[John Mart]

.... to staff that you are fitting trackers to their vans. I should add that they are allowed to take them home.

[Richard Groves]

"Just so you all know, I have decided to fit trackers to all the vans. Its not an issue of trust with anyone. Its a business descision that has many advantages to the smooth running and efficiency of the rounds".

[John Mart]

"Just so you all know, I have decided to fit trackers to all the vans. Its not an issue of trust with anyone. Its a business descision that has many advantages to the smooth running and efficiency of the rounds".

That’s good but they won’t believe me. I think there’s no easy way. I don’t see them together very often as they start from home and finish at different times. There’s a third one starting soon so best to get it done before he starts, but not looking forward to the conversations with current Two.

[Richard Groves]

You're the boss. You shouldn't need to explain your descision.

[P @ F]

Just tell them its more of a security measure in case the vans go missing , it will be easier to get them back , and you could add that its a requirment on fleet insurance .
I had a van go walkies for a week once , i called the old bill but they could not class it as stolen as i had given the keys , needless to say when i found the van and him he no longer had a job , he was lucky he still had teeth .

[Smudger]

"Vans are now being fitted with trackers - this is a requirement by our insurance company"

but why are you scared to tell them ? something to hide ? are you a bad boss ? at the end of the day they are your vans not theirs

We told the guys they've been fitted

A. because we get a discount on the insurance premium
B. As we are rural we can locate them in an emergency and can see who is most suitable should a last minute job come in
C. Verify times at jobs ( large commercial ) when the customer/or said manager of site claims you only spent 10 minutes on site when in fact you were there for 3 hours
D. Time keeping your paid from the moving off to the time the van returns to base/home

Darran

[AuRavelling79]

Why ARE you fitting trackers?

[KS Cleaning]

.... to staff that you are fitting trackers to their vans. I should add that they are allowed to take them home.

I’m well impressed that you have vans and staff........there, do you feel better now😜

[Rogue Trader]

say that they are to prove that they were at a job when a customer denys we came last month giving it the old " well i didnt get an invoice"  etc ... tbh that is a real bebefit of trackers as well as making sure they are at a job for the right time esp if any complaints are made the first thing I do is see how long they were there. if not long enough they get a bollocking if long enough then I take it as honest mistake. that can all be explained in a v positive manner imo

[Rogue Trader]

tbh now I have had them a couple of years or so I can believe I used to not have them! bit like I can't believe thst I used to use george ... lol

[John Mart]

Why ARE you fitting trackers?

Truthfully, they are two brand new vans and one three years old and soon to be another brand new one and I want to ensure that there is no temptation to use them for anything other than work.

The other things are obviously very useful, particularly the “I didn’t get a bill” nonsense.

[John Mart]

"Vans are now being fitted with trackers - this is a requirement by our insurance company"

but why are you scared to tell them ? something to hide ? are you a bad boss ? at the end of the day they are your vans not theirs

We told the guys they've been fitted

A. because we get a discount on the insurance premium
B. As we are rural we can locate them in an emergency and can see who is most suitable should a last minute job come in
C. Verify times at jobs ( large commercial ) when the customer/or said manager of site claims you only spent 10 minutes on site when in fact you were there for 3 hours
D. Time keeping your paid from the moving off to the time the van returns to base/home

Darran

I’m not “scared” but given that they have recently been allowed to take them home, I suspect they will feel they aren’t trusted. In a sense that’s kind of the case isn’t it given my reasoning above.

[John Mart]

say that they are to prove that they were at a job when a customer denys we came last month giving it the old " well i didnt get an invoice"  etc ... tbh that is a real bebefit of trackers as well as making sure they are at a job for the right time esp if any complaints are made the first thing I do is see how long they were there. if not long enough they get a bollocking if long enough then I take it as honest mistake. that can all be explained in a v positive manner imo

I get complaints that they were too quick but nothing wrong with the job. 

[Soupy]

I don't know about you but my vehicles cost me tens of thousands of pounds. If they want to argue about you protecting your assets then they can go and work elsewhere.

No danger would I be trusting anyone to start from home in the morning without the trackers.

[PHILIP HARDY]

I find it diffficult to believe that a guy with the savvy and nous to have a window cleaning business with multiple operators and vans, cant see a solution to having to tell his employees that he's having trackers fitted
Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

[Slacky]

Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

Whats wrong with that?

[AuRavelling79]

Okay so the main concern is one of trust that they won't use the vans for other things than go straight home. Is that an insurance issue that could be said to them ...

"Guys - you know I've recently said you can take the vans home; which I hope you find helpful not getting here to start your day's work under your own steam? Well that is now an insurance issue as the cover provides for the van to be at an employees home address overnight and if there is a tracker in place then if it's stolen it can be recovered and so a tracker needs to be fitted to comply with certain requirements."

[Don Kee]

If you dont want them to be tempted to use the van for personal then dont let them take the vans home, and then just tell them they’re fitted with trackers.

[dazmond]

do you have to tell them?just get them fitted without their knowledge.......simple....

[dazmond]

...and then you can track them doing their food shopping at the local supermarket,driving to the pub and finishing early and other non work activities.......

[John Mart]

I find it diffficult to believe that a guy with the savvy and nous to have a window cleaning business with multiple operators and vans, cant see a solution to having to tell his employees that he's having trackers fitted
Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

I’m always happy to learn things here. I pride myself on being a good employer  and having motivated workers. This has the potential to demotivate my longest serving employee.

[Smudger]

I find it diffficult to believe that a guy with the savvy and nous to have a window cleaning business with multiple operators and vans, cant see a solution to having to tell his employees that he's having trackers fitted
Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

I’m always happy to learn things here. I pride myself on being a good employer  and having motivated workers. This has the potential to demotivate my longest serving employee.

if thats all it takes to de motivate them then you have the wrong staff

Darran

[Tom-01]

I find it diffficult to believe that a guy with the savvy and nous to have a window cleaning business with multiple operators and vans, cant see a solution to having to tell his employees that he's having trackers fitted
Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

I’m always happy to learn things here. I pride myself on being a good employer  and having motivated workers. This has the potential to demotivate my longest serving employee.

Why would it demotivate him? If he's your longest serving employee he obviously has nothing to hide. As stated before say that its for insurance purposes and the whole fleet will have trackers. They are your vans, your employees should realise that?

[John Mart]

I find it diffficult to believe that a guy with the savvy and nous to have a window cleaning business with multiple operators and vans, cant see a solution to having to tell his employees that he's having trackers fitted
Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

I’m always happy to learn things here. I pride myself on being a good employer  and having motivated workers. This has the potential to demotivate my longest serving employee.

if thats all it takes to de motivate them then you have the wrong staff

Darran

[John Mart]

I find it diffficult to believe that a guy with the savvy and nous to have a window cleaning business with multiple operators and vans, cant see a solution to having to tell his employees that he's having trackers fitted
Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

I’m always happy to learn things here. I pride myself on being a good employer  and having motivated workers. This has the potential to demotivate my longest serving employee.

Why would it demotivate him? If he's your longest serving employee he obviously has nothing to hide. As stated before say that its for insurance purposes and the whole fleet will have trackers. They are your vans, your employees should realise that?

Perhaps I'm super sensitive, but if it were me, I'd wonder whether I wasn't trusted after nearly three years of no tracking. 

[Slash]

Just grow a pair and say that you are fitting trackers,they are your vans and is none of their business what you want  to do and if they believe you or not.
They shouldn't  be using them for anything else but work anyway,sounds like you are the type that can be taken advantage of hence the "how to  break" issue.
Just do it.

[John Mart]

Just grow a pair and say that you are fitting trackers,they are your vans and is none of their business what you want  to do and if they believe you or not.
They shouldn't  be using them for anything else but work anyway,sounds like you are the type that can be taken advantage of hence the "how to  break" issue.
Just do it.

True.... probably.

[Soupy]

Perhaps I'm super sensitive, but if it were me, I'd wonder whether I wasn't trusted after nearly three years of no tracking. 

You are overthinking it. I put trackers on 6 trucks when we first started tracking, some of the drivers had been here 10+ years. Nobody cared, why would they? They're my trucks ffs.

If they get upset they've obviously been taking the P.

[John Mart]

Perhaps I'm super sensitive, but if it were me, I'd wonder whether I wasn't trusted after nearly three years of no tracking. 

You are overthinking it. I put trackers on 6 trucks when we first started tracking, some of the drivers had been here 10+ years. Nobody cared, why would they? They're my trucks ffs.

If they get upset they've obviously been taking the P.

Also true.

[Slash]

Some people take advantage doing trips and using to move items for friends and for other people but you are paying the fuel costs and its all wear and tear on your van at the end of the day,too right,fit trackers.

[Smudger]

I find it diffficult to believe that a guy with the savvy and nous to have a window cleaning business with multiple operators and vans, cant see a solution to having to tell his employees that he's having trackers fitted
Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

I’m always happy to learn things here. I pride myself on being a good employer  and having motivated workers. This has the potential to demotivate my longest serving employee.

if thats all it takes to de motivate them then you have the wrong staff

Darran

You think a tracker is really going to effect them?

I know you mentioned that you a “kinda” fitting them because you don’t really trust them, sooo.. your concern is that you do t trust the staff but do t want them knowing you don’t trust them is that correct ?

You maybe putting your own interpretation on the situation it’s just another tool to advance your company just like moving to water fed pole or using sat navs or a computer to do accounts.

Have a look around shops and offices there are security cameras, everywhere do ALL these staff feel they are untrustworthy? I doubt it ( maybe those who are already on the take do because they have something to hide )

Darran

[Slacky]

Just put those tracker stickers on the windshield once they've been fitted.

Job done.

[John Mart]

I find it diffficult to believe that a guy with the savvy and nous to have a window cleaning business with multiple operators and vans, cant see a solution to having to tell his employees that he's having trackers fitted
Guess its just the free, helpful, forum advice he seeks

I’m always happy to learn things here. I pride myself on being a good employer  and having motivated workers. This has the potential to demotivate my longest serving employee.

if thats all it takes to de motivate them then you have the wrong staff

Darran

You think a tracker is really going to effect them?

I know you mentioned that you a “kinda” fitting them because you don’t really trust them, sooo.. your concern is that you do t trust the staff but do t want them knowing you don’t trust them is that correct ?

You maybe putting your own interpretation on the situation it’s just another tool to advance your company just like moving to water fed pole or using sat navs or a computer to do accounts.

Have a look around shops and offices there are security cameras, everywhere do ALL these staff feel they are untrustworthy? I doubt it ( maybe those who are already on the take do because they have something to hide )

Darran

I agree with all of that. I've ordered the system anyway. From Ram Tracking.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Once you've been down the road to VAT, employing, trackers etc., it's easy to forget it's all a bit daunting before you get to grips with and in most cases we don't have anyone in the real world with the experience that people on here have.

[cat9921]

Sounds good, ON my migy

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

Do you pay them for dinner times ? If not don't forget the private button to turn the tracker off while there on dinner

[John Mart]

Do you pay them for dinner times ? If not don't forget the private button to turn the tracker off while there on dinner

Prompted me to Google and apparently also the driver can refuse the tracker. I’ll await my training call from Ramtracker and see what they say.