Fleet managers, particularly in vocational fleets, need to distinguish between wasteful idling and productive idling, such as when a vehicle is using power take-off (PTO) to run pumps or lift booms. Without this distinction, drivers might be unfairly penalized for just doing their jobs, which erodes trust and makes it impossible to set meaningful fuel-reduction targets. To solve this, we are introducing the new Preventable idling rule, which automatically filters out PTO activity so you only see the idling that is genuinely avoidable.

• Automatic PTO identification: The system detects PTO activity via auxiliary inputs (IOX-AUXM) or standard engine diagnostics, and excludes that time from idling exceptions and reports.
• Flexible operational parameters: Beyond PTO awareness, the rule supports custom duration thresholds and zone-specific restrictions, giving you more control over exactly what triggers an exception.

This new stock rule provides a clean, accurate view of avoidable idling, allowing you to focus on genuine coaching opportunities. By excluding operationally necessary PTO activity, you can uncover real savings and set credible fuel and emissions reduction targets.

The Preventable idling rule is now in Beta for all users. You can access and configure it on the MyGeotab Rules page, and visualize the resulting exception data on the Exceptions Insights page.