such as delivering goods or performing repairs. These will be visible to the Driver when viewed on the GPS Trackit Driver App.
Waypoints are predefined points that the vehicle must navigate through while traveling from one stop to the next. They ensure that the driver follows the intended route, for example avoiding a particular bridge. Waypoints are not listed for the Driver to view on their app.
If a Stop or Waypoint is missed, it can activate a Route Deviation Alert.
What Do Routes Accomplish?
Work assignments can be sent to drivers without the need for time consuming phone calls or written work orders. These assignments can be adjusted at any time, with the changes immediately visible to the driver. In addition, the driver’s progress through their assignment list will be visible on the Cloud software platform. Up-to-date information regarding company assets means faster response times and greater response flexibility, both of which contribute to improved customer service. The inclusion of Waypoints allows for monitoring the route between stops and helps ensure the driver remains on the designated course.
How Are Routes Used?
Routes have two options: First pre-set Templates, used when the same assignments need to be sent multiple times. For example: a lawn care company with pre-set routes and schedules that don’t have frequent changes. The second option are individual Stops, one-off work assignments. A good example is a plumbing or electrical company, using this option to assign work as service call requests come in.
Assigning a Route to a Driver begins in the Routes Tracker tab with the plus (+) button in the upper left corner. The assignment fields will then appear to the right.
By default the toggle button to utilize a Template will be toggled to Yes. If sending singular one-off stops, toggle this button to No. Click here for instructions on creating a Template.
*Note: the 24 stop limit is a function of Google Maps and cannot be overridden.
To send a Template, leave the button toggled to Yes. Use the Template dropdown to make the selection.
Then assign the Route to a Driver along with inputting the scheduled date & time to run the Route. Routes can be scheduled in advance, allowing managers and dispatchers to send out job routes all at once for multiple days rather than having to take time on a daily basis to input assignments. After filling out all the fields, press ‘Next’.
A new set of fields will now appear. The first section to address are the Settings.
The Name field must be updated, as a Driver cannot be assigned Routes with identical names.
Before the Route goes to the Driver, the sender has the opportunity to make adjustments. For example, perhaps a Stop or Waypoint needs to be temporarily omitted or their order should be altered.
The first and final Stops to be entered into the Route will be marked ‘Start’ and ‘End’ respectively and will contain a button allowing arrival/departure tracking to be enabled or disabled as needed. Disabling arrival/departure tracking is utilized to indicate that the location is where the Driver should begin and end their Route from but that these are not work assignments and will not require the Driver to make inputs on the app to update their status. For example, indicating that the Driver should begin and end their Route at the company office.
Optimize Route and Avoid Tolls are also available options.
Optimize Route will have Google Maps figure out the most efficient order for the stops to be completed. Optimize Route should be used when the order of the stops isn’t a concern. The Driver simply needs to accomplish each stop in the most efficient way possible. If the order of the Stops matters, do not use the Optimize Route function. Instead, manually lay out the Stops in the desired order for their completion. The designated Start and End points will be excluded from the changes made via optimization. Moving the Start/End points must be done manually.
The Use Driver App option means that when the Route is sent, its status on the Driver App will be set by the Driver when progress on the Route begins. If Use Driver App is turned off, then the route will immediately show as ‘In Progress’ rather than ‘Pending’. Please note that the Use Driver App feature is independent of Vehicle Assignments and does not affect the assignment of Drivers to Vehicles.
*Note: If the Driver already has a Route in Progress then toggling ‘Use Driver App’ will have no effect. The Route being sent will show as ‘Pending’ until the current Route being worked on is completed, then the new Route will automatically switch over to ‘In Progress’.
The final step for the initial settings are the Closure options. Closed routes will no longer appear to the Driver, whether or not all the Stops were completed. A User will need to reassign any incomplete Stops.
Routes can be marked closed after the vehicle has arrived at the final Stop, once all Stops have been visited (meaning marked ‘Done’) or after a certain number of hours have passed.
Routes will be automatically marked ‘Closed’ when a superseding Route has been assigned. For example: a Route of 5 Stops is assigned to begin at 11 am. A second Route consisting of another 5 stops is assigned to begin at 2 pm. The first route (11 am) will vanish at 2 pm, when the second route should start, whether or not that first route has been completed.
*Note: The closure of a Route will not take place if the original route never left ‘Pending’ status. In the example given above, if the 11 am Route remains ‘Pending’ then it will not be closed in favor of the 2 pm.
After adjusting the Settings, choose whether or not to engage ETA. The ETA feature enables users to calculate a vehicle's estimated time of arrival and share it with customers via email or text, enhancing communication and customer satisfaction. This real-time tracking eliminates unnecessary back-and-forth, providing clients with accurate updates on when to expect an employee's arrival.
Toggle the ETA Link to ‘Yes’.
Choose whether or not to include Camera snapshots in the link. Only available if the Route is being sent to a Driver operating a Camera equipped vehicle.
The ETA Notes field is used to enter any information that needs to be visible to the link recipients.
Finally, select the recipients for the ETA link. The link can be sent as an email or text message. Pre-existing Contacts can also be chosen. The link will be available to the recipient until the entire Route is complete.
Alerts should be utilized to enable the Route Deviation Alert. As each Stop and/or Waypoint is added to the Route, a 50 meter virtual boundary is placed per side of the road. The Alert is triggered if the vehicle reports from a location that is not included within the virtual boundaries generated by the Stops/Waypoints.
*Note: The Route Deviation Alert will only function if the Driver Assignment function is properly utilized. If no Driver is assigned to the Vehicle, the Alert will not trigger.
Toggle ‘Activate Alerts’ to Yes.
Select ‘Route Deviation’ from the Events dropdown.
Choose whether or not any ETA recipients should receive the Route Deviation Alert as well.
Enter the desired Alert recipients. The Alert can be directed to multiple recipients via SMS or Email, as well as preexisting Contacts.
When satisfied with all chosen settings, press ‘Save’. This action will send the assignment to the Driver.
Templates are used when needing to send multiple Stop assignments to the Driver at once, laid out in a specific order for completion.
If Templates are not considered optimal to meet scheduling needs, the Stops can also be input as individual one-off assignments. Stops can be assigned one at a time OR as a set of several at once. The primary difference is that unlike Templates, the Stops are not saved in the system to be re-sent at a later date.
Within the Routes tab, press the plus (+) button in the upper left corner of the Routes Tracker tab.
Toggle ‘Use a Template Route’ to No.
Select the Driver, then input the scheduled date and time for the Stop.
As with Templates above, the first section will be the Route settings beginning with a unique name. The date of the assignment is an excellent way to keep the names unique.
Unlike a Template however, Stops and Waypoints will all need to be entered by clicking Stop or Waypoint (Add/Edit).
Both Stops and Waypoints can be input as an Address, a Unit (vehicle) location, Landmark or manual Map Click. Stops will require a unique Name to be entered as well, however this is not required for Waypoints.
Each Stop has a radius, which can be adjusted. When the vehicle assigned to the Driver enters the specified radius, the Stop status will automatically update to On Site. If the vehicle assignment tool is not in use, the driver must manually update the status to On Site.
In both cases, the previous status must have first been set to In Route, as Stops cannot transition directly from Pending to On Site.
As with the Name Field, no Radius is set for Waypoints.
After adjusting the radius enter any Notes regarding the Stop/Waypoint, for example to enter by a certain door. For Stops, these notes will be visible to the Driver and should be used to pass along work instructions such as the example above.
The Notes field is also available for Waypoints, however as Waypoints aren’t visible to the Driver the notes won’t be either. Waypoints notes are meant for the Users who create and assign the Routes and Templates. For example, the Waypoint is in use to ensure that vehicles avoid a certain bridge due to their size.
Once satisfied with the Stop details press Add to save.
Repeat the above steps to input the required number of Stops.
As the Stops and Waypoints are entered, their positions will be mapped out to the left allowing for a visual overview of the Route as a whole.
The next step is to review the list of Stops and Waypoints and make any adjustments needed before saving. To manually arrange Stops and Waypoints, click the Route Stops dropdown. If a stop needs to be changed or removed, hover over the entry and click the quick menu button that will appear to the right.
The list entries can be dragged and dropped to change their position within the Route. The Route plotting on the map will automatically update to reflect the changes.
As with the Template option above, the first and final Stops to be entered into the Route will be marked ‘Start’ and ‘End’ respectively and will contain a button allowing arrival/departure tracking to be enabled or disabled as needed. Disabling arrival/departure tracking is utilized to indicate that the location is where the Driver should begin and end their Route from but that these are not work assignments and will not require the Driver to make inputs on the app to update their status. For example, indicating that the Driver should begin and end their Route at the company office.
Like described above with Templates, decisions must be made regarding the use of Avoid Tolls, Optimize Routes and Use Driver App.
Also like the Template option, adding ETA links and enabling the Route Deviation Alert are available options.
Once all Stops and Waypoints have been entered along with ETA and Alert options, press Save to send the Route to the GPST Driver App.
Assigned Stops and Templates are both known as Routes once assigned and will appear in the Routes tab, under the Routes Tracker. Use the filter in the upper right corner to search as needed.
After the assignments have been made, changes can still be input if needed. Perhaps a service call is canceled or the order of the stops need to be changed, as something is now a higher priority than it had been.
Locate the Route on the list and hover to produce the quick menu button. Click to produce the edit option.
Fields will now appear on the right. Stops can be deleted or added. The order of the stops can also be changed by dragging and dropping. Press Save to retain the changes.
Drivers will not need to be informed that changes have been made. These will appear automatically on the app, as well as triggering push notifications (if enabled).
Edits to Routes will also update any related ETA links.
The GPS Trackit Cloud software will automatically show the progress the Driver makes in completing their assigned Route. This is viewed via Routes, under the Routes Tracker tab.
Clicking on a Stop will show further details about that Stop while selecting Stops Visited will provide more detailed information about the overall route progress.