Gas Prices Up 15 Cents in Last 30 Days

Currently a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline is averaging $3.70, up one cent from last week and up 15 cents in the last 30 days, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. Diesel gas prices are currently averaging $3.89 per gallon, up one cent in the past week and up 6 cents in the past month.

This was the third consecutive week crude oil prices were under the increasing influence of worldwide debt concerns. Crude has traded near USD 97 for the last few days as investors wait for an outcome of the debt limit talks. Most analysts said that US debt default is still very unlikely but if it happened would devastate the economy.

Habitat for Humanity Selects FieldLogix to Improve Customer Service

Habitat for Humanity Selects FieldLogix Fleet GPS to Improve Customer Service and Reduce Fuel Usage

Habitat for Humanity Charlotte announced last month that it has installed FieldLogix Fleet GPS Tracking Systems in its entire fleet of vehicles. Since deploying a fleet GPS tracking system, Habitat for Humanity has reported an improvement in customer response times, the amount of job orders completed, and reduced fuel consumption.

Improved Customer Service

Now Habitat for Humanity dispatchers can keep a close eye on the exact location of every vehicle in its fleet in real-time. According to Habitat For Humanity manager, Jon Huffman, “We can make last minutes changes with just a few clicks. If drivers are running late, we can call ahead of time to let someone know. FieldLogix gives dispatchers the ability to assign jobs in a way that maximizes productivity and service, since vehicle stops are constantly being added or changed throughout the day.”

Reduced Fuel Consumption

Jon Huffman also added, “We have experienced significant savings in fuel expenses since installing FieldLogix. We are quite pleased with that. The initial improvements have been so good that we haven’t had time to see everything else the system can do for us!”

Eco-Friendly Driving

Huffman further stated, “FieldLogix is a Green company with an eco-friendly product. It was important for us to choose a company with same core values as Habitat for Humanity.”

Gas Prices Up 11 Cents in Past Month

Currently the average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is $3.69, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. Today’s price is up 11 cents from one month ago, and up 96 cents from one year ago. Gas prices typically rise in the summer as demand for gas increases because more drivers are on the road.

Historically prices are highest in July and August because Americans drive the most during these two months, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Additionally prices also rise in the spring and summer as refiners switch to more expensive summer blends of gasoline. Federal and local laws require different additives in summer to preserve air quality, but more expensive additives tend to drive up the price.

There are several other factors that could push gas prices even higher. If the U.S. defaults on its debt, it would send shockwaves through oil markets that could push fuel prices even higher, analysts said Monday.

Many are also hoping that the hurricane season is mild this year, as a big storm could decrease the output by refineries. This would absolutely increase prices.

Gas Prices Rise for Third Straight Week

Temperatures aren’t the only that’s been heating up across America this weekend. AA is reporting that gas prices have risen for the 3rd straight week. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was slightly more than $3.70 on July 22, an increase of 8.58 cents in the past two weeks, according to the Lundberg Survey released this weekend.

A year ago, the price per gallon was $2.73, about 96.72 cents less than the current price. The average price for a gallon of gas in the United States rose for the first time since early May following an increase in the price of crude oil, according to the latest Lundberg survey, which includes data from over 2,500 gas stations across the continental US.

Prices in Tucson, Arizona were the lowest in the nation at $3.28 a gallon. Chicago drivers are currently paying the highest gas prices at $4.07 per gallon.

New GPS Fleet Satellite Launched Into Space This Weekend

This weekend a GPS IIF-2 satellite was launched into orbit via a Delta IV Medium 4, 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket placed the navigation satellite into the Global Positioning System constellation for the Air Force. The powerful Delta 4 booster blasted away from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 37 at 2:41 a.m. EDT (0641 GMT) for a middle-of-the-night ascent precisely timed to deliver a critical replacement satellite directly into the GPS constellation.

Today’s GPS fleet is comprised of 31 satellites. “GPS is a global utility providing highly accurate position, navigation and timing services at no cost to billions of people,” said Jon Goodney, the GPS 2F deputy program director at Boeing. “Originally developed for military use, it’s since been adopted as the foundation of modern communications. GPS saves lives and enhances quality of living. And adding this GPS 2F-2 ensures the constellation will remain robust.”

Continuing a prolific partnership that has benefited billions of users around the world, this weekend the Delta rocket family successfully launched its 50th satellite for the Global Positioning System. It was the type of rocket flight that could appear routine. But replenishing the navigation network is vital to the military forces, civilian consumers and the blossoming commercial marketplace that have come to depend on GPS every day.

NYC Expands Green Fleet with 70 New Electric Police Vehicles

New York City will be adding 70 electric vehicles to its police vehicle fleet as a part of an initiative to make the city more green. The city already has 360 electric vehicles currently being used by police. NYC has also launched new efforts to inform the public about the benefits of electric vehicles. The new vehicles include 50 Chevrolet Volts, ten Ford Transit Connect electric cargo vans, and ten electric Navistar E-Star utility trucks.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the city’s new batch of electric vehicles includes 50 new “extended range” hybrid Chevrolet Volts, 10 fully electric Ford Transit Connect cargo vans, and 10 new fully electric Navi-star “E-star” utility trucks.

GPS Tracking App Can Help LA Drivers As Busiest US Freeway Shuts Down

This weekend, July 16-17, the busiest freeway in Los Angeles is going to be shut down for more than two days (53 hours, to be exact). Poeple are calling the event “Carmageddon”.

The 405 Freeway will be closed between the 10 and the 101 for demolition and reconstruction of the Mulholland Drive Bridge. Freeway ramps will begin closing at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 15, with lanes shutting down at midnight on the 16th. The 405 won’t reopen until 6 a.m. on Monday, July 18.

Luckily for drivers there is a new app that is hoping to ease drivers’ pain. Waze – a new, unique, real-time, traffic application – was designed to help driver’s get around traffic. In Los Angeles, the company says more than 180,000 drivers are using Waze. And the company is working with local transportation experts to better prepare for “Carmageddon.”

Waze is a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn, voice-activated GPS tracking navigation based on the live conditions of the road, while harvesting the traffic information that you’re providing. It blends real-time traffic information with the urgency of a social network. The more people that use the app, the better the information.

High Fuel Costs Compel City Fleets to Go Green and Use GPS Tracking

Faced with the impact of rising fuel costs on the city budget, local leaders are realizing the importance of “going green” and utilizing a fleet GPS tracking system.

Dozens of cities across America are facing the same challenge: the effects of rising fuel costs. In Albany, NY the cost of keeping the city government’s fleet of vehicles on the road during the next fiscal year will increase by nearly $2 million because of rising fuel costs, officials recently said. That figure is up from the $1.6 million the city spent this last calendar year on fuel for its vehicles.

Albany Mayor Willie Adams used the fuel discussion to reiterate his position that every city vehicle needs to have some sort of Global Positioning System, or GPS tracking system, to monitor their whereabouts to ensure they aren’t traveling when they aren’t supposed to be.

“Nearly every corporation in the country has some kind of GPS or AVL (automatic vehicle location) device,” Adams said. “We’re a corporation and we need to keep track of our vehicles. That’s something I’d like to see on all of our vehicles.”

Gas Prices Up 7 Cents in One Week

Weeks of declining gas prices have come to an end. Gas prices are on the rise gain, slowly but surely.

A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is currently $3.63, up seven cents from one week ago. Gas prices are up 92 cents from one year ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.

Rising oil prices over the last few weeks are the main reason for this month’s increase in gasoline prices. Oil prices are fluctuating day to day, but seem to be on an upward climb week by week.

Gas Prices On the Rise – Again

Just when businesses and consumers thought they were in the clear – oil and gas prices have started to rise again. Gas prices certainly have come down in recent weeks, but they aren’t as low as last summer.

Two weeks after the U.S. and other 27 allies announced they were tapping domestic oil reserves (which temporarily knocked down the price of oil to almost $90 a barrel) oil is back around $100. And gas prices, which have been declining since May, are up over 4 cents since one week ago.

Oil is rising again as investors bet that the economies of many countries, including the U.S., will improve in the second half of the year, and global demand for petroleum will rise. While most experts agree that the world has plenty of oil, there are concerns that supplies could get tight as demand rises.

Parkhouse Tire Selects FieldLogix To Improve Fleet Maintenance

Parkhouse Tire Uses FieldLogix To Improve Fleet Maintenance and Enhance Employee Supervision

For the past two years, Parkhouse Tire has been successfully using FieldLogix, an industry leading GPS fleet tracking system. The company has been expanding their fleet and recently doubled the number of FieldLogix devices installed in their vehicles.

Parkhouse Tire Fleet Manager, Joe Guerrero, said “I like the ability to see where vehicles are, where they have been, and how many miles each vehicle has been driven… I’ve been given ‘bologna’ by past employees who claimed to have started their day at a certain time but actually started later. Monitoring employees makes them more accountable.”

iPhone GPS Tracking System Catches Robbery Suspect Red-Handed

This weekend two robbery suyspects were caught red-handed with a stolen iPhone and other items after a GPS tracking system on the phone led police officers to their exact location. This story is a good reminder to activate a tracking system service on your electronic devices if it’s available.

On Saturday afternoon an 18-year old woman named Lilli Gordon and her mother pulled into Rooster Rock State Park in Oregon for a quick pit stop. They were visiting from California and were on their way to the airport to fly home. While they were away from the vehicle, someone broke into their car and stole several items, including an Apple iPhone 4.

“When the incident happened I was really upset and I was pretty hysterical and crying. But on the way to the airport I was like ‘oh my God, if the phone is on my dad can track where it is,” Lili said.

The young woman, Lili, had just gotten the new phone a few days before the trip. When she bought it the clerk recommended she activate a tracking system program called Mobile Me that can track the phone through GPS.

FedEx Expanding Green Fleet With New Electric Vehicles

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx (NYSE: FDX) that handles time-sensitive shipments, announced last week it will double its electric vehicle fleet and add more than 4,000 new fuel-efficient vehicles to its conventional fleet.

Over the next two months the company will expand its green fleet by putting 24 all-electric vehicles (EVs) on the road. Once these are all deployed, FedEx Express will have a green fleet of 43 electric vehicles in service. The new EVs will operate in New York City, Chicago, and Memphis.

The company is currently running 19 all-electric vehicles in Los Angeles, London, and Paris.

On high-mileage routes, FedEx is replacing 4,000 vans with fuel-efficient, low-emitting clean diesel Sprinter vehicles that are 100 percent more fuel efficient than conventional vans, according to Keshav Sondhi, FedEx Express asset manager.

“Since launching our first Sprinter in 2000, we have put close to 1.4 billion miles on these more fuel-efficient vehicles, saving over 66 million gallons of fuel compared to their predecessors,” he said.

Fewer Americans Will Travel This Weekend Due to Gas Prices

Gas prices are affecting people’s travel plans for this 4th of July holiday weekend. Five out of every six travelers will make their trips by automobile, according to AAA.

Fewer Americans will travel during the Independence day weekend, consistently one of the heaviest travel periods of the year. AAA said it expects fewer travelers to travel, as high gas prices are putting the squeeze on lower-income households. Although gas prices have been decreasing recently, they are still about $1 dollar higher than they were last year.

Between Thursday June 30 and Monday July 4, 39 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home, according to AAA Independence Day forecast. That is a 2.5 percent decrease from last year.

FieldLogix Launches Innovative Fleet GPS Financing Program

FieldLogix is proud to offer the shortest term and lowest cost financing program on the market today.

Maximize ROI and Cashflow

If you only save one gallon of fuel a day, your system can pay for itself in less than 6 months.

Financing your fleet GPS system is a great way to maximize your return on investment.

Financing your fleet management system gives you flexibility to conserve capital and keep cash flowing.

The best purchase program in the industry

Lowest Cost:

The FieldLogix purchase program is 40%-50% lower in total costs than most 36 month programs.

Shortest Term:

The FieldLogix purchase program is short-term, only for 12 months, so you are not locked in to a long term commitment.

Police Find Stolen Truck With GPS Tracking System

Corpus Christi police used a GPS tracking system to locate a man who had stolen a truck loaded up with building supplies.

Police say employees at the construction business arrived at work and realized a chain link fence behind the business had been run over and a truck that was loaded with shingles was missing.

Police officers were able to find the stolen vehicle using the GPS tracking system installed inside the truck. Police said they found the truck parked on a local street. Someone had painted over the construction business logo to disguise the stolen truck.

Apparently, the thieves did not realize the vehicle was equipped with a GPS tracking device.

High Gas Prices Cause IRS to Increase Mileage Deduction Rates

Gas prices have caused the IRS to make an unusual mid-year hike to the standard mileage rate used to deduct the cost of business-related driving. The mileage hike, linked to rising fuel prices, will begin July 1 and increases to 55.5 cents a mile. The current reimbursement rate is 51 cents a mile.

“This year’s increased gas prices are having a major impact on individual Americans. The IRS is adjusting the standard mileage rates to better reflect the recent increase in gas prices,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman in a press release. “We are taking this step so the reimbursement rate will be fair to taxpayers.”

The standard mileage deduction is limited to companies using four or fewer vehicles. For larger companies ineligible to take the deduction, the IRS standard mileage figure is widely used as a benchmark in setting reimbursement rates for employees’ driving expenses.

Future of LightSquared Network Remains Uncertain

LightSquared has been under major scrutiny after FCC tests concluded that the company’s high-speed broadband wireless LTE network was interfering with the global positioning system (GPS). LightSquared has now agreed to change their original plans and will use a different block of spectrum to avoid interfering with GPS system signals in space and on the ground.

The company told reporters that their new plan is expected to reduce the risk of interference to 99.5 percent of GPS devices.

However, some members of the GPS industry are still concerned that the LightSquared interference issues will continue. They believe that testing should continue to ensure public safety, as the GPS system affects thousands of applications that people depend on everyday.

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