The short answer
Start with what you are tracking (people or things), then how live it needs to be, then who needs to see it. For a small fleet of vans driven by the same people every day, a phone app on each driver’s phone is usually enough; for machinery, trailers or vehicles that change drivers constantly, a fitted hardware tracker is the better choice.
1. People or things?
This one question rules out half the market. A phone app tracks a person — it goes wherever they go, whichever vehicle they drive. A hardware tracker tracks an object — a van, a trailer, a digger. If what you care about is “where is my team”, choose people-tracking. If it is “where is my equipment”, see tracking company assets.
2. How to choose between GPS trackers with different features
| Feature | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Update frequency | How often does the position refresh? Can you choose? (why it matters) |
| Route history | How many days back can you look, and can you pick exact dates and times? |
| Alerts | Can it tell you when someone arrives at or leaves a site (geofencing)? |
| Managers | How many people can see the map, and does each cost extra? |
| Export | Can you get the data out, for example as a CSV for timesheets or invoicing? |
| Privacy controls | Can the tracked person see when tracking is on? (this matters legally) |
| Battery impact | What does it do to a phone’s battery over a shift? (battery guide) |
Best GPS tracker for fleet vehicles: what should you choose?
There is no single best GPS tracker for fleet vehicles — there is a best fit for your fleet:
- Same driver, same van, every day: a phone app on the driver’s phone gives you live location and route history with no installation. Cheapest and quickest to start.
- Pool vehicles shared between many drivers: a fitted tracker per vehicle, because the vehicle is the constant.
- You need engine data (fuel use, harsh braking, engine hours): hardwired telematics that reads the vehicle itself. A phone app can’t see inside the engine.
Cloud-based vs local GPS tracking systems
Almost every modern tracking service is cloud-based: devices send positions to the supplier’s servers and you view them in a browser or app from anywhere. Local systems keep data on your own computer or server — more control, but you run the server, the backups and the security yourself. For a small business, cloud is almost always the practical choice; the questions to ask are where the data is stored and who can see it. TrackLink, for example, stores its data in London and keeps every organisation’s data isolated at the database level.
DIY vs professional GPS tracking implementation
Hardwired trackers usually need a professional installer. Battery trackers and phone apps are DIY: you can be running the same day. The real “implementation” work in a small business isn’t technical at all — it is telling your team what you are doing and why, which is also what UK data protection law expects.
A short checklist before you buy
- Trial it with real people on real days, not a demo.
- Check the total yearly cost, not the headline price (cost guide).
- Check how far back history goes and whether you can export it.
- Write a short tracking policy before you roll it out.
Common questions
What is the most important feature in a GPS tracker?
For live tracking, how reliably it updates — a cheap tracker that goes quiet for twenty minutes is worse than no tracker. Then route history, then alerts.
Can one system track both people and vehicles?
Some can, but it is usually cleaner to track people with a phone app and equipment with dedicated hardware trackers, each doing what it is good at.
Is TrackLink a hardware tracker?
No. TrackLink is an Android app plus a web dashboard: it tracks the person carrying the phone, updating every 30 seconds, 60 seconds or 5 minutes, with 5-second and 1-second modes as explicit opt-ins.