Geofencing is probably the most underused feature in GPS tracking. These 7 patterns typically pay for themselves several times over in a 20+ vehicle fleet.
1. Exit from authorized area
Draw a polygon around where your fleet is authorized to operate (a city, region, or specific route). Any geofence_out triggers SMS + email to the supervisor in real time.
Typical savings: prevents unauthorized route detours and personal use of corporate vehicles.
2. Entry to forbidden zones
Inverse of the above: polygons over risk zones (high-crime areas, no-coverage pockets, regulatory no-go zones). geofence_in → immediate alert.
3. After-hours use
Polygon around the corporate yard / depot. If the vehicle triggers geofence_out outside operating hours (e.g. Saturday 11 PM), it's potentially unauthorized use. Wire a webhook that cross-checks time + geofence and fires an alert.
Typical savings: fuel + avoidable wear + after-hours accident risk.
4. Excessive stops at risky locations
If a driver stops longer than N minutes in an unauthorized zone (gas station outside the plan, personal address), flag it. Combine geofence + stop_too_long event.
5. Mandatory dwell at delivery point
When creating a delivery task, automatically create a micro-geofence (20–50m) at the customer's address. The driver MUST stay inside for at least 60 seconds for the delivery to be valid. Prevents deliveries marked "completed" from far away.
Typical savings: eliminates delivery fraud in Uber-Eats-style apps.
6. Planned route + buffer
For fleets with fixed routes (regular delivery, school transport, garbage pickup), define a route + 200m buffer. route_deviation fires when the vehicle deviates more than N meters.
Typical savings: fuel + lost time + detection of drivers taking unsafe shortcuts.
7. Dwell time at repair shop
Geofence around the mechanic. Measure how long the vehicle stays inside (from geofence_in to geofence_out). If it exceeds 2× the historical average, auto-flag.
Typical savings: identifies shops that inflate billable time.
How to configure them
Use the /add_geofence endpoint of our API or the Hawky MCP server to define them from your own backend. Recommendations:
- Polygons with under 20 vertices (cheaper evaluation).
- HMAC-signed webhooks (verify the signature before acting).
- Descriptive names: "Yard-MX-North" instead of "Geofence 1" — saves hours when reviewing events.
- Purge old fences: 50+ active fences per device degrades performance.
Average ROI
In a 25-vehicle fleet, these 7 patterns combined typically avoid 1–2 incidents per quarter ($80,000–$150,000 MXN / $4,700–$8,700 USD) plus 5–10% fuel savings from reduced deviations. The platform pays for itself.
Ready to set yours up? See plans or email hello@hawky.tech.