How to roll out GPS tracking without upsetting your drivers

The worry we hear most before an install is not about hardware. It is: "My drivers will think I don't trust them."

In our experience, employees don't get upset because of GPS tracking in itself. What upsets them is the way it is implemented. Done in an honest, transparent way, most people accept it quickly. Done quietly, to catch people out, it backfires.

Start with a written company policy

Before the first unit goes in, put a short, plain company policy in writing. Say that the company uses GPS tracking and say what it is for. Share it with everyone who drives a company vehicle.

In Ontario, employers with 25 or more employees are required under the Employment Standards Act to have a written electronic monitoring policy, and GPS tracking counts. Even if you are smaller, it is worth doing.

We have put together a sample GPS tracking policy you can adapt.

Sample GPS tracking policy →

Explain what it is for

• An audit trail for the customer. If a customer says your truck didn't show up at 10 a.m., you can show that it did.
• Accountability and efficiency, so the company runs better for everyone.
• Vehicle maintenance, so service happens on time.
• Theft prevention and recovery for company vehicles and equipment.

Explain what it is not for

It is not a punitive tool. Nobody is going to be timed for a 10-minute bathroom break. If someone wants to grab a coffee and a doughnut at Timmy's, that is fine too. Just don't spend an hour and a half there.

The policy should also be clear the other way. A company truck is for company work. Using it for four hours to move a couch for a weekend party is not okay, and the policy should say so.

"Are you going to watch me all day?"

Be honest: no. Nobody has the time. You will look at the map when there is a reason to.

If a customer asks where their technician is, you can check the map instead of calling and interrupting someone who is busy. If one technician is stuck and needs tools or materials that another truck is carrying, you can see who is nearby and tell them to meet up.

"Don't you trust us?"

Of course you do. If you didn't, they wouldn't be working for you. GPS tracking is an accountability tool, and it works in the employee's favour too. When a customer claims nobody showed up, the record proves your employee was exactly where they were supposed to be.

It also means you can find the nearest driver or technician for a new job without calling everyone to ask where they are.

Catch people doing something right

Use the information to recognize good work, not only problems. If someone is regularly getting seven calls done a day, tell them. A $50 Tim Hortons card and a thank-you go a long way, and it shows the team what the tracking is really for.