5. In order to access the customer portal, a LOGIN NAME and PASSWORD is required:
Each user has a confidential login name and password. The user credentials will determine
which vehicles will be visible in the customer portal.
The vehicles are typically identified by the registration number, vehicle make and vehicle
model. Additionally the actual fleet management device installed in the vehicle is identified
by a unique device number.
A list of all the login credentials can be obtained from VAP Consult 001 (Pty) Ltd - 0861
392 392. In order to login, enter the user credentials on the customer portal login page and
click the “Login” button. On successful validation of the user credentials, the user LANDING
PAGE is shown.
3. Landing Page
This section describes all of the various system functions and capabilities accessible from the user
navigation menu.
After successful login, the Landing Page appears as below:
6. On the top left section of the landing page, the user can access the navigation menu (as shown by
the blue arrows in the diagram above)
1. MENU
2. TRACKING
3. TRACKLOGS
4. REPORTS
5. PROFILE
3.1.MENU Button
Clicking on the MENU Tab (Arrow numbered 1) reloads the user LANDING page. The user can return
to the LANDING page at any time by clicking the MENU button.
3.2.TRACKING Button
Clicking on the TRACKING button shows a configurable map based report detailing the movement of
a vehicle during a user specified time frame.
7. 3.2.1. Usage Description
Click on the FILTER TAB as show in the diagram above:
STEP 1 – Select the required vehicle to track from the drop down menu named Vehicle ID
STEP 2 – Limit the results to 50 or more markers. Select more markers if the specific vehicle has
travelled significantly on the specified date. The marker count selection is accessible through the
drop down menu.
STEP 3 – Select the FROM & TO dates required by single clicking on the date box. A calendar will pop
up allowing for date selection. Click on the day of interest on the calendar popup to confirm the date
selection. The time frames are defaulted to 24 hours; there is no need to change them.
STEP 4 – Depending on what information should be displayed on the map, alter the tick box and
radio button settings. The recommended selection is Show All Markers and Show Path between
Markers.
STEP 5 – Click the Submit & Show Map button to load the results.
After the data has been loaded, a map with vehicle location markers is displayed. To obtain more
information about the vehicle at a specific marker location, click on the marker on the map.
Further information can be obtained using the report TABS (located under the main menu next to
the FILTER tab).
INFO sub tab – Displays the vehicle information
8. LOGS sub tab – Displays the vehicle logs
KEYS sub tab – Describes the colour coding of the markers displayed on the map.
9. TOOLS sub tab – Address search, line of sight distance measurements and determining the street
addresses for a specific map location.
3.2.2. TRACK LOGS button
The track logs detail the actual raw data logged from the device which has been installed in the
vehicle (or other monitoring station). The Track Logs menu features a quick method to establish
where a vehicle is at any point in time. It shows all trip events including exception events for
example: ignition on/off events, excessive idling events, speeding events, battery level low events
and many more.
3.2.3. Usage Description
Click on the TRACK LOGS button
STEP 1 – Select the required vehicle from the drop down box named Unit Id.
10. STEP 2 – A unique type code is allocated for each exception event... If searching for a specific event,
click on the drop down box and select the event type from the list, else leave the drop down box
unchanged, showing ALL.
STEP 3 – Select the FROM & TO dates required by single clicking on the date box. A calendar will pop
up allowing for date selection. Click on the day of interest on the calendar popup to confirm the date
selection.
The time frames are defaulted to 24 hours; there is no need to change them.
STEP 4 - Limit the results to 50 or more log entries. Select more logs entries if the specific vehicle has
travelled significantly on the specified date. The log entry count selection is accessible through the
drop down menu named “Limit to”
STEP 5 – AREA INFO –Selecting Area info to “On” will display an additional column showing an
address description for each log entry. Note: This slows down the loading of the logs entries but is
useful in certain cases.
Once the SEARCH button is pressed, the track logs will look as shown in the diagram below:
Clicking on any of the latitude/longitude fields will open a new pop window showing the relevant
position on a map as shown below.
The popup window contains the track log information displaying position on a map.
11. Clicking on the Unit ID will load and display the vehicle details.
The vehicle details will be displayed as follows:
3.3.REPORTS button – Single Vehicle Reports
The reports summary screen enables the extraction of various reports for the vehicles. Most of these
reports can be exported into PDF files for e-mailing or e-filing purposes.
When clicking the REPORTS button, the report summary screen will appear as follows:
To ease the understanding process, not all the reports listed in the SINGLE TAB list are described in
this section. In a fleet management capacity the following reports are considered vital: (Indicated on
the above with arrows)
12. 1) TRIP REPORT
2) ACCIDENT SUMMARY REPORT
3) DYNAMIC SPEED REPORT
Each of the above reports are explained in the following sections
3.2.1. TRIP REPORT
The trip report shows all the vehicle trips over a specific time period, indicating the start location,
stop location and distance travelled.
3.2.1.1. Usage Description
Click on TRIP REPORT
STEP 1 – Select the required vehicle from the drop down box named Unit ID or alternatively select
the vehicle registration from the drop down box named Registration Number.
STEP 2 – Select the FROM & TO dates required by single clicking on the date box. A calendar will pop
up allowing for date selection. Click on the day of interest on the calendar popup to confirm the date
selection. The time frames are defaulted to 24 hours; there is no need to change them.
STEP 3 – Limit the results to 50 or more trips. Select more trips if the specific vehicle has travelled
significantly on the specified dates. The trip count selection is accessible through the drop down box
named “Limit to”
STEP 4 – Click Run Report
To export the report in PDF format click on the link named “View PDF” The generated PDF file has
the following format:
13. 3.2.2. ACCIDENT SUMMARY report
The Accident Summary report shows all possible vehicle accidents/collisions over a specific time
period.
The report details the vehicle speed, heading and location for a 10 second window prior to the
accident event, including the vehicle G-forces to estimate the severity of the collision.
The example below was taken from an actual vehicle accident:
3.2.2.1. Usage Description
Click on ACCIDENT SUMMARY REPORT
STEP 1 – Select the required vehicle from the drop down box named Unit ID or alternatively select
the vehicle registration from the drop down box named Registration Number.
STEP 2 – Select the FROM & TO dates required by single clicking on the date box. A calendar will pop
up allowing for date selection. Click on the day of interest on the calendar popup to confirm the date
selection.
STEP 3 – Limit the results to 50 or more accident events. Select more accidents if the specific vehicle
has travelled significantly on the specified dates. The accident event count selection is accessible
through the drop down box named “Limit to”
STEP 4 – Click Run report
To perform additional analysis on the accident event, click the TRACK LOGS button (See section
3.2.2) and configure the report parameters to match the accident date.
14. To view a map of the accident location and detail click the TRACKING button (See Section 3.2) and
configure the report parameters to match the accident date.
3.2.3. DYNAMIC SPEED report
The Dynamic Speed report shows data for all recorded speeds exceeding a specified value.
3.2.3.1. Usage Description
Click on the DYNAMIC SPEED REPORT
STEP 1 – Select the required vehicle from the drop down box named Unit ID or alternatively select
the vehicle registration from the drop down box named Registration Number.
STEP 2 – Select the minimum trigger speed using the drop down box named “Speed”.
STEP 3 – Select the FROM & TO dates required by single clicking on the date box. A calendar will pop
up allowing for date selection. Click on the day of interest on the calendar popup to confirm the date
selection.
STEP 4 - Limit the results to 50 or more speeding events. Select more events if the specific vehicle
has travelled significantly on the specified dates. The speeding event counter selection is accessible
through the drop down box named “Limit to”
STEP 5 – Click Run report
To export the report in PDF format click on the link named “View PDF” The generated PDF file has
the following format:
15. 3.3.REPORTS button – Fleet Reports
The Fleet reports are available under the FLEET TAB. The fleet reports are very similar to the single
vehicle report in terms of functionality, the difference being that the fleet report reports display
information for all the vehicles in the fleet instead of per vehicle.
Clicking on the FLEET TAB will list all the available fleet reports as shown below:
Most of the above listed exception incident reports are condensed into the DAILY HIGH EVENTS
REPORT that can be automatically e-mailed on a daily basis.
16. The fleet report generation procedure is identical to the single report described in the previous
section.
The Odometer trip distance report is used as an example below:
3.2.4. ODOMETER TRIP DISTANCE report
The Odometer Trip Distance report is used to determine:
1. cost per km,
2. cost per vehicle
3. scheduled maintenance
4. fleet optimization
5. distributed fleet ageing
The odometer is generated by the GPS installed in the vehicle. An optional accessory device can be
fitted to the vehicle odometer input signal, which synchronises the Tracer odometer with the actual
odometer.
3.2.4.1. Usage Description
Click on ODOMETER TRIP DISTANCE REPORT
STEP 1 – Select the Report Type (Summary, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly) from the drop down box
named “Report Type”.
STEP 2 - Select the FROM & TO dates required by single clicking on the date box. A calendar will pop
up allowing for date selection. Click on the day of interest on the calendar popup to confirm the date
selection.
Limit the results to 50 or more odometer events. Select more events if the specific vehicle has
travelled significantly on the specified dates. The odometer event counter selection is accessible
through the drop down box named “Limit report results to”
STEP 3 – Click Run report
Report will appear on screen as follows:
17. 3.2.5. OVERNIGHT LOCATIONS report
This report will validate all vehicles returned to operational base at night and that vehicles are not
being used privately after hours. Also identifies vehicle off site for repairs or service.
If an after-hours driving exception occur, the user can be notified by SMS - if the function is
configured active with valid notification numbers. This exception can be set by sending the SMS
NODRIVE time1 time2 to the Tracer.
The no-drive exceptions will also appear on the Daily High Events report, and other reports.
18. 3.2.6. CARGO TEMPERATURES & CARGO ACCESS reports
All vehicles fitted with cargo temperature sensors and cargo door switches will log the cargo area
temperature and vehicle position on each occasion that the cargo door is opened. The User can then
validate delivery temperatures to clients and quickly identify faulty compressors.
The report details exactly where and when the cargo doors were opened. The locations where cargo
doors are opened can be linked to client waypoints. The cargo compartment temperature after the
cargo doors were opened is recorded. The report also highlights cargo doors opening at non
approved delivery points.
The User can define a high temperature set point alarm. In the event that the cargo temperature
rises above the set point temperature and the compressor is running, an alarm will be recorded and
send by SMS if activated.
An example of an alarm is shown in the report below:
3.2.7. DRIVER ASSISTANT / DOOR reports
This function will validate locations that the driver/assistant opened the vehicle doors.
This report is useful to determine unauthorised stops and locations where the driver assistant exited
the vehicle.
19. 3.3.REPORTS Button - Data Reports
Click on DATA tab – The following data export options are available:
3.3.1. Data Export
Exports the last locations of the vehicles into Excel format
3.3.2. GPRS Communication Status
Exports the device communication status into Excel Format
3.3.3. High Events Report
This is also an automated report that can be e-mailed on a daily basis. The report can also be
extracted manually as follow:
Click on HIGH EVENTS REPORT
STEP 1 – Select the date required for the report
STEP 2 – Click the PDF function
20. The Daily High Events Report will appear on screen as follows:
THE HIGH EVENT REPORT CAN BE AUTOMATICALLY E-MAILED ON A DAILY BASIS.
All exceptional incidents/events including excessive idling, harsh braking, and hard cornering are
detailed in the high events report.
Notes on excessive idling: The fleet management unit detected the IGNITION ON / OFF signals and
registers the time of these events. If the vehicle stands still and the ignition remains ON, the unit will
define this event as excessive idling after a preconfigured time (default is 5 minutes).
It has been established through investigations on various vehicles that the drivers often switch the
ignition on and keep it on for long periods of time, mostly to charge cell phone batteries or listen to
the radio. These driver practices could damage the vehicles' batteries and electronics if the IGNITION
is ON. If the IGNITION switch is only switched to the ACC (Accessory) on click; IGNITION ON will not be
logged.
The high events report is also available in a .CSV file (MS Excel) format
3.4. PROFILE Button
Clicking on the PROFILE button displays the current user information which can be updated by the
user.
21. Always make sure the ENABLE Auto E-mailed High Events Report box is ticked. This will ensure that
the Daily High Events Report is automatically sent to all of the e-mail addresses indicated.
4. Main menu
Click on the MENU Button to return to the user LANDING Page
4.1. TRACKING SCREEN
Clicking on the Tracking Screen link is equivalent to click on the TRACKING Button (See section 3.2).
4.2. MULTI UNIT FLEET TRACKING SCREEN
Clicking on the Multi Unit Tracking Screen will display the current location of all vehicles on a map as
shown below:
22. 1. Vehicles are identified by unit number (ID) and Registration, Make and Model
2. GREEN indicates vehicle and tracking unit running, logging, communicating and updating
(healthy)
3. RED indicates unit is not communicating / logging. This could be due to vehicle battery being
flat, fuse/s blown, out of GPRS coverage (in which case SMS communication can still be
established) or that the fleet management unit has been removed/disconnected
To action the incident with the RED units, location/area & last logged communication must be
validated.
Click on the UNIT ID – The map where the unit last logged or had communication will appear as
follows:
The GREEN BALLOON indicates the vehicle & where it last logged – clicking on the balloon; the white
text box will appear, giving further information on the vehicle.
In order to further analyse the lost communication on the unit, more information can be retrieved
from the TRACK LOGS function.
4.3. LIVE TRACKING SCREEN
Clicking on the Live Tracking Screen link presents a real time view of the current location of the
entire fleet.
23. The vehicle positions are updated automatically as the vehicle moves to different locations.
This feature is commonly used to locate and dispatch vehicles based on current positions, and to
verify route adherence.
The following additional features are available with the live tracking screen:
4.3.1. Marking a vehicle
Click on the digit number (if the cursor is hovered over the number, the vehicle details will show in a
white box). Click on the digit number & the GREEN icon for the relevant vehicle will change to BLUE.
4.3.2. Quick vehicle location display
Click on the UNIT ID – This will automatically zoom in to the relevant vehicle location
24. 4.3.3. Quick Vehicle Status
Click on the vehicle ICON on the map - This will display the current status of the unit
In the example above the GREEN bar indicates unit logging, communicating and updating.
Should the status bar be in RED, this means that the unit has not communicated for 12 hours;
possible the vehicle is out of GSM network coverage or the battery is flat (see example below).
25. 4.4. REPORTS
Clicking on the Reports link is equivalent to click on the REPORTS Button (See section 3.3).
4.5. GPRS COMMUNICATION STATUS DASHBOARD
This tool determines communication problems.
The Communication Dashboard also provides information with regard to the possible reasons why
the Tracers are not communicating or logging.
Reasons may include vehicle maintenance / possible hardware failure / vehicle being out of
coverage.
This function will provide more detail on the reason for non communication.
Click on GPRS COMMUNICATION STATUS DASHBOARD, the dashboard will appear as follows:
Before running any specific filters, for training purposes, leave the settings as they appear when the
screen opens, i.e. DEFAULT SET ON ALL. Once familiar with the screen, further filter options that may
suit specific requirements can be selected.
Clicking the SEARCH button will load the following screen
26. As with the MULTI UNIT FLEET TRACKING, the following colours will appear:
1. GREEN indicates vehicle & tracking unit running, logging, communicating and updating;
2. RED indicates unit is not communicating / logging – Could be due to vehicle battery being flat,
fuse/s blown, out of GPRS coverage (in which case SMS communication can still be established)
or that the TRACER unit has been removed/disconnected.
Headings for the tick boxes will appear at the top of the dashboard list, as follows:
For further assistance with regards to each user and the management of the fleet, there are tick
boxes on the example below – These can be used for the managers to keep a record (on the site) of
what is perhaps wrong with a vehicle, if it is in for repairs, or has been standing in the yard, or
battery removed, etc – This information can be stored for reference purposes later.
4.5.1. Communication issue management (history)
For optimum management of the fleet within the tracking site, an option to record information and
action is available on this page.
Click the HISTORY button for the required vehicle.
27. The HISTORY page will appear as follows – Comments can be recorded in the comments box and
saved for future reference / action:
4.6.TRACKLOGS menu
The following example of TRACKLOGS, dated 17/08/2011, will be discussed in this section:
Certain information can now be gathered regarding this vehicle from the above track logs:
1. Main battery went down / was possibly disconnected (between 16/8 and 19/8)
2. Excessive Idle Alert: At 12h09 Ignition went ON and went OFF at 12h34
3. Vehicle could have been in an accident on 16/8
4. Vehicle stood at same location for 2 days.
28. From the above information, it can be established that the Tracer is possibly not communicating /
logging due to the battery completely being drained.
Action can therefore be taken once all of the abovementioned factors are taken into consideration,
and the battery charged and the reason for the discharge inspected (radio or interior light left on).
4.7.TRACK LOGS PLAYBACK
This function will allow an animated replay on any vehicle in a log by log fashion. Trip playback is
commonly used to validate driver behaviour in accordance with trip instructions.
Validate that the driver took optimal routes and did not visit non essential (private) locations.
Click on the TRACK LOGS PLAYBACK - the screen will appear as follows:
STEP 1 – Select the required vehicle to track from the drop down menu named Vehicle ID
STEP 2 – Select the FROM & TO dates required by single clicking on the date box. A calendar will pop
up allowing for date selection. Click on the day of interest on the calendar popup to confirm the date
selection.
STEP 3 – Click on the LOAD DATA button
The screen will then appear as follows:
29. Click on the PLAY button
Each trip will be displayed in a different colour, therefore showing the various trips & locations for
the specific date selected. Clicking on a playback line will show the location of that line on the map.
4.8.UNIT LIST
Clicking on the UNIT LIST link displays the following screen, listing the units and vehicles assigned to
each to the current user.
30. Clicking on any of the UNIT IDs in the page will display the vehicle details;
4.9.USER PROFILE
Clicking on the USER PROFILE link is equivalent to click on the PROFILE Button.
4.10. DRIVER Manager Tool
This page lists the units & vehicles assigned to the User, together with the loaded tags and drivers
that are assigned (allowed to drive the vehicles) to the units.
The user will be able to load tags and driver information, as the need arises.
Driver tags can be loaded remotely as well as by SMS command DALLASREAD x, where x defines the
number of tags to be loaded.
Should the user require any further assistance with the loading of the driver tags, kindly contact VAP
Consult.
31. Clicking on any of the Tag Ids results in the vehicle details being displayed:
4.11. ROUTE Manager Tool
The Route Manager is used to assign route to specific vehicles. When vehicles deviate off assigned
routes a high event is created and an optional E-MAIL notification is sent to the User.
The live positioning screen will also show the vehicle is off route. The vehicle icon will display red if
the vehicle is off-route. The off-route exception will also appear on the Daily High Events report, and
other reports.
The route manager is an optional tool and special rates apply. Kindly contact you sales
representative or the control room for activation.
32. 4.12. GEOFENCE Manager Tool
The Geo Fence Manager is used to assign operational areas to specific vehicles.
Receive E-MAIL notifications when vehicles leave prescribed operating areas. However, the email
feature has to be configured. The geo-fence entry and exits also appear on the Daily High Events
report, and other reports.
The following are examples emails:
Notification from Geofence Manager
====================================================================
YSR539GP FIAT STRADA is entering fence Greater Johannesburg Time of change: 111636.000A GPS Location: -
26.247305, 28.106205
Near: South Rand Road, Tulisa Park
Notification from Geofence Manager
====================================================================
YSR539GP FIAT STRADA is leaving fence Greater Johannesburg Time of change: 111437.000A GPS Location: -26.23983,
28.128587
Near: N3 South, N3 (freeway), Elandshaven
The feature is particularly useful for vehicles that have a fixed region of operation.
Up to ten complex shape geo-fences can be configured. A single circular geo-fence can be configured
by SMS.
The geo-fence manager is an optional tool and special rates apply. Kindly contact you sales
representative or the control room for activation.
33. 4.13. DESTINATION Manager Tool
The Destination Manager is commonly used to define specific client zones.
The User can receive E-MAIL notifications when any vehicle arrives within the defined destination
zone radius. However, the email feature has to be configured.
The following are examples emails:
Notification from Destination Manager
====================================================================
BD62LFGP HYUNDAI IX35 2.0 GLS 4x2 is arriving near destination Pieter’s House .Time of change: 180248.000A GPS
Location: -26.083093, 28.260395 (http://maps.google.co.za/maps?q=-26.083093,28.260395)
Near: Mulder Road, Aston Manor
Notification from Destination Manager
====================================================================
BD62LFGP HYUNDAI IX35 2.0 GLS 4x2 is arriving near destination Marius House Time of change: 080622.000A GPS
Location: -26.083158, 28.260382 (http://maps.google.co.za/maps?q=-26.083158,28.260382)
Near: Mulder Road, Aston Manor
The destination alerts will also appear on the Daily High Events report, and other reports.
The destination manager is an optional tool and special rates apply. Kindly contact you sales
representative or the control room for activation.
34. 5. Further Information
For further User assistance, kindly contact Francois Naudé on +27 82 576 9508 or
email to francois@vapconsult.co.za.
6. Document History
The following table provides an overview of the most important document changes.
Version Date Description
Version Date Description
1.0 2014/05/07 Initial Version
2.0 2015/01/26 Internal Review
Directors: J. J. Wartington – Chief Executive Officer F. J. Naudé – Managing Director
