Resources
Fleet tracking glossary.
Plain-English definitions for the terms that come up most in GPS fleet tracking, compliance, and telematics. Each one links to a full explainer.
Add-In vs. Add-On
Geotab's naming split: an Add-In is software that extends MyGeotab's interface (built on Geotab's open SDK); an Add-On is a physical hardware accessory, like a camera or sensor, that plugs into a GO device's IOX port. Both are distributed through the Geotab Marketplace.
Add-Ons Library →AOBRD (Automatic On-Board Recording Device)
The technology ELDs replaced. AOBRDs automatically recorded duty status but weren't held to the same technical standard as ELDs, and haven't been legal to use since December 16, 2019.
ELD vs. AOBRD: What Changed →ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems)
The category of automated detection features, tailgating, lane departure, distracted driving, that a dash cam or vehicle system uses to flag risky driving in real time, often paired with an in-cab alert.
AI Dash Cam Alerts Explained →Asset Tracking
Tracking equipment that doesn't have its own engine, trailers, generators, tools, usually with a Bluetooth beacon relaying through a nearby GPS-equipped vehicle, or a standalone powered tracker for equipment that travels alone.
GPS Asset Tags vs. Powered Trackers →Cold Chain
The unbroken sequence of proper temperature control a perishable product needs from origin to delivery. A single failure point, a reefer malfunction or a door left open too long, can compromise a load.
Cold Chain Compliance for Food & Beverage Fleets →Base Jurisdiction (IFTA)
The single state or province where a carrier registers for IFTA, based on having an established physical place of business there, not just a mailing address. That jurisdiction processes one quarterly return and handles distributing tax owed to every other jurisdiction the fleet drove in.
What Is IFTA? →Detention Time
Time a driver spends waiting at a shipper or receiver beyond the agreed free time, which often triggers a billable charge. A time-stamped GPS arrival/departure record makes detention claims defensible.
Freight & Trucking Dispatch Software →Dispatch Software
Software that assigns jobs or loads to vehicles and drivers. What it needs to do varies a lot by industry, appointment-window scheduling for trades, load-to-truck matching and broker communication for freight.
HVAC & Plumbing Dispatch Software →DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Report)
A written report a commercial driver prepares at the end of a working day when they find a vehicle defect that could affect safe operation. Required under 49 CFR 396.11, and can be completed electronically.
What Is a DVIR? →ELD (Electronic Logging Device)
A device that automatically records a commercial vehicle's engine hours, movement, and Hours of Service, replacing paper logbooks. Required for most commercial drivers under the FMCSA ELD rule and Canada's ELD mandate.
What Is an ELD? →Engine Hours
The actual runtime of a vehicle or equipment's engine, a better basis for maintenance scheduling than calendar time or odometer mileage alone, since it reflects real wear including idling.
Fleet Maintenance Scheduling: Engine Hours vs. the Calendar →Fleet Management Software
The broader operating system for running a fleet, of which GPS tracking is just one module. Also covers maintenance scheduling, compliance, fuel reporting, and driver safety, on top of the same location data.
What Is Fleet Management Software? →Geofencing
A virtual boundary drawn around a location, like a job site or approved service area, that triggers an alert when a tracked vehicle or asset enters or leaves it. Used for theft deterrence and enforcing usage terms.
GPS Fleet Tracking & Management Software →Geotab Marketplace
A catalog of Add-Ins and Add-Ons, built by Geotab and third-party developers, that extend what MyGeotab can do. Built on Geotab's open SDK, which is also what makes custom Add-Ins possible.
What's in the Geotab Marketplace? →GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)
The umbrella term for satellite positioning systems, of which GPS is one (alongside GLONASS, Galileo, and others). A GNSS module tuned for dense urban areas holds a signal better than a basic GPS-only chip.
What Is Telematics? →GO Device
Geotab's family of in-vehicle telematics hardware (GO9, GO RUGGED, and others) that plugs into a vehicle and reports location, trip, and engine data into MyGeotab. Every GO device includes an IOX expansion port for cameras and sensors.
Geotab GO9 →GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)
A vehicle's total weight including cargo, fuel, and passengers, used as the threshold for several regulatory definitions. FMCSA's commercial motor vehicle definition generally starts at 10,001 lbs GVW; a CDL requirement starts at 26,001 lbs.
GPS Fleet Tracking for Construction Companies →Hours of Service (HOS)
Federal rules limiting how many hours a commercial driver can drive and work before a mandatory rest period. ELDs automatically log HOS compliance instead of relying on a paper logbook.
What Is an ELD? →IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)
A fuel tax agreement between US states and Canadian provinces that replaces separate per-jurisdiction filings with one quarterly report, based on miles driven and fuel purchased in each jurisdiction.
What Is IFTA? →IOX
Geotab's hardware expansion port, built into every GO device, that accepts cameras, sensors, RFID readers, and other add-ons sold through the Geotab Marketplace.
IOX Add-Ons →IRP (International Registration Plan)
A separate agreement from IFTA that apportions vehicle registration fees across jurisdictions based on distance traveled in each. Many carriers manage both IFTA and IRP, but they're distinct filings, and in some states missing an IFTA deadline can put IRP credentials at risk too.
IFTA in New Jersey →KYU (Kentucky Weight Distance Tax)
Kentucky's own weight-distance tax for vehicles with a combined licensed weight over 59,999 lbs, tracked and filed separately from IFTA. A carrier can be fully IFTA-compliant and still be out of compliance in Kentucky if it hasn't registered for KYU.
IFTA in Kentucky →MyGeotab
The web-based software platform where fleet data from GO devices actually gets used: live maps, trip history, reporting, maintenance alerts, and administration. Geotab is the company and platform; MyGeotab is the interface a fleet manager logs into.
What Is Geotab? →Qualified Motor Vehicle
The IFTA registration threshold: generally a vehicle over 26,000 lbs gross vehicle weight, or with three or more axles regardless of weight, operating in two or more member jurisdictions. Vehicles below that threshold, or operating in only one jurisdiction, typically don't need an IFTA license.
What Is IFTA? →Reefer
Shorthand for a refrigerated trailer or truck body. A reefer's cooling unit failing, or a door left open too long, is the specific risk cold chain temperature monitoring is built to catch before a load is lost.
Cold Chain Compliance for Food & Beverage Fleets →Route Optimization
Deciding the best order to visit multiple stops across multiple vehicles, factoring in time windows, capacity, and hours of service. A different problem than turn-by-turn navigation, which just guides a single already-chosen route.
Route Optimization Software Explained →Telematics
The combination of telecommunications and informatics: a device in a vehicle collecting data (location, speed, engine diagnostics, driver behavior) and transmitting it to a software platform. GPS tracking is one part of it.
What Is Telematics? →Usage-Based Insurance
Insurance pricing based on actual driving behavior and telematics data rather than only vehicle type and claims history. Availability and discount structure vary significantly by insurer.
How Telematics Data Affects Insurance Premiums →Utilization
How much a vehicle or piece of equipment is actually used relative to how much it's owned or available, measured through engine hours and GPS-confirmed movement rather than assumed from calendar ownership.
Equipment Utilization Tracking →