Fleet companies with dozens of semi-trailers to small businesses with delivery trucks or specialized vehicles for site visits, many business owners and management teams have turned to GPS trackers and tracking software packages to keep tabs on their vehicles, inventory, and employees.

GPS tracking software is only as good as the data it's able to provide. A company that pays for a fleet tracking service only to get occasional location updates with no additional capabilities is probably getting a very poor return on their investment. To get the most out of your fleet management and get the best value for your money, look for a system that offers the following essential features.

When you want to know where your assets are and what they're doing, with today's GPS tracking software, you can get the real-time location immediately. When choosing a GPS software, it's important to have a system that offers genuine real-time tracking with short intervals between updates. For the fastest feedback and most accurate location tracking, choose a software package that is capable of providing updates every 5-10 seconds at an affordable price.

Being able to closely track every vehicle's position allows you to stay on top of your fleet's activities and more accurately estimate the timing of arrivals, departures, and deliveries. Receiving truly live information also makes it possible for you to quickly re-route vehicles around traffic or direct authorities to a vehicle in an emergency. Put simply, the more often you're able to receive tracking updates, the more direct control you have over your fleet's activity.