GreenRoad DRIVE™
App FAQ
Q- Do I have to mount the phone in the car or position it in any certain way?
A – The phone must be secured to enable the app to complete required calculations, and it needs to be able to “see the sky” to assure a good-quality GPS signal. For best performance, the phone should be secured in a “portrait” view (i.e. vertically rather than horizontally).
Q - As an OU employee, can my family members use this App?
A – Yes, with our GreenRoad Safe Family™ dedicated service.
Q - What hardware is the App compatible with?
A – The GreenRoad DRIVE™ app works on both iPhones and Android smartphones.
iPhones must be iPhone 5s or newer running the iOS 12.0 operating system or higher.
Android smartphones must have an in-device GPS and Accelerometer and run the Android 8.0 operating system or higher.
​
Q - How do I download the App and get started?
A – It is very easy to download the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app and to get started. First, go to your app store (Apple Store or Google Play), locate GreenRoad DRIVE™ and click to download. Follow the instructions provided by the app and you will be able to get started in just a few steps.
​
Q - Are there settings on the phone that are required to be enabled?
A - Yes, the app will check your settings and guide you regarding any changes that need to be made. Please make sure that the following settings are enabled for the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app: Motion & Fitness, Background App Refresh, and Cellular Data.
​
Q - Does the smartphone need to be connected to a power source whilst the app is in use (whilst driving)?
A – It is not essential for the smartphone to be connected continuously to power, but it is highly recommended. GreenRoad and OU want you to use the app whenever you are driving, and therefore it is important to give it the best possible chance of success. Maintaining a constant strong charge will make sure that the
GreenRoad DRIVE™ app and all other smartphone functions can operate without interruption or inconvenience.
Q - Are events detected when the GPS signal is poor?
A – While the app has a high tolerance for variances in GPS reception, if the GPS signal is extremely poor, it will be unable to record safety events.
​
Q - Are events detected when the communications signal is weak or non-existent?
A – Yes. The app records the event within the smartphone itself and communicates it to the Central database when the communications signal allows.
​
Q - What does the app measure and what are the measurement criteria for each safety event?
A – The app measures forces on the vehicle in three dimensions to identify when a safety event has occurred. Using patented algorithms, it then analyzes these real-time measurements, and, if the forces are greater than pre-set tolerances, it records a safety event (categorized as braking, speeding, accelerating, lane-changing or cornering) and notifies the driver. Depending upon the level of the force detected, the safety event is further categorized as amber (moderate) or red (harsh[NY1] ).
​
Q - Is there any data that is transmitted by the app that I cannot see on my phone?
A - No.
​
​
Q - How are safety events like hard braking or hard acceleration recorded and calculated?
A – The system uses a complex algorithm to analyze the G-forces, driving speed, directional changes and other parameters measured by the smartphone, and compares them to pre-defined thresholds. If any of these parameters has been breached, the app records a safety event, with the severity of the event dependent upon the strength of the forces.
​
Q - What is the GPS Ping Rate?
A - Every 1 second.
​
Q - What technology does GreenRoad DRIVE™ utilize in smartphones for safety events?
A – It utilizes the smartphone’s three-axis gyrometer, accelerometer and pedometer that are built into its motion and fitness processor.
Q - My trip start and end times on the app don’t match the actual time I traveled. What do I do?
A – Since OU is a global organization that operates across multiple time zones, it could be that the time zone on record for your organizational unit in the GreenRoad database needs amending. Please contact your GreenRoad Champion or GreenRoad Support - https://greenroad.com/support/
​
Q - My distance on the app is shown in miles instead of kilometers. How can I correct this?
A - Simply go into the app, click on the Settings tab(drawing of a head-and-shoulders located on the far-right hand side of the icon lineup at the bottom of the app), and then enter “kilometers” as the Distance Unit.
​
Q - What is “Passenger Mode”?
A – Passenger Mode is the setting you should use if you do not want to turn the app off while you are in a vehicle being driven by someone else. In Passenger Mode, the app tracks the trip but does not attribute any safety events to you. The safety performance of the driver during the trip does not impact your Safety Score, either positively or negatively.
​
Q – Can I use the app to submit my mileage expenses?
A – To submit your mileage expenses, click on Trip History (via the Tablet icon in the app’s upper right-hand corner), open Select mode, and choose the trip (or All Trips) for which you want to report the expense. Click on Expense Report Request and Email. The report will be sent to your email address. Please note that refunds can only be requested once for each trip.
Q - How do I ensure that the App is only recording business trips?
A – You can use the app’s Duty Status to set whether the current journey should be recorded. If you set the app to Passenger Mode, you will receive real-time coaching, but your trip will not be visible to management and your performance will not affect your Safety Score.
Q - When can I change my trip mode?
A – You can change your trip mode before, during or after the trip.
​
Q - Can anyone see where I am in real-time?
A - Authorized managers with the required administrative permissions can see live driver locations. No one else can see where you are.
​
Q – Can I get driving tips?
A- Yes, personalized driving tips are available to you through the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app and in GreenRoad Central™, the web management portal.
​
Q - How does the app know when to start and end trips?
A - Trip starts and endings are detected automatically by the app.
Trip start: The app detects a significant change in the vehicle’s location. The trip will not be initiated until the phone is secured, location services are enabled (GPS) and the device’s battery level is above 11% (or the device is connected to a power source). please see trip opening conditions.
Trip end: The app stops a trip when there has been no vehicle movement for 3 minutes or more. It will also stop a trip when active trip conditions (GPS availability, phone secured and sufficient battery levels) are no longer met.
​
Q - Can I use the app for journeys that are not business trips?
A - GreenRoad actively encourage drivers to use GreenRoad’s real-time coaching for all trips, both business and personal. However, should you wish to remove a trip previously recorded from the system, your manager can do that for you (an entire trip or part of a trip).
Q – Can multiple users use the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app on the same device?
A – Yes. To support customers who share the same mobile device among different drivers, we have allowed the
GreenRoad DRIVE™ app to remember up to 5 usernames, each of which can be selected easily from a list.
​
Q - Who has access to reports and analyses?
A – Drivers and managers with administrative permissions can access reports and analyses about your driving performance.
​
Q - How much data will the app use?
A - Based on typical workers who drive up to 20 hours per week or 80 hours per month, data usage will be approximately 200 megabytes per month.
​
Q - Will the system be distracting for me as a driver?
A - The system should be no more distracting than using a satellite navigation system in your car.
​
Q -When does a trip end if the driver does not end the trip on their own accord?
A -When the vehicle has stopped, the phone is picked up, and no measurable vehicle movement has been detected for a set amount of time. In GreenRoad Central™, the trip end reason provided will be “Phone out of cradle.” If, for some reason, the trip end notification was not recorded before a new trip was started, an estimated trip end will be recorded at the last known location of the previous trip. (Note: this is identical to the
procedure used by the GreenRoad Edge™ solution.)
​
Q – Can I see different landmarks and geo-zones in my location on the app?
A – Both drivers and mangers receive real-time audio notifications regarding landmarks and geo-zones. Displays regarding these notifications are provided to managers, but not to drivers.
​
Q - Why doesn’t my trip start automatically?
A – Possible reasons that the app does not start a trip automatically include: 1) You are using an outdated version of the app. Please make sure that you have downloaded the latest version from your App Store. 2) Insufficient battery charge. Please make sure that the battery charge level is over 50%, or that the smartphone is connected to a power source. 3) The smartphone’s GPS tracking is not activated. Please make sure that the GPS is switched on. 4) The app is not activated or is in “Off” mode. Please make sure that the app is turned on and set to “On Duty”, “Personal” or “Passenger” mode. Please check the reasons for unassociated trips for mobile
​
Q - How do I raise queries on events that I consider to be incorrect?
A – You can easily connect to the GreenRoad Support Team directly via the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app under Settings tab
​
Q - Is there a way that I can correct the speed limit shown in the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app?
A – Yes. Click on the “information” icon (drawing of a head-and-shoulders on the far-right hand side of the icon lineup at the bottom of the app) and then click on “Support”. From there, you can report a correction for the speed limit. Please see the full description in the Trips History tab page
​
Q - I would like to submit suggestions and improvements in the app functionalities. How do I do that?
A - GreenRoad welcomes all feedback. Go to Settings tab (drawing of a head-and-shoulders on the far-right hand side of the icon lineup at the bottom of the app), click on “Support”, and then type your feedback into the form.
Q - Is there a reason why my trip was not recorded?
A – While the app itself is very accurate, GreenRoad does not have control over your Smartphone device. So, please ensure that your device is compatible with the requirements of the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app, that you have downloaded the latest version of the app from your App Store, that your device battery is charged at least 50% or connected to power, that the GPS is switched on and that the app is on and set to “On Duty”, “Personal” or “Passenger” mode. If all these criteria are met, please try manually starting and stopping a trip. If you still find that trips are missing, please contact support team.
​
Q - Why was my trip recorded as a business trip, even though I selected Personal?
A – Perhaps the mode you selected was overridden by the App’s Duty Scheduler. To check the status of the scheduler, go to “On Duty” mode and check the times you have scheduled for the phone to switch between On Duty and Personal modes. If a trip was recorded with the wrong Duty Mode, you can correct it retrospectively by clicking the clipboard icon in GreenRoad Central™ (the top right-hand corner of the Trip History tab) or in the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app
​
​
Q - Is my driving score affected by my driving while I’m in Passenger Mode?
A – No. In Passenger mode, the app provides real-time feedback exactly as when you drive in On Duty and Personal modes, but the events and the trip will be visible only to you, and they will not be considered in calculating your Safety Score.
​
Q - My position in the app shows me as being 4th out of 26th. To whom am I being compared?
A – You are being compared to all the drivers in your organizational unit, as recorded on the GreenRoad database. If you feel an error has been made, please discuss it with your line manager or Champion.
​
Q - What is a Misconfiguration message in the Notification Center? Why do I keep seeing that?
A – It is always important to read the notifications sent to you by the app. Perhaps the app has identified an issue with your smartphone, such as a low battery charge or a faulty GPS setting. The notifications are provided to help you maximize the benefits of using the app.
​
Q – When the app first opens, why does it show my GPS position incorrectly?
A – This is a default setting that the app displays while it is connecting with GPS signals to determine your actual location. Your true position will be determined quickly, displaying where you actually are by the time you begin your trip.
​
Q – When I swerved to avoid a hazard on the road, I received a safety event. How do I get it removed from my profile?
A – The GreenRoad system is designed to encourage everyone to drive within a range of risk, allowing for the fact that, occasionally, road conditions or the behavior of other road users may cause you to take actions that result in a safety event. The concept is for drivers to manage risk wherever possible, hopefully incurring less than 2 risky events on average per hour of driving so that they remain “green” drivers.
​
​
Q - How do the safety event technologies in the GreenRoad Edge™ installed solution compare to those of the GreenRoad DRIVE™ mobile app?
A - While the algorithms used by GreenRoad Edge™ and GreenRoad DRIVE™ vary slightly from each other, they are identical in the accuracy with which they identify 150 different driving maneuvers of different severities.
Q - How does the app know what type of vehicle I am using? Doesn’t that affect how it evaluates my driving?
A – The GreenRoad DRIVE™ app uses GreenRoad’s proprietary VSPs (Vehicle Safety Profiles), which are similar to those used by GreenRoad Edge™. For GreenRoad DRIVE™ app users who have an IBeacon installed in the vehicle, there is link between the beacon ID and the vehicle, and the app downloads the appropriate profile automatically.
​
Q - Does the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app drain the phone battery? What suggestions do you have for reducing battery usage ?
A - GreenRoad invests significant effort to assure that the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app is always ready for use and will never miss a trip, with imperceptible battery consumption impact. To this end, we have developed a unique battery management mechanism that results in just 6%-9% battery consumption per hour during trips and less than 1% per hour out-of-trip.
​
Q -Which reports are available regarding On-Duty vs. Personal usage of the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app?
A – GreenRoad tracks extensive data regarding usage of the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app and can provide customized reports to fit customer needs.
​
Q -What does GreenRoad DRIVE™ consider “distracted driving”? Picking up the phone? Call coming in? What else?
A – The GreenRoad DRIVE™ app identifies distracted driving as a state during which the vehicle is in motion and the phone’s sensors sense that the phone is moving. Micro movements do not register as distracted driving. Subtle movements result in a warning that Safety events are not registering properly, and a request that the driver secure the phone.
​
Q - Will there be a way to see that someone went into Personal Mode in advanced tracking? If not, can it be added?
A - We record that information in our Mobile Configuration Report. Live monitoring of this parameter can be added in the future to the Live View.
Q -When a driver goes into Off mode, does the app genuinely stop recording their location, and how immediately does location tracking stop?
A -Yes, when a trip ends, the app does not record any further location activity until a new trip starts. When you go into Off mode, your location is not tracked or saved. In Off mode, your vehicle appears as being parked in the last known trip-end location before going off-duty. You cannot go into Off mode during a trip. Note: it is easy to schedule automatic switching between On-Duty and Personal mode.
​
Q -Is there an ability to have sub-categories to cornering, such as aggressive braking into a turn or aggressive acceleration into a turn?
A – Yes. The GreenRoad DRIVE™ app identifies red, yellow and green safety events with the same logic used by the GreenRoad Edge™ solution. We also provide audio notifications regarding hazardous and risky areas.
​
Q – Can I receive notifications about BI trends?
A – Yes. To help drivers become more aware of changes in their driving behavior (both positive and negative), the GreenRoad DRIVE™ app automatically analyses their performance over the past week, compares it with their normal (average) performance, and sends out a notification if there has been a substantial change. The notifications are reported in the driver’s Notification Center within GreenRoad DRIVE™, and also sent to the driver’s manager weekly report.
​
Q - Does the App know which apps I am using on my phone?
A - No. We are extremely careful to conform to the highest standards of privacy policies.
​
Q – Can I receive notifications to warn me that I am entering a risky area – even if it is just risky for me rather than for the whole team?
A- Yes. GreenRoad’s advanced risk-zone identification system recognizes your personal “hotspots” (areas in which you have had two or more safety events) and provides real-time alerts to help you avoid them. This is in addition to the real-time alerts it provides you based on “all-fleet” risk zones.
​
Q - Can I use the GreenRoad DRIVE™ App also to monitoring motorcycles journeys?
A - Yes. Please use the motorcycle version of the app: the GreenRoad Motorcycle Solution Driver Safety and Tracking Mobile App.
​
​
Q - Do you have a solution for distracted driving?
A - Yes. GreenRoad Drive Saver™ allows you to configure whether to allow incoming calls and SMS’s to be presented during driving, along with which applications to enable while a trip is underway.
​
Q – Does GreenRoad provide a solution for automating pre-trip approval?
A – Yes. GreenRoad’s Safe Journey™ automates the process of pre-trip approval, making it much easier, faster and “smarter”.
​