GPS trip logging/mileage recording device/app?

[stinkwheel]

I'm going to have to start keeping a mileage log so I can be reimbursed for business travelling expenses.

Historically, I'm fucking apalling at this and it's going to land up costing me a fortune in unlogged/recorded journeys.

I'm ideally looking for a device/app I can just leave working away in the background that automatically logs every journey I do and produces a report I can print out every month for expenses claim.

Now I thought one of the in-car GPS devices would do this but I can't readily find one that does.

I don't have a smart phone but I have an android tablet which is GPS enabled and can pretty much be mounted on the dash if necessary. My vehicle is parked within range of my wifi every night.

I tried one app for this called triplog but the autostart feature was apallingly bad, even in the free trial month it would miss out whole journeys and cut lumps off others.

I can't be the only person who wants this kind of thing? I'd even be prepared to pay a modest fee (or preferrably, buy a device as a one-off).
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[King29]

I use this and pay just shy on £10 a month, this is because I am lazy and this does everything. I tried free apps and always found them bereft of key features that I'd find useful. Their support is great (London call centre) and it works on my Samsung tablet which is Android 6.

https://autotrip.com/

[MCN]

[Ste]

Finding you a recurring fresh pineapple delivered once a month was easy compared to finding a mileage recording GPS device app thingy that you can leave working away in the background where all you need to do is print out a report once a month.

There must be a better solution than running one of the clunky imperfect apps on your tablet mounted to the dash.

The only ones I've been able to find so far which look like they might be any good are subscription based which seems unnecessary to me. It just needs to run on your computer, the task you need it to do today is exactly the same as what you'll need it to do in 10 years time so I see no need for it to be a subscription service where it's all run via their web portal with a million and one features that you'll never use.

I kind of like the look of this https://www.mileage-ace.com/ and it seems to get plenty of good reviews however there are also some reviews for it which don't sing its praises.

The basic version of this is free https://www.mileiq.com

I'm not giving up yet, loads of people must have user friendly inexpensive ways of trip logging so they can get paid for business travelling expenses.

BCF always delivers.

[UncleFester]

Google / Korn already doing it.

https://www.androidcentral.com/how-view-your-location-history-google-maps
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Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[thx1138]

What I use for work, is a crappy old Windows Nokia lumia phone, and I run an app on it called "Map My Run" it works pretty well.

Works without a sim card in it, it's one of only two apps I run (the other is for work outs) battery lasts a day. So, with a decent power bank could last a whole week, just stick it in the glove box maybe?

Not great, but low tech and cheap.

[stinkwheel]

Yeah, I'd have thought it would be totally straightforward. In fact, I thought it would have been the kind of thing they included free in a basic car GPS system like it does on a basic cycle computer

[Ste]

It's the bargain price of approximately £130 if paying bi-annually rather than monthly.

Those 10 miles that Triplog would have cost you today would have paid for nearly two weeks of an overpriced mileage ace subscription.

Don't rule MileIQ out yet as from what I can tell, it's all done through their web platform so I don't think your Linux PC will be a problem.

I refuse to believe that there isn't a easy answer to this but all I managed to find today is that lots of people are still using pen and paper for keeping a record of their business mileage.

[stinkwheel]

I've looked through sites and devices until my eyes are spinning.

If I was an employer who wanted to spy on multiple vehicles at once to see if they were skiving off. No problem. A straightforward tool to log where I've been simply and accurately. Nope.

I'm wondering if a tracker might actually be the way to go.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[iooi]

Motolog
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[motogp230]

Have you tried Autotrip? They have a tracker for recording mileage and you can also classify trips, as either being personal or business.

It should be pretty accurate since the device connects to the OBD port, so it means that it turns on/off when the car engine starts/ stop.

Here's their website: https://autotrip.com/

[Ste]

Hmmmmmm, something smells of tinned ham.

[MCN]

[stinkwheel]

[stinkwheel]

[Copycat73]

any Garmin sat-nav will do exactly what you require..
____________________
Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[Ste]

Any pointers for how to make a Garmin sat-nav do what's required?

[Copycat73]

By default settings it records date .. time.. speed .. distance .. direction.. in minute detail every second... and all printable or copy paste to a file .. you would need a computer to install basecamp.. free with the device..
____________________
Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[Ste]

Yes but how do you make that into what stinkwheel is wanting?

Oh and any Garmin GPS device will tracklog with breadcrumb trails, it's not just the ones with satnav.

[Copycat73]

it does exactly what he wants .. plug it into cigaret lighter socket so it switches on & off with the ignition.. all that's needed is extract the information from the track file and print off the details ..


here is the sort of information it records...
____________________
Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[stinkwheel]

Only problem with that is I don't have windows and garmin stopped linux support. (in fact, they not only stopped it, they deliberately made their devices incompatible with the old garmin linux software and took the legacy support down).

I know because I have a garmin GPS for sports. I can lift the GPX files off it and open them in a 3rd party program (I use viking) but they are a fiddle to do. It also runs the track as a single long trace as long as the device is powered up. My current device would barely hold a days worth of triplogs.

It would do it but I suspect would be too much of a fiddle. I think you'd need to manually power down the device at the start of each journey too.

There is always the garmin connect website but it's pretty glitchy and they can't seem to stop themselves fucking about with it all the time.

I'll have a go with my fortrex though and see what it comes up with.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Ste]

[Copycat73]

[Copycat73]

[Jmoan]

Shouldn't something like this be potato simple for some tech person to have a script that reads a GPS unit every so often and puts it in a file?