Delivery & logistics

Driver phones that navigate, scan, and lock when they go missing.

Small delivery and logistics companies use NounDesk to keep driver Android phones running navigation and delivery apps, receive alerts when a phone goes offline, and lock or erase a phone the moment it is lost or a driver leaves. The Field Worker template with offline alerts is the recommended setup.

Recommended policy: Field WorkerDevices: Driver phones

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The situation

A driver's phone is the route, the proof of delivery and the way dispatch reaches them. Phones ride in cup holders, get dropped, get left in vehicles, and occasionally leave with a driver who does not come back.

What NounDesk does for a delivery company

Navigation and delivery apps, always installed

Required apps install at enrollment and reinstall if removed. A minimum version keeps everyone on the release that works with your dispatch system.

Offline alerts that fit real routes

Set the offline threshold for your day. A phone that has not checked in by the next morning raises an alert; a phone in a parking garage for twenty minutes does not.

Lock when lost, erase when gone

Lost mode locks the screen with your number and reports location. If the phone is not coming back, erase it with factory-reset protection kept.

Bulk actions at shift change

Reboot every driver phone before the morning shift, or move a batch to a new depot group, in one action.

Recommended setup

Setting	Choice
Policy template	Field Worker
Groups	One per depot or shift
Required apps	Navigation, your delivery/dispatch app, messaging
Blocked	Apps from outside Google Play
Alerts	Offline over 24 hours, app install failed, lost mode

Why delivery companies pick NounDesk

Clear pricing per phone, no agent to keep updated, and honest status: a command shows “Waiting for device” until the phone confirms, so dispatch is never told a lock happened when it hasn’t.

Running shuttles, charter coaches, medical transport or trucks with a tablet in every cab? See transportation for in-cab kiosk setups and shift-shared devices.

For a courier or last-mile company the phone is the route, the scanner and the proof of delivery, and it is out of sight all day. Phones get dropped, left in vans and occasionally kept by a driver who quits. NounDesk keeps the delivery app current, tells you when a phone goes quiet and lets you lock it from the depot.

How a rollout works for a 20-driver depot

A typical small courier runs 15 to 40 driver phones, a couple of spares on charge in the depot and sometimes a shared tablet at the loading dock.

1. A profile per depot
Field Worker policy, the depot's group and a naming rule like Route-12. Phones bought through an authorized zero-touch reseller enroll themselves when switched on.
2. Delivery app on a tested version
Add your delivery or route app by name, for example Onfleet or Circuit, plus Google Maps, and set the minimum version you tested with your dispatch system.
3. Spares ready to swap
Keep two phones enrolled and unassigned in a Spares group. When a phone breaks mid-shift, assign a spare to the driver and they are back on route.
4. A dock tablet in kiosk mode
Lock the loading-dock tablet to your vehicle inspection or check-out form, so drivers sign out a van and cannot use the tablet for anything else.

Zero-touch enrollment →Kiosk mode →

3 devices selected

Lock · RebootApplies to all three nowBulk
Assign policy · Assign employeeMove a crew in one goBulk
Move to group · RetireTidy up after a job endsBulk
EraseOne device at a time, typed confirmationNever bulk

What 22 phones cost

A courier with 20 driver phones and 2 spares: 22 devices × $1.50 = $33 a month.

Spares at the same price
A spare kept enrolled in the depot is $1.50 a month like every other phone, with every feature included.
Peak season without a contract
Add phones for the holiday peak with no minimum and no annual contract.
Try it on every device first
The 14-day free trial covers up to 50 devices and needs no card.

Pricing →

Common situations

What happens when…

The situations that actually come up, and what you do about each one.

A driver's phone dies mid-route

Dispatch sees it as Recently offline, which means seen in the last 24 hours, not broken. When the driver charges it, the phone checks in and any queued commands run. Nothing was lost and nobody was told the phone was wiped when it was not.

A driver quits at the end of a shift and keeps the phone

Turn on Lost mode with a message asking for its return and your number. If it is not back in a few days, erase it. Factory-reset protection stays on, so it cannot be resold or reused.

The dispatch app releases a version that breaks routing

Set a minimum version on the app in your policy so every driver is on the release you tested. Devices below the minimum show as outdated in the app compliance view, and updates run in the overnight window rather than mid-shift.

You add a second depot

Make a group for it with its own Wi-Fi and required apps. Move the phones assigned there in one bulk action. Reports then break compliance down by depot, so you can see which one needs a visit.

Features this industry leans on

App management

Install and manage apps on company Android phones: mark Google Play apps required, available or blocked per policy, and spot missing or outdated apps.

Remote actions

Remotely lock, reboot, erase, reset the password or clear app data on any company Android phone from your browser, with bulk actions and honest status.

Lost-device recovery

Lost company phone? Lock it in lost mode, show your number on screen, see where it last reported and erase it if needed. Location only in lost mode.

Alerts & monitoring

Alerts for company Android devices that go offline, fall out of compliance, install a blocked app or run low on storage. Auto-resolve and email digests.

Other industries

Field service Construction Cleaning & home services Security companies Restaurants & retail Clinics & small healthcare Small schools & training Property management Transportation All industries

From the blog

Delivery & logistics: questions answered

Can I track my drivers?

No, and we say so plainly. NounDesk reports a phone's location only while it is in lost mode. Use your delivery app for route tracking; use NounDesk to keep that app installed and the phone protected.

What happens when a driver quits and keeps the phone?

Turn on lost mode: the phone locks and shows your number. If it is not returned, erase it; factory-reset protection keeps it unusable.

Drivers are in dead zones all day. Will I get false offline alerts?

Set the offline threshold to suit your routes, 24 hours by default. Short gaps do not raise alerts, and the alert resolves itself when the phone checks back in.

Do the phones drivers already have need to be reset?

Yes, for QR enrollment. NounDesk manages company-owned phones enrolled from a factory reset, which is what lets it lock, erase and protect them. Phones bought through an authorized zero-touch reseller enroll automatically the first time they are switched on. Personal phones are not supported.

Can drivers browse the web or play games during a shift?

Only if you allow it. Block apps from outside Google Play, offer only your chosen apps in the managed Play Store, and use website filtering in Chrome to allow only the sites drivers need.

Ten phones. Ten minutes. Protected.

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