WIRELESS DRIVER IDENTIFICATION AND TIME TRACKING WITH BLE ID BEACONS

INTRO

Even though there are breakthrough innovations in telematics technologies, the use of old-fashioned paper timesheets and doubtful solutions remain widespread worldwide, leaving space for misunderstandings and inefficient drivers’ time management. To address this issue and create opportunities for more effective business, Teltonika Telematics presents an automated timekeeping solution using GPS trackers and Bluetooth ID beacons.

CHALLENGE

Employees’ productivity is critically important in a logistics business, especially when the world is facing a shortage of delivery drivers. Moreover, because driver-related costs are among the biggest challenges for the transportation and logistics industry and fleet repair and maintenance costs continue to increase, fleet managers face a challenge ensuring that drivers use their time as efficiently as possible, low-cost vehicles and their accessories maintenance.

It is a widespread practice to track drivers’ working hours and keep them accountable in transport and logistics, construction, forestry, agriculture, healthcare, retail, manufacturing and similar industries. It is common to track it with hard copy timesheets or 1-Wire authentication devices. However, the ‘Pen and paper’ method is prone to errors, misuse and manipulations, while 1-Wire authentication is not a wireless solution and requires mechanical installation of an RFID reader, which has to be maintained, for example, fixed if a wire is damaged. A driver must touch an ID card to a reader, and if it is forgotten, the working time will not be accounted for, which may lead to unwanted disputes, errors in relevant reports, calculation of wages, etc.

It is important to keep the driver accountable without wasting their time on such actions as logging time in paper sheets or searching for an employee authentication card and then using it for verification. Efficient fleet management requires fully automated and reliable driver time tracking with the lowest installation and maintenance costs, and Teltonika Telematics can help to achieve this.

SOLUTION

To meet these challenges in commercial vehicles and other industry fleets, Teltonika Telematics wireless BLE accessories can be successfully utilised. EYE Beacons, for instance, allow seamless driver identification using Bluetooth Low Energy technology. Being functional but small, they are very convenient to attach, practically, anywhere, for example on a driver’s keychain.

Each Teltonika EYE Beacon has its unique identification number which is used for driver authentication and the exact electronic date and time stamping. It helps to save time since the authentication is fully automatic, meaning that the driver does not have to do anything but get directly to work. As a result, the working hours of all drivers are automatically and effortlessly tracked with these Teltonika accessories.

Even more, the cost of deploying such a solution is low, especially in vehicles that are already equipped with Bluetooth LE-compatible Teltonika GPS trackers, such as the FMM130 model, which we use as an example here. The EYE-type accessories for driver authentication do not require the installation of any mechanical readers or additional devices and wires.

Fleet management devices can be remotely configured via the FOTA WEB tool in advance to identify EYE Beacons, so there is no need to even access a vehicle to set it up. The solution can be used on a wide range of vehicles - trucks, lorries, buses, delivery services and utility vehicles, light commercial vehicles, etc. EYE Beacons are easy to maintain, have IP67-rated housing and a battery life of up to 10 years.

Furthermore, this wireless authentication method can be used along with an immobilizer via the DOUT output to start the vehicle only when the driver approaches it. Keep in mind, studies show that the uniform use of immobilizers reduces car thefts by 40%.

In summary, EYE Beacons in combination with Teltonika GPS trackers provide fully automatic, convenient and seamless driver authentication and time tracking without the need for any additional installation of mechanical devices and/or wiring, resulting in a noticeable increase in business productivity, improved employee discipline and savings in fleet operating costs.

TOPOLOGY

BENEFITS

• Fully automated driver authentication - accurate and easy-to-use personnel clocking method utilising BLE technology, relevant vehicle GPS trackers, and accessories. Tracked data can be accessed anytime and anywhere via PC, tablet, and smartphone.
• Wireless solution for easy integration - it is a technologically advanced product which saves installation time and costs compared to alternative wired solutions.
• Long battery life and seamless maintenance – with industry-leading battery life, EYE Beacons work for up to 10 years.
• Reduced waiting times – no matter if you are using driver authentication in combination with an immobilizer, other accessories or simply for working time tracking – it will help to be precise and fast since the process of authentication starts automatically as soon as the driver approaches a vehicle. No more wasting time on activities that don’t create value.
• Increases mobile employees' discipline and desirable vehicle driving ethics. Continuous fleet workforce monitoring with selected motivation system will result in effective workflow and lower operational costs.
• Full accountability and reduced administrative workload– all relevant working time data is seamlessly registered and available electronically. Drivers are held accountable, avoiding misuse of vehicles, costly mistakes, dishonesty and chaotic paperwork.

WHY TELTONIKA?

To successfully resolve drivers’ productivity challenges, we offer an indispensable combo from Teltonika – wireless Bluetooth technology-based brand-new ID beacons, functional Android/iOS mobile apps for prompt configuration, scanning, debugging, and the most sophisticated GPS trackers to help logistics businesses succeed.

Teltonika is the place to get all you need to succeed – a great variety of fleet management solutions for almost any use case imaginable in telematics. With more than 24 years of experience and an innovative approach, we have been successful in providing our customers with competitive telematics solutions that help businesses around the world to thrive.