Smartrak Overspeeding FAQs
🚗 General Understanding
Q: What’s the best way to decide which overspeed report to use?
A: It depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If you just want a snapshot of overall fleet behaviour, the Dashboard or Severity Report is best. If you want to dig deeper into specific incidents, the Period Report or Trips Mode gives you more event-level detail. And if your focus is driver behaviour and safety improvement, the Driver Safety Insight is where you’ll see trends and patterns over time.
Q: How often should we run overspeed reports?
A: That varies by fleet size and policy. Many organisations run them weekly to catch issues early, while others prefer monthly to track trends. The key is consistency — set a rhythm that gives you enough data to see behaviour change without overwhelming your team.
⚙️ Data Accuracy & Validity
Q: How accurate are the speed readings?
A: Speeds are based on GPS data, which is generally accurate within a few kilometres per hour, but can vary with signal quality and terrain. It’s always best to review events on the map — if you see overspeeding on a rural road with poor coverage, for example, treat it as a potential false positive until confirmed.
Q: Can the system get the local speed limit wrong?
A: Yes, occasionally — especially if the road speed data has changed recently or the area has inconsistent signage. If you notice repeated discrepancies, log it with the Smartrak Service Desk, and we can validate it against the latest road data.
🧠 Using Insights
Q: What’s the difference between the Overspeed Reports and the Driver Safety Insight?
A: The Overspeed Reports show what happened — each instance of overspeeding. The Driver Safety Insight shows how your fleet is trending — it gives you a clear, visual picture of whether behaviour is improving or getting worse, which is great for reporting back to management or reinforcing driver coaching.
Q: How do we use this data to actually improve driver safety?
A: Use the reports to identify patterns, like repeated overspeeding in certain areas or by certain drivers. Then, combine it with driver coaching or toolbox talks. Recognition for improvement works really well too — it’s not just about catching the bad, but reinforcing the good.
🧩 Operational Context
Q: We see a lot of minor overspeeding — should we worry about that?
A: It’s normal to see low-level overspeeding due to natural driving variation or GPS delay. What you really want to watch for is frequent or extended overspeeding, or speeds significantly above the limit — those are the ones that indicate riskier behaviour.
Q: Can we set thresholds or alerts for overspeeding?
A: If legacy single overspeed is enabled for your organisation, a single overspeed threshold can be configured. In-geofence overspeeding can flag when drivers exceed certain set limits. It’s best to align those settings with your company’s driving policy, so the alerts reflect what’s important to your organisation.
🧰 Troubleshooting & Support
Q: Our overspeed report isn’t showing any data — what could be wrong?
A: A few possibilities — the timeframe may not include any events, filters might be excluding vehicles or drivers, or there could be a configuration issue. Always double-check your filters and date range first, and if it still doesn’t look right, raise it with the Smartrak Service Desk for review.
Q: Can we export or automate these reports?
A: Yes, most reports can be exported to Excel, CSV for easy sharing, and some customers schedule regular automated reports. If you’re interested, we can walk you through how to set that up after the webinar.