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The Electronic Control Modules (ECM) installed on heavy truck engines record data during normal operation. While their primary purpose is to control the mechanical and electrical systems on the engine, they monitor other vehicle systems as well. Stored data from the ECM can be downloaded into reports that are useful for tracking fleet performance, scheduling maintenance or troubleshooting engine problems. Many of the current production heavy trucks also record event information that may be useful when analyzing or reconstructing accidents. It is not uncommon for a vehicle involved in a frontal accident to experience sudden decelerations and/or sustain damage to the coolant system or rupture the oil pan. Sustained data outside normal operating parameters from sensors on the engine will typically trigger the ECM to generate a fault code. On a Caterpillar ECM, a short event record called a Diagnostic Snapshot may also be generated with a fault code.

Whether large or small, a truck fleet operator has to know the locations of its vehicles in order to best manage its business. On a day to day basis loads need to be delivered or picked up from customers, and other activities such as vehicle maintenance or repairs have to be routinely accommodated. Some fleets use aftermarket electronic systems for keeping track of vehicle locations, driver hours of service and for wirelessly text messaging drivers via cellular or satellite networks. Such aftermarket systems include GPS (Global Positioning System) technology, which in part uses a network of satellites in orbit. This makes it possible for the fleet manager to remotely view the location of a vehicle and view a map of its past route. These systems can obtain data directly from vehicle sensors or from the vehicle network, and therefore report other information such as fuel economy.

The GPS (Global Positioning System) is a navigational tool available to the public, comprising in part a network of satellites in orbit broadcasting signals to GPS receivers on earth. Due in large part to the very accurate clocks in the system, a GPS receiver that receives a number of these signals simultaneously can then establish its location on earth. Some GPS receiver models have the capability to record a history of the latitude and longitude co-ordinates at known times, and these may later be downloaded and viewed on a computer using applicable software. Effectively, this provides the equivalent of a bread crumb trail of the path taken by the receiver, although the frequency of the data points can vary substantially from one model to another, and it may not be adjustable by the user. By plotting the information on a map, the trail can be viewed and the position-time history of the vehicle may become evident.