Using mobile data technology to track fleet vehicles can improve the efficiency of remote workers and help cut costs.

Property and grounds maintenance company Quadron uses networked global positioning system (GPS) units in 400 of its 520 vans to prioritise the allocation of tasks to its engineers.

A GPS device in each vehicle relays location data back to a central server, so that management teams for each area can distribute jobs to the closest available worker.

There are considerable financial benefits to the programme, according to IT director Andy Meaden.

“We only needed to save one man-hour per week on average for the project to pay for itself,” he said. “So in terms of the cost to the business, it was a no-brainer.”

The amount of information now available represents a complete change from what had been available previously.

“Our central management now has visibility of about 85 per cent of our entire fleet, whereas before they had nothing,” said Meaden.

“Previously we relied on our supervisors on the ground, who had to know exactly where every member of their team was.

“The whole system was manual ­ when a job came up they would have to find out who was available and relay that information over the phone.”

A key financial saving is the firm’s reduced fuel bill. Because tasks can be distributed more accurately, the amount of unnecessary driving is kept to a minimum.

But the system also helps Quadron ensure its drivers stay within government regulations on company vehicle use. The detailed feedback on the whereabouts of drivers cuts down on unauthorised use of the vehicles outside of work hours ­ which can lead to a fine.

“We are now able to pinpoint when a driver was out on a call, rather than having to rely on what we are told,” said Meaden. “So there is no longer a burden on the company to prove that our vehicles are not being driven for private use.”

Quadron began its tracking programme in late 2005, using the Fleet Link service from mobile operator Orange.