Login
Drivers and privacy · Free calculator

What does a GPS tracker record about a driver?

Enter the shift, the reporting intervals and the accessories you fit. See how many position records and events the tracker creates about each driver in a day and a week, how many fall outside working hours, and the lines your driver notice should carry.

  • Runs in your browser
  • Built from the device settings
  • Notice lines included
The driver's working day
h

Hours from the first engine start to the end of the shift. Between 1 and 24.

days

Whole days from 0 to 7. The other days count as rest days.

%

Percent of the shift the vehicle is driving.

%

Percent of the shift at idle, in queues or at loading points. Moving plus idle cannot pass 100.

trips

Engine starts in a normal shift. Each trip gives a start and a stop event.

Tracker reporting settings
s

Seconds between position records while driving. From the device configuration.

s

Seconds between position records at idle. From the device configuration.

Some configurations send a position now and then with the engine off. Others send nothing.

min

Minutes between heartbeat positions with the engine off. Ignored when no position is sent.

Typical starting values. Replace them with the values in the configuration file loaded on your devices.

After the shift

A vehicle the driver takes home keeps reporting about the driver outside working hours.

h

Hours of commuting or private use on a working day. Used only for take-home vehicles.

h

Hours on each rest day. Used only for take-home vehicles.

A switch wired to a digital input that the driver turns on off duty, so the position can be masked as your company sets it.

Position records per working dayPer driver

Keep this count with the driver notice

A report with the records per day and week, the data types and the notice lines.

Driver data report

Put the numbers in front of HR and legal

  • Position records per working day and per week
  • Records outside working hours
  • Every data type and the device that records it
  • Points your driver notice should explain
  • Notice lines built from your settings

What does a GPS tracker record about a driver?

A GPS tracker records the vehicle, not the person. Once a roster, a driver-ID login or a camera ties the vehicle to a driver, every record also describes that driver: where they were, how fast they drove and when they stopped.

The amount depends on the configuration loaded on the device. A 30-second interval gives 120 positions an hour of driving. A 10-second interval gives 360. The table shows what each common device and accessory adds.

Data types by device (common configurations)
DataRecorded byWhenTied to the driver by
Position, speed, headingGPS trackerEvery interval, moving or stoppedRoster or driver-ID login
Engine on and offGPS tracker, ignition inputEach start and stopRoster or driver-ID login
Heartbeat positionGPS trackerEngine off, every set intervalFollows the driver if the vehicle goes home
Harsh braking, acceleration, corneringGPS tracker, motion sensorWhen a threshold is crossedRoster or driver-ID login
Driver-ID loginDriver-ID reader and tagEach trip startNames the driver
Face image with an alarmDSM cameraEach DSM alarmShows the driver
Panic alarmPanic buttonWhen pressedRoster or driver-ID login
Engine dataCAN or OBD connectionWith the tripRoster or driver-ID login
Fuel level or temperatureSensorWith the tripRoster or driver-ID login

How are the records counted?

The tool splits a working day into moving time, stopped time with the engine on, engine-off time inside the shift, personal driving and the hours after the shift. Each part is divided by the reporting interval that applies to it.

M = S x d / 100 , E = S x e / 100 , F = S - M - ERm = M x 3600 / Tm , Rs = E x 3600 / TsRh = (F + O) x 60 / Th , O = 24 - S - PRp = P x 3600 / Tm (take-home vehicle)Week = D x working day + (7 - D) x rest day720 + 45 + 2.5 + 120 + 13 = 900.5

S is the shift in hours, d and e the moving and idle shares, P the personal driving, D the working days. Tm, Ts and Th are the intervals while moving, while stopped and with the engine off. With the default values a working day gives 900.5 position records, and 133 of them fall after the shift. Distance and heading triggers add records on bends, so treat the count as a floor.

Which records fall outside working hours?

A take-home vehicle keeps its tracker powered. Commutes, private trips and the heartbeat at night are recorded like any shift. If the vehicle stays at the depot, those heartbeats describe the yard, not the driver.

  1. Decide what off duty means

    Write the hours or the events that start and end off-duty time for each vehicle group.

  2. Choose the device behaviour

    Keep the heartbeat, lengthen its interval, or fit a privacy input that the driver uses off duty.

  3. Load it in the configuration

    Your installer sets the intervals and the input in the configuration file, then checks one vehicle for a week.

  4. Tell the drivers

    Put the result in the notice: what is recorded off duty, what is masked and who can see it.

Test the privacy input like any other input

Record the input number, the wire colour and a test with the switch on and off in the installation record, so the masking can be shown to work.

How do the counts feed the driver notice?

The Notice points tab turns the count into a short list: off-duty records, face images, dense tracks and driver-ID logins. The notice lines describe each data type in plain words, with your intervals. Paste them into your own notice or into the notice templates linked below.

Needs legal review before use

The points and lines describe what devices record. They do not say whether a notice, a consent or a legal basis is needed, and they do not say that any law is met. Ask your legal adviser before you issue a notice to drivers.

Assumptions and limits

  • Records are counted on time-based intervals only. Distance, heading and event triggers add more.
  • Moving, idle and personal hours are spread evenly. Real days vary.
  • Rest days use the personal driving you enter. Holidays and leave are not modelled.
  • Intervals, heartbeats and the privacy input are your inputs. The starting values are typical examples, not Tracom specifications.
  • Events from cameras other than the DSM camera, such as road-facing clips, are not counted here.

Where the values come from:

  • Intervals and heartbeat: the configuration file loaded on your devices.
  • Trips, harsh events and DSM alarms: a week of reports from your own fleet.
  • Last checked 2026-11-01.
Related Tracom solution

Set the intervals and the off-duty behaviour on the device

Reporting intervals, the heartbeat and the inputs are device settings. Tracom loads them through configuration files and over-the-air updates, so each vehicle group can carry its own settings. Ask Tracom which settings and inputs your device supports.

  • Configuration files set the intervals per vehicle group.
  • OTA updates change them without a workshop visit.
  • Digital inputs can carry a privacy switch where the device has a free one.
  • Driver-ID accessories tie each trip to a driver.
Questions

Questions about tracker data and drivers

Planning devices for take-home vehicles? Contact Tracom.

Does a GPS tracker record the driver or the vehicle?

The vehicle. It becomes data about a driver once a roster, a driver-ID login or a camera links the vehicle to that person, which is the normal case in a fleet.

Does the tracker keep recording when the engine is off?

It depends on the configuration. Many trackers send a heartbeat position every set interval with the engine off. Others send nothing until the next start. Check the configuration file.

How many positions does a tracker record in an hour?

At a 30-second interval while moving, 120 an hour. At 10 seconds, 360. Distance and heading triggers add records on bends.

Can a driver turn tracking off after work?

Only if a privacy input is fitted and your company allows it. The switch itself is recorded, and the position is masked as your company sets it. Agree the rule with your legal adviser.

What is Tracom's role here?

Tracom makes the devices and supplies their configuration. The tool counts records from your inputs. It does not write your notice, decide a legal basis or say that any law is met.

Related tools and templates

Turn the count into notices and records

Get the report

Enter your details and we will email you the file.

Use your real name so the file arrives addressed to you. Don't worry, we won't flood you with emails or calls.

Tracom uses your details to send what you requested and may contact you about it. See our privacy notice for your rights and how to delete your data.

Tracom is an advanced GPS tracking device designed to enhance fleet visibility, safety, and efficiency through real-time data, intelligent alerts, and remote monitoring.

Device

Help

Facebook Youtube Linkedin Instagram X-twitter

Copyright © 2026 SAFEE

Scroll to Top