GPS tracking and telematics

Fleets rely on real-time GPS and telematics data to monitor vehicle locations, plan dispatches, and maintain visibility into delivery progress.

Why GPS Tracking Matters for TMS

1. Real-Time Dispatch Decisions

   • Assign the closest driver or asset to a new load based on their GPS location.
   • Quickly react to route deviations, traffic delays, or unexpected stops.

2. Accurate ETAs

   • Improve customer satisfaction by providing live delivery ETAs.
   • Automatically adjust schedules when drivers are off schedule.

Integration Approaches

Samsara provides multiple ways to retrieve GPS and telematics data for a TMS. Each approach has trade-offs.

• 1. API Polling: Make API requests on a periodic basis to fetch the latest data. For simpler integration and less time-sensitive use cases.
• 2. Webhooks: Receive notifications when events happen in Samsara (excluding updated positions). Best for specific events (arrivals, departures, geofence-based logic).
• 3. Event Streaming: Receive near real-time data via Kafka. Requires more customer setup.

Often, a hybrid approach works best. For example, you might use webhooks for arrivals/departures and polling the snapshot or feed API endpoints to keep an updated map of vehicle locations in your TMS.

1. API Polling

• Description: Your TMS periodically calls the Samsara API to pull the latest GPS updates for vehicles.
• Use Case: Suitable for lower-frequency updates (e.g., every 1–5 minutes).
• Endpoints:
  • GET /fleet/vehicles/stats (snapshot)
  • GET /fleet/vehicles/stats/feed (feed)
  • GET /fleet/vehicles/stats/history (historical)

/fleet/vehicles/stats/feed

• Recommended for real-time or close-to-real-time TMS tracking.
• Returns telematics “events,” such as GPS, engine states, odometer, etc., since your last request.
• Poll interval depends on how frequently you need updates (often 5–15 seconds).

/fleet/vehicles/stats/history

• Fetch historical data for a given time range.
• Use for backfilling data or generating daily reports (not recommended for continuous syncing).

/fleet/vehicles/stats

• Retrieve the latest snapshot of each vehicle’s location and telematics data.
• Can be used for occasional or on-demand location updates.

2. Webhooks

Consider these events for automated dispatch workflows (e.g., send an alert if a vehicle arrives late).

• Description: Samsara sends webhook events like GeofenceEntry, GeofenceExit, RouteStopArrival, and RouteStopDeparture.
• Use Case: Event-driven workflows (e.g., “Notify dispatch when a truck enters the depot geofence”). Not intended for continuous GPS streaming.

GeofenceEntry and GeofenceExit

Triggers when a vehicle crosses a geofence boundary.

GeofenceEntry

GeofenceExit

RouteStopArrival and RouteStopDeparture

Triggers when a route stop is reached or departed.

RouteStopArrival

RouteStopDeparture

3. Event Streams with Kafka

• Description: Samsara’s Kafka Connector pushes high-frequency GPS updates (and other telematics data) to your Kafka topic in real time.
• Use Case: Enterprise-scale TMS solutions requiring low-latency streaming and the ability to handle continuous, high-volume data (e.g., large fleets, advanced analytics).

GPS and Speed and Vehicle Diagnostics

GPS and Speed

Vehicle Diagnostics

{
  "happenedAtTime": "2025-02-01T17:57:21Z",
  "asset": {
    "externalIds": {},
    "id": "154924973293665"
  },
  "location": {
    "latitude": 38.253265915,
    "longitude": -80.018465004,
    "headingDegrees": 102
  },
  "speed": {
    "gpsSpeedMetersPerSecond": 43.8,
    "ecuSpeedMetersPerSecond": 51.2
  }
}

Requires each customer to set up the Samsara Kafka Connector and for you to implement a Kafka consumer in your TMS environment.

Sample Flow: Real-Time Vehicle Tracking

Below is an example of how you might build near real-time tracking:

1. Initialize

   • Call GET /fleet/vehicles/stats?types=gps once to get a snapshot of current vehicle locations.

2. Continuous Sync

   • Poll GET /fleet/vehicles/stats/feed?types=gps every 5 seconds to grab any new GPS events.
   • Store each event in your TMS database using vehicle.externalIds.tmsId.

3. UI Updates

   • Your TMS front-end can display updated vehicle markers on a map as soon as new GPS events are saved.

4. Webhooks for Route Stops (optional)

   • When a driver arrives at a stop (RouteStopArrival), automatically update the order status in your TMS.

5. Analytics & Archiving

   • Periodically offload or archive older data for historical tracking and reporting.