Understanding UK Vehicle Tracking Laws and the laws around privacy can help to build your own data protection policy.
GPS vehicle tracking systems that offer management systems plus driver key fobs and apps help make it easy to protect data and give drivers the relevant information they need. By following the law, GPS Trackers can become a very useful tool to help protect your business, plus save money.
Using a vehicle tracking help improve business performance, but it’s important that you become familiar with privacy laws associated with them.
There are some important things you need to consider, in this blog post we will discuss key GPS tracking legislation for the United Kingdom.
Is A GPS Tracker Legal?
GPS Tracking is legal in the UK, dependent on who owns the vehicle and how you use.
- Personal: it is perfectly legal to track your own personal vehicle.
- Business: with business vehicles you must let employees know, obtain written consent from the employee and follow GDRP legislation.
What Is GPS Vehicle Tracking?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is what powers vehicle tracking systems. The system is a combination of 27 satellites that provide signals to receivers across the globe. The signals are able to provide information about the location of any devices that is equipped with a GPS receiver. In regards to fleet management, GPS Vehicle Tracking is used to provide fleet owners and fleet managers with view data and information about their vehicles.
Company Vehicle Tracking Laws Explained
As long as the following is in place, then it is legal to track a company vehicle in the UK:
- the employee is aware of the track and the data it will collect
- the employee has provided consent to vehicle tracking being used
- that tracking is only used during work hours and personal hours aren’t tracked
Do Employees Need To Know Their Vehicle Will Be Tracked?
Yes, absolutely. UK law is very clear about this.
A useful tip is to explain the benefits of GPS vehicle tracking to your drivers.
What Vehicles Can Be Tracked?
If your business owns the vehicle and you inform the employee, then you can track any type of vehicle according to UK law.
Different types of vehicles will have different requirements. Learn about vehicle tracking for HGVs and vans:
What Are UK Vehicle Tracking Laws?
The law that affects and covers vehicle tracking in the UK is GDRP (General Data Protection Regulation).
These laws cover how vehicle trackers can be used and management systems.
What Is GDPR?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law introduced by the European Union to protect people’s privacy and give them control over their personal data. It requires businesses to handle data responsibly, be transparent about how it’s used, and imposes penalties for breaking the rules.
How To Following GDRP In Regards To Vehicle Tracking
When tracking vehicles in the UK, businesses should keep the following in mind:
- Fairness and Transparency: Vehicle trackers should only collect relevant data and avoid gathering personal information unnecessarily.
- Informing Drivers: Drivers must be informed about the data being collected and how it will be used.
- Consent for Changes: If the tracker is updated or additional data starts being collected, fresh consent must be obtained.
- Data Retention: Data should only be stored for as long as it’s needed for business purposes and then securely deleted.
- Data Security: Any data collected through vehicle tracking must be protected against unauthorised access, destruction, or damage.
What GPS Tracker Should I Get?
Below are some of the vehicle tracker features that you should consider to help be compliant with UK vehicle tracking laws:
- Driver App: to provide drivers with easy access to tracker data by creating an account for them. This allows drivers to view their data and performance directly from their phones at any time.
- Management Systems: to manage drivers, adding or removing them as required to stay compliant with GDPR regulations. Check out Velocity Fleet.
- Driver Key Fobs: to enhance security for company vehicles and fleets, helping to prevent theft and protect sensitive data.
Learn what fleet management metrics you should be tracking using GPS.
Vehicle Tracking Demo
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Marketing Manager at Fuelwise
Dominic has been covering the fuel and fleet management industry for over seven years, writing about Fuel Cards, Telematics, and Vehicle Cameras. In 2023 he was awarded the Excellence In Marketing award at the Causeway Chamber Business Awards, followed by the Best Use Of Social Media In Service/B2B at the 2024 NI Social Media Awards. You can connect with Dominic on LinkedIn here.
