Heavy trucks
15 vehicles
- One-off per vehicle
- 193.75
- Net per month
- 26.94
- Payback
- 8.3 months
Tracker purchase · Free calculator
GPS tracker payback calculator: which vehicles pay back first?
Buying GPS trackers for a mixed fleet? Enter the hardware, accessories, install time and SIM cost for each vehicle class, plus the saving the tracker data gives you. See how many months each class needs to pay back its trackers, and which class to fit first.
Runs in your browserYour own pricesAn estimate, not a quote
Vehicle classes (up to 12)
| Vehicle class | Vehicles | Tracker hardware per vehicle | Accessories per vehicle | Install time (min) | Monthly saving per vehicle | Remove |
|---|
Group vehicles that get the same kit and give a similar saving. Accessories are the extra parts this class needs: harness, relay, antenna extension or a sensor. The monthly saving is what the tracker data lets you save on one vehicle of this class.
Example classes and amounts, not Tracom prices. Replace them with your own quote and your own figures.
/ hour
What one installer hour costs you, including travel if you pay it.
/ hour
What one hour of a parked vehicle costs you: lost trips, a hire vehicle or overtime. Enter 0 if installs happen off shift.
/ month
The data plan each tracker needs. The SIM data calculator gives the megabytes.
/ month
Any fee you pay per device each month, such as a tracking service. Enter 0 if none.
% / year
Share of units that fail or go back to the supplier in a year.
min
Installer minutes to remove a failed unit and fit a new one. The vehicle is off the road for the same time.
years
Inside the warranty a failed unit is replaced free. After it you buy a new unit.
years
How long you plan to keep the trackers in service, from 1 to 15 years.
Typical values. Replace them with your contract, your installer rate and the failure rate you see on your own units.
months
Months to install, set alerts and start acting on the data. No saving is counted in these months.
months
The number of months your management accepts for the trackers to pay back.
Measure the saving before you trust it
The saving per vehicle decides the answer more than any price. Fit a few vehicles of each class, record three months of data and compare. The pilot sizing planner tells you how many vehicles you need.
Payback by vehicle classFitting order
Cost per trackerOne-off and monthly
Saving needed for your targetBreak-even
Take the payback to your purchase meeting
A report with the fitting order, the payback and life net of each class, and the saving each class needs.
Payback report
Take the fitting order to your purchase meeting
- Payback and life net per vehicle class
- The fitting order for your target
- One-off and monthly cost per tracker
- The saving each class needs
- Every assumption you entered
One tracker, six cost lines
Where does the cost of one tracker come from?
Payback starts with the full cost of a tracker on one vehicle, not with the unit price on the quote.
| Cost line | When you pay it | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Tracker hardware | Once, at purchase | Your quote per unit |
| Accessories | Once, at purchase | Harness, relay, antenna extension or sensor for this class |
| Installer time | Once, at install | Install minutes x technician rate |
| Vehicle off the road | Once, at install | Install minutes x what an idle hour costs you |
| SIM plan and other fees | Every month | Report interval, protocol and any service fee |
| Failures and returns | Every month, as a share | Failure rate x (swap visit + a new unit after the warranty) |
Worked example
Same tracker, three classes, three answers
Light vans
30 vehicles
- One-off per vehicle
- 131.25
- Net per month
- 8.94
- Payback
- 16 months
Pool cars
10 vehicles
- One-off per vehicle
- 123.33
- Net per month
- 1.94
- Payback
- Not in 5 years
What does one tracker cost before it saves anything?
The one-off cost is the hardware, the accessories of the class, and the install hour counted twice: once for the installer and once for the vehicle that stands still.
one-off = hardware + accessories + install h x (technician rate + off-road cost)
truck = 90 + 60 + 1.25 x (20 + 15) = 193.75Example amounts only. 75 install minutes = 1.25 h.
What does a tracker cost every month?
Each month a tracker uses its SIM plan and any fee you pay per device. A small share of units also fails: each failure costs a swap visit, and after the warranty a new unit.
monthly = SIM + other fee + failure rate / 12 x cost of one failure
cost of one failure = swap h x (technician + off-road) + new unit after warranty
= 3 + 0 + 0.03 / 12 x (0.667 x 35) = 3.06 inside the warranty, 3.28 after it
How is the payback month found?
The calculator starts each vehicle at minus the one-off cost and adds the saving less the monthly cost, month by month. The payback is the month the running total reaches zero, read inside that month.
total(0) = - one-off
total(m) = total(m - 1) + saving (after ramp-up) - monthly cost
payback = first month with total >= 0
saving needed for target T = (one-off + monthly costs to T) / (T - ramp-up)The fleet payback adds the classes vehicle by vehicle. Classes that never reach zero inside the device life show "No payback".
Worked example: 55 vehicles in three classes
| Class | One-off | Net per month | Payback | Life net per vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy trucks x 15 | 193.75 | 26.94 | 8.3 months | 1,384.65 |
| Light vans x 30 | 131.25 | 8.94 | 16.0 months | 385.15 |
| Pool cars x 10 | 123.33 | 1.94 | No payback | -19.93 |
The whole fleet pays back in 12.9 months, just over a 12-month target. Fit the trucks alone and they pay back in 8.3 months. The vans follow. The pool cars need a larger saving, about 14.55 a month, to pay back inside 12 months.
Which saving can a tracker's data support?
Enter only a saving that a signal from the tracker can show. Each line below starts with the data the device records.
- Ignition on and off times show engine hours you can check against hire or overtime claims.
- GPS distance shows private kilometres outside working hours.
- Movement alerts outside a geofence or after hours show unauthorised use.
- Overspeed and harsh events give a count you can coach and track month by month.
- Idle time with ignition on shows engine running with the vehicle parked.
Each of these needs a measured value from your own vehicles. Measure a pilot, then enter the saving per vehicle and per month.
Common mistakes
- Using one saving figure for every vehicle class.
- Leaving out the hour the vehicle stands still during the install.
- Counting savings from the day of purchase, before the alerts are set up.
- Forgetting that a failed unit costs a new unit once the warranty ends.
- Comparing payback months without looking at the net over the device life.
Which questions does this page not answer?
This page tells you whether trackers pay back and which vehicles to fit first. Three related questions have their own tools.
- To compare a cheap unit with a reliable one over the years, use the cheap vs reliable tracker cost tool.
- To test one accessory, such as a load sensor or an immobilizer, use the accessory payback calculators.
- To plan installers and days, use the installation rollout planner.
Assumptions and limits
- Every amount is an example or your own input. The page holds no Tracom prices.
- All vehicles of a class are fitted in month 0 and start saving after the ramp-up.
- Failures are spread evenly over the months. A failed unit inside the warranty costs only the swap visit.
- There is no discounting, inflation, tax or resale value.
- The calculations run in your browser. Your inputs reach our server only if you ask for the emailed report, and are then kept for up to 45 days.
Related Tracom solution
A tracker you fit once and keep in service
Tracom makes the GPS trackers, video recorders and sensors your installers fit. Send us your vehicle classes and the accessories each one needs, then enter the prices of our quote here.
- Over-the-air update. New firmware reaches the device without a site visit.
- Advanced configuration files. One settings file per vehicle class.
- Tamper-proof security. Fewer units lost to tampering and fewer swaps.
- SCMS portal. Check device settings in one place after each install.
Are the starting amounts Tracom prices?
No. They are examples that show how the maths works. Enter the prices from your own quote and the costs of your own installer.
What monthly saving per vehicle should I enter?
Enter a saving you measured on a pilot, from what the tracker records on that class: engine hours, private kilometres, after-hours movement or idle time. If you have no measurement yet, start with a low figure.
Why does a class with the same tracker pay back so late?
The payback depends on the saving left after the monthly cost. A class that saves 5 a month and pays 3 for its SIM keeps only 2 a month to pay back the one-off cost.
Should I count the hour the vehicle is off the road?
Yes, if the install happens during a shift. A parked truck can cost more per hour than the installer. Enter 0 if you fit trackers at night or at the weekend.
Does the calculator include a tracking service fee?
Only if you enter it. Put any monthly fee you pay per device in Other monthly cost per tracker.
What is Tracom's role here?
Tracom makes the tracking hardware. The calculator does not quote prices and does not promise a saving. It helps you check your own figures before you buy.
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