Fleet Management News

FieldLogix is a top news source for fleet management news. We are constantly evaluating the market for top fleet management trends and report our findings to you. We are the go-to source for many fleet managers and analysts that cover the fleet management industry. Our extensive knowledge of the market ensures that we are capable of supplying fleet management news that is credible, timely, and informative.

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.

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.

AT&T’s Green Fleet Management Tips, Strategy and Achievements

Less than 2 years ago, AT&T committed to replacing approximately 15,000 of its nearly 76,000 fleet vehicles with alternative fuel models by 2019. Since then, AT & T has deployed 2,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet vehicles, a major green fleet milestone. The company’s 15,000 alt-fuel fleet vehicle plan will displace 2.5 million barrels of oil, reduce carbon emissions by 211,000 metric tons, and create or save 5,500 jobs, according to the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute.

The company expects to spend an estimated $350 million over five years to purchase roughly 8,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet vehicles. CNG vehicles provide a reduction in carbon emissions – approximately 25 percent compared with traditional gasoline vehicles. They are also working with natural gas service providers to build up to 40 new CNG fueling stations to provide the infrastructure needed for the new vehicles. AT&T’s green fleet plan includes an approximately $215 million investment to replace 7,100 fleet passenger cars with alternative-fuel models. The measure will save 49 million gallons of gasoline over 10 years, according to the Center for Automotive Research.

How to Prevent Theft of Fleet Vehicles

Yesterday CJ Driscolls & Associates released a study of the Latin American GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems Market. The study concluded that today over four million Latin American vehicles are equipped with a subscription-based vehicle tracking solution. By 2014, the Latin American GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems market will expand to nearly nine million units in service, which is more than double the current amount of GPS vehicle tracking devices. Yearly hardware and service revenues are expected to grow to nearly US $3 billion.

The CJ Driscolls Study provides valuable information about the market for GPS fleet management, consumer stolen vehicle recovery and telematics solutions in each Latin American country (as well as Central America and Mexico). The study also provides an overview and data on the addressable market size, market penetration and trends, and projected market growth.

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.

Fuel Efficient Driving Techniques for Fleets- Drive Smart, Spend Less

The same car or truck being operated by a different driver (or in a different driving style) can have almost a 10 – 15% difference in fuel consumption. Driving smarter means spending less on fuel. “The largest impact on fuel economy is driver behavior. These include speed, road management and driving style,” said Bob Halfyard, director of safety and compliance at Challenger Motor Freight. Fleet management is realizing the value in actively training their drivers to reinforce awareness about fuel-efficient driving techniques.

Fleet management should make sure drivers are aware of their gas mileage. Rewarding drivers for good driving behavior is a good way to encourage good driving habits. Using technology such as the best GPS Fleet Tracking system to monitor driver behavior, gas mileage, and engine diagnostics is very helpful.

5 Ways Fleet Management Can Save Money and Maximize Efficiency in 2011

To maximize fleet efficiency and determine areas for cost savings on their fleet management investments, this identifies the biggest areas of cost savings for fleet customers during the third quarter 2010, including:

1) Leasing company vehicles vs owning fleet vehicles. Leasing a fleet instead of owning a fleet of vehicles for use by employees saved customers $21 million.

2) Optimizing replacement strategies. Determining the optimal time to cycle vehicles in fleet, given applicable costs can also save millions.

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.

Efficiency Helps Public Fleet Managers Facing Budget Cuts

According to Government Fleet Magazine, the biggest challenge facing public sector fleets in 2011 is budget constraints due to the decline in tax revenues over the past few years. Public entities are funded largely through sales and property taxes — the two areas most devastated by the economic downturn. Successful fleet management for the public sector essentially boils down to revenue versus costs and maximizing fleet efficiency.

Public sector fleets are currently feeling the pressure to lower capital expenditures and reduce operating costs to compensate for tax revenue shortfalls. This is quite a challenge for public sector fleets, as the economic crisis has caused reduced funding resulting in older fleet assets and budget cuts have caused staff layoffs. There is an ongoing push to minimize fleet capital procurements by keeping vehicles and equipment in service longer. All capital expenditures are being intensely scrutinized. Capital purchases are deferred or eliminated completely and in most cases, total capital expenditures are reduced.