Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has been performing a marvellous job as it comes to showing directions during travel journeys and it is amazingly simplified the entire process of finding the right directions. Just having smartphones simply solves the problem and the rest leave the job on Google Maps.
Besides commercial & private usage, many industries are embracing vehicle tracking system (VTS) technology. This technology work wonders in greatly reducing on-site or the excess manual work and it increases automation levels.
This is the reason that today industrial owners are adopting advanced technology & IoT for performing fleet management. Vehicle Tracking System uses GPS, which operates through satellites & ground-based stations.
It is also termed as an application of fleet management solution that allows to easily track a vehicle’s location.
There are a number of technologies that allow IoT app development, such as:
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
- Wi-Fi Direct
- LTE advance
- Z-wave
- ZigBee
- Low Energy wireless IP networks
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
How Internet of Things (IoT) supports Vehicle Tracking System (VTS)?
IoT is a big thing that introduced the connected devices of households, gadgets, or commercial appliances controlled over a personal network or internet.
It allows to connect the air conditioner with the smartphone and also controls it from anywhere via the Internet. Also, it is greatly innovative in keeping your assets connected for better monitoring.
Hence, in many ways, IoT is revolutionizing industries. Looking at the logistics & transportation industry, VTS is greatly useful here with different kinds of sensors being placed on vehicles for:
- Monitoring cargo condition, etc.
- Measuring load in real-time
- Tracking delivery process
- Knowing driver’s driving habits
- Identifying the exact vehicle speed
All of this is done by a vehicle tracking system and this powered by the Internet of Things is a major advancement in the logistics sector.
Logistics authorities immensely appreciate its functioning and they demand more innovative ideas that can help facilitate quality product delivery.
The major problem faced by the logistics or the fleet industry is the Tracking of the Fleet. The Vehicle Tracking solution powered by the IoT device makes the VTS not just implementable but even economical.
Now Vehicle Tracking System in terms of the Internet of Things works mainly on three technologies, such as:
- Global Positioning System (GPS): This helps obtain real-time information on routes.
- Radio-frequency Identification (RFID): This helps control and track the products.
- On-board diagnostics (OBD II): This helps obtain information on vehicle maintenance & driving conditions.
GPS technology has been here for a much longer time, way before IoT devices even arrived. When GPS data is transmitted to a host over a mobile data connection, it is enough for tracking the movement of a vehicle in real-time.
With the help of IoT, Vehicle Tracking Solution becomes way more economical, efficient, reliable, and automated.
Understanding the working of IoT based typical Fleet Tracking System
It begins with the location data being collected by on-vehicle sensors, like GPS, and OBD II sensors. Then the data from all of the sensors are sent periodically to the local gateway through mobile data connection as the vehicle moves.
Then the Gateway sends the information to the network server where the direction, location, speed, and other variables are collected and sent to a secure app server in the cloud.
Also, the app server sends the reports and alerts on the movements as well as the safety of the vehicle to the driver’s/supervisor’s mobile.
Today IoT Devices are common household, commercial applications as well as gadgets, with the only difference being they can be connected and controlled over a network, like a personal network or the internet.
So yes, one can easily turn off their smart TV using their smartphone from anywhere in the world, simply when both are connected to the Internet. However, this is only a small part of what can be attained by the Connected Devices.
Like, simply imagine how easier it would be to track things if everything can be connected to the network. Undoubtedly, it is going to revolutionize various industries.
Speaking in terms of growth, it has been massive in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector. Like in 2015, DHL & Cisco carried out a study for understanding the implications of IoT Devices on the logistics industry.
Studies reveal that in 2015, there were 15 billion connected devices and by 2020 they are going to reach a milestone of 50 billion, which means a staggering growth of 333% since 2012 in the numbers of IoT devices.
Also, the reports suggest that the biggest beneficiary of Internet of Things technology would be the IoT Logistics sector.
What are the advantages of the Vehicle Tracking System?
Today there are a number of logistics firms choosing Vehicle Tracking Systems powered by IoT for obtaining the higher benefits and making themselves capable of analyzing real-time fleet data.
IoT helps fleet firms to offer several tools for collecting, sharing, and taking real-time actions to facilitate quick decisions.
Also, using entire data from IoT devices allows managers to track vehicle’s condition, and driver’s behavior and also benefit through enhanced operability via smart wheels.
Speaking of the major advantages of using VTS powered by IoT, there are many, such as:
Ensures Safety
The Internet of Things is the technology that entirely manages its connected devices. And in this case, a VTS technology powered by IoT enables the authorities to track the vehicle’s speed and take the required necessary in case it is Overspeed.
At the same time, vehicles connected via IoT help in identifying empty spaces by sensing the position of the other surrounding vehicles and ensuring that your vehicle is moving smoothly without getting into an accident. Hence, these smart vehicles are great at ensuring road safety and avoiding any kind of mishaps.
Easy tracking of Driver’s Route
Often it happens that vehicle drivers have wrong intentions in mind, like fuel theft. Or often the driver’s intentions may not be wrong but due to his personal driving habits delivery can get delayed.
In this scenario, VTS allows them to keep a check on his driving habits and also determine the route that he takes. Also, the VTS allows staying connected with the driver to ensure he doesn’t opt for any sort of unwanted situation.
Better utilization of resources
Have you comes across a situation when your normal vehicle that is appointed for traveling long distances to deliver products suddenly faces an empty fuel tank situation when on a highway and with no nearby fuel stations.
This not only hampers the condition of products but even causes delays in their delivery. And bring a Smart Vehicle is this scenario which has a Vehicle Tracking System powered by IoT.
In this case, the driver will get prior alerts regarding fuel consumption, and also how much extra fuel is required to reach the destination. This will be a savior in ensuring on-time delivery.
Facilitates tracking location in real-time
Often it happens that cargo goes missing in the middle of the journey and this creates a lot of panics. However, the vehicle tracking system can be greatly helpful in finding out what actually happened.
Vehicle Tracking System powered by IoT is immensely helpful in performing real-time operations, such as collecting location data via sensors and it processes the information via gateways over a smart platform.
The technology uses GPS sensors for detecting the vehicle’s Live location to further analyze and accordingly take necessary decisions.
Several more advantages:
With IoT comes an array of new tools, such as driver apps, in-vehicle streaming cameras, and many more, to ensure easy and rapid communication.
It allows to easily schedule, manage freight, track chauffeur and track vehicles, and take effective routes. And, with third-party APIs, it supports parking assistance, driving etiquette monitoring, traffic reporting, average speed, etc.
It allows the logistics firms to move to the cloud for everyday operations and easily track fleets anytime, anywhere, on any of the devices.
These IoT devices offer collective data that helps the fleet management systems to gain valuable insights into the driver behaviour, overspeed, any act of law being broken by the driver, etc.
Fleet managers can easily access important information, like weather, traffic, and road conditions, and hence deploy the vehicles & drivers in an optimized manner.
Whereas, the businesses are able to ensure that all of their vehicles are properly working by setting alerts for deviations in temperatures, wear & tear in case of tires, vehicle maintenance, etc.
At the same time, preventive maintenance can be run with the vehicle management system that ensures the safety of the fleet and keeps it in the best condition, thus preventing sudden expenses and incurring delays caused by breakdowns.
When vehicles are powered by IoT enabled Vehicle Tracking System, it is easier to track speed, distance traveled, fuel consumption, vehicle utilization, and do a lot more.
This helps in enhancing the overall efficiency of the fleet system. IoT also automates several processes in fleet management and enables the logistic firms to set up the automatic flow of their processes as interconnected devices and work as part of an integrated process.
The technology also allows to track the performance of the vehicle components, by comparing the present performance of that component with the standard performance. A notification is sent in case of any kind of irregularity or decline in performance.
Ultimately with proper IoT application in the Vehicle Tracking System, the total costs are immensely reduced as the technology ensures optimal usage of resources and improved performance.
And overall, the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has greatly empowered the transportation sector, by helping in tracking shipments, cargo conditions, monitoring vehicles, and managing a lot more stuff by using IoT.
