Getting Started (FAQ)

The Geotab GO device installs easily in your vehicle by simply plugging into your OBDII port. Depending on your vehicle, some larger commercial trucks require an additional harness. You can learn more about the installation process as it relates to your vehicles by speaking with your authorised Geotab reseller, or by taking a look at some of the hardware installation documents.

The GO device has 3 LEDs that indicates the “health” of the device and connectivity:

• Red: The device has detected ignition
• Green: The device is connected to the cellular network and can communicate with the Geotab servers
• Blue: The device has latched onto the GPS satellites

Below are the few common reasons why the device may beep:

• The device enters into a diagnostic mode upon installation that beeps to reveal status information but will go away after one trip
• A rule may have been set up on the server to beep
• The device may have driver feedback options enabled

The GO device relies on the GPS network to determine the location, speed and time. If the device is unable to connect to the GPS network, it will be unable to record any trip information even if it is able to communicate to the Geotab servers.

By navigating to the Vehicles section in MyGeotab and checking the serial number. The first 2 digits of the serial number will start with either a G6 or G7, which respectively indicates a GO6 or a GO7.

The first step is to try unplugging the device from the vehicle, and then plugging it back in to see if this will help re-establish communication. If the device still does not communicate, then please contact your Geotab reseller for further assistance. Below are the common reasons why the device may not be communicating.

• The device may be in an area without cellular coverage
• The device may be unplugged from the vehicle or has lost power from the OBD connector
• The device may be reporting, but it may have a GPS issue where it cannot latch onto the GPS satellites

Not installing the device properly will result in a loose connection that may cause communication failure, data loss, or erroneous data. In addition, false accident alerts and excessive accelerometer data may be generated because a loose connection may cause excessive vibrations on the device.

Always make sure to secure the device and any harnesses used with zip ties during installation.

This blog provides information about the importance of proper installation.

The harness required for your vehicle depends on what port connection your vehicle has. Most vehicles have the standard OBDII port that do not need a harness as the GO device can plug directly into the port. If the vehicle has a 9-pin or 6-pin connector, then the appropriate 6 or 9 pin interface harness will be required to connect the GO device into the vehicle. If your vehicle has a different connector than the ones listed above or does not have a connector, then the 3-wire harness will be required for your vehicle. If you are unsure about what connector your vehicle has or what harness you need, please contact your Authorised Geotab Reseller for further assistance.

Installing a Garmin in a vehicle to be able to work with the Geotab system is as easy as plugging in Geotab’s custom IOX-Garmin cable between the Garmin and the Geotab device. Once installed, the Garmin will power up when the vehicle ignition is turned on.

No, Geotab supports all current Garmin devices that have support for the FMI 2.0 protocol. These are Garmin navigation devices that are more geared towards business use and you can verify that your Garmin supports FMI 2.0 by looking its specifications.

The Garmin device must be updated by plugging into a personal computer, and then by going to the Garmin website to download the update. Garmin offers its own map updates and firmware improvements.

If the Garmin has an icon at the top right that shows it is not connected, then the first place to check is the physical connection to ensure there is nothing loose or disconnected. If the connection looks good, check that there is cellular connection on the GO device by looking at the lights to ensure that the green light on the GO device is illuminated.

In order to do remove the Geotab settings from the Garmin you will have to clear all user data and restore the Garmin to its original OEM state. If the Garmin is equipped with a reset button, hold this down for 3 seconds. If this does not work or if your Garmin does not have a reset button then follow the steps below:

1. Power down the Garmin
2. Place your finger on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen
3. While still pressing on the corner of the screen, power up the Garmin
4. Hit continue/yes for any prompts that appear and this will initiate the process of resetting the unit to factory defaults

Geotab offers the ability to connect to any third-party sensor or PTO in a vehicle with the IOX-AUX cable. By utilising this cable and hard wiring to a sensor, rules can be created in the system to report on various conditions around that connection. For example, the IOX-AUX can be connected to a salter in a vehicle and then rules can be generated to find out when the salter was turned on and how long it was turned on for.

Within MyGeotab, begin by go going into Administration -> Users. Select the user, then go to the Driver tab and answer Yes to the “This User is a Driver” question. Input the number from the blue key fob or sticker into the NFC key Serial Number field.

Availability of the data will depend on vehicle type, make, model and year, please contact your reseller with your specific fleet details.

The GO device will automatically attempt to detect VIN, odometer, fuel usage, seat belt status, and engine faults. In some cases, your vehicle may not support the full range of features either because information are not available in older vehicles, or the manufacturer has made it proprietary.

Engine data will not be available to the GO device if the device is connected using a 3-wire harness, or if the vehicle does not provide any engine data. Depending on your account type, you may be in “Base mode” which means that you will not have access to engine data. Please speak with your Authorized Geotab Reseller if you wish to upgrade your account.

If the GO device gets RPM data from the vehicle, then rules or driver feedback can be set up within the MyGeotab software to detect over-revving of the engine. The thresholds can be selected in MyGeotab and alerts can be set to go off if the engine go over the chosen thresholds.

Petrol (gas) and diesel fuel are generally supported but it mainly depends on the vehicle make, model, and year for the GO device to get access to this information. Other alternative fuel sources (propane, CNG), and hybrids may be supported but this will also depend on the vehicle type.

Different vehicle types all have their own way of storing fuel data and some of them may not even have fuel data stored. If fuel data is unavailable, chances are that the device is currently unable to access this information for that specific vehicle type. This blog provides more information about this topic.

An in-vehicle alert can be set to go off if the vehicle is stationary for more than the desired timeframe set up in the driver feedback section within the MyGeotab software. Idling, from the device perspective, is any period of time spent with the ignition on with a road speed of zero.

Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), Diagnostic Fault Codes (DFCs), or simply engine codes, are specific error messages sent from the vehicle that the GO device captures and transmits to MyGeotab. These faults can then be reviewed in the Engine Faults section within MyGeotab.

Geotab optimises the data transmitted by applying a “curve” algorithm on it – keeps our costs down and value high. “Curving” the data means that only relevant information is transmitted – this means that the user gets all the important information from the data in order to save on bandwidth. For example, if the RPM is staying flat as you are driving down the road, there is no point in logging all the RPM logs. However, if the driver does a bad shift and revs the engine crazily we will capture that and send it over to the user. Finally, we have some parameters that are logged only during an ignition OFF event. Very little if anything, is transmitted on a timed basis. For a list of parameters logged using the curve method, please refer to the Firmware release notes.

The MyGeotab application was designed to run in your device’s web browser. This means that no matter what your physical location, the type of computer, or the type of mobile device you are accessing it from, the software will be available to you by visiting https://my.geotab.com. Please note that the device you are using requires an active internet connection.

As Geotab continues to innovate, many modern features of the web are integrated into our products. In order use all the advanced functionality on MyGeotab, a modern browser is required. A modern browser includes the following:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 9+
• The latest version of Google Chrome
• The latest version of Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari 6+

Please note that some functionality may still require the use of Windows(R) ClickOnce. If you are using a web browser other than Internet Explorer, a browser extension may be necessary. MyGeotab will show you how to install the extension suited for your browser after your first log in.

• Windows Vista, 7, 8 or later
• Mac OS X 10.5 or later
• .NET 2.0 (already installed with Vista)
• 40 GB hard disk that has 15GB space free
• 1 GB of RAM
• Additional hard disk space might be required for data storage
• iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) 5.0 or later
• Android 3.0 or later (Android 2.1 or later when using Firefox for Android)
• Touch screen displays are supported

Note: Due to the volume of data presented on Geotab as a result of maps and reports, we also recommend you have access to a high-speed internet connection.

The MyGeotab map refreshes every 15 seconds in the browser. The device itself will send updates at varying intervals depending on driver behaviour or vehicle health. At a minimum, the Geotab GO device updates its location at least once every 100 seconds while driving. The more the direction or speed changes, the more often the location will update.

You can create an unlimited number of users. Further to this, users can be configured to have specific roles with varying levels of access. For instance, you can set up distinct groups of user accounts to be used for your dispatchers, managers, supervisors, and administrators. You can manage your user accounts by navigating to Administration and then selecting Users.

New users can be added under the Administration > Users section. Here you can assign users to groups, give them security clearances to groups and specific features appropriate for their role (role based permissions), assign driver id keys to them and customise their user settings.

User rights are assigned under the Administration > Users section by selecting the user and using the drop down for security clearances.

Users are assigned to groups by going into the Administration > Users section, selecting the user and choosing which groups they are a part of from the drop down listing of all the groups.

Go to the Administration > Users section and add a new user. In the edit screen that opens, click on the driver tab. If you set the option to YES, the user will become a driver after you save.

Yes, anybody can receive reports via email. When turning on an existing rule click the mail button to define email recipients. When creating a rule from scratch, select the notifications tab and select Add email to add recipients.

Yes. By utilising Geotab’s driver ID feature, reports can be run by vehicle or by driver.

To change your password, select your email address in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and then select Change Password.

Please contact your account administrator to have your user account password reset. If they are unable to assist you, then please contact your Authorized Geotab Reseller.

To create a user password, navigate to Administration > Users. Select a user by name and then select Reset Password. You can choose to have them reset their password the next time they log in by selecting the Force password change on next login question or you can manually enter a new password for them.

MyGeotab is a federation of servers and as a result, a customer’s database can be moved from one server to another without prior notice. Therefore, the recommended path to bookmark is http://my.geotab.com rather than a link with a number after the “my”. On login, MyGeotab will redirect you the correct MyGeotab server for your database. If you have already bookmarked a specific server and that server no longer exists then you may start getting redirected to a blank page. You can resolve this by clearing your cache and cookies in your browser.

English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese.

Select your email address in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, then select Options. You can change the language by selecting a new option from the Regional Settings section and then selecting Save.

If the Geotab GO device loses the connection to the GPS network, the location history of your trip may be affected. In some cases you may see straight lines connecting the vehicle locations before and after the device was communicating. Please note this is usually a temporary issue and can be monitored by using the Watchdog Report.

First, you will need to set up your device status groups, then select the vehicle from the drop-down list by selecting the arrow in the map section. You can search for a specific vehicle by name, VIN or serial number. When it appears on the map, select it and then select Assign Status Group, then finish by choosing the appropriate status from the list.

Vehicles can be assigned to groups by navigating to Vehicles. Select the vehicles you want to change and then select the Groups section. You can make changes to multiple vehicles at a time by selecting the checkmark in the top right.

Drivers can be assigned to vehicles by navigating to the map. Select the vehicle you want to assign a driver to from the drop-down list by selecting the arrow. You can search for a specific vehicle by name, VIN or serial number. When it appears on the map, select it and then select Assign Driver, then finish by choosing the appropriate driver from the list.

Zones can be any shape that consists of three or more sides. For example, some users create their zones to contain smaller office locations such as parking lots, while others may define larger zones such as an entire highway.

Yes, Geotab offers a routing feature that allows you to connect a sequence of zones together to create a route. The route can optionally start and end at the same location and can be defined in any order you wish. Additionally, a route plan can be created to report on discrepancies between your planned route and where the driver actually went.

Geotab integrates with in-vehicle Garmin navigation systems. This allows you to send routes and two-way messages from MyGeotab directly to your drivers. A route can be sent by navigating to Zones & Messages > Route. Select the route you want to send and then select Send to Vehicle. Select which vehicle(s) to send the route to and include an optional message to help inform your drivers, then select Send.

Geotab offers a comprehensive set of reports to suit your business needs. Our reports range from driver safety and behaviour monitoring, risk management, zone entry and exit, real-time exceptions and many more. Almost all aspects of our reports can be customised using Microsoft Excel.

To configure the options of a report, go into Administration > Custom Reports. Highlight the report to configure, then choose the Report Options button at the top. This is where you can define date ranges, groups of vehicles to be included in the report, exception rules, whether you want the report by driver or by vehicle, which zones to be included, and so on.

Go to the Map section of MyGeotab, and select the vehicles you want to include by clicking on the down arrow next to the box that says Device, VIN, zone, etc. A list of vehicles will appear, highlight the one(s) you want. Select Trips History, under Options, and select the time frame you wish to see. Next, go the View button and select Advanced. It will display on the screen. Click on the Excel button to have the report download to an Excel spreadsheet.

An existing report can be customised by going into Administration > Reports > Report Views. A list of all the reports will be displayed. Select the report and then hit the export button to begin modifying the report. Once your changes are made, you can then save the file, and then import the newly saved file back into the database.

Go into Administration > Reports. When adding a new report, a user can add their logo to the excel file before saving. This logo will appear whenever the report is run through MyGeotab or when scheduled to be emailed out. This can be done with all reports in MyGeotab.

Once you have selected a report and it is displayed on the screen, you will see a PDF button and an Excel button at the top. Choosing either one of these will send the report out in that format.

Go into Administration > Reports, and then select the report of interest. Click on the email report option to select the delivery options for the report.

The maximum file size for emailed reports is 10 MB and any further emails will be disabled for 60 minutes if the email limited is exceeded. In addition, the email report will be disabled if any of the following is true:

• Attachment size > 10 MB
• Total number of emails sent in an hour per rule > 500
• Total data usage of emails per hour > 500 MB
• Finally, please note that PDF email reports generally have a larger file size compared to Excel emailed reports.

The reason you see the different values is that the Dashboard graph refreshes as per its defined schedule, which is set up under the Dashboard options, while the data in the Excel report is refreshed as soon as you click on the graph. If you feel that you need the dashboard to have more real time values, then you can go into the Enable Dashboard options and change the refresh schedule.

MyGeotab automatically sizes the graph so that it best illustrates the information in the clearest and most concise way. This is not something the user can change.

Below are the few common scenarios why this may be happening:

• You see part of an excel sheet: MyGeotab will display the last sheet you are on when you saved and closed the Excel File. You must have focused on the graph before closing in order for it to be displayed.
• You see the box but you only get an error message: MyGeotab has a built in Dashboard timeout to avoid issues caused by overly large reports. The timeout value is 2 minutes so if the report takes more than two minutes to run and extract the graph then you will get a timeout error.
• Nothing shows up: make sure that you or a group you belong to are added under viewers and that the correct asset groups are selected.

MyGeotab supports customised reporting through both Microsoft Excel and through the MyGeotab API. To create a custom report in Excel based on a standard template click on Administration > Reports > Report Views. From here, you can select any default report and download the template to customise. Once you have added your customizations you can import the template back into the database by clicking Add Excel File. The forum provides many useful tips and examples on creating a custom Geotab report.

Within MyGeotab, you can visit the Getting Started Guide. There is a What’s New section list on the Product Guide page, which will list and explain the new features that have been added.

Zones can be imported directly from MyGeotab. Go into Zones & Messages > Import Zones. Zones can be imported either by address or by latitude and longitude. Example files are also shown. When you click on the box that says Drag and drop your files, you can select the excel file containing the zone information.

You can perform a bulk import by using the Geotab SDK. Simply navigate to my.geotab.com/sdk, select JavaScript Samples on left and select click here to download. This will download bulk edit programs which will allow you to bulk import vehicles, routes, route plans, and users.

Geotab as a company follows industry best practice with all our IT systems – this includes intrusion detection, 2-factor authentication, auditing of all events, SSL and encryption. MyGeotab is also a web only app and as such cannot create viruses. If you use the legacy key and RF downloaders and only if you use these, then we do download software through Microsoft ClickOnce(™) technology. That software is signed by Geotab and is built in a controlled way in lab conditions.

No – the servers that deliver the code to the devices are behind Geotab’s firewall and the devices will only accept instructions from Geotab.

MyGeotab is accessible from any device that runs a standard browser. Geotab Drive, the Driver based application that is based on HTML5 is supported on Android 4.1 and later.

Yes, Geotab offers HOS and DVIR solutions for those businesses that own or operate heavy commercial vehicles and are looking to improve their regulatory compliance. Geotab provides HOS on specific Garmin Devices. Geotab also offers an application on Android devices through Geotab Drive. For more information, please see the subsection named “Geotab Drive”.

Geotab partners with Aegis and Dock-n-lock for driver solutions. ZoomSafer® from Aegis Mobility is software for smartphones and tablets that use driving state information from the Geotab GO device to trigger “Safe Mode” while driving. In Safe Mode, a curtain screen blocks access to the keyboard and screen. All notifications and alerts are silenced – including incoming calls, texts and emails. Dock-n-lock provides an easy to use hardware device compatible with all phones, it works by preventing the vehicle from starting until the driver first “docks and locks” their phone in the system, out of sight and reach. Like a Breathalyzer works to prevent drinking and driving, Dock-n-Lock works to prevent the use of cellphones while driving.

Yes, Geotab has many customers integrated with TMS. Geotab has developed a robust SDK and series of APIs to allow customers, resellers, and integration partners to integrate with TMS providers and other back office applications. Some of the more commonly known TMS partners that have been integrated include TMW Appian and Profit Tools. Geotab is currently working on integrating TMW Truckmate.

Geotab Drive is an Automatic On-Board Recording Device (AOBRD) that complies with FMCSA 395.15 Regulations. It is an application that can run on most tablets and allows drivers to record hours of service (HOS) logs. Geotab Drive can also be used for Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR)

Geotab Drive supports property and passenger carrying rule sets for drivers in the United States, subject to FMCSA regulations. For Canada, Geotab Drive supports Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 as set out by the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulation.

Geotab Drive is available on Android devices and allows users to record HOS and DVIR logs. Geotab Drive is compatible with connected Android devices running 4.1 or later that have access to the Google Playstore.

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The electronic device you are using for Geotab Drive needs to be plugged in and receiving power at all times while the vehicle is being used. It will also need to have High Accuracy GPS turned on to detect movement and auto-assign the driver’s status (Driving, On Duty, etc.). Lastly, it will also need to have a strong cellular data connection to a wireless network and be able to upload and download information.

Geotab Drive supports exemptions for adverse conditions and 16-hour work cycles.

To get even more from your Geotab solution by moving from Base to Pro, which includes engine data for real-time vehicle diagnostics information and the ability to better manage and improve driver safety, please contact your Authorized Geotab Reseller directly.

To reduce the number of features within the software that you currently have access to, please contact your Authorized Geotab Reseller to make the switch to downgrade. In moving from Pro to Base you will only have GPS data, which does not include engine data.

Geotab devices are delivered in a warm state and will work immediately once they are installed. The warm state means that the device is not billed but can be installed without any additional tasks needing to be performed. Once the device has been installed, the device billing will automatically start when roughly a trip worth of data reaches the Geotab servers.

Geotab offers a standard 12-month warranty. If you believe your device is faulty, then please immediately inform your Authorized Geotab Reseller to help you get a replacement.

To find an Authorized Geotab Reseller in your local area, you can contact Geotab directly by calling or filling out the form on our contact page. Since most resellers have their own website, you can also search for a Geotab reseller in your search engine by typing in your location along with Geotab into the search bar.

Geotab takes reseller inquiries on a case-by-case basis. To find out whether you meet the criteria required to become an Authorized Geotab Reseller, please contact us by filling out our contact form.

As an engineering company that develops industry-leading fleet management technology, customer support is a key priority for Geotab. To receive technical support and training, please call your Authorized Geotab Reseller directly.