Sierra Solutions saved thousands in its first year of using FieldLogix by being able to prove misuse of vehicles, verify overtime hours and reduce fuel consumption by over 20%.
A government fleet in Connecticut, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), is considering adding GPS tracking devices to its entire 800 vehicle fleet. DCF Commissioner Joette Katz estimated the GPS fleet tracking devices will save the state nearly $250,000 in the first year by being able to prove misuse of vehicles, verify overtime hours and save 20 percent on fuel consumption, the CT Mirror reported.
“Anytime you add additional oversight you reap some benefits and efficiencies,” said Cindy Butterfield, budget chief of the $872 million agency. The agency proposes cutting overtime by 10 percent for a savings of $1.7 million next year, and Butterfield said GPS fleet tracking devices will help DCF do that.
Even with the recovering economy, unpredictable fuel prices and increasing insurance costs for vehicles continue to be a challenge for thousands of U.S. businesses. Many companies have discovered that investing in the right technology can be a wise investment at this crucial time.
Whether you manage a fleet of 5 vans or hundreds of fleet vehicles, GPS fleet tracking solutions can improve your bottom line. Wireless fleet tracking 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 fleet.
Now may be the perfect time to invest in a GPS tracking system since the federal government will essentially pay for a large portion of it. Thanks to the extension and increased deductions with IRS Piggy-BankSection 179, businesses can write off up to $500,000 for equipment purchased during 2011.
Utilizing a GPS fleet tracking system can be one of the most cost effective means to manage and reduce fuel consumption. Companies surviving the Great Recession are realizing they can no longer ignore the built in inefficiencies within their operations. A GPS fleet tracking system can help the average fleet reduce fuel costs by up to 20%.
In today’s tough economic climate, profit margins are slim and companies must implement as many cost-saving initiatives as possible. In order to stay competitive, companies have to look very closely at every penny spent.
A fleet tracking system can provide an ROI in less than six months and immediately reduce fuel consumption, plus produce ecological benefits. Companies both large and small are utilizing them to create profitable, sustainable fleets.
FieldLogix, an industry leading fleet tracking system, launched an online Fuel Efficiency Driver Training Program this year. The program helps drivers recognize and change habits that waste fuel.
Even drivers with years behind the wheel can improve their skills and driving performance with a fuel efficient driver training program.
A few simple changes in driving techniques can produce sizable fuel savings of 5 percent or more, according to the EPA. Fleets that improve fuel economy by at least 5 percent through driver training and monitoring programs can save more than $1,200 per truck each year in fuel costs and eliminate 8 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per truck each year.
When Interwest Construction Inc. realized one of their trucks had been stolen, they immediately activated the company’s in-vehicle fleet GPS tracking system. Next thing you know, the chase was on.
According to Fleet Manager Kristal Wagner, “We had a truck stolen on Monday during the night. Tuesday morning, when the foreman was panicking & calling the sheriff, I used the the real-time GPS tracking device to pull up the vehicle’s exact location and gave the Sheriff the information. We recovered the truck within a couple of hours. Some small items that weren’t valuable were stolen from the truck, but the vehicle was not harmed at all!”
A car is stolen every 26 seconds in America, according to The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Nearly half of these stolen vehicles are never recovered, and are commonly scrapped for parts or smuggled to another country.
When Jake Ackerman purchased Central Jersey Equipment, a John Deere dealership, the company had been in business for over 30 years and included several seasoned employees that were “too set in their ways.” At the time, Mr. Ackerman said managing his mobile employees and equipment was a daunting task and he “needed more control” so he decided to purchase FieldLogix’s GPS fleet tracking system.
Mr. Ackerman said, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure. FieldLogix’s tracking system has helped me to see which employees are the most effective and which ones are not. Now payroll is based on hours spent working, not just hours clocked in, so there’s real accountability. Not only are we saving money, but we can reward the drivers who are delivering the best results.”
Upon installing the FieldLogix fleet tracking system, Carlos’ suspicions were immediately confirmed. By using the tracking system’s activity reports, he found that his “honor system” was being abused by his employees. By having an accurate way to measure daily work hours, his overtime costs dropped immediately.
In fact, his overtime costs dropped by more than 2 hours per man per day with no change in the workload. Based on Carlos’ calculations, he paid for the entire first year of the system within the first 18 days.
Fleet tracking can seriously improve your company’s bottom line. According to the white paper Greenhouse Gas Management for Medium-Duty Truck Fleets, installing routing and vehicle fleet tracking system can significantly help achieve better fuel efficiency.
Companies using a GPS-based fleet tracking system experience lower gas consumption, equating to lower fuel costs, reduced maintenance costs, improved customer response time, lower emissions and reduced insurance costs, plus, increased employee productivity and efficiency.
Don’t just take our word for it, here is what Jason Mathers, project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund, recently told Contractor Magazine. “A GPS routing software is probably most useful for a truck that is out in the field and regularly calls in to find out about its next appointment. A dispatcher can send the trucks to the closest appointments. Also, drivers can use these to cut miles by navigating to their destination directly. A fleet tracking system can be used to track unnecessary idling, and also driving behaviors that increase fuel consumption (i.e. speeding). These can be helpful to any fleet. All are impacted by the human element in the driving equation.”
FieldLogix, a San Diego company known for its innovative fleet tracking solutions, announced today that it has been named a 2011 TechAmerica High Tech Awards winner in the Outstanding Emerging Growth Category.
“We are honored to be selected as a winner for the 2011 TechAmerica High Tech Awards” said Yukon Palmer, CEO of FieldLogix. “This recognition validates the unique innovation of our system and its enormous potential.”
FieldLogix was recognized for the Outstanding Emerging Growth category, based on its innovation in the telematics industry and its proven ability to not only survive an economic recession, but even grow during it. “Because a fleet tracking system can provide an ROI in less than six months and immediately reduce fuel consumption, plus produce ecological benefits, companies both large and small are utilizing them to create profitable, sustainable fleets.”
GPS fleet tracking devices have become very helpful for Municipalities looking to trim costs and improve operations. 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.
This morning the Dept. of Public Works in Prince George’s County, Maryland, rolled out a fleet tracking system pilot program for the city’s snow plows. The fleet tracking system was launched at a time when residents neeed it the most – after a big storm.
A huge storm pounded the Northeast this weekend. It dumped over 30 inches of wet, heavy snow that snapped power lines and trees, causing widespread power outages. Over 3 million people lost power throughout the Northeast, said the Wall St Journal.
Without a fleet tracking system, there is no way to verify a snow plow’s location. Until today, residents had no idea where the snow plows were or when they were going to show up in their neighborhood. Now residents can call in to the city fleet’s command center and find out when the next snow plow will be arriving. This feature is very useful, especially in times of a big storm.
fleet tracking invitational lebron jamesThis week the US Fleet Tracking Basketball Invitational was hosted by Kevin Durant. The charity game was a wish come true for thousands of basketball fans who are eagerly awaiting the start of this year’s NBA season. The game benefited the Single Parents Support Network of Oklahoma.
Without a fleet tracking system, there is no way to verify a driver’s location, routes or to ensure that employees only use vehicles for authorized trips. Jason Bailey, CEO of Vanguard Alarm Services, said, “My guys travel quite frequently but FieldLogix (fleet tracking system) gives me the exact time when an employee started a vehicle, when he arrived or left a job site, and when the vehicle was shut off. l know exactly how long the employee took at each site and how long they worked during the entire day.”
Archived Routing Information – FieldLogix offers present-time and archival routing information so he knows where drivers have traveled and where they are heading. By combining location- and time-based information, he can easily track the exact number of hours to charge customers and verify employee hours worked. This helps with accurate billing, payroll, and fewer overtime hours.
Bailey said, “My guys travel quite frequently but FieldLogix gives me the exact time when an employee started a vehicle, when he arrived or left a job site, and when the vehicle was shut off. l know exactly how long the employee took at each site and how long they worked during the entire day.”
LightSquared is under a new deadline to prove that it can come up with an affordable solution to stop the company’s wireless network from interfering with global positioning system (GPS) signals. If LightSquared can produce a viable solution in time, then the FCC and Congress are likely going to have to decide who will pay for the upgrades.
Troy Suhr of Alpine Materials used to have a lot of problems managing his 14 delivery drivers. Every morning he would meticulously plan out his drivers’ routes, but his drivers would often make unscheduled stops or would take too long at deliveries, which would completely throw his plans off. So he decided to research fleet tracking systems, because he “needed more control” of his employees out in the field.
Troy said, “Customers waiting for a delivery would often call wondering when their materials were going to arrive. So I would have to track down the driver on my cell phone and try to figure out where he was and reassess when he would arrive at his next delivery. Then I would have to call the customer back. It really ate up a lot of my time.”
So Troy decided to take control of the situation and purchased FieldLogix+Nav for his entire fleet. Since then, FieldLogix has greatly improved his operations, customer service and driver safety. “It makes planning the day so much easier,” said Troy. “I like not having to worry about whether or not my employees have made it to a stop, are on the way to a stop, or have left a stop…. I have more peace of mind knowing my guys aren’t speeding or driving recklessly.”
