GPS tracking in company cars: informing employees

GPS tracking in a company car starts with clear rules on how location data will be used at work. Before the first tracked journey, employees should know why the car has a tracker, who can see their trips and how private journeys will be handled.

Even a small business with just a few cars should put these rules in writing before using the device. Drivers need to understand what data is collected about the car they use and why. Using a company car does not give an employer the right to monitor an employee without limits.

Start with the purpose and legal basis

Before choosing a tracker, define the work-related problem you want to solve. A general statement such as “we want to know where the cars are” leaves important questions unanswered: why you need the location, when you will check it and what you will do with the data.

For example, your aim might concern keeping trip records or organising vehicle use. Consider whether you could achieve the same result with less data or a less intrusive approach.

The Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate, or AKI, explains that an employee using a GPS-equipped car can be identified. Employers need a legal basis for processing the data and must explain it to employees. Employee consent is generally unsuitable.

Employers must choose monitoring measures that intrude as little as possible on employees’ privacy.

What to explain to employees in writing

Inform employees before tracking starts. A practical approach is to prepare a clear written notice that they can refer to later. Simply saying “the car has GPS” does not explain what that means in everyday work.

When preparing the notice, answer at least these questions:

1. Why is the tracker being used? State the specific purpose and legal basis.
2. What data is collected? Describe what your actual setup collects, such as the car’s location and trip history.
3. When does tracking take place? Explain the arrangements for working hours, private journeys and days off.
4. Who can see the data? Identify the people or roles in the business that need it for their duties.
5. How long is the data kept? Distinguish between the history available in the service and reports saved by the business itself.
6. Who can employees ask? Give an internal contact who can explain the arrangements.

Use simple sentences. If you say that data is viewed for a particular task, your actual working practices must match that statement. The notice should describe arrangements whose technical implementation has already been checked.

Private trips, evenings and weekends

If employees may also use a company car for private trips, consider those journeys separately. Needing information to organise work does not automatically mean needing to know where employees go in their free time.

For example, a car might stay with an employee from Friday evening until Monday. Before tracking begins, it should be clear how journeys outside working hours are handled and how unjustified intrusion into private life is prevented. Do not leave the explanation at “we don’t usually look at the map at weekends”.

Distinguish between collecting data and viewing it later. Trip data may be recorded even when nobody has the map open. Check how your proposed arrangements will work technically before explaining them to employees.

Who can see the data and how long history is kept

Limit access according to the purpose of tracking. A small business should also clearly define who uses the data and why. The ability to view every route does not mean every employee or manager needs access to it.

In Mugav Auto GPS, the last 24 months of trip history are available while access to the tracker remains active. This is the extent of the service’s history, rather than a legal justification for your business to use or separately store all data for two years. Consider your business’s needs and data retention arrangements separately.

Downloaded reports also contain trip data. If you save them in your business’s own folders, define who can use them and how long they will be kept. The trips and reports guide explains how to use reports. For organising your trip records, see the GPS logbook article as well.

When the paid service period ends, location updates stop. Existing data remains available for a further three months, after which the tracker is removed from the system along with all its history. The account is deleted if it contains no other trackers. Read more about renewing the service.

Concealed installation does not mean secret monitoring

For permanent installation in a company car, we offer, for example, the Teltonika FTC921 tracker. It is fitted out of sight beneath the dashboard. The device’s physical position and informing employees are separate matters: a concealed installation does not give permission to hide the fact that someone is being monitored.

A Mugav Auto tracker must not be used for secret monitoring of people, stalking or invading privacy. Employees must know about tracking even if they have no reason to see the device itself every day. Do not replace a notice with the expectation that the driver will find the tracker themselves.

What to check before you start

Together with the person responsible, review the purpose, legal basis, written notice, arrangements outside working hours, access and retention. Compare the written rules with what the system actually does. If any answer is unclear, resolve it before you start tracking employees’ journeys.

In a complex situation, such as overlapping private use and work needs or a dispute with an employee, consult a lawyer. This article provides general guidance and does not confirm that a particular business’s tracking arrangements are lawful.

To clarify technical capabilities, contact us. Describe how the cars are used and the arrangements you need, so we can explain what the solution supports before you choose a device.