# Tracking UPS trucks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589 "2019-01-11T14:08:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/1 "2019-01-11T14:08:57Z")
I had an email from UPS notifying me of a delivery. There is a map used to track the truck. I managed to meet the guy at the door so that he didn’t ring the bell and awaken Mrs. Plant (v.3.0). How is the truck tracked? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/2 "2019-01-11T14:27:54Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How is the truck tracked? GPS, heck it could be a smartphone app. Tracking vehicles in real time is trivial. Have you ever used Uber? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/3 "2019-01-11T14:31:58Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > GPS, heck it could be a smartphone app. Tracking vehicles in real time is trivial. Have you ever used Uber? Nope. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/4 "2019-01-11T14:39:57Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > GPS, heck it could be a smartphone app. Tracking vehicles in real time is trivial. Have you ever used Uber? …a map app is the slick trick to track trucks? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/5 "2019-01-11T14:51:32Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > GPS, heck it could be a smartphone app. Tracking vehicles in real time is trivial. Have you ever used Uber? Just to confirm, [here](https://fieldlogix.com/news/gps-tracking-systems-installed-in-ups-trucks-driver-efficiency/) is a press release from the company that UPS used for its GPS-based fleet tracking system. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/6 "2019-01-11T15:15:56Z")
Thanks, Dewey. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/7 "2019-01-11T16:32:29Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > GPS, heck it could be a smartphone app. Tracking vehicles in real time is trivial. Have you ever used Uber? Just to be pedantic. GPS on the truck is used to determine location, and then a commercial mobile data network (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) is used to send that information back to UPS. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/8 "2019-01-11T17:38:20Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > Just to be pedantic. GPS on the truck is used to determine location, and then a commercial mobile data network (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) is used to send that information back to UPS. May not even be the truck- it may be that handheld gizmo that they scan with. But yeah, either way, it’s GPS and some sort of commercial network to send that location back. All sorts of outfits do this kind of thing- companies, cities, states, etc… anyone who has a need to know where their people are for say… dispatching purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/9 "2019-01-11T17:47:33Z")
> [@bump](#): > > All sorts of outfits do this kind of thing- companies, cities, states, etc… anyone who has a need to know where their people are for say… dispatching purposes. You can do the same with your family’s phones via a smartphone app. The owner of the phone just needs to opt in. ---
**Author:** ![allyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/10 "2019-01-11T19:20:03Z")
I recently started driving school buses and I’ve heard the name “Zonar Systems” mentioned…part of the Fleet Management industry which deals with vehicle tracking and more…I don’t think our district uses all the options, but it’s interesting the level of monitoring that they’re capable of… > **[Zonar Systems | Student Transportation & School Bus Tracking](https://www.zonarsystems.com/industries/pupil-transportation/)** > > With over 20 Years of experience and nearly 200,000 school buses tracked, Zonar is the telematics leader in the K-12 student transportation industry. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/11 "2019-01-11T20:12:03Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > You can do the same with your family’s phones via a smartphone app. The owner of the phone just needs to opt in. On the vehicle based ones, they can implement geofences, things like speed monitoring, etc… it’s pretty cool (and somewhat invasive, IMO). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/12 "2019-01-11T22:20:44Z")
> [@allyn](#): > > I recently started driving school buses and I’ve heard the name “Zonar Systems” mentioned…part of the Fleet Management industry which deals with vehicle tracking and more…I don’t think our district uses all the options, but it’s interesting the level of monitoring that they’re capable of… > > [Zonar Systems | Student Transportation & K-12 School Bus GPS Tracking](https://www.zonarsystems.com/industries/pupil-transportation/) I’ve seen video of a bus with the driver and a single student try to make it through a flooded area. They floated away but were not injured. I wonder if Zonar video got the guy fired. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/13 "2019-01-11T22:46:06Z")
A fairly big player in fleet management is Trimble. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/14 "2019-01-12T00:30:37Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > A fairly big player in fleet management is Trimble. I knew that some trucking companies kept satellite tabs on their drivers, for example how long they drive without stopping to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/15 "2019-01-12T01:03:19Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I knew that some trucking companies kept satellite tabs on their drivers, for example how long they drive without stopping to sleep. And equally importantly if they’re speeding. This is actually a good thing for the drivers since they can’t be abused and forced into unreasonable demands for quicker deliveries. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/16 "2019-01-12T01:17:51Z")
I have a dash camera in my car. It is not connected to anything in my car but the power port. The dash cam displays the speed I am driving, in real time, just by my GPS location having moved a few feet. It is just about as good as the speedometer in my car. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-ups-trucks/827589/17 "2019-01-12T17:30:30Z")
I’ve been catching the bus the past couple of days and there’s a realtime app that tells me when it will arrive at my stop. Really handy!