Fleet tracking glossary.

AAA contractor

Also: Motor club contractor · AAA service provider

An independent tow operator or roadside service provider that accepts dispatch calls from the American Automobile Association (AAA) under contract, in exchange for a per-call payment. AAA contractors handle the actual towing or service while AAA owns the consumer-facing membership and app experience. Many independent contractors run AAA work as one revenue stream alongside direct-customer business.

Active driver

In Take Fleet, an active driver is any driver account attached to a dispatcher portal during a billing cycle. The Starter plan supports up to 15 active drivers under the $99/month flat fee. Driver accounts themselves are always free; the fleet pays only for the dispatcher portal.

Company code

Take Fleet's unique short identifier for each fleet (typically 4 to 8 uppercase letters, e.g. SKYLINE or AAATOW). Generated automatically when a company portal is created, the code is shared with drivers so they can join the portal from their free driver console accounts.

Customer tracking link

Also: Tracking link · Driver tracking link

A short, unique URL that the dispatcher generates for a specific job and sends to the customer via SMS. The customer opens the link in any web browser and sees the driver's location, status, and ETA. No app install is required. Take Fleet's core product is the generation and delivery of these links.

Dispatch portal

Also: Dispatcher portal

The web-based interface dispatchers use to view active drivers, assign drivers to jobs, generate tracking links, and review job history. In Take Fleet, the dispatch portal is what the operator pays for ($99/month) and is the primary working surface for dispatching teams. Runs in any modern web browser.

Driver console

Take Fleet's free web app for drivers. Drivers sign in with their personal account, join a company portal using its company code, accept assigned jobs, update status (en route / arrived / completed), and confirm arrival on-scene. Runs in any modern browser on Android, iOS Safari, or desktop.

Driver-confirmed arrival

Also: Proof of arrival

A timestamp + GPS coordinate captured the moment the driver taps "Arrived" in the driver console. Take Fleet logs this with the job record and uses it for billing dispute resolution, motor-club arrival-time claims, and customer-facing arrival notifications. Distinct from the dispatcher's manual logbook entry: driver-confirmed arrival is objective evidence created at the breakdown or pickup location.

Driver-confirmed location

The driver's current GPS position as captured by the Take Fleet driver console on the driver's phone. Updates as the driver moves toward the pickup. Powers the customer-facing tracking link's map view.

ELD

Also: Electronic Logging Device

An electronic device installed in a commercial motor vehicle that automatically records driving hours and other regulatory data, required under US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules for drivers running interstate commerce above certain thresholds. Take Fleet does not provide ELD compliance. Operators with ELD requirements should use Samsara, Verizon Connect, Motive, or similar enterprise telematics platforms.

ETA

Also: Estimated Time of Arrival

The estimated time when a driver will arrive at the pickup or dropoff location. In Take Fleet, ETA is calculated by the Google Maps API based on the driver's current position and the customer's pickup address, displayed on the customer-facing tracking page. Typically accurate within 10 to 15% in normal traffic.

Fleet management

The operational discipline of overseeing a company's vehicles, including dispatch, maintenance, fuel, compliance, driver management, and customer service. Different software platforms cover different parts of fleet management: Take Fleet handles customer-facing tracking, Fleetio handles maintenance, Samsara handles telematics compliance, Onfleet handles last-mile delivery routing. Most fleets use multiple tools.

Impound lot

A facility operated by a tow company (or government contractor) for storing towed vehicles until they are claimed by the owner or sold at auction. Impound lot management (including lien processing, owner notifications, and auctions) is a separate workflow from the towing itself. TowBook, Autura, and ImpoundPro provide impound lot management; Take Fleet does not.

Last-mile delivery

The final segment of a delivery route, from the local distribution center to the recipient's door. Onfleet, Routific, and Track-POD specialize in last-mile delivery dispatch and route optimization. Take Fleet is not built for last-mile delivery. Its model assumes one driver per job at a time, not multi-stop delivery routes.

Marketplace (fleet context)

A consumer-facing platform that connects customers to local fleet operators in exchange for a per-transaction fee or commission. Curb and Flywheel are taxi marketplaces; Honk and Urgent.ly are roadside marketplaces. Marketplaces own the customer relationship and share revenue with operators. Take Fleet is the opposite: it serves the operator's direct customers and does not take any cut.

Motor club

A consumer-facing membership organization that sells roadside assistance and tow coverage, then dispatches contracted independent operators to fulfill calls. The major US motor clubs are AAA, Allstate Roadside Services, Agero, Quest, and Swoop. Independent tow and roadside contractors typically run motor-club work as a primary revenue stream, with billing handled through the motor club's portal.

Proof of arrival

Also: Arrival timestamp · Driver-confirmed arrival

Objective evidence (typically a timestamp, GPS coordinate, and optional photo) that a driver actually arrived at a job location. Used by tow operators to resolve customer billing disputes about wait time and ETA, and by motor-club contractors to support billing claims when motor-club systems dispute ETA performance. Take Fleet's driver-confirmed arrival generates proof of arrival as a side effect of the driver tapping 'Arrived' in the driver console.

Roadside service types

The four most common roadside assistance call types: jump start (dead battery), lockout (keys locked inside vehicle), fuel delivery (out of gas), and tire change (flat tire or spare installation). Other roadside service types include winch-out, accident scene support, and minor mechanical repair. Most independent roadside contractors offer the four core service types.

Route optimization

Automated planning of multi-stop delivery routes to minimize total time, distance, or fuel. Important for last-mile delivery operations covering dozens of stops per route. Onfleet and Routific specialize in route optimization. Take Fleet does not do route optimization. Its model assumes single-pickup dispatch (one driver, one customer, one job), not multi-stop routes.

Shuttle loop

A fixed-route shuttle service that runs on a continuous loop between predefined stops, common for hotel-airport shuttles, university campus loops, and corporate inter-building shuttles. Take Fleet supports shuttle loops by letting dispatchers pick the next available shuttle and generate a passenger-facing tracking link for each pickup.

Telematics

Vehicle-installed hardware that captures GPS, speed, engine diagnostics, fuel consumption, and (with dashcam add-ons) video. Enterprise telematics platforms like Samsara, Verizon Connect, and Geotab combine telematics hardware with cloud software for fleet compliance and safety programs. Typical cost: $27+/vehicle/month plus hardware. Take Fleet does not do telematics. Drivers use their existing phones, no in-vehicle hardware is needed.

Tow recovery

The process of removing a disabled or wrecked vehicle from a roadside, accident scene, or parking area, and transporting it to a destination (impound lot, repair shop, owner address). Independent tow operators handle recovery alongside motor-club calls. Take Fleet provides customer-facing tracking for the active phase of a tow recovery; impound and accounting workflows belong to TowBook, Autura, or similar back-office systems.

Tracking link token

The unique identifier embedded in a Take Fleet customer tracking link URL (e.g., the segment after /track/ in the URL). Tokens are unguessable random strings tied to a specific job, and the tracking page they unlock is automatically retired when the job is marked complete. Tokens enable the customer to share the link with a colleague picking them up without exposing other jobs.

Where are you? calls

The shorthand for the inbound calls dispatchers field from anxious customers asking when the driver will arrive. The problem is not the wait; it is the wait without visibility. Take Fleet's value proposition centers on reducing or eliminating these calls by giving the customer a tracking link so they can see the driver approach without calling. Maister's "Psychology of Waiting Lines" is the foundational reference for why this matters.