When a driver uses a company vehicle for personal use and compliance rules dictate that the drivers must not be tracked after hours, you can either use DriveMate (a serial device) or a privacy mode switch (which goes on one of the i-lines) or by enabling private mode driver plugs.
This means a driver can go into private mode, using the driver plug by using a range of driver IDs.
This article explains how to enable private mode for your drivers using a driver plug.
- Create a new driver and assign the driver an ID from a range of driver ID's that will be used for private mode plug identification. For example, if you choose range 2000 - 2500 than all the ID's making use of that range will put an asset into private mode. You give the driver a driver ID of 2001, using this driver plug will put an asset into private mode. NOTE: the range for the driver ID must remain within the system parameters of -32,000 to 32,000.
TIP: You can also add the word "private" to the driver name to easily search for and find private drivers created in MiX Fleet Manager.
Open the mobile device template for the devices that you want to enable the private mode driver ID's on. This feature is available on the FM, MiX 4000, MiX 6000 and MiX 6000LTE devices.
Click here if you need to know how to determine which mobile device template is linked to your specific assets.
- Click Manage.
- Under Config Admin, click Templates.
- Click the Mobile device templates tab on the left.
- Search for the mobile device template containing the assets that will use the private mode plugs.
- Click on the green hyperlinked template name to open the device settings.
- Now click on the name of the mobile device type name to open the mobile device properties:
- Scroll to the private mode plug section and check the box next to the heading name to enable the feature.
- Enter a from and to value that will contain the range for the driver ID's that will put the assets into a private mode when inserting the driver plug.
- Click Save.
Using the example range in the picture above, if a driver plug is inserted with an ID of 2100, the asset will be put into private mode. The trip taken using this driver plug will still be recorded and shown on the timeline, but no GPS will be recorded and it will not show on the map.
Note: Changing a mobile device template will automatically update the configuration settings for all the assets using this template. All these assets will then show a "Configuration changed" status and will require the configuration to be compiled and uploaded for the changes to be effective on the mobile device. Click the Yes button on the notification if you would like to continue.
How does it work?
When a driver inserts the plug containing a driver ID in the private mode range, the device will switch to private mode. This will trigger a new private mode plug active event.
Private mode plug will be bound to a trip in the same way as Driver ID.
Out of trip AVLs, if configured, will record as per usual with a latitude/longitude value however Driver ID is not available on these as is the norm.
When the plug is left in the code plug socket privacy mode will persist even with out of trip AVLs configured.
The next time a trip is started it will no longer be in private mode as the driver ID is cleared at the end of a trip. Drivers can then either identify themselves with the standard Driver ID plug or again trigger private mode with the private mode plug.