An important benefit associated with buying company cars for your employees to use is the ability to track those vehicles as needed. Modern technology enables convenient, real-time and accurate GPS tracking. This technology may be used as a security measure, such as to locate a vehicle that has been stolen or to locate an employee who is not responding. GPS technology may also be used to monitor the location of employees for managerial oversight purposes. If you have decided to start tracking your company’s vehicles for these or other reasons, walk through these steps to ensure that you cover all relevant bases.

Set Clear Policies 
When GPS technology is used to oversee employees and to ensure that they are managing their time responsibly, you must establish clear policies for your employees. Some companies, for example, have lax work hours. They permit their employees to manage their own work schedules as long as all responsibilities are met and tasks are completed. Other companies set strict work hours and limit the amount of time allowed for a lunch break. Regardless of whether you adopt one of these policies or another policy, ensure that all employees have received and read a copy of the employee handbook that outlines these policies.

Understand the Law 
If your employees are allowed to take their work vehicles home after work, be aware that you are typically not legally permitted to track your employees when they are not on the clock. Tracking during work hours is generally permissible. However, you may need to notify your employees in writing of this policy. They may also need to sign a document consenting this. Because tracking laws vary by location, consider consulting with an attorney before installing and using GPS devices in company vehicles. This will help you to stay on the right side of the law when tracking your company’s cars.

Purchase and Install GPS Tracking Devices 
After you have taken these steps, you may be ready to look for top GPS trackers for cars. There are many variations of tracking devices to choose from. The accuracy and cost of these devices may vary. You may also need to pay for monitoring service for GPS trackers, and the software or platform should be easy to use. Ensure that the tracking device cannot easily be located or removed. If employees can remove devices, they may be able to manipulate the system. This renders vehicle tracking ineffective and useless.

Monitor Vehicles Regularly 
Once the GPS tracking devices are installed in your company’s vehicles, you should be able to track vehicles as desired. Constantly observing where vehicles are located can be time-consuming, so you may consider spot checking employees from week to week. If you have suspicions about an employee not working responsibly, you can always monitor that employee’s whereabouts more frequently. The information from a monitored tracking device may be used to support your decision to penalize or even to terminate a specific employee. However, when employees know that their movements can be tracked, they may be deterred from straying from the day’s plans. Remember that you are not the only person in your office who can track vehicles. You may assign this task to various managers in your company to alleviate the time burden of tracking employees.

Tracking your company’s vehicles is an excellent way to monitor your employees and to safeguard your property. While there is a cost associated with using GPS tracking devices in your company’s vehicles, the benefits may be worthwhile. Consider learning more about relevant laws in your area, and start comparing GPS tracking devices as initial steps. By doing so, you will be able to determine if tracking your vehicles is a reasonable and thoughtful step to take.