December 2010

25 posts
Baby Jesus Statues Protected With GPS Tracking System

Real-time GPS tracking systems are being installed in Nativity scene Baby Jesus statues across the US to protect them from being stolen. In the past, dozens of churches across the US have reported vandalism and theft of items in their holiday displays, but this year people are fighting back. This winter people are using GPS tracking to recover the stolen Bay Jesus dolls and bring the perpetrators to justice. I’m not sure what kind of a person goes around stealing items from Nativity scenes, such as Baby Jesus dolls, but unfortunately it happens.

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Gas Prices Expected to Remain High in 2011

Drivers across the US are cringing as they pull up to the gas pump. Drivers in many states are already paying at least $3 a gallon for regular and most analysts don’t predict any relief soon. That’s because crude oil has hovered between $83 and $89 a barrel since Thanksgiving, and the global demand for oil remains strong due to rapid growth in China and India.

Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at OPIS, expects prices to fall during the winter and then begin to climb again. He has forecast prices between $3.25 and $3.75 a gallon from March to May, unless there is an unforeseen global economic issue. Pump prices could rise above $4 a gallon again in some states for the peak driving season, if oil prices continue to climb.

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Inmates Released and Monitored with GPS Tracking System

GPS tracking technology lets officers monitor convicts without actually keeping them incarcerated. Providing housing, security, food, health care, plus administrative costs etc. to prisoners is an expensive financial burden for most states in the US. Due to the high costs, some states are using a GPS system to track nonviolent prisoners as an alternative to keeping them locked up.

This type of GPS tracking allows authorities to monitor the criminals at all times without the responsibility of keeping them incarcerated. While the GPS tracking system make it easier for states to track offenders, the use of such systems does have its downsides.

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Used Cooking Oil Helps Vehicle Fleets Reduce Emissions

New Leaf Biofuel is a San Diego based biodiesel company focused on transforming the way companies fuel their vehicle fleets. New Leaf BioFuel collects used cooking oil from roughly 1,000 local restaurants and converts it to biodiesel fuel. It sells the biodiesel to distributors who sell the fuel to customers running green fleets of diesel trucks.

Vehicles run cleaner and quieter on biodiesel and the fleet emissions are much better. Biodiesel is an alternative renewable fuel made from plant and animal oils that is used in diesel engines. It has been shown to reduce vehicle emissions by 75% on average compared to petroleum diesel.

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Fleet GPS Tracking Helps Keep Roads Clear and Safe This Winter

There has been record snow fall in many parts of the US this winter. Right now in California, there is record rainfall which means accidents, landslides, flooding, etc. Driving in winter can be quite a challenge. Harsh winter driving conditions are especially challenging for those responsible for keeping the roads clear and safe. Municipalities and snow removal companies are working long and hard to clear away the water, ice and white blankets of snow that inevitably slow down drivers during the busy holiday season.

The equipment and vehicles used to remove snow are now equipped with GPS fleet tracking devices. With the help of the fleet tracking system, the roads can be cleared much quicker. The GPS tracking can show the exact location of the road cleaning equipment in real-time. The system can monitor the position of the equipment from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing managers to visually dispatch their fleet without having to be on site.

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Google Maps Now Gives Users 3-D Interactive GPS System

Google Maps has just released two great new features for the Android – GPS System 3D interaction, offline reliability.

Offline Reliability

Mobile Internet connections are never 100% reliable but this is a huge step toward greater offline reliability. These new updates provide a solution to one of the biggest limitations with a mobile GPS system – being able to access and use your navigation GPS system while you are offline, so you can find your way even if you lose your connection. Most GPS system users have all had those frustrating moments when you get stranded without a map – like when you’re driving in the mountains and the cel coverage is limited or anywhere else with an unreliable Internet connection.

According to Google’s blog post, “dynamically drawing maps requires 100 times less data to get maps across all zoom levels, so now we’re able to proactively cache (or store) large areas on your device based on where you use Maps the most. This way, you can rely on having fast, robust maps available to you where you’re most likely to need them.”

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Best iPhone Apps to Save Drivers Time and Money on Gas

Fleet Fuel Management and Green Fleet iPhone Apps

iGasUp ($2.99) displays the 10 closest fuel stations are and where the lowest fuel prices (gas or diesel) are, from you current location. If you plan to fill up later, you can enter your destination’s ZIP code and the app will provide the 10 cheapest fueling options in that area. The app also provides gasoline brands, directions and the distance to each station using Google Maps. Oil prices are provided by Oil Price Information Service, which also provides price data for AAA and Garmin GPS.

greenMeter ($5.99) can measure and analyze your vehicle’s engine power, fuel economy, and your driving to increase efficiency, fuel consumption, reduce fuel costs and lower your environmental impact. Results are displayed in real-time. GreenMeter is an energy management and tracking system designed to provide measurement and analysis to create efficiency.

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Truck Drivers Fight the Effects of Rising Gas Prices

Gas prices topped $3 earlier this month, and they haven’t fallen since. While the prices are hard on the average consumer, it’s especially hard on those in the (trucking) tractor-trailer industry, considering most big rigs get about 7 miles to the gallon (MPG). A truck driver can use over 140 gallons of diesel fuel each day he runs his route. Big rigs carry about 250-300 gallons of diesel at a cost of about $3.33 a gallon – or about $1,000 for a fill-up that will take a truck 1,500 miles. Fleet management costs can up add quickly.

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San Diego Airport Shuttle Expands Natural Gas Green Fleet

his week, the San Diego Airport announced they have added a new green fleet of parking shuttles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). The addition of eco-friendly parking shuttle buses is only the latest step in San Diego’s evolving commitment to cleaner renewable fuels. Including this new fleet, San Diego has a total fleet of 24 CNG powered vehicles. The all-new “green” Airport Shuttle Fleet transports passengers between the terminals and the airport’s nearby SAN Park parking lots. The airport also has other alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet, including those powered by electricity and bio-fuel, according to Airport officials.

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FMCSA’s CSA 2010 Safety Program Launches

Federal Motor Carrier Administration’s CSA 2010 Safety Program Officially Launched – Motor Carrier Data Goes Public. Federal Motor Carrier Administration’s CSA 2010 safety program rolled out this past weekend, after a federal appeals court denied a suit by several groups of small trucking companies to prevent release of CSA safety data. Shortly after the court […]

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Low-Cost Green Fleet Strategies for Medium-Sized Trucks

3 Easy Ways Fleets Can Reduce Vehicle Emissions and Cut Fuel Costs:

The upfront costs to invest in a fleet of hybrid vehicles is quite expensive. But there are other great ways to create a green fleet and save money.

1. Driver Efficiency Initiatives:

Train and educate your drivers. Your drivers can control fuel consumption each time they fire up their engines. Proper training can improve fuel efficiency, fuel economy and reduce vehicle emissions. There is a quick ROI on driver training because fuel consumption can immediately be reduce by at least a few percent.

Hard acceleration, speeding and idling are the biggest causes of wasted fuel. Use data gathered from a fleet tracking system to monitor and improve driver behavior. Develop a driver training course for drivers and reward participation.

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GPS Fleet Management – Drive Smart, Drive Green, Drive Profits

FieldLogix is a green GPS fleet management solution designed to reduce fleet fuel consumption and improve productivity. FieldLogix has ranked among the 100 Fastest Growing Companies in San Diego for the past two years.“Wireless fleet management systems can put a spotlight on a driver’s habits that consume excessive fuel and emit unnecessary pollution. The most frequent of these activities include excessive speeding, idling and sudden acceleration and stops. Tracking these types of activities is essential to achieving a fuel-efficient green fleet,” said Yukon Palmer, CEO of FieldLogix. “We have dozens of case studies showing that with the right tools and strategy, you can reduce the average fleet vehicle’s operating costs by over $8,064 and reduce 2 metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution per vehicle annually with modern telematics technology and proper driver education.”

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Telematics Technology Helping U.S. Farmers Become More Efficient

Thanks to telematics technology, U.S. farmers now have the option to collect and manage information from their field equipment. Modern telematics-based management systems can record data from farm equipment operating in a field, and then transfers the data to the Internet in real-time. Users can access the real-time tracking data from anywhere on the internet – from an office computer, cell phone, or a laptop. Today, most agricultural equipment companies like John Deere are in the process of developing telematics systems.

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GPS Tracking Effective Solution to Manage Mobile Employees

GPS tracking is being used by more and more businesses as a way to manage mobile workers and mobile assets, according to a recent Fox News Report. “More and more companies are paying for GPS tracking service to monitor where their fleet vehicles are at every moment of the day in real-time.” A fleet tracking system usually is hardwired into the vehicle underneath the dash. It provides detailed information on every place the vehicle went, how long it was there, what route it took to get there.

Fleet management can take the data gathered from the fleet tracking system and use it to improve fleet operations, especially improving driver behavior which is a big factor in cutting costs. A well managed fleet monitors driver efficiency because good drivers don’t waste money on gas, and are able to make more deliveries per day resulting in better customer service. If workers know that they are being watched, they won’t be able to get away with taking long lunch breaks or leaving work early.

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Best GPS for Golfers – Garmin Approach G5 Handheld GPS

Garmin GPS Device Golf Approach G5The Garmin GPS Approach G5 is an excellent handheld GPS device for someone who wants to improve their golf game. The Garmin GPS system does basically everything but hit the ball. Don’t just take my word for it, the Garmin Approach G5 has excellent reviews on Amazon.com (94 reviews with a 4 star average). The best GPS unit comes with a very valuable 10,000-plus course database. It also includes lifetime free online course additions and updates. There’s no subscription or setup fees, and Approach is compliant with USGA rules.

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Can Employers Track Workers Vehicle with GPS Without Their Knowledge?

GPS Tracking and Privacy Rights

Do you think employers should have the right to track worker whereabouts with a GPS tracking device without their knowledge? What if the employer suspects the employee is falsifying time-sheets? What if the employer is the State of New York and is being funded by tax dollars? These are some of the issues at the core of a new lawsuit brought forth by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) on behalf of a former Department of Labor (DOL) , Michael Cunningham.

Mr. Cunningham was fired in August of 2010 from his $115,000 per year DOL Supervisor job based on information gained from a GPS tracking system that had been placed on his BMW. The GPS tracking device was placed on his vehicle because his managers suspected that he was falsifying his time-sheets – trying to get paid for hours he didn’t actually work. Based on the GPS tracking system data, the NY Labor Dept. fired Mr. Cunningham.

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Tips to Reduce Fuel Usage and Vehicle Emissions

Use the following driving tips to burn less fuel, increase driver safety, and decrease vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. According to the United Nations Environment Program, the German Road Safety Council, the UK fuel guru Dr Michael Coyle, the UK Driving Standards Agency and the UK Sustainable Development Commission, here are 15 eco-friendly (aka Green fleet) driving tips for drivers:

* Read the vehicle handbook to ensure that you know how it works, and that it is maintained in line with manufacturer recommendations.
* Remove unnecessary load weight and roof racks.
* Circle-check the vehicle before each journey. Look for fluids on the floor, poorly-inflated tires or anything out of the ordinary. FLOWER is a good circle-check acronym – Fuel, lights, oil, water, electrics and rubber.
* Avoid reversing with a cold engine. Reverse into parking spaces when the engine is warm. It is also safer to reverse in and drive out. Warm the engine by pulling away smoothly and driving gently.

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Vehicle Tracking Telematics Systems Can Save Your Fleet Money

vehicle tracking gps systemVehicle Tracking Telematics-enabled GPS Systems of today (2010) offer much more than just real-time GPS location-based data. The most important thing for fleet management is saving money. Considering today’s tough economic times, it’s important to run a business as efficiently as possible. Vehicle Tracking can help you reduce operating expenses while increasing the number of service calls you complete each day. As telematics technology has matured, fleets are now starting to understand the value of the data you can get from telematics and are moving away from just location-based information.

Fleet managers can use telematics-enabled vehicle tracking fleet GPS systems to reduce a fleet’s operating costs in several different ways. Many fleets save money from being able to record accurate time sheets, stopping unnecessary journeys and recognizing and stopping drivers taking long routes.

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