IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Summer 2014 - 48

he Australian trucking industry uses the
Global
Positioning
System (GPS) as its
main tracking system.
A satellite dish connects the moving truck to the driver. This enables
the weight of the truck to be monitored. It also allows the driver's
behavior to be tracked, in terms of
speed, stops, starts, etc. The truck
is tracked in real time.
The use of this tracking system
in the Australian trucking industry raises key questions. Who is
using the records of these move-

Private companies report that the
use of GPS reduces operational and
compliance costs, improves business profitability, and increases
efficiency.
GPS devices allow managers
to more accurately estimate both
the time of arrival and the time of
delivery of goods to the customer.
The logistics manager/operator can
ping a truck, dial a driver, and gain
real-time information about the
timeliness of the delivery or pick
up. Another example: scheduling
unloading spaces in dockyard and
storage facilities is a significant

Do we want our workers to be
subject to surveillance in real time?
What is the impact of using GPS
on these workers?
ments, and how are they being
used? We consider the use of GPS
tracking information for driver, for
the private company managing its
own fleet, and for local regulators.
Therefore, GPS is considered in
this work as a management tool, a
safety tool, and a regulatory device.
Do we want our workers to be
subject to surveillance in real time?
What is the impact of using GPS
on these workers? This research
is informed by "in the field" data
collection between 2008 and 2011.
Twenty-four drivers were interviewed from the passenger seats of
their trucks. The drivers were all
male. The road trips taken as part
of this study were between 10 and
15 hours in duration.

GPS for Logistics
Management
The words surveillance, oversight, regulatory system, and control are not used by management
in the Australian trucking industry.
rather, GPS has become a "tool of
the trade" for trucking corporations
in terms of logistics management.
48

cost of doing business. GPS allows
companies to optimally book their
unloading spaces.
At the same time, vehicle tracking and tracking driver behavior in
the trucking industry can result in
reports that record every detail of
the history of a driver's behavior.
These reports are used as a management tool, and also as records
to be shared with law enforcement
and other regulatory bodies.
GPS provides a detailed view
of the decisions that the drivers
make while they are driving. This
data can be downloaded for postdriving examination. A subset of
that data can be derived for geofencing microanalysis. This is akin
to taking a section of a report and
examining a particular aspect of the
driver's behavior, such as whether
the driver was travelling at a higher
speed. The explanation is not
attached to the report, only the realtime record. Technical language is
used to describe the function of the
GPS, such as "engine diagnostics,"
emphasizing, that the machinery is
the focus, not the driver. Pamphlets

advertising the satellite-supported
programs in the trucking industry
avoid declaring the worker as the
focus of the GPS output. The device
and its systems are referred to as just
another management logistics tool.
Transport companies are attracted
to measurement as their logistics
departments believe they can establish outputs, and profits or loss vindicating performance.
But as managers, we also understand that performance that is measured, and that is also then used
to direct workers to improve their
behavior - such as not being efficient in driving long distance - can
be viewed as destructive. What
is measured is managed, and this
has become the mantra of management-consulting companies worldwide [3].
Companies can augment a GPS
system with telematics. Telematics
can measure weight, distance, and
speed, and can then engage a mathematical diagnostic tool that provides
a detailed picture of driver behavior.
The data is very detailed, measured
in short bursts of discrete intervals.
Given there is only one driver driving a truck at one time, this can infer
a lot about a given individual monitored over a given trip. The volume
of data makes the management of
the recorded information unwieldy.
As a result, a driver can be pinpointed as an employee who is unreliable, or is reported as unreliable,
or perhaps as a troublemaker. In
other words, cultural work practices
may play a role. For example, there
are currently company "offenses":
called "General Fatigue Offenses."
These relate to work diaries, accreditation certificates, and exemption
notices. They represent key factors
in managing fatigue and road safety,
and the department considers them
all major offenses [11].
The truck driver is now directly
accountable for interpreting the
data recorded in the event that a
company identifies driver behavior
in certain circumstances. Companies who are selling the technology

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