Posts By: JC Strodula

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.”

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.

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.

School Bus Tracking System Allows Parents to Track Kids

Starting in January 2011, GPS tracking devices will be installed eight school buses in Columbia Elementary , Madison County, AL. The gps tracking devices will be used as part of a pilot program for a new bus tracking system. The new bus tracking system will enable parents to track the location of the bus their child is riding in real-time.

Bobby Jackson, Administrator of Transportation for Columbia Elementary, said that as soon as students are enrolled in the program, students will use their fingerprints to check in and off school buses. “Parents will know their child is on the bus and where the bus is, but not anyone else,” he said.

Longest Operating GPS System Satellite Reaches 20th Year in Orbit

Global positioning system GPS Block IIA-10 (SVN-23) was launched in November 1990, according to the U.S. Air Force. The global positioning system satellite was the first in the series of GPS IIA satellites to be launched with a design life of 7.5 years. To date, the satellite has operated longer than any other satellite and is predicted to last another 12 to 18 months. The GPS satellite has certainly done its job of providing services to the world.

GPS Tracking Technology Used to Catch Car Jacking Suspect

This week a quick thinking car jacking victim used GPS tracking technology and his laptop computer to lead police to the suspect, according to the North Jersey police.

Stalin Guzman, 24, of Paterson, New Jersey, was walking to his car when he saw a man on the street. They made eye contact and the suspect allegedly pulled a silver-plated gun and demanded that Guzman step away from the car. He allegedly made that same demand several times before cocking the gun’s hammer, according to Lt. Ronald Humphrey.

Google’s Driverless Vehicle Technology Creates Car That Drives Itself

Have you ever wanted a car that could drive itself? Google’s (GOOG) latest project brings hardware and software together to create a self driving car. Time Magazine Recently Put it on it’s 50 Best Inventions of 2010 List. The vehicle created by Google has already traveled 140,000 miles safely on its own.

Google says the one of a kind vehicle is not meant to replace drivers but to help them. Imagine being able to take your hands off the wheel for a minute to check an email or take a phone call. This would be an amazing feature to have on a vehicle, especially when traveling long distances, or when you are in in unfamiliar areas or have children in the car. An engineer from Google described it as “Super Cruise Control,” a way to drastically improve your driving experience rather than replace driving altogether.

5 Ways Drivers Can Cut Fuel Costs

Here are a few easy and free ways you can cut your weekly fuel bill…

1 Reduce driving

Try to reduce the amount of time spent on the road. Reducing business mileage completely will be impossible, but substituting some journeys and using conference calls, instant messaging, or video-conferencing means fewer miles traveled, and also less time lost for staff while traveling. The added bonus: Happier staff usually means more productivity.

Although public transportation can’t always offer the door-to-door flexibility of a company car, there may be some journeys where it can offer useful savings, particularly when traveling into urban, downtown areas.

2 Drive fewer miles

If several members of staff are attending the same meeting, could they meet up somewhere beforehand and just take one vehicle instead?

Three members of staff arriving in one car immediately saves two-thirds in travel costs. Car-sharing can also work well with commuters traveling to and from the office.

2010 Government Green Fleet Management Awards Winners

he 40 winners of the 2010 Government Green Fleet Awards were announced at the Green Fleet Conference in October. The City of Seattle was named as the No. 1 Green Fleet in North America. Greening your fleet means becoming more efficient – which can result in lowering fleet management costs. A successful green fleet management plan is a win-win for fleet operators and the environment because it will lower costs and reduce fleet emissions.

The Green Fleet Management Awards were judged on the following criteria:

1. Fleet Composition – This category compares your current fleet composition of conventional fueled (gas & diesel) vehicles versus hybrid, electric, and alternative fuels etc.

2. Fuel & Emissions – The fuels criteria determines your use of renewable and alternative sources of energy. It compares your total use of conventional versus renewable fuels such as BioDiesel & Ethanol, and non-renewable fuels such as propane and compressed natural gas. The emissions criteria evaluates what your fleet has done to cleanup your current inventory of on and off road diesel equipment.

3. Policy & Planning – An integral part of any green fleet plan is not necessarily what you do today, but also what you have planned for the future. Green fleet sustainability is the process in which you plan for the future environmental role of your fleet. Will you continue to budget and purchase green technologies, or will you stop your current green efforts?

Economic Guide to Greening Your Fleet With EV’s

he Fleet Electrification Roadmap is a guide that provides insight and analysis on the economics of electric vehicles for fleet management. The Fleet Roadmap recognizes the myriad financial and technological challenges for fleet management in converting a gas-fueled fleet of vehicles to electric.

The analysis within the Fleet Roadmap suggests that with targeted policies in place, fleet adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles could reach 200,000 vehicles by 2015. The report includes the results of a detailed total cost of ownership analysis for electric vehicles in fleets for several different industries.