A system which utilizes the on-board capabilities of handheld communication devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers and the like, to detect the operational status of a vehicle, such as the engine being ON, the engine idling, the vehicle moving, etc. The detected operational state may be desirable for monitoring operation of the vehicle, such as fleet management systems, wherein the duration and location of idling are of particular interest. The detected operational state may also be useful for controlling functionality on the handheld communication device, such as disabling texting or other manually operated functions when the vehicle is in motion.