Tracking Devices And Privacy

A lot of companies now use tracking devices on all company vehicles.
Do you think that if your company car is also used for private use its ok for the company to check what your using the car for privately?
Also do you think its ok if you phone in sick they actually check if the car gets used that day?

Obviously employees who don't have a company car don't get checked up on when off so a bit of a grey area l would think legally.

 

There were times my husband had a company car and he was never told he couldn't use it on weekends or whatever.

He only got reimbursed for gas that he used doing company business but that's the way it should be anyway.

He was always in top management positions so they never cared what he did. This was also many many years ago since he's been deceased for 13.

 

Welcome @GailMarie.

In my opinion if the car belongs to the Company you work for, then they can set any rules they want for you to abide by. If it's their car and they want to put a tracker on it...then it seems like they would have that right too.

 

Welcome from me also GailMarie....I was waiting til you had your name change. Our admin, Ken wants us to use a first and last name just like in real life.

It doesn't have to be your real name and he won't put a tracker on you. . Just kidding.

 

@GailMarie
Very good OP! I've wondered from time to time, exactly the type of questions you raise, but actually I was issued company-owned vehicles before GPS existed. Often, I used rented cars while working, and wondered how much latitude might be normally extended; for example, after working all day, was use of the company-rented car to take my wife out to eat justifiable? Yeah, I justified it, I'll admit!

Welcome to the forum!
Frank

 

What about those that use a company vehicle to do both company business and personal business during business hours. I've known pick-up and delivery drivers who done this, including myself.

I remember when I drove a van to take dialysis patients to a Dialysis Center. Unlike the other vans in the fleet, the van I had was propane run. The other van drivers always had to write down the mileage on their van when they filled up with gas, but I didn't have to do that. I was also a driver that was allowed to take the van home each night. I had no vehicle at the time, so I used the van after company hours, including the day I was off (Sunday). Since I didn't write down mileage, there was no way to tell that I used the van for personal stuff after hours. The propane pump had a counter on it that showed the starting and ending number of gallons I'd put in the van.

But, if a company has a tracking device on a company vehicle, that's entirely up to them. To me, it has absolutely nothing to do with Privacy.

It's the same thing as "working from home" on a computer. Even though she could sometimes do this, and some of her co-workers do, she will not. If she was to do this, she would have to log in on our home pc and the company would have access to our pc............"nope" she says and I agree. Heck, I doubt many who "work from home" on different days, actually work a full 8 hour shift anyway. There can be/is way too much "freedom" when working from home.

 

I remember when I was 16 and learning to drive....it was through a driving school and it wasn't cheap. Anyway, my instructor always had me driving to places he had to run a personal errand to, like the store for bananas etc.

I didn't say anything but that wasn't right.

 

You can now get trackers which can be switched off when being used for personal use, so the only have the milage figures. Yes of course its natural that they want to know that company vehicles are not being abused but if you have a car and its allowed for personal use paying for your own petrol is it right for the company to see where and what you were doing on your days off?

Thanks for the comments and the welcome x