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5. Driver Training : AutoStart Options Part 3

TripLog Course 5 Part 3 AutoStart Options : AutoStart Settings

Updated over a week ago

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In our previous video we covered the Hardware options available if your organization chose to utilize them outside of the built in app autostarts. In this video we will discuss the settings and choices that you have to configure those autostarts.

Getting Started with Triplog AutoStart:
There are a few settings that are available to configure in the different Autostarts. As long as your organization allows you to choose the option you collect mileage with we will cover the settings available to customize that automatic tracking.

The option to enable and disable will be the primary setting to determine if you want to use autostart tracking or not. Once you have chosen to use automatic tracking you will want to choose which autostart works best for you.

Please review the previous videos on how the different autostart options work.
Please note: if you need tracking for multiple vehicles you cannot “mix and match” autostarts between vehicles. MagicTrip will only work automatically for one vehicle. If you had a second vehicle you could manually override the automatic tracking by selecting the other vehicle for a manual GPS trip.

If you choose to use Car Bluetooth you would need to be able to do so in both or you would need to again manually track mileage in the other vehicle. The same applies for our Triplog Drive and TripLog beacon devices.

Speed Threshold:
In the autostart settings you can configure your speed threshold. While the defaults cover the great majority of situations. Your individual device capabilities and driving environment may determine your choices. For example If you make frequent stops and in a small area like in last mile delivery then you may need to set the speed threshold lower to trigger movement sooner. If you feel the start of trips is too sensitive in an urban environment then increasing the speed threshold will account for proximity to tall buildings.
Please note changing that these settings may impact older devices more significantly.

Timeout Setting:
The Timeout setting means different things between autostarts when used with MagicTrip the Timeout will determine the end of the trip by measuring the time from when you are stopped and under the speed threshold to end a trip. Once that time is up for being stopped then the trip will end. The default setting of 5 minutes is recommended but I would not recommend a longer period unless you stop frequently and would like continuous tracking.

The Timeout setting when used with Car Bluetooth, TripLog Beacon, TripLog Drive and Plug N Go is a countdown timer at the first connection before the trip. When there is a connection trigger during the power on, like Bluetooth Connecting or a Hardware device connecting to the app, it will start a timer. That timer is the duration for the app to continue to monitor for movement. If the speed threshold is not exceeded by the time the TIMEOUT period has ended then the app will no longer monitor for movement until the next connection trigger.
An example of how the timeout trigger needs to be accounted for is if you get into your vehicle to warm up or cool down on an extreme temperature day. From the initial key on of the vehicle the app connects to Bluetooth or the Triplog beacon. If the TIMEOUT passes and you begin driving the trip may not record. If you have notifications on it will tell you if the app is in standby monitoring for movement during the timeout period. The recommendation would be to extend the TIMEOUT longer than the longest time from key on to actual driving you might have, remember longer is better in this case.
If for some reason you have exceeded the timeout and need to start tracking. You will just need to initiate the trigger that enabled the timeout. This can be restarting the vehicle, toggling bluetooth or unplugging and plugging back in the Beacon or Drive.

Business Hours Default Setting:
With TripLog you can have the app automatically define your business purpose for trips based on your working hours. You can set the working hours to match your schedule by moving the slider to the correct start and end times as well as enabling those working hours on specific days. If the trip were to begin within the set timeframe it will default to the Business hours default, generally Business.
You can choose the default for after-hours or outside the defined working hours to be personal or even to have the app not track or autostart. Please note that some organization settings may limit this option.

A frequently asked question we get is: what if I start a trip close to the end of my working hours and stop after it what will happen? If your business hours end time is 5 pm and you begin a trip at 4:50 it will begin tracking as business and will complete when you stop. If that time is after 5 pm it will still be a business trip as it began in the Business hours timeframe. The same is true for the reverse, If you begin a trip before your working hours it will follow the After hours setting even if you continue to drive through the start of the Business hours timeframe.
Remember, You can always reclassify the trip between Business and Personal provided your organization has allowed editing of saved trips.

Other Defaults:

There are a few other options for setting the default activity for your trips. By navigating to the vehicles page you can set your vehicle’s default activity to the desired one. This will override the Business hours setting.
An example of using this would be that you have a vehicle that will only ever be used for Business. You can have all tracked trips in that vehicle default to Business to reduce the amount of reclassifying that you may need to do.
As you can always change the associated trip activity later if your settings allow it. Be cautious if you do enable this setting, it may not be apparent it is configured unless you return to this menu.

Speed Threshold

In the autostart settings you can configure your speed threshold. The default option of 5mph will cover the great majority of situations, your individual device capabilities and driving environment may impact your choices. If you make frequent stops and in a small area like in last mile delivery then you may need to set the speed threshold lower to trigger movement sooner. If you feel the start of trips is too sensitive in an urban environment then increasing the speed threshold will account for proximity to tall buildings. Please note changing that these settings may impact older devices more significantly.

AutoStart Settings

Select Speed Threshold

Timeout Settings

Timeout MagicTrip

The timeout setting for MagicTrip is the timer at the END of the trip when you are below the speed threshold. If there is no movement at the end of the trip for the timeout then the trip ends. The default of 5 minutes is good to catch most stops but not include stop and go traffic.

When would you change it?

If you are regularly driving in heavy traffic you can adjust the timeout a little longer to link the possible stops together. You can always merge trips together after they are recorded.

If you need to app to make more legs in delivery or other options then you can reduce the timeout but know that you may have trips end in traffic.

Timeout TripLog Drive, TripLog Beacon, Car Bluetooth and Plug-n-Go

The timeout setting in the TripLog Drive, TripLog Beacon, Car Bluetooth and Plug-n-Go is the period before driving. When the connection trigger happens with will put the app in Monitor for Movement or Ready to Track and it will monitor for movement to exceed the Speed Threshold. If the Timeout lapses then it will no longer monitor for movement until the connection is reinitiated. In most cases longer is better and there might be a need for it to be as long as 20-30 minutes depending on your activity.

AutoStart

Connection Trigger

How to Reset Trigger

TripLog Drive

Bluetooth Connection with Paired Device

Unplug the Drive and Plug it back in or restart the vehicle

TripLog Beacon

Bluetooth Connection with Paired Device

Unplug the Beacon and Plug it back in or restart the vehicle

Car Bluetooth

Bluetooth Connection with Paired Device

Restart Bluetooth on the device or restart the vehicle

Plug-n-Go

Plugging into/Connecting to a powered/charging connection

Unplug the cable or stop charging and begin again

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