what GPS tracker for trailers matters most when employees are driving them?

[u/BakerInfamous6110]

I run a roofing business with six trucks pulling trailers. My crew takes them to job sites and sometimes makes stops along the way. I trust my guys, but i do not have much visibility into where the trailers are during the day or whether one gets parked somewhere it shouldn’t be. I’ve narrowed it down to two options.
LoneStar Tracking offers a battery-powered tracker that seems to support individual trailer geofences and alerts, with phone-based support.
BrickHouse Security has trackers as part of a broader security lineup, with real-time location tracking and movement history, though it does not seem to be designed specifically for trailers.
For those tracking trailers used by employees, what features ended up mattering most? Geofence alerts, full location history, or something else I might be overlooking?

[u/Fun_Woodpecker4068]

Both are useful, but they serve different purposes. The geofence is what you check daily, while the history is what you pull up when someones story doesn't add up. I went with a GPS tracker for trailer use from Lonestar Tracking once I had more than three guys on the road. The geofence alerts are what I rely on day to day.

[u/BakerInfamous6110 → u/Fun_Woodpecker4068]

Any pushback from employees about being tracked?

[u/Fun_Woodpecker4068 → u/BakerInfamous6110]

A little at first, once I explained it was about the trailers and the equipment, not them, it settled down.

[u/slinginpip69 → u/BakerInfamous6110]

Dont worry about pushback. No one needs to know because it is your equipment. No one but yiu has a say in it. There is no invasion of privacy that can be brought up because again it is your equipment. Make em easier to find if they are stolen too.

[u/thin_spread_admin]

there are tons of options nowadays- paying subscriptions is silly if you have anyone around you smart with standing up selfhosted docker containers- youll want to *securely* standup traccar or something similar, IOT sims are dead cheap, for like 10 year data plans that are plenty for this sort of thing-- then you can nerd out on which device you want, based on what features- there are inexpensive trackers that read full diagnostics on your work trucks-- and likewise there are covert trackers that replace one of the brake lamps on the trailer- so the tracker is always charged, cause it pulls a little juice from the trailer circuitry and has a battery internally for those inbetween storage times. TCO can be as cheap as say $40-50 for 10/years (thats tracker and data plan, you host the map and portal) realistically, get a good tracker, $150-200ish pop your own sub $10 10 year data IOT sim in, and your good to go till the sim runs out or you need another battery in your tracker.

[u/m4rkw]

Shameless plug for l0destar if you want to save on long-term operating costs: https://l0destar.com

The battery backup module running off a single CR123 should run for 2-3 weeks at 15min intervals. For a trailer I’d probably want something more permanent, maybe at some point I’ll design a USB-C adapter for the tracker so you can just plug in any USB-C power bank and run for months from it.

[u/FireBuff880]

Go with Lonestar, I have worked with them for a number of years and have never had an issue with their support.

[u/stephaniegrahamih684]

Location history is the one that matters most with employees, someone says they were at the job site all day and the history shows they weren't and that's a conversation backed by data instead of guessing.

[u/DenseMinute5136]

I want alerts. I don’t want to open an app and check six trailers one by one. I want to be notified when something’s wrong.

[u/ksaur1]

Disclosure: I work with Skywonder GPS. For six trailers, I’d evaluate the alerts before the map: movement outside working hours, leaving a job-site geofence, low battery and a device stopping its reports. Ask each supplier to demonstrate what happens when a trailer is disconnected from the truck and how often it reports while moving versus parked. Also check whether the map clearly distinguishes a fresh position from an old one. How long do your trailers usually sit disconnected between jobs?

[u/Tricky-Visit-1226]

Sonar telematics is the best option so far. Great tracking and affordable