This article walks you through the full process of getting a driver tracking on a shipment in polt.ai driver app — from sending the invite, to what the driver does on their end, to confirming tracking is active.
Why tracking matters: When polt.ai driver app is active and the driver has accepted the tracking request, status updates (At pickup, Loaded, In transit, At consignee, Delivered) fire automatically based on geolocation. This saves you from making manual status updates and gives your customers real-time visibility into their freight.
See Understanding shipment statuses for which statuses polt.ai driver app handles automatically.
The shipment must already have a carrier and driver assigned.
If you haven't done that yet, see Assigning a carrier and driver to a shipment.
The driver's mobile phone number must be on file in their record. This is required to send the tracking invite — without it, you can't initiate tracking.
1. Confirm the polt.ai driver app integration is on
When a shipment is saved with a driver assigned and the polt.ai driver app integration enabled, polt.ai automatically sends an SMS tracking invite to the driver's phone. The integration is on by default for new shipments — you don't usually need to do anything beyond saving.
To verify the integration is on, open the shipment in edit mode, scroll to Integrations → Data synchronisation → polt.ai driver app, and confirm all three boxes are checked.
See Sending a tracking request to a driver for full detail.
Once the shipment is saved, the SMS goes to the driver within a few minutes.
2. Coach the driver through setup (if needed)
Most drivers can complete setup on their own using the SMS link, but you may need to walk a driver through it on the phone. Here's what they'll experience step-by-step:
The SMS arrives with a link to the App Store (or Google Play). The driver taps the link.
The store opens. The driver taps Get (iOS) or Install (Android) to download the polt.ai driver app, then launches it.
The driver allows notifications when prompted.
Welcome screens — the driver swipes through and taps Login.
Phone verification — the driver enters their mobile number, then enters the 6-digit code we text to verify the number.
Tracking consent — the driver reads our tracking consent policy, checks I agree, and taps Continue. This is the legal consent that allows us to track their location while a load is active.
Pending loads list — their assigned shipment appears. The driver taps the load, then taps Accept and Start.
Location sharing prompt — the driver taps Enable location sharing so you can see real-time progress.
Confirm with Accept and Start Tracking — tracking is now active.
If the driver denies location access at step 8, or doesn't complete acceptance for any other reason, the shipment will most often show Pending in polt.ai driver app (it can also show as Declined, Paused, or Stopped depending on what the driver did). All of these statuses mean the same thing operationally: tracking isn't active. The driver will need to enable location permissions in their phone's Settings → polt.ai driver app → Location, then re-accept the load to resume tracking. See Understanding polt.ai driver app tracking statuses for the full list.
If the driver says they didn't get the SMS: verify the phone number on file in the carrier record, confirm the number is mobile (not landline), and re-send the invite by clicking Invite again on the shipment.
See Sending a tracking request to a driver for more.
3. Verify tracking is working
Once the driver has accepted, open the polt.ai driver app shipment page and confirm:
The shipment shows up on the polt.ai driver app dashboard
Recent checkpoints appear with timestamps
The map shows the driver's pin
The Events log shows "Tracking accepted" entry
The shipment does not show "Driver not tracking"
If any of those are missing, see Reviewing tracking sent to a driver for troubleshooting.
After tracking is active, the driver continues using polt.ai driver app through the rest of the load:
At pickup — the driver taps Confirm pickup in the app once they've arrived at the shipper, in addition to (or as a backup to) automatic geofence detection
POD upload — at delivery, the driver uploads the signed proof of delivery directly from the polt.ai driver app. The POD automatically syncs to the shipment's Documents tab in polt.ai. See Uploading a POD to polt.ai driver app.
Geofences vs. manual taps: polt.ai driver app uses both methods to record pickup and delivery events. Geofences fire automatically when the driver enters or leaves a stop's location boundary. Manual taps (like "Confirm pickup") let the driver record the event explicitly even if the geofence did