Tracking System

As far as a tracking-only system, I've run Minorplanet and Air-Trak. Minorplanet was a joke, but I don't think it's even available here in the states anymore. Thank goodness I opted for a "termination" clause in the contract. The system was cellular based which was hardwired to the truck, and could only call home when the ignition was turned off to download it's coordinates.

The Air-Trak (formerly Cloudberry) system was much simpler and without all the hassle. There were two versions--vehicle based (hardwired), and Nextel based which, btw, helps with that DOT audit issue as there are no hardwire "ties" to the big rig. It's not without fault though. When we updated to new phones (the not-so-rugged i580 Nextime phone), we started having problems with incorrect coordinates. The problem was with the GPS chip in the phones. We were locked in to the phones under contract so we had to discontinue the Air-Trak service as there was no contract and it was billed-as-you-go. I don't know if Vehiclepath is also Nextel based, but if so, the problem is likely an issue with the phone and not the service. With Air-Trak's newest software, I do know that you could set it up to automatically run the software every time the phone was turned on, and it would restart the software the instant a driver ended the program. I didn't have a problem with drivers trying to circumvent the tracking software because it was for their benefit too.