Has your company decided to make GPS tracking a part of your fleet management strategy? Expect to enjoy the many benefits of improved driver monitoring and advanced route planning in the near future. While you are probably excited about these features, your employees, on the other hand, may not view the implementation of GPS tracking technology in such a positive light.

Of course, whether or not you decide to inform your employees that you are adopting GPS tracking technology is entirely up to you. If you do choose to tell your employees, here are some ways to do so in a positive, incentivizing manner.

Take Back the Conversation

Upon introducing GPS tracking to your fleet, you may receive some pushback from employees. This may be because the narrative surrounding the installation has been centered on enforcement, rather than encouragement. Employees, especially drivers, may have concerns about why the company is adopting GPS tracking and if their standing with the company has changed. While these concerns should be addressed, they in no way need to dictate the tone of the conversation surrounding the adoption.

You can use this as an opportunity to take control of the situation and change how the installation is received. Shift your employees’ focus to the benefits GPS tracking will offer each of them. Make sure to detail the following when doing so:

• Protection: With GPS tracking, drivers are protected from fraudulent complaints. If a customer fallaciously claims that a driver was late or never arrived on site, the driver now has data showing their arrival time to back them up.

• Job Assistance: Fleet tracking helps drivers make it to their destinations using the quickest and safest routes possible. This works to both ensure driver safety and, potentially, improve job performance.

• Take-Home Benefits: If your fleet has a take-home policy in place (or if you choose to implement one upon adopting GPS tracking), the increased control and assurance the company will gain from the fleet monitoring technology could expand take-home options for employees.

Encouragement Over Enforcement

Make it clear, from the very beginning, that your company’s adoption of GPS tracking technology is not a punishment. While some employees may regard it as a way of catching drivers at their worst, let them know that the technology will make rewarding good behavior possible. Use this as a way to introduce any driver incentives you plan on using in conjunction with GPS tracking. Emphasizing encouragement and rewards over enforcement and punishment is a great way to get your employees excited about the new technology.

If your new GPS tracking system is getting a frosty reception from your employees, it’s time to take back the conversation and convince them that the benefits greatly outweigh the perceived downsides. If you pitch the technology as a helpful asset and emphasize the benefits for drivers who excel behind the wheel, you’ll have your employees rethinking their concerns in no time.