What Industries Use GPS Tracking?
There are four main types of GPS tracking that employers use:
- Tracking people: Employers in any industry may use GPS to track their employees, typically via an employee GPS tracking app, to make sure employees are on-site when clocking in and out of work. Healthcare companies may also use GPS to track patients in long-term care and nursing homes.
- Tracking vehicles: Companies that own vehicles as part of their businesses, such as trucking companies, delivery companies, and services businesses, often use GPS tracking to plan and optimize routes and manage their fleets. Car dealerships and rental car companies may also use GPS tracking to prevent theft or recover stolen vehicles.
- Tracking heavy equipment: Companies that own heavy equipment often install GPS tracking devices on that equipment to help recover it in the case of theft, to get a discount on the costs of insuring that equipment, or to get notifications when equipment needs to be serviced.
- Tracking items: Employers may also use small GPS tracking devices to track items of value. In construction and services businesses, GPS devices may be secured to tools. For businesses like art galleries and museums, GPS devices may be attached to artwork or artifacts.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways that employers can benefit from GPS tracking. And as a result, GPS tracking is used across a wide variety of industries.
15 industries that use GPS tracking, and how they use it
Here are 15 industries that use GPS tracking, including some examples of the types of businesses in those industries that use GPS and how they use it.
1. Construction
Examples: General contractors, real estate developers, erectors, renovators, engineers, and suppliers.
Because their employees work on various projects at different locations, GPS tracking is common in the construction industry. Companies use GPS tracking and geofencing to ensure workers are at the right job sites, to prevent time theft, and to track project time accurately.
When construction employees travel in company-owned vehicles, construction companies may also use vehicle GPS tracking. And heavy equipment and tools are often commonly tracked via GPS as well to prevent theft and to recover lost or misplaced tools and equipment.
2. Trucking
Examples: Cargo transportation, logistics, shipping, and moving companies.
In the trucking industry, GPS is used to identify the location of company-owned trucks, to plan and optimize routes, and to determine mileage traveled.
When fleet vehicles are company-owned, employers generally install GPS tracking hardware on their trucks. When fleet vehicles are employee-owned, employees may opt-in to installing GPS tracking hardware, or they may choose to use a GPS tracking phone app that only tracks their time while they’re on the clock.
Related: Federal GPS Tracking Laws for U.S. Employers
3. Delivery
Examples: Courier services, postal services, parcel delivery, B2B delivery, and B2C delivery.
Like trucking, GPS for delivery companies can be used to identify the location of delivery vehicles and to optimize routes.
For on-demand delivery services like grocery and restaurant delivery, GPS is also used to identify drivers who are in the general vicinity to decrease wait times, as well as to provide customers with an estimated time of when their deliveries will arrive.
4. Services businesses
Examples: Plumbers, landscapers, septic services, electricians, carpenters, cleaning companies, masons, arborists, and painters.
Services businesses often use all four of the different types of GPS tracking.
Employees are tracked via GPS to prevent time theft, to accurately calculate the time spent on customer projects, and to monitor employees’ safety.
If the services business owns heavy equipment — which is common for services like tree trimming and excavation — companies use GPS tracking to monitor the locations of their equipment and how often the equipment is used.
Company vehicles may also be tracked via GPS tracking hardware, and small GPS tracking devices may be attached to company-owned tools to prevent theft and loss.
Related:
5. Transportation
Examples: Rideshare services, taxis, shuttles, school buses, and public transportation.
Taxis and rideshare services use GPS tracking to identify drivers who are in the general vicinity to decrease wait times. They also use GPS to ensure passenger safety. If the driver does not take the passenger to the requested location, law enforcement can be notified.
Public transportation companies use GPS tracking on their vehicles to provide wait times for services, optimize routes, and get notifications about required and suggested maintenance.
6. Rental companies
Examples: Car rental, moving truck rental, bike and scooter rental, and tool/equipment rental.
Rental companies install GPS tracking on the vehicles and equipment that they rent out to prevent theft, lower insurance costs, and recover property in case it’s abandoned.
Rental companies may also combine GPS tracking with geofencing technology to receive notifications when vehicles/equipment are unexpectedly removed from the property.
7. Emergency services
Examples: Police, ambulance, and fire departments.
In addition to using GPS tracking data to recover stolen vehicles, GPS tracking is used in emergency services to dispatch the closest service provider to the scene of an emergency.
8. Healthcare
Examples: Long-term care, nursing homes, and psychiatric hospitals.
In healthcare facilities where patients may put themselves at risk if they venture off alone — such as facilities that care for patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or severe psychiatric disorders — patients may have GPS tracking devices attached to their persons.
However, employee GPS tracking is also commonly used by healthcare administrators because they’re often managing a very large staff that’s distributed across a wide variety of locations.
9. Sales
Examples: Outside, field, and traveling sales.
For traveling salespeople, GPS tracking is used to ensure employees are where they’re supposed to be while working, to track mileage traveled by salespeople, and to ensure employee safety while traveling for work.
10. Auto insurance
Many auto insurance providers offer customers a discount if they install GPS tracking devices in their vehicles. These devices are used to monitor drivers’ behaviors and adjust rates accordingly and/or to help recover an insured vehicle in the case of theft.
11. Utilities
Examples: Electric companies, water companies, cable companies, and sewer companies.
Utility providers use GPS tracking to plan and optimize their routes for things like meter readings, to recover stolen vehicles/equipment in case of theft, and to dispatch the nearest service provider to investigate and fix issues when services are down.
12. Museums
Examples: Art museums, historic museums, galleries, archives, and libraries.
Businesses that house high-priced, one-of-a-kind, and/or irreplaceable items like art, artifacts, and rare books often install small GPS tracking devices on these items to help recover them in case of theft — and to qualify for discounts on the cost of insuring these items.
13. Agriculture
Examples: Crop farming and livestock farming.
The uses of GPS tracking in agriculture are much broader than the other industries on this list. GPS in agriculture can be used to map fields, including information about soil types, moisture levels, and crop conditions. You can also create yield maps after you harvest.
GPS can also be used to automate your equipment. You can use it to apply seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, as well as automate plowing, planting, and harvesting.
Many agriculture businesses also attach GPS tracking devices to their livestock. This helps them monitor grazing patterns, manage pasture use, and find escaped animals.
14. Waste management
Examples: Trash collection, recycling, and chemical disposal services.
In waste management, GPS is used to identify the location of company-owned dump trucks and to plan and optimize routes for trash collection.
15. Airport operations
Examples: Baggage handlers, fuel trucks, and maintenance vehicles.
GPS tracking is often installed on vehicles used at airports to monitor their locations and movements in order to coordinate ground operations, prevent accidents, and enhance safety.
GPS tracking can benefit all industries
While we provided 15 examples of industries that use GPS tracking above, that’s by no means the full extent of industries that use GPS tracking technology.
At Buddy Punch, customers use our GPS time-tracking app across a wide variety of industries you wouldn’t expect, like restaurants, retail shops, banks, schools, dentists, and real estate. Any employer who wants to prevent time theft and improve operations costs can benefit from employee location tracking.
Likewise, any companies that own expensive equipment or other types of property can use GPS tracking to improve their chances of recovering lost or stolen items. The types of property you can protect go far beyond just vehicles and equipment to include inventory, furniture, electronics, and other valuables.
GPS tracking is an essential tool across a wide variety of industries — from construction companies to healthcare businesses and from fleet management to art galleries — for monitoring assets, safeguarding valuable property, and ensuring employees are in the right place at the right time.
If you’re ready to get started with employee GPS tracking, start a free trial of Buddy Punch, explore all of our features, watch a recorded demo, or request a personalized demo.
