Posts By: JC Strodula

FedEx Expanding Green Fleet With New Electric Vehicles

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Sprint Signs Deal With Lightsquared, Despite Failing GPS Tests

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Sprint and LightSquared have agreed to jointly develop and operate LightSquared’s 4G LTE network. The deal is expected to give Sprint an edge in competing with AT&T and Verizon.

LightSquared executives are scrambling to find a solution for its network, after its spectrum has been shown to interfere with the global positioning system (GPS). The company asked the FCC for an extension on the mandatory GPS system tests. Members of the GPS Coalition called Save Our GPS were outraged the the FCC gave Lightsquared an extension after initially failing the GPS system interference tests.

Sprint’s deal with Lightsquared is an indication that nothing bad is in the near future for LightSquared’s plans to develop their network. Many people are speculating that Sprint has agreed to absorb some of the costs to build out the LightSquared network and as a result it will get privileged rates to become the network’s largest LTE wholesale customer.

Easy Ways Drivers Can Save Money on Gas

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Even though gas prices have been coming down over the past few weeks, gas prices are still very high when compared to the the past few years. In many states, gas prices are still averaging over $4 per gallon. According to a recent article from Popular Mechanics, there are several things drivers can do to save money on fuel. Here are some driving tips from the Yahoo Autos article combined with a few tips from FieldLogix.

Driving Tip No. 1: Invest in a More Fuel Efficient Vehicle

Next time you go shopping for a new (or used) car, consider fuel economy when making your purchase decision. One great car for fuel efficiency is the Ford (NYSE:F)Focus SFE. It gets 28 mpg in the city and a whopping 40 mpg on the highway. With its sculpted flanks and radical windshield slope, the Focus looks like a 21st-century small car. The SFE model is tricked out for fuel economy. The 2.0-liter engine features direct fuel injection—good for a 10 percent efficiency gain, Ford says—and is coupled to an automated twin-clutch six-speed gearbox that drives low-rolling-resistance tires. Ford also includes stuff like Sync, LED interior lighting, Millennium Falcon instrumentation and with a $20,780 as-tested price, the Focus becomes impossible to ignore.

Driving Tip No. 2: Coast to a Stop

We all know brakes are necessary, but they’re incredibly wasteful. Accelerating until the last moment then braking hard to stop is less efficient than slowly coasting to a red light. Whenever possible, anticipate that a light will turn red and ease off the gas. Generally, the less you have to brake, the better your fuel economy.

GPS Tracking Systems May Prevent Cuckoo Birds from Going Extinct

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Cuckoo birds may be going extinct, and no one knows why. Scientists have been struggling to explain a catastrophic decline in the number of birds alive on earth. The number of cuckoos has declined by two-thirds in the last 25 years, leaving as few as 7,000 breeding pairs migrating to the UK from Africa each spring. This is a real tragedy as the cuckoo’s distinctive call has long been heralded as the start of spring in the UK.

In an effort to try and save the beautiful species, scientists and conservationists in the UK are teaming up to place GPS tracking systems on several cuckoos. With no one quite sure what is behind the decline, there are very real concerns about the cuckoo’s future.

CA Dept. of Corrections Outsources Sex Offender GPS Tracking

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In the state of California, convicted sex offenders and high-risk gang members are monitored with GPS tracking systems when they get out of prison on parole. But parole officers have become over-burdened and claim that there are too many parolees to keep track of.

California has come up with a viable solution. The state has decided to hire a private company to take over some of the work. The Department of Corrections is hiring the companies that provide the GPS tracking systems to also monitor and screen the alerts. They will send only the high priority problems to parole officers.