Cheap tracking tech for small fleets

The cost of tracking systems is what Don Sesler believes is the major stumbling block for most smaller trucking companies. That’s why his company, Sageplan Inc. of Austin, TX, a reseller of cellular and tracking devices, developed what he thinks is a low cost way for smaller carriers to get real-time tracking information on their vehicles.

“We wanted to offer something with basic functionality – the ability to track a fleet’s vehicles – at a price point both for the technology and the installation that would be affordable to smaller operators,” said Sesler, president of Sageplan, during a press conference at last week’s Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, TX.

The Sagetracker is small one-pound device attached by a heavy-duty magnet to either the inside our outside of the trailer, powered by either four Double A batteries or an external power source such as the truck’s battery. The device has a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver that uses a GSM cellular connection to transmit its location to Sageplan’s operations center. That location data is then available to the fleet via a password-encrypted web site, Sesler said.

“It’s a simple all-in-one package for a low cost we think gives smaller fleets access to real time location data,” Sesler added. “We’re also working on a ‘panic button’ option we hope to add to this service in the near future.”