Idle Time Monitoring Software for UK Fleets
Every minute a vehicle sits idling is fuel burned for no journey completed — and across a fleet of any size, that adds up to a real, largely invisible cost. FleetGS automatically detects and logs idle time per vehicle and driver, giving fleet managers the data to cut wasted fuel spend and back up an anti-idling policy with evidence rather than guesswork.
What FleetGS tracks for idle time
Idle time data sits alongside your standard fleet tracking, so it's part of the same dashboard you already use for routes, jobs, and compliance.
Idle events
Every idling period over your configured threshold, logged with start time, duration, and location.
Turns an invisible cost into a specific, actionable number.
Per-driver idle time
Total and average idle minutes per driver per day, week, or custom reporting period.
Identifies which drivers need coaching on stop-start habits.
Per-vehicle idle time
Idle time attributed to each vehicle, independent of which driver was assigned.
Flags vehicles used on routes or jobs that generate excessive waiting.
Threshold alerts
Automated alerts when a vehicle or driver exceeds a configurable daily idle time budget.
Lets fleet managers act on outliers without reviewing every record.
Fuel cost estimation
Idle minutes converted into an estimated fuel cost, using typical consumption rates by vehicle type.
Puts a pounds-and-pence figure on the business case for reducing idling.
Everything you need to control engine idling
- Automatic idle event detection with no manual logging
- Configurable idle thresholds per vehicle or vehicle group
- Per-driver and per-vehicle idle time reporting
- Automated alerts when idle time exceeds a daily budget
- Estimated fuel cost of idling, converted to £ figures
- Idle data included in driver behaviour scoring
- Works with app-only tracking or connected telematics hardware
- Exportable reports to support anti-idling policy enforcement
Why idling is worth measuring
0.5–1L
Fuel burned per hour idling (light commercial vehicle)
£100s
Wasted per vehicle per year from unmanaged idling
0
Useful journey miles completed while idling
48 hrs
Setup time to start capturing idle data
A practical way to act on the data
Most fleets get the biggest win in the first month simply by reviewing which two or three vehicles or drivers account for a disproportionate share of total idle time, then addressing those specific cases directly — rather than issuing a blanket policy reminder to the whole fleet.
Turning idle time data into lower fuel costs
Idle time is one of the easiest fuel costs to reduce because, unlike route mileage, it represents zero productive value — every minute idling is pure waste rather than a trade-off against a faster or safer journey. The challenge has always been visibility: without dedicated monitoring, idling happens quietly across dozens of small events a day that never show up as a single line item on a fuel bill.
FleetGS's idle time monitoring closes that gap by logging every event automatically and rolling it into per-driver and per-vehicle reporting alongside the driver behaviour scoring already used for harsh braking and speeding. This means idling coaching becomes part of the same conversation fleet managers already have with drivers about safe, efficient driving — rather than a separate initiative that requires new tooling or process.
For wider fuel cost strategies, see our guide to reducing fleet idling in the UK, and for the full picture on cutting fleet running costs, read how to reduce fleet costs.
Pricing — idle time monitoring included as standard
Idle time monitoring is included in every FleetGS plan. No add-ons, no per-vehicle surcharge.
Starter
£45/mo
Up to 10 vehicles
Growth
£129/mo
Up to 40 vehicles
Scale
£299/mo
Up to 200 vehicles
Frequently asked questions
How does FleetGS detect and measure idle time?
FleetGS monitors GPS speed and, for vehicles with connected telematics hardware, ignition and engine status, to identify periods where a vehicle is stationary with the engine running for longer than a configurable threshold — typically two or three minutes. Each idling event is logged against the vehicle and driver, timestamped and location-tagged, so a fleet manager can see not just how much idle time occurred but where and when, whether that's a driver waiting at a delivery site, sat in traffic, or running the engine to keep warm on a break.
What does excessive idling actually cost a UK fleet?
A typical diesel light commercial vehicle burns roughly 0.5–1 litre of fuel per hour at idle, and idling produces no useful work while still incurring engine wear. Across a fleet of 20 vehicles idling for even 30 minutes a day each on average, that adds up to thousands of pounds a year in wasted fuel, before accounting for the additional CO2 emissions relevant to SECR carbon reporting. FleetGS's idle time reports quantify this per vehicle and per driver, turning a largely invisible cost into a number fleet managers can act on.
Can I set different idle time thresholds and alerts for different vehicle types?
Yes. Idle thresholds can be configured per vehicle or vehicle group, since acceptable idling varies by use case — a refrigerated delivery van running its engine to power a chiller unit behaves differently to a car sat idling in a car park. Fleet managers can set automated alerts that flag when a vehicle exceeds a daily idle time budget, letting them address outliers directly with drivers rather than reviewing every vehicle's full history manually.
How does idle time monitoring support an anti-idling policy?
Many UK fleets have a written anti-idling policy, partly to control fuel costs and partly because idling in some circumstances — such as outside schools or in certain local authority zones — can attract fines under local idling enforcement rules. FleetGS's per-driver idle time reports give fleet managers objective data to reference during policy briefings and one-to-ones, replacing a policy that exists on paper but is never actually monitored with one backed by evidence.
Does idle time monitoring work with FleetGS's app-only tracking, or does it need hardware?
Basic idle detection based on GPS speed and stationary duration works with FleetGS's app-only tracking using the driver's smartphone, requiring no vehicle hardware. For more precise ignition-based idle detection — which distinguishes engine-on-stationary from engine-off-stationary more reliably — FleetGS supports connected OBD and CAN-bus telematics hardware from partners including Teltonika and Geotab, which most fleets running mixed van and HGV fleets already have fitted to at least part of the fleet.
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