Geofencing is a simple but very useful localization solution. This option creates certain zones, the crossing of which can be constantly monitored. For example, it is the area of warehouses, streets, or even countries. Crossing the boundaries of this zone is recorded in the TMS, and then we are notified accordingly. See what the applications of this solution can be.
Using geofencing in transportation
Monitoring the entry or exit of a truck from a certain area can be used in several different ways and for different purposes: security, freight optimization, fleet management, etc. The following are a few practical applications.
Routing-creating safe routes for drivers
After the driver leaves the designated route, the system initiates an alarm and notifies the company. Given the increasing number of terrorist attacks involving trucks, the option seems very useful.
Record of drivers’ working hours
Most TMS systems can monitor drivers’ working hours. After MiLoG became operational in Germany in 2015, entrepreneurs noticed the usefulness of geolocation in this particular area. It is about registering the driver’s working hours in a minimum wage country (after crossing the borders of this state, the system calculates the working time and the rate).
Truck fleet management
In this case, it does not only concern the monitoring of vehicles themselves but also getting information that the vehicle has left or just entered the territory of the logistics center.
It happens that entrepreneurs install many such zones, thanks to which they track the movement of trucks without the need to monitor the map (receive SMS messages that the driver has just left the route, crossed the Polish-German border, arrived at the guarded parking lot, etc.).
Extra protection
The honesty of employees is different, as is the suspiciousness of their employers. Here too, geo-zoning can help – it is enough to establish an area that the driver cannot cross. Such “no-go zones” can be simple gas stations that offer drivers cheap lunches, but at the same time have high fuel prices.
The potential of these solutions has yet to be fully exploited. One can imagine how strong the Polish TSL market would be if it were more open to innovative technologies.
