Fleet GPS & Dash Cam Installation — Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Florida & Mississippi Call or text: 803-513-1009  ·  info@apisignalcorp.com
Fleet tracking, explained

What Are the Different Types of GPS Trackers?

Fleet tracking is more than a dot on a map. The tracker on the truck is the start, and around it sit cameras, logs, sensors and equipment monitoring that answer different questions. This page explains each type we install across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, what it does and who it's for, with a page on each.

Which type of GPS tracker do you need?

Start with the question you want answered. Where are my trucks? A GPS tracker. What happened in that accident? A dash cam. Did the trailer move overnight? A trailer or asset tracker. Was the equipment actually working? PTO monitoring. Each type below answers one of those questions, and most fleets end up with two or three of them working together on the same platform.

The equipment is the same whether you run the fleet or sell the systems to fleets. What changes from truck to truck is how it is installed: where the device goes, how it is powered and which signals it reads. That is what each page below covers.

Illustration for gps tracker installation

GPS trackers

The core of fleet tracking: a device on each vehicle that reports location, speed, idling and engine data to a map. Installed on the diagnostic port with a Y-split harness, or hardwired to constant, ignition and ground.

Illustration for dash cam installation

Dash cams

Road-facing and driver-facing cameras that record incidents and send clips to the office, mounted high on the windshield and hardwired so they can't be unplugged.

Illustration for backup camera installation

Backup cameras

A rear camera and cab monitor for vans and box trucks with no view straight back, switched on by the reverse circuit.

Illustration for eld installation

ELDs

Electronic logging devices that record drivers' hours of service from the engine, with a driver display mounted in the cab.

Illustration for pto integration

PTO monitoring

Wires the power take-off into the tracker, so the platform shows when a boom, pump, bed or blade was working, not just when the truck was running.

Illustration for trailer gps tracker

Trailer trackers

Hidden trackers on enclosed, utility, equipment and dump trailers, powered from the trailer's battery or the tracker's own so they keep reporting unhooked.

Illustration for wireless passive tracking

Asset trackers

Battery-powered GPS trackers for things with no power of their own: generators, containers, light towers and equipment.

Illustration for driver id installation

Driver ID

A reader in the cab that the driver taps with a key fob or card, so every trip is logged to the person who drove it.

Illustration for sensor installation

Sensors

Temperature, door and tank sensors that report into the tracker, with alerts when a reefer runs warm or a door opens.

Illustration for bus system installation

Bus systems

GPS, stop-arm cameras, student ridership RFID, Wi-Fi, passenger counters and dispatch terminals for school and transit buses.

Illustration for fleet wifi router installation

Wi-Fi systems

Rugged vehicle routers that give buses, command vehicles and mobile crews a reliable connection on the road.

Illustration for 360 camera system installation

360 camera systems

Four cameras joined into one top-down view, for box trucks, buses and big trucks with blind spots on several sides.

Illustration for tire pressure monitoring installation

Tire pressure monitoring

Sensors on each wheel that report pressure and temperature, so a slow leak is caught before it becomes a blowout.

Illustration for fuel level sensor installation

Fuel level monitoring

A sensor in or on the fuel tank that shows fill-ups, fuel use and sudden drops that point to theft.

Illustration for bluetooth asset tags

Bluetooth tags

Small tags on tools and attachments, read by the trucks that carry them, so you know what's on board and what got left behind.

The pictures on this page are illustrations, not photos of customer vehicles.

What is the difference between a tracker, an asset tracker and a Bluetooth tag?

Real-time trackers report over the cellular network, and that carries a monthly plan from the tracking provider. Bluetooth tags don't need one of their own.

What equipment can be monitored through PTO?

PTO, short for power take-off, is how a truck's engine drives its hydraulic equipment: booms, augers, beds, blades, pumps and moving floors. Most owners don't call it PTO. They just want to know when the equipment was working. These pages explain how that is done on each type of truck:

Illustration for grapple truck monitoring
Grapple trucks
Illustration for hydro excavator monitoring
Hydro excavators
Illustration for rollback tow truck monitoring
Rollback tow trucks
Illustration for snowplow monitoring
Snowplows
Illustration for digger derrick monitoring
Digger derricks
Illustration for walking floor trailer monitoring
Walking floor trailers

For PTO monitoring on other trucks, and auxiliary inputs such as doors, lights and beacons, see our PTO and equipment integration page.

Does it matter who installs a GPS tracker?

More than most buyers expect. A tracker on the wrong ignition source shows false idling. A device left hanging under the dash gets kicked loose and goes quiet. A camera cable rubbed through on a box truck takes the picture with it. The device you choose decides what you can see; the install decides whether you can trust it. We install all of the types on this page at your yard, across eight states, and test each one against your platform before the vehicle goes back out.

We don't install radar sensors or starter disable systems.

Common questions

GPS Tracker Questions

What are the main types of GPS trackers for vehicles?

Wired trackers installed on the vehicle's diagnostic port or hardwired to its power, battery-powered asset trackers for trailers and equipment, and Bluetooth tags for tools that are read by nearby trucks.

What is the difference between a GPS tracker and an asset tracker?

A vehicle GPS tracker runs on the vehicle's power and reports constantly. An asset tracker has its own battery for things with no power, and usually reports less often to save battery.

Do Bluetooth tags work like GPS trackers?

No. A Bluetooth tag has no GPS of its own. It is seen by a nearby reader, such as a tracker on a truck, which reports where it saw the tag.

Can one device do GPS tracking and ELD logs?

Often, yes. Many fleet telematics devices do both. Ask your provider before adding a second device.

Do you install radar sensors or starter disable?

No. We don't install radar sensors or starter disable systems.

Not sure which type you need?

Tell us what you want to know about your vehicles and equipment, and we will tell you which type answers it. Call or text 803-513-1009.

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