A truck is the most expensive vehicle in the fleet and the one out of sight the longest: weeks on an international run, with a tank of several hundred litres and a tachograph whose deadlines do not wait for the vehicle to return to base. Truck tracking is therefore more than a dot on a map. The questions are where the truck is, how much fuel was filled and used, how much longer the driver may drive and whether the trip went as planned.
PratiMe tracks trucks, tractor units and trailers in real time, with fuel control, remote tachograph download, toll records and a driver app. One device in the vehicle, one platform for the whole fleet, in Serbia and across Europe. Looking for navigation rather than tracking? See truck GPS navigation.
What you see for every truck
- Live location and status: where the truck is, whether it is moving or parked, how fast it is going and at which address it is standing.
- Trip history: every run, every stop, time spent loading and unloading and kilometres driven, exportable to a report.
- Fuel: tank level, refuellings and sudden drops in level.
- Tachograph: the driver's remaining driving and rest time live, and the download status.
- Driver: who is driving, through driver login, and how, through the driving style score.
- Trailer and cargo: reefer temperature, axle load, cargo door opening.
All of it is visible on a computer and in the mobile app, for one truck or the whole fleet at once. The basic overview is described on the real-time vehicle monitoring page.
Fuel control: the biggest cost under supervision
Fuel is the largest item in a truck's running cost and the only one that can go missing for months without anyone noticing. A probe in the tank or a reading from the vehicle's CAN bus records the fuel level continuously, so every refuelling is visible with time, place and quantity and can be compared with the fuel station receipt. A sudden drop in level while the truck is parked arrives as an alarm, not as an unpleasant surprise at the end of the month.
Tractor units with two tanks get two probes, so both the combined level and each tank separately are visible. Consumption is recorded per vehicle, per driver and per trip, and how losses are detected is explained in how to prevent fuel theft in a fleet.
Tachograph without returning to base
A truck in international haulage often does not return to base for weeks, while the tachograph download deadlines keep running regardless. With remote download, tachograph and driver card data is collected automatically, on a schedule, while the vehicle does its job, abroad as well. The driver does nothing, and the files arrive by email or go straight into the payroll software.
The dispatcher sees each driver's remaining driving and rest time live, so they know who can take a new run before picking up the phone. Working time records are kept automatically from the downloaded data. More on the tachograph and Taho Hotel pages.
International haulage: tolls, borders and roaming
The device in the truck has its own SIM card that roams, so a truck in Germany or Sweden is tracked just as it is in Serbia. Standard packages cover Serbia, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Scandinavian countries and Russia. A border crossing arrives as an alarm, and the time spent at the crossing shows in the trip history.
Tolls are a subject of their own: trucks over 3.5 tonnes pay HU-GO in Hungary, and toll tags cover more countries every year. The sections driven are visible in the trip history, so toll costs per run are checked against the actual route. Drivers in international haulage also use the Schengen calculator for days spent in the EU.
Driver, dispatcher and documents
In the driver app the driver receives loading and unloading orders, messages from the dispatcher and navigation to the next stop, while the dispatcher sees the status of every order without a phone call. The trip sheet is filled in from the movement data, and the CMR and other accompanying documents are photographed and reach the office the same moment, through document digitization.
For planning runs with truck restrictions, bridge heights and HGV bans there is truck GPS navigation, and for the order of deliveries, route planning.
Trailer, cargo and special transport
- Reefers: cargo space temperature and unit operation, with Carrier and Thermo King monitoring and temperature sensors.
- Cargo weight: axle load sensors and loading and unloading monitoring, so overloading is seen before the weighbridge, not on it.
- ADR and oversize transport: routes, stops and an SOS button, on the special transport tracking page.
- Cameras: footage from the cab and around the vehicle for disputed situations, with fleet safety and monitoring cameras.
- Trailers: each with its own device, so it is visible even when uncoupled from the tractor.
Who truck GPS tracking is for
- International hauliers, where tachograph, roaming and tolls are a daily topic.
- Domestic distribution, with several deliveries per run. See distribution solutions.
- Construction companies with tippers and mixers, with construction solutions.
- Tanker transport, with oil industry solutions.
- Companies with one or two trucks, because the system starts with a single vehicle and grows with the fleet.
How to get started
Tell us how many trucks you have and what matters most: fuel, tachograph, temperature or just location. Installation takes between half an hour and an hour per vehicle, at your location, with no work on the engine, and then you test the system for 15 days on your own trucks, with no obligation. What the monthly subscription includes is described on the GPS tracking pricing page.
Frequently asked questions about truck GPS tracking
Does truck GPS tracking work abroad?
Yes. The SIM card in the device roams and registers on the local network in another country, so the truck is tracked exactly as it is in Serbia. Standard packages cover Serbia, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Scandinavian countries and Russia, and separate packages are arranged for other markets.
How long does installation take, and does the truck have to go to a workshop?
Installing the GPS device usually takes between half an hour and an hour per vehicle, at your location. The device is connected to the power supply and the ignition signal, with no work on the engine and no changes to the vehicle's factory systems. Installing a fuel probe takes longer, because the probe is fitted to the tank.
Can I see how much fuel was filled and whether someone drained fuel?
Yes. The fuel level is tracked with a probe in the tank or from the vehicle's CAN bus, and every refuelling and every sudden drop in level is recorded with time, place and quantity. A drain triggers an alarm, and refuellings are compared with the fuel station receipts.
Is tachograph data downloaded remotely?
Yes. Data from the digital tachograph and driver cards is downloaded automatically, on a schedule, while the truck does its job, abroad as well. The driver does not have to do anything or come back to base. A device connected to the tachograph and a company card for data access are required.
Can the driver switch the GPS device off?
The device is hidden and connected to the vehicle's power supply. If someone disconnects it, a backup battery keeps it running for a while and the system immediately sends a power-cut alarm with the last known location.
Can I track a trailer separately from the tractor unit?
Yes. A trailer is managed as a separate vehicle with its own device, so it is visible even when uncoupled from the tractor, in a yard or at a customer's site. The same applies to reefers, where the temperature in the cargo space is tracked along with the location.
How much does truck GPS tracking cost?
Basic GPS tracking starts at 8 € per vehicle per month, and fuel control and remote tachograph download are add-on modules. You can test the system free for 15 days on your own trucks. What the subscription includes is described on the GPS tracking pricing page.
Running trucks in Serbia or across Europe? Contact us by email at podrska@pratime.rs or call 065 9007380, tell us how many vehicles you have and we will suggest what is worth tracking.
Every truck, every run and every litre of fuel in one place with the PratiMe system.
