The short answer: good driver device management starts with a list of every phone and tablet. Then add a standard setup and central management. Add multi-factor authentication, automatic updates and a clear routine for lost devices and leavers. That way, a missing phone becomes an inconvenience rather than a data problem.
This guide is for transport managers at haulage and logistics firms in Meath, Cavan, Westmeath, Louth and Dublin. It covers phones and tablets only, not telematics or vehicle tracking.
Start driver device management with a device list
Most firms have more devices than they think. There are company phones, cab tablets, spare handsets in a drawer and personal phones used for work email. So the first step is a simple list.
For each device, record:
- Who has it, and which truck or depot it belongs to.
- Make, model and phone number.
- Whether the company or the driver owns it.
- Which work apps and accounts are on it.
Keep the list current when devices move between drivers. Otherwise, driver device management quickly falls apart.
A standard setup for every phone and tablet
Every company device should start the same way. That means a screen lock with a strong PIN and automatic locking after a few minutes. It also means encryption switched on and default passwords changed. The Data Protection Commission’s data security guidance supports this. It says smartphones should need a strong password at start-up and after several minutes of inactivity.
Next, install only the apps drivers need, such as email, job and delivery apps and any proof-of-delivery tools. In addition, turn on automatic updates for the operating system and apps. The National Cyber Security Centre’s guidance for SMEs recommends automatic updates for all devices, including smartphones and tablets.
Central management for driver device management
Setting up devices by hand doesn’t scale past a handful. Instead, a central device management service applies settings, apps and updates to every device from one console. For firms on Microsoft 365, Microsoft Intune is one option, licensed separately.
Central management means you can see which devices are out of date or missing a screen lock. It also lets you push a new app to every cab tablet at once. As a result, driver device management becomes a routine task rather than a series of depot visits.
Driver device management on personal phones
Some drivers prefer to use their own phone for work. That can work, but the setup is different, and the firm’s rights over the phone are narrower. Rather than managing the whole phone, a management service can manage only the work apps and data.
In practice, work email and job apps sit in a separate, protected area of the phone. The firm can remove that work area when a driver leaves, without touching personal photos or messages. Agree this in writing with drivers first, so everyone knows what the firm can and can’t see.
Locking and wiping lost or stolen devices
Drivers leave phones in cafés, drop them in yards and lose them to thieves in cabs. The DPC guidance says that when a device is lost, the remote wipe facility should be activated immediately. It also says staff should know the procedure.
Lost devices are where driver device management proves its worth. So make reporting easy. Drivers should know exactly who to call, day or night. Then the office can lock the device, try to locate it and wipe it if nobody finds it. Meanwhile, change the passwords for any accounts the device used.
Hypothetical example
A driver for a 25-truck haulier in Dundalk loses a company phone at a ferry port. He rings the transport office, which locks the phone through the management console within minutes. The next morning, it’s still missing, so the office wipes it and issues a spare with the standard setup.
MFA for driver apps and email
Multi-factor authentication adds a second check when someone signs in. The NCSC notes that it helps defend against most password-related attacks, including reused stolen passwords. Therefore, turn it on for email and for any driver app that supports it.
For shared cab tablets, give each driver their own login rather than one shared account. Our guide to IT support for haulage companies explains how drivers fit into a support plan. Likewise, good driver device management depends on knowing exactly who signed in. Shared logins make that impossible, especially after an incident.
Handing devices back when a driver leaves
Leavers are where many firms slip. A clear driver device management routine helps:
- Collect the phone or tablet, charger and any SIM on the last day.
- Disable the driver’s accounts and remove their MFA methods.
- Remove the work area from a personal phone, or reset a company device.
- Update the device list before the device goes to someone else.
Similarly, check that no work account still uses the old phone number for sign-in codes. For calls and numbers, our guide to a dispatch office phone system covers the office side.
How Sweeney Computer Services can help
Oliver Sweeney founded the company in 1985. Today, we support more than 50 businesses and more than 10 schools from Hurdlestown, Kells, Co. Meath. We can set up driver device management, build the standard setup and run the leaver routine with your office.
For new clients, managed packages start from €49 (Silver), €69 (Gold) and €89 (Diamond) per user per month, excluding VAT. Microsoft 365 licences are billed separately, as are any device management licences. Read more about our IT support for transport and logistics and our managed IT support.
A quick sense-check
Do you know where every work phone is?
Book a short call with Michael Sweeney about your phones, tablets and setup.
