Posts By: JC Strodula

Federal Judge Delays Case About FBI’s GPS Tracking Without a Warrant

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A 20-year-old Egyptian-American college student is suing Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller, after the FBI secretly placed a GPS tracking device on his car without a warrant. The student, Yasir Afifi of San Jose, says the FBI had no reason to consider him a suspect of any type of illegal behavior.

It was announced yesterday that a federal judge has agreed to delay Afifi’s lawsuit against the FBI for putting a GPS tracking device on his car without a warrant. Afifi asked for the delay until the Supreme Court decides a related case.

FieldLogix’s Fuel Efficient Driver Training Program A Success

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This year FieldLogix, an eco-friendly fleet tracking system, launched an online Fuel Efficiency Driver Training Program. The program has been quite a success. Drivers, fleet managers and business owners have all found the driver training program to be quite valuable.

Companies using the FieldLogix fleet tracking system have access to their proprietary Green Fleet Reports to monitor driver performance and improvements over time.

Driver training that targets fuel efficiency can help recognize and change driving habits that waste fuel. Even drivers with years behind the wheel can improve their skills and driving performance through fuel efficiency driver training programs.

GPS Fleet Tracking System Helps New Jersey Save Time and Money

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Over 100 GPS fleet tracking systems have been installed in Bergen County-owned vehicles. County officials decided to purchase and install the tracking systems to cut the county”s operating expenses. They predict the system, which has so far cost about $56,000, will save taxpayers in several ways, including fuel, maintenance and man-hour costs.

The $56,000 cost for the tracking system includes the software and installation, plus a $22-per-month, per-vehicle fee. Jo Marie Sacchinelli, coordinator of monitoring and evaluation for the county Department of Public Works, said she didn’t know exactly how much the county would save, but described the system as a “very good return.”

FieldLogix Lite – A New Entry-Level GPS Tracking System

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In April FieldLogix launched a new version of its fleet GPS tracking system called FieldLogix Lite – an entry-level, real-time GPS vehicle tracking system. You can track one vehicle or manage your entire fleet with FieldLogix Lite at a lower monthly cost than the standard plan. The new fleet GPS plan has been well received and users have reported to be getting “more than their money’s worth” out of the tracking system.

FieldLogix Lite is an entry-level GPS vehicle tracking system that offers a perfect set of features for those who just want basic GPS tracking information at a lower cost. FieldLogix Lite has a basic set of GPS tracking features for companies that want to experience FieldLogix, but are not ready to commit to the full-featured offering. Best of all, FieldLogix Lite users can upgrade the more advanced versions of FieldLogix without having to replace the GPS vehicle tracking devices.

Book a Hotel & Get Directions with TomTom’s New Nav Device

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TomTom just launched an innovative GPS navigation device. Now, with TomTom’s new GO LIVE 153 5M GPS device, users will be able to read reviews, or find and book a hotel, as well as check local gas prices and weather forecasts through TomTom LIVE’s other apps and services.

GPS navigation devices have typically been limited in their ability to tell you where you should go, unable to provide a way to choose between the three local motels and the five Mom-and-Pop restaurants in town. Services like Yelp and TripAdvisor solve this problem in useful ways, and TomTom is taking advantage: On Monday, according to PC Mag, the company announced the TomTom GO LIVE 153 5M, which combines the navigation power of TomTom with the reviews and information of related apps.

The GO LIVE 1535 M gives away its features in its title. The LIVE portion references the TomTom LIVE services, which connect TomTom devices to the Web and allow them, in the case of the 1535M, to access sites like Yelp, Trip Advisor, Expedia and Twitter. Right from their GPS, users will be able to read reviews, or find and book a hotel, as well as check local gas prices and weather forecasts through TomTom LIVE’s other apps and services.

Which Way Are US Gas Prices Headed?

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Gas prices have been fluctuating up and down recently. Drivers were hoping gas prices would continue decreasing but yesterday prices reversed directions and actually increased slightly.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas on Thursday $3.58, up one cent from one day ago but down 11 cents from one month ago., according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. One week ago, gas prices were the exact same price.

Two weeks ago, the gas prices were averaging $3.63 per gallon, down from $3.70 the week before, and $3.95 in May. As anticipated, gas prices continued inching downward, hitting $3.56 on Monday, before creeping back up to $3.578 on Thursday.

Though the increase at the pump was less than a penny, it’s noteworthy because the experts predicted prices would steadily decline throughout late summer. No one knows if this will happen or not, but many experts are expecting gas prices will fluctuate over the next couple of weeks and then begin a continuous decline after the Labor Day holiday weekend. Several experts are predicting that the price of gas will likely fall to about $3.50 per gallon on average by the end of September.

According to Jessica Brady, a spokesperson for AAA Auto Club, “No matter how optimistic investors try to be at this time, they can’t ignore the sluggish economy seen both here in the U.S. and abroad. Retail gas prices have consistently decreased throughout the past few weeks and are expected to continue the decrease into the Labor Day holiday.”

Cell Phone GPS Systems Vs. Vehicle Installed GPS Tracking Systems

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Many people have the notion that a cell phone-based GPS system is cheaper and just as effective as a vehicle installed GPS system. However, GPS tracking via cell phones is unreliable for business purposes. A cell phone GPS system may be good for providing directions occasionally, but it doesn’t perform the way an in-vehicle GPS system can.

In addition to providing navigation and optimal routing, a vehicle tracking system can save business owners time and money in numerous ways including: cutting fuel costs, increasing business efficiencies, improving asset management, optimizing vehicle maintenance, improving customer service and reducing your carbon footprint. Cell phone GPS will not help with any of these issues.

Here is list of some of the primary differences between a cell phone GPS system and a vehicle installed GPS tracking system:

US Gas Prices Down 13 Cents in One Month

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Gas prices have continued to decline in recent weeks. The average retail price for a gallon of unleaded regular gas in the US is currently $3.56, down 3 cents from one week ago, and down 13 cents from one month ago. This is the third week in a row that gas prices have declined, following five weeks of increases.

A gallon of diesel gas is currently averaging $3.87 per gallon, down 2 cents from one week ago and down 8 cents from one month ago.

Oil prices, which account for about 65 percent of the cost of making gasoline, closed Monday at about $84 a barrel.

Stop Wasting Money on Excess Idling With FieldLogix Fleet GPS

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Stop Wasting Money on Excess Idling With FieldLogix Fleet GPS

Did you know that each year fleet vehicles burn 8.9 billion gallons of fuel annually due to unnecessary idling and speeding? Chances are each of your vehicles burns up to 800 gallons of fuel per year due to unnecessary idling alone, which costs an estimated $2,864 per vehicle annually based on current gas prices of $3.58 a gallon.

Excessive idling is a tried and true fuel waster and is extraordinarily common in truck fleets, where frequent stops and starts are common.

The FieldLogix Customized Green Report identifies which vehicles are wasting time and money on excessive idling and speeding. The Excessive Fuel Report calculates how much money this is costing and shows how much CO2 is being emitted due to these avoidable driving habits. The green reporting features give each vehicle a Green Score and ranks each driver by who is most efficient.

FieldLogix Fleet GPS can you exactly how long a vehicle or group of vehicles has been idling – in real time or via minute-by-minute reports. You can see online where a vehicle was parked at each idling session, overlaid on familiar Google Maps. When enabled, idle alerts can be requested over the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 minutes, or set to alert you every 10 minutes via cell phone text message or email.

Gas Prices Expected To Decrease 15 Cents After Labor Day

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Gas prices have dropped for two consecutive weeks in the US, and further decreases are expected in September. A gallon of regular unleaded gas is currently averaging $3.58, compared to $3.68 one month ago. At this rate, could prices drop below $3.50 by the end of September, after the end of the peak summer driving season.

Several analysts and experts expect that gas prices will move down very sharply after nearing close to $4 earlier in the year. The Wall Street Journal reports that lower oil prices may trigger this. “Somewhere along the line, there will be a 10- to 15-cent drop in gasoline prices,” said Kyle Cooper, managing partner of IAF Energy Advisors in Houston. “You have to expect that those prices start to trickle down.”