A NEW device has been developed to provide fleet managers with a trail of the routes their vehicles have taken. Minorplanet's AEM 100 tracks vehicles via satellite, and then maps this information to provide data on the location and speed of vehicles at any point in the day, and records the distance they travelled.

It records minute-by-minute a vehicle's position, where it starts and stops, and the information is then downloaded historically to the fleet manager's computer from the vehicle via radio when the driver returns to base. No driver involvement is required in recording the data, and the device can store up to one month's data at any one time.

Andrew Tillman, Minorplanet's chief operating officer, said fleets could use the system to monitor the arrival time of service and delivery staff at customers' premises, to check drivers were taking the swiftest routes between their ports of call, and to verify mileage claims.

Provided on a 36 month lease, Minorplanet's device costs £100 to install and subsequently £50 per month, with no additional costs. Because the system does not relay live time vehicle information, unlike security tracking devices, it does not need to use GSM telephone lines or radio to transmit vehicle location.