Adding an Alert

Alerts provide real-time notification for driver and vehicle activity. You can set up an alert to be sent to one or more email addresses or SMS numbers. You can create an unlimited number of alerts for each alert type.

To add an alert:

  1. From the menu, click Alerts, and then click the alert type you want to configure. (Or try searching for the alert using the Search bar.)
  2. Choose from the following options:

    The following properties are available for all alerts:

    • Vehicle: The vehicle/group that applies to the alert. The vehicle name and/or vehicle group (if applicable) will be visible in the email and/or SMS message after the Alert Subject.
    • Alert Subject: The subject as it will appear in the email and/or SMS message.
    • Addresses: The email address(es) and/or SMS number(s) where this alert will be sent. Separate multiple addresses and numbers by commas. The time stamp for when an alert notification occurs is formatted according to the user’s timezone (who set up the alert).
    • Notify Driver: Select this box to optionally send a custom message to the vehicle’s driver. (You can assign contact information for the vehicle by choosing Edit from the vehicle card.)

    • Depending on the alert type you create, additional properties vary:

    • In-Cab Notify: The in-cab notification method that should activate when the alert is triggered. (Must be installed in vehicle.)
    • Input: The input type (e.g., door, PTO, etc.) as defined by your account at the time of device installation and the input state on which to alert (e.g., open/closed, on/off, etc.).
    • Idle Limit: Minutes a vehicle must idle before an alert is triggered.
    • Weekdays: The days the alert is in effect. Time options include All Day (24 hours), Off (reverts the selected days to indicate when the alert is NOT in effect), or Odd Hours (set time threshold for start and end). The times applied to the alert conditions uses the timezone on the account profile. If you are setting up an alert for vehicles that generally reside in a different timezone than you, consider adjusting the start and end time values according to the vehicles against which this alert is applied.
    • Weekends: The days the alert is in effect on weekends. Time options include All Day (24 hours), Off (reverts the selected days to indicate when the alert is NOT in effect), or Odd Hours (set time threshold for start and end). The times applied to the alert conditions uses the timezone on the account profile. If you are setting up an alert for vehicles that generally reside in a different timezone than you, consider adjusting the start and end time values according to the vehicles against which this alert is applied.
    • Landmark: The landmark in which (or outside of which) the alert is in effect. Options include Inside (the alert will only trigger if conditions exist inside the selected landmark or landmark group), Outside (the alert will only trigger if conditions exist outside the selected landmark), or N/A (the alert will trigger regardless of vehicle location).
    • Running: Threshold in minutes since the last reported location.
    • Parked: Threshold in days since the last reported location.
    • Violation Limit: Threshold in MPH over the posted limit (greater than or equal to). Posted speed violations are calculated using the Inst speed value.
    • Alert Threshold: Threshold in miles, hours, or days before service is overdue.
    • Speed Limit: Threshold in MPH in speed (not related to posted limit). By default, conditions are based on Inst speed sample. This is valuable when you need to deduce that a violation occurred at a fixed time and location (e.g., speeding inside the boundaries of a relatively small landmark).
    • Stop Time: Threshold in minutes since the vehicle has been stopped.
    • Stop Type: Type of stop for which the alert is in effect. Options include Any (idle and ignition off), Idle (only), or Stop (ignition off only).
    • Switch Type: Type of power loss event (Power Lost or Power Cycle). Power Lost indicates when a device may have been unplugged/unwired (relies on backup battery). Power Cycle indicates when all power is lost and regained. If the device has a backup battery, the alert will trigger only if all power (including backup battery) had been lost prior to regaining power.

    • The following properties are available for all alerts:

    • Re-Notification Delay: The minimum number of minutes between notifications for this alert. This option allows you to limit the frequency with which you receive alerts—especially for alerts that apply to a large group of vehicles. For example, if the Re-Notification Delay is set to 5 minutes, you will receive notifications no more than every 5 minutes. Any alerts that have accumulated during that time will be sent to you at once.
    • Per-Vehicle Delay: The minimum number of minutes between alerts for the same vehicle. This option allows you to limit the frequency with which you receive alerts per vehicle. For example, if you have one vehicle in a group that is constantly going in and out of a landmark, you may only want to receive a notification every 20 minutes whenever alert conditions are met for that vehicle instead of each time the vehicle triggers the alert.
    • Active: Temporarily turn on/off the alert.
  3. Adjust additional alert settings as needed, and click Create Alert.

The new alert will be listed under the My Alerts tab. The Alert Card indicates the details of the alert, including the number of times the alert has been triggered. When the alert is triggered, the vehicle or vehicle group is included, along with the details of the alert (e.g., date, timezone, location, etc.).

Allow ‘alerts@[provider].com’ to ensure you receive email alerts. Reply ‘STOP’ to stop receiving future SMS messages.

Alerts provide real-time notification for driver and vehicle activity. You can set up alerts to be sent to one or more email addresses or SMS numbers. You can create an unlimited number of alerts for each alert type.

Example
Drivers at Company XYZ are not allowed to use delivery vehicles on weekends or between the hours of 9:00 PM and 4:00 AM. XYZ’s owner (Bob) wants to his Delivery Manager (Tom Jones) to be notified immediately via email and SMS whenever a violation occurs. XYZ’s owner also wants to notify the driver.

To create a new alert:

  1. From the portal, hover over the Account menu, click Manage Alerts, and click Open.

The Alerts Manager page opens in a new browser tab.

  1. From the Alerts List grid, click New Alert (green plus sign) next to the alert type you want to create. In the Company XYZ example, we choose the Odd-Hours alert.
  2. Choose from the following options:

    The following properties are available for all alerts:

    • Vehicle: The vehicle/group that applies to the alert. The vehicle name and/or vehicle group (if applicable) will be visible in the email and/or SMS message after the Alert Subject. (In the Company XYZ example, we chose the Delivery group.)
    • Alert Subject: The subject as it will appear in the email and/or SMS message.
    • Addresses: The email address(es) and/or SMS number(s) where this alert will be sent. Separate multiple addresses and numbers by commas. The time stamp for when an alert notification occurs is formatted according to the user’s timezone (who set up the alert).
    • Notify Driver: Select this box to optionally send a custom message to the vehicle’s driver. You can assign contact information for the driver or the vehicle. If a driver is assigned, the system uses the driver’s contact info, alert preferences (Email and/or SMS), and timezone (format of the driver’s alert time stamp only; driver’s timezone is not considered in the alert thresholds). If no driver is assigned or no contact information is available for the assigned driver, the system uses the vehicle’s contact info and alert preferences. If you want to notify both the driver and vehicle contact (if different), you must choose to notify the driver and then enter the vehicle contact number separately in the Address box.
    • (In the Company XYZ example, we added, “Why are you driving?”)

    • Repeat Delay: The minimum number of minutes between notifications for this alert. This option allows you to limit the frequency with which you receive alerts—especially for alerts that apply to a large group of vehicles. For example, if the Repeat Delay is set to 5 minutes, you will receive notifications no more than every 5 minutes. Any alerts that have accumulated during that time will be sent to you at once.
    • Per-Vehicle Delay: The minimum number of minutes between alerts for the same vehicle. This option allows you to limit the frequency with which you receive alerts per vehicle. For example, if you have one vehicle in a group that is constantly going in and out of a landmark, you may only want to receive a notification every 20 minutes whenever alert conditions are met for that vehicle instead of each time the vehicle triggers the alert.
    • Active: Temporarily turn on/off the alert.

  3. Depending on the alert type you create, additional properties vary:

    • In-Cab Notify: The in-cab notification method that should activate when the alert is triggered. (Must be installed in vehicle.)
    • Input: The input type (e.g., door, PTO, etc.) as defined by your account at the time of device installation and the input state on which to alert (e.g., open/closed, on/off, etc.).
    • Idle Limit: Minutes a vehicle must idle before an alert is triggered.
    • Push to Manager App: Send push notification to the Manager App. Only available for Ignition Alert.
    • Weekdays: The days the alert is in effect. Time options include All Day (24 hours), Off (reverts the selected days to indicate when the alert is NOT in effect), or Odd Hours (set time threshold for start and end). The times applied to the alert conditions uses the timezone on the account profile. If you are setting up an alert for vehicles that generally reside in a different timezone than you, consider adjusting the start and end time values according to the vehicles against which this alert is applied. (In the Company XYZ example, we set the After option to 21:00 (i.e., 9:00 PM) and the Before option to 4:00.)
    • Weekends: The days the alert is in effect on weekends. Time options include All Day (24 hours), Off (reverts the selected days to indicate when the alert is NOT in effect), or Odd Hours (set time threshold for start and end). The times applied to the alert conditions uses the timezone on the account profile. If you are setting up an alert for vehicles that generally reside in a different timezone than you, consider adjusting the start and end time values according to the vehicles against which this alert is applied.
    • Landmark: The landmark in which (or outside of which) the alert is in effect. Options include Inside (the alert will only trigger if conditions exist inside the selected landmark or landmark group), Outside (the alert will only trigger if conditions exist outside the selected landmark), or N/A (the alert will trigger regardless of vehicle location). if your account is configured for attributes, you can provide extra information whenever an applicable landmark alert is triggered–like a gate code or a note about a safety concern at the property (e.g., guard dog).
    • One Time: Alert one time then deactivate.
    • Running: Threshold in minutes since the last reported location.
    • Parked: Threshold in days since the last reported location.
    • Violation Limit (speed): Threshold in MPH over the posted limit (greater than or equal to). Posted speed violations are calculated using the Inst speed value.
    • Violation Limit (accel/decel): Threshold in Gs. The DOT defines harsh (not dangerous) braking as .45 g incidents (your average NYC cab driver). Harsh acceleration is typically set at a lower g-force threshold (.35 g incidents).
    • Alert Threshold: Threshold in miles, hours, or days before service is overdue.
    • Speed Limit: Threshold in MPH in speed (not related to posted limit). By default, conditions are based on Inst speed sample. This is valuable when you need to deduce that a violation occurred at a fixed time and location (e.g., speeding inside the boundaries of a relatively small landmark).
    • Stop Time: Threshold in minutes since the vehicle has been stopped.
    • Stop Type: Type of stop for which the alert is in effect. Options include Any (idle and ignition off), Idle (only), or Stop (ignition off only).
    • Switch Type: Type of power loss event (Power Lost or Power Cycle). Power Lost indicates when a device may have been unplugged/unwired (relies on backup battery). Power Cycle indicates when all power is lost and regained. If the device has a backup battery, the alert will trigger only if all power (including backup battery) had been lost prior to regaining power.
    • Diagnostic Type: Type of diagnostic (Temperature Sensor, Coolant Temperature, Engine Speed).
    • Threshold: Threshold for Diagnostic Type (see above).

    1. Adjust additional alert settings as needed, and click Create Alert.

    The new alert will be listed in the Active Alerts grid, which includes the details of the alert and the number of times the alert has been triggered.

    The next time any vehicle(s) in the Delivery group trigger this alert according to the odd hours Bob set (using Bob’s timezone), Tom Jones will receive the following notifications (email and SMS):

        

    If a message was sent to the driver, the the time the alert violation occurred (according to Bob’s timezone) will be converted to the driver’s timezone (if set in driver’s profile).

    00-0139

    Allow ‘alerts@[provider].com’ to ensure you receive email alerts. Reply ‘STOP’ to stop receiving future SMS messages.

    More reference materials:

    Alerts provide real-time notification for driver and vehicle activity. You can set up alerts to be sent to one or more email addresses or SMS numbers. You can create an unlimited number of alerts for each alert type.

    Example
    Drivers at Company XYZ are not allowed to use delivery vehicles on weekends or between the hours of 9:00 PM and 4:00 AM. XYZ’s owner (Bob) wants to his Delivery Manager (Tom Jones) to be notified immediately via email and SMS whenever a violation occurs. XYZ’s owner also wants to notify the driver.

    To create a new alert:

    1. From the Homepage, click the Alerts card or the Manage Alerts tab.

    The Manage Alerts page opens.

    1. Click New Alert in the top right-hand corner, and select the Alert you want to create. In the Company XYZ example, we choose the Odd-Hours alert.

    2. Choose from the following options:

      The following properties are available for all alerts:

      • Vehicle: The vehicle/group that applies to the alert. The vehicle name and/or vehicle group (if applicable) will be visible in the email and/or SMS message after the Alert Subject. (In the Company XYZ example, we chose the Delivery group.)
      • Alert Subject: The subject as it will appear in the email and/or SMS message.
      • Addresses: The email address(es) and/or SMS number(s) where this alert will be sent. Separate multiple addresses and numbers by commas. The time stamp for when an alert notification occurs is formatted according to the user’s timezone (who set up the alert). If you select a hierarchy node in the Vehicle option, the Addresses defaults to use an address attribute hierarchy (if available). You can override the hierarchy list from the drop-down.
      • Notify Driver: Select this box to optionally send a custom message to the vehicle’s driver. You can assign contact information for the driver or the vehicle. If a driver is assigned, the system uses the driver’s contact info, alert preferences (Email and/or SMS), and timezone (format of the driver’s alert time stamp only; driver’s timezone is not considered in the alert thresholds). If no driver is assigned or no contact information is available for the assigned driver, the system uses the vehicle’s contact info and alert preferences. If you want to notify both the driver and vehicle contact (if different), you must choose to notify the driver and then enter the vehicle contact number separately in the Address box.
      • (In the Company XYZ example, we added, “Why are you driving?”)

      • Repeat Delay: The minimum number of minutes between notifications for this alert. This option allows you to limit the frequency with which you receive alerts—especially for alerts that apply to a large group of vehicles. For example, if the Repeat Delay is set to 5 minutes, you will receive notifications no more than every 5 minutes. Any alerts that have accumulated during that time will be sent to you at once.
      • Per-Vehicle Delay: The minimum number of minutes between alerts for the same vehicle. This option allows you to limit the frequency with which you receive alerts per vehicle. For example, if you have one vehicle in a group that is constantly going in and out of a landmark, you may only want to receive a notification every 20 minutes whenever alert conditions are met for that vehicle instead of each time the vehicle triggers the alert.
      • Active: Temporarily turn on/off the alert.

    3. Depending on the alert type you create, additional properties vary:

      • In-Cab Notify: The in-cab notification method that should activate when the alert is triggered. (Must be installed in vehicle.)
      • Input: The input type (e.g., door, PTO, etc.) as defined by your account at the time of device installation and the input state on which to alert (e.g., open/closed, on/off, etc.).
      • Idle Limit: Minutes a vehicle must idle before an alert is triggered.
      • Push to Manager App: Send push notification to the Manager App. Only available for Ignition Alert.
      • Weekdays: The days the alert is in effect. Time options include All Day (24 hours), Off (reverts the selected days to indicate when the alert is NOT in effect), or Odd Hours (set time threshold for start and end). The times applied to the alert conditions uses the timezone on the account profile. If you are setting up an alert for vehicles that generally reside in a different timezone than you, consider adjusting the start and end time values according to the vehicles against which this alert is applied. (In the Company XYZ example, we set the After option to 21:00 (i.e., 9:00 PM) and the Before option to 4:00.)
      • Weekends: The days the alert is in effect on weekends. Time options include All Day (24 hours), Off (reverts the selected days to indicate when the alert is NOT in effect), or Odd Hours (set time threshold for start and end). The times applied to the alert conditions uses the timezone on the account profile. If you are setting up an alert for vehicles that generally reside in a different timezone than you, consider adjusting the start and end time values according to the vehicles against which this alert is applied.
      • Landmark: The landmark in which (or outside of which) the alert is in effect. Options include Inside (the alert will only trigger if conditions exist inside the selected landmark or landmark group), Outside (the alert will only trigger if conditions exist outside the selected landmark), or N/A (the alert will trigger regardless of vehicle location). if your account is configured for attributes, you can provide extra information whenever an applicable landmark alert is triggered–like a gate code or a note about a safety concern at the property (e.g., guard dog).
      • One Time: Alert one time then deactivate.
      • Running: Threshold in minutes since the last reported location.
      • Parked: Threshold in days since the last reported location.
      • Violation Limit (speed): Threshold in MPH over the posted limit (greater than or equal to). Posted speed violations are calculated using the Inst speed value.
      • Violation Limit (accel/decel): Threshold in Gs. The DOT defines harsh (not dangerous) braking as .45 g incidents (your average NYC cab driver). Harsh acceleration is typically set at a lower g-force threshold (.35 g incidents).
      • Alert Threshold: Threshold in miles, hours, or days before service is overdue.
      • Speed Limit: Threshold in MPH in speed (not related to posted limit). By default, conditions are based on Inst speed sample. This is valuable when you need to deduce that a violation occurred at a fixed time and location (e.g., speeding inside the boundaries of a relatively small landmark).
      • Stop Time: Threshold in minutes since the vehicle has been stopped.
      • Stop Type: Type of stop for which the alert is in effect. Options include Any (idle and ignition off), Idle (only), or Stop (ignition off only).
      • Switch Type: Type of power loss event (Power Lost or Power Cycle). Power Lost indicates when a device may have been unplugged/unwired (relies on backup battery). Power Cycle indicates when all power is lost and regained. If the device has a backup battery, the alert will trigger only if all power (including backup battery) had been lost prior to regaining power.
      • Diagnostic Type: Type of diagnostic (Temperature Sensor, Coolant Temperature, Engine Speed).
      • Threshold: Threshold for Diagnostic Type (see above).

      1. Adjust additional alert settings as needed, and click Create Alert.

      The new alert will be listed in the Manage Alerts grid, which includes the details of the alert.

      The next time any vehicle(s) in the Delivery group trigger this alert according to the odd hours Bob set (using Bob’s timezone), Tom Jones will receive the following notifications (email and SMS):

          

      If a message was sent to the driver, the the time the alert violation occurred (according to Bob’s timezone) will be converted to the driver’s timezone (if set in driver’s profile).

      00-0139

      Allow ‘alerts@[provider].com’ to ensure you receive email alerts. Reply ‘STOP’ to stop receiving future SMS messages.

      More reference materials: