GPS Fleet Tracking on the Rise: How Much is Too Much?

GPS fleet tracking is growing among many companies in the US because the benefits like safety, cost-efficiency, customer dispute resolution, and more accurate report generation on worker activity.

Even though there are no federal regulations about company usage of GPS technologies with their employee asset usage, some employers are still concerned about the legal exposure of their business. So how can you fully protect yourself from a potential legal challenge from an employee?

In most of the lawsuits in this matter, it comes down to the the balance between the rights of a business to know how company equipment is being used (and what employees are doing on company time), versus the employees right to privacy in their personal time.

The best answer is to be as transparent as possible with what you are tracking and why–most companies get into trouble when they implement GPS technology without the employee’s knowledge.
Here are some basic rules of thumb:

• Use GPS technology only on company property
• Inform employees both verbally and in writing (such as in an employee handbook) and require them to sign the document before using any company equipment.
• Collect and store only the information that is pertinent to job performance.
• Fully explain the benefits of using the technology and offer incentives (such as prizes for good driving behavior, lower gas usage, etc.)

When done correctly, it’s far less likely that you’ll run into any legal issues, and you’ll find that the technology can significantly impact your bottom line.