By Trevor Collins, field-service fleet systems coordinator with 9 years of experience managing GPS devices, dispatch maps, and vehicle-use reports
Last reviewed: July 21, 2026
FieldPulse offers fleet tracking and scheduling tools that can show vehicle locations, driving activity, geofence events, and planned technician routes. Fleet GPS and route scheduling solve different problems, so a dispatcher should verify whether the issue involves a vehicle device, a job address, a saved route, or a map refresh before changing the schedule.
This independent guide is not operated by or affiliated with FieldPulse.
Start with the underlying record. Skip moving jobs or replacing a vehicle assignment until the current GPS device, driver pairing, address, and route inputs have been checked.
What is FieldPulse fleet tracking?
FieldPulse is field service management software for scheduling, dispatching, job management, invoicing, customer records, and technician operations. Its Pulse Fleet Tracking add-on uses live GPS data to monitor company vehicles and surface information such as location, speeding, hard braking, idling, fuel use, and maintenance-related activity.
Fleet tracking is not the same as tracking a job status.
A vehicle can be moving while its assigned job remains unchanged. A technician can also work from another vehicle, leave a tracked vehicle at the shop, or use the mobile app without being paired to the expected fleet device.
The system can connect several operational records:
- Vehicle
- GPS device
- Paired driver
- Technician
- Job assignment
- Service address
- Route order
- Geofence
- Driving event
- Maintenance alert
Those records must be interpreted together.
A dot on the map tells the dispatcher where a tracked device reports the vehicle. It does not independently prove which employee is driving, which job is being performed, or why the vehicle stopped.
Where to open Pulse Fleet Tracking
FieldPulse documents the access path from the left-side navigation. Users select Fleet Tracking under Management, which opens the Pulse Fleet Tracking account.
A user who cannot see that menu may not have the required product access or account permissions.
Check those two items first. Skip reinstalling the mobile app because an office-side fleet feature is absent from the navigation.
FieldPulse describes fleet tracking as an add-on rather than a universal function that must appear in every subscription. The official pricing page says pricing is customized according to team size, setup, and selected products.
A company evaluating the tool should confirm:
- Number of vehicles
- Required GPS devices
- Driver assignments
- Geofence requirements
- Reporting needs
- Maintenance-alert needs
- Dispatch-map access
- Installation and activation process
Do not use an unofficial per-vehicle figure as a contract price. Third-party sites publish conflicting amounts, while FieldPulse directs customers to its quote process.
Why a vehicle location may appear old
FieldPulse’s March 2026 release notes say fleet-tracker locations automatically refresh every 60 seconds on the Schedule Map, dashboard widgets, and mobile.
That does not mean every displayed location represents the vehicle’s exact position at the instant someone looks at the screen.
A location can appear stale when:
- The device has not sent a newer reading.
- The vehicle is in an area with weak connectivity.
- The dispatcher is comparing the map with an earlier job update.
- The expected GPS device is assigned to another vehicle.
- The dashboard was opened before the next refresh cycle.
- A technician is using a vehicle without the expected device.
Wait through the documented refresh interval first.
Do not immediately drag the technician to another job because one map point has not moved. Compare the timestamp, vehicle assignment, driver pairing, and job status before changing the route.
This is an experienced-dispatch detail: GPS, schedule, and technician status can update on different timelines. Treating them as one synchronized event can produce false late-arrival alarms.
Route scheduling is based on dispatcher inputs
FieldPulse route optimization begins in Schedule, then Map View within the Team Schedule. The dispatcher selects a date and uses Schedule Route to choose which jobs belong on the route.
The process is not entirely automatic.
FieldPulse asks the user to filter the available jobs, select the desired jobs, click them on the map in the preferred order, choose the first-job date and time, set default job and travel durations, and assign the appropriate teams or employees. The system then builds the schedule from those inputs and provides a preview before the dispatcher confirms the changes.
That distinction matters.
A poor route can result from inaccurate inputs rather than a mapping failure. An incorrect service address, unrealistic default duration, wrong first appointment time, or manually selected stop order can all produce a schedule that looks inefficient.
Check these fields before blaming the route:
| Input | What can go wrong |
|---|---|
| Job address | The map plots the wrong location |
| Selected jobs | A required stop was omitted |
| Stop order | The dispatcher clicked jobs inefficiently |
| First-job time | The whole route begins too early or late |
| Job duration | Later visits drift from realistic timing |
| Travel duration | The schedule leaves too little drive time |
| Assigned team | The wrong vehicle or technician receives the route |
Preview first. Skip Confirm Changes until the sequence, employee, and timing look reasonable.
Route optimization and live GPS are different
Route optimization plans where a technician should go. Fleet tracking reports where a tracked vehicle has been.
A planned route can remain correct even if the driver takes a different road because of traffic, a customer cancellation, fuel, or an urgent dispatch change. A live map can also show a vehicle near a job that was never assigned to that driver.
Do not use proximity alone as a job assignment.
FieldPulse’s scheduling materials promote assigning nearby technicians and reducing travel time, but the job record, availability, skills, and schedule remain relevant.
The better dispatch sequence is:
- Confirm the customer and service address.
- Check technician availability and qualifications.
- Review the planned route.
- Compare current vehicle location.
- Assign or revise the job.
- Notify the technician through the normal workflow.
GPS should inform the decision. It should not replace the work-order record.
How geofences work
A geofence is a virtual boundary around a location such as an office, customer address, or job site. FieldPulse can log when a monitored vehicle enters or exits the boundary, trigger alerts, and produce reports showing the location history.
The documented setup begins under Admin, Geofences, and Add Geofence. The user enters a name and address, or latitude and longitude coordinates, then chooses how the geofence should trigger.
FieldPulse provides at least two trigger approaches:
- Log when a vehicle enters or exits a circle or polygon.
- Log when a vehicle stops at the geofence.
For the stop-based option, the documented default radius is 50 meters.
That radius is a practical friction.
A customer’s driveway, neighboring property, parking lot, and road shoulder may all sit close together. A stop inside the radius does not necessarily mean the technician entered the building or began work.
Use geofence data as an arrival indicator. Skip treating it as a completed timesheet or proof of service without comparing the job and technician records.
Why a geofence alert may not fire
A geofence must be configured for the correct vehicle or group, trigger type, active hours, recipients, and notification frequency.
FieldPulse allows the administrator to select monitored vehicle groups or individual vehicles. The geofence can remain active continuously or operate only during custom days and times. Alert recipients may include group administrators, the paired driver, or both, and notifications can be sent immediately or summarized at a chosen interval.
Four verified failure points follow from that setup:
- The vehicle was not selected.
- The geofence was inactive at that time.
- The wrong alert recipient was chosen.
- The alert was configured as a later summary rather than an immediate notice.
Check configuration first. Skip enlarging the boundary until those settings have been reviewed.
A boundary that is too large creates a different problem: passing traffic or nearby stops may be counted as visits. A boundary that is too small may miss vehicles parked across the street.
Reading the Geofence Report
FieldPulse’s Geofence Report shows vehicle entry and exit history, timestamps, and the length of time a vehicle remained inside the boundary. The report is opened under Reports and Geofences.
The selected reporting period must be 93 days or less.
Users can filter by vehicle groups, individual vehicles, geofences, and event type. Available event filters include entry and exit combinations, and a minimum time inside the geofence can be used to remove brief stops. Reports can be exported as PDF or XLSX files and scheduled for regular email delivery.
Use the minimum-duration filter carefully.
Removing every stop shorter than ten minutes may hide a legitimate parts pickup. Including every two-second boundary crossing can fill the report with noise.
Define the purpose before setting the filter. An office-arrival report, customer-site audit, and after-hours vehicle review need different thresholds.
Driver behavior data needs context
FieldPulse describes Pulse Fleet Tracking as capable of flagging speeding and hard braking while reporting vehicle use and idling. The connected Azuga fleet product also includes driver-behavior analysis and maintenance alerts.
A flagged event deserves review, not an automatic conclusion.
Hard braking can reflect unsafe driving, but it can also follow a sudden obstacle. Extended idling may be unnecessary, or it may be required for equipment, climate control, diagnostics, or job conditions.
Review:
- Event timestamp
- Vehicle and paired driver
- Road or job location
- Surrounding route
- Repeated pattern
- Company vehicle policy
- Any available driver explanation
Do not discipline an employee from one isolated map event without following the company’s review procedure.
Fleet data can involve employee monitoring and privacy obligations. Requirements vary by state, union agreement, workplace policy, and use case, so businesses should obtain appropriate employment and legal guidance before deploying location monitoring.
Vehicle location is not a timesheet
Geofence entries and GPS movement can support an investigation into attendance or job arrival, but they are not the same as an employee’s recorded work time.
A vehicle can arrive before the technician clocks in. Two employees can share one vehicle. A technician can travel to a site without performing billable work. The vehicle may also remain onsite after the employee leaves in another vehicle.
Do this first: compare fleet data with the job, schedule, and timesheet.
Skip replacing the official time record with a vehicle report unless the company has a documented correction process. Payroll and wage records require more care than ordinary dispatch estimates.
Fleet tracking is operational evidence. It is not automatically the payroll source.
Pricing and FieldPulse support
FieldPulse uses customized pricing based on team size, setup, access, and selected add-ons. Fleet Tracking appears among the products available through its current platform and pricing process.
FieldPulse lists customer support at (469) 382-5668, and its fleet documentation directs users to support@fieldpulse.com or the in-product chat for additional questions.
Before reporting a fleet issue, note:
- Vehicle
- GPS device
- Paired driver
- Last location timestamp
- Schedule Map or Fleet Tracking screen
- Job and service address
- Geofence name
- Expected event
- Alert recipient and frequency
- Whether other vehicles are affected
Do not send account credentials or authentication codes.
Frequently asked questions
Does FieldPulse track company vehicles?
Yes. Pulse Fleet Tracking uses live GPS vehicle data.
How often do fleet locations refresh?
FieldPulse says supported fleet locations refresh every 60 seconds on the Schedule Map, widgets, and mobile.
Does FieldPulse automatically choose the entire route?
Not entirely. The dispatcher selects jobs, stop order, start time, durations, and assigned workers before confirming the scheduled route.
Can FieldPulse alert me when a vehicle reaches a job?
A geofence can log entries, exits, or stops and can send configured alerts.
Why did the geofence miss a vehicle?
Check the selected vehicle, active hours, boundary, trigger type, GPS reporting, and alert configuration.
Can geofence reports be exported?
Yes. FieldPulse supports PDF and XLSX exports.
Does GPS location prove a technician was working?
No. Compare it with the job, schedule, timesheet, and company records.
Is Fleet Tracking included in every FieldPulse account?
FieldPulse presents it as an available add-on, and pricing depends on the company’s setup.
