Another criminal caught by GPS! Recently in Pennsylvania, a man stole an ambulance out of the driveway of a local hospital. Shortly after, he crashed it. The police said the man, Michael Wilson, crashed the ambulance after driving it away from Highlands Hospital. The vehicle sustained damages to its front bumper, side mirror and part […]
GPS tracking devices are often used to catch employees doing things they aren’t supposed to be doing. “We’ve seen several instances where managers had no idea what their employees were up to during work hours,” according to FieldLogix, an industry leading GPS fleet tracking system. One afternoon in San Diego, CA, a driver for Artic […]
Ex-police officer pleas ‘no contest’ to stalking ex-girlfriend with a GPS tracking device aka misdemeanor unlawful use of an electronic device.
GPS tracking system data used to catch and convict home robbery suspect in Temecula, CA
Sometimes criminals get away with burglaries, and sometimes they don’t – not when there is solid GPS tracking evidence.
On Christmas Day 2008, Shawn Michael Smith burglarized a home in Temecula, CA. At the time of the robbery, Smith did not realize the work truck he was driving had a GPS tracking device installed under the hood.
During the police investigation, someone in the neighborhood told the police that a tow truck that had not been seen before in the neighborhood was parked near the house during the burglary. The detectives were able to determine which towing company owned the tow truck.
Police learned that the tow truck was outfitted with a GPS tracking device. Police then subpoenaed the GPS tracking system records and determined that the truck was, in fact, parked in front of the home during the time of the burglary. Shawn Michael Smith was the only driver of the vehicle.
Vehicle telematics is the combination of electronic technology and cars and trucks. The ultimate fantasy car in vehicle telematics would be similar to the Batmobile or Kitt from Night Rider. You can speak to these cars and they make driving easier, safer, and way more cool.
Constantly checking e-mail on BlackBerry devices is considered pretty standard by now, as many busy workers suffer from what’s known as “ringxiety,” but what if wireless technology could be integrated straight into your car? Cell phones and hands-off sets are becoming a big part of in-car electronics. With vehicle telematics, drivers will be able to seamlessly receive information and respond without taking their eyes off the road.
Vehicle telematics and other in-car electronic systems are about getting the best of both worlds — consumers are looking an easy way to integrate all their gadgets and businesses are willing to spend on advanced products for better efficiency, such as vehicle fleet tracking systems. Telematics today includes auto manufacturers with abundant service offerings and smartphones applications becoming a part of the vehicle’s interior — providing entertainment, navigation, traffic data and even social networking inside the vehicle. There is stiff competition between auto manufacturers, all trying to do outdo each other by designing the best in-vehicle telematics features.
The high cost of gas is expected to continue to have a major impact on business operating expenses in 2011. Truck fleets will be feeling the most pain at the pump, since the cost of a gallon of diesel is predicted to remain higher than unleaded gasoline. Higher fuel prices will have a domino effect on increasing prices for other oil-based products, such as replacement tires.
Fleet management is looking at technology, tires, vehicle maintenance, and downtime to find ways to cut costs. One of the best ways to cut fuel costs is with a GPS vehicle tracking and fleet management system.
In 2008, BLS Trucking installed a GPS vehicle tracking system in its fleet of approximately 200 diesel trucks. By eliminating unauthorized use and unnecessary idling time, BLS Trucking saved $188,539 in fuel consumption alone during the first year, amounting to more than $900 in savings per vehicle.
n light of today’s economy, most people are looking for ways to save money. People have become more conscientious and realize that saving a few extra dollars by changing their behavior can really pay off over time.
Upgrade the cell phone after two years? I doubt it. Exchange the flat-panel TV for an even thinner model? Maybe next year. Replace the pants with the hole? Maybe next month! People have cut back on eating out, shopping, traveling, you name it.
Recently, consumer spending has picked up, but for many Americans the recession has left something behind: a greater desire to make stuff last. Every dollar in a budget counts and must be stretched.
For a wide variety of goods — cars, phones, computers, even shampoo — the data shows a slowing of product life cycles and consumption. In many cases the difference is mere months, but economists and consumers say the approach just may continue due to the strong impression the downturn made on consumers. It’s similar to the Depression-era mentality when people stored canned goods and sewed clothes rather than replacing them for years.
In a recession, sometimes spending a bit on technology can actually end up saving your business money over the long term. Investments in Web conferencing, fleet management, and other technologies can pay off. There are countless ways technology can save organizations money. After all, technology is meant to be a tool and by definition is supposed to increase efficiency which always translates to saving money.
Record High Gas Prices February 2011
Over the past week, the cost to fill up your gas tank has sky-rocketed. Gas prices increased 17 cents a gallon last week, which is a huge increase. Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, said gas prices’ 6-cent jump reported Friday was the largest one-day increase since at least 2008. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose, for the 4th day in a row, to 4.6 cents to $3.33 on Friday, according to AAA. That brings the national average to the highest level since October 2008.
Turmoil in the Middle East is largely contributing to the rapidly increasing gas prices. Oil prices shot as high as $103 a barrel on Thursday as chaos in Libya disrupted crude supplies from the OPEC nation, and traders worried instability could spread to other oil-rich countries in the Middle East. The spike in oil last week could translate to an increase in gas prices of 37 cents per gallon in the coming weeks, according Moody’s Analytics economist, Chris Lafakis. He estimates that for every $1 increase in the price of oil, retail gas prices typically rise 2.5 cents a gallon. “This will definitely be the most expensive February gas prices ever,” he said, adding that gas prices are typically lower during the winter months. Many analysts are predicting drivers will see $4-a-gallon gas by summer.
A mysterious object used in a high-tech GPS-based treasure hunt caused parts of the Downtown Disney Park in Anaheim, CA to be temporarily closed down this week. Police were notified of a black box located on a bridge near the Disney shops and restaurants. No one knew what the object was, so police and the bomb squad were called in to figure out if the black box posed a threat.
A couple hours later, they realized the mysterious black box was part of a high-tech GPS-based scavenger hunt. The object was actually one of the hunt’s geo-caching sites, an essential component of these types of scavenger hunts. The treasure hunt uses GPS tracking devices to find objects left in specific locations. It’s like playing hide-n-seek with a GPS tracking system.
Hughes Telematics Inc. has raised $5 million, according to a Securities & Exchange Commission filing. Hughes Telematics is transitioning from development to operational mode. The company, which offers emergency services and remote vehicle diagnostics for wireless fleet vehicle management, is transferring its technology to the health sector and other automotive markets.
In 2011, Hughes Telematics is expected to launch a mobile personal emergency response service aimed at seniors and their caregivers. The product consists of a wearable device with one-touch access to an emergency assistance call center. Inside the device, a cellular modem will enable wireless voice and data communications, and an embedded GPS combined with other sensors will allow location-based GPS tracking and monitoring of the person wearing the device.
he Anaheim Union High School District is the first school district in California to test GPS tracking system technology as part of a six-week pilot program to reduce the amount of student truancy, according to school officials. Student GPS tracking system programs have been successful in cities such as San Antonio and Baltimore. Where the GPS technology has been implemented, average attendance among the chronically truant jumped from 77 percent up to 95 percent during the six-week program.
Students with a high level of unexcused absences will be assigned a GPS tracking device that they must carry on them at all times during school days. The GPS tracking system is small, about the size of a deck of cards. The GPS tracking devices will not be strapped to a student’s ankle, because according to experts, this can create a negative stigma. The GPS tracking program is all about teaching the student’s about responsibility, not punishment.
A GPS tracking system was used by police to locate items stolen from a trailer used for a Lil Wayne music video. Time and time again, criminals forget that items such as laptops and cel phones are equipped with a GPS tracking system. Police can easily use the GPS tracking system to locate these stolen items and make the proper arrests.
According to police, on Friday February 18, the man pretended to be a back-up dancer and was able to gain access to the trailer. The trailer had just been moved to Citrus College in California from South Africa, where it had been used on the set of Lil Wayne’s latest video production. Lil Wayne is an international hip-hop superstar and he was filming a video with Porcelain Black.
According to a recent GPS tracking study conducted by Navteq, consumer experience with navigation systems in 2010 has increased from 2009 levels, but has slowed from double to single digit growth – in most countries studied. The Navteq Annual GPS Tracking Study assesses user interaction across all sectors of navigation, including in-vehicle systems, portable devices (PNDs) and mobile/smartphone applications. The online GPS tracking study was conducted in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Russia, the UK and the USA.
With the continued proliferation of in-vehicle navigation GPS systems, portable navigation devices (PNDs) and mobile phone navigational functionality, consumers are being offered ever more choice in the way they experience navigation and location-based information. In 2009, roughly half of all people in mature markets such as US, UK, France and Germany reported using a GPS navigation system – which is approximately double the number reported in 2006.
GPS tracking system technology and safe sex – now there’s two things that I never thought would go together. But never say never. Because yesterday the NYC Health Department announced the launch of a new GPS app for cel phones called Condom Finder. The new GPS app is free and works with both the iPhone and Android. The new app uses GPS tracking to provide users with the location and directions to the closest free condom dispenser.
Diesel prices have gone up for 11 straight weeks for a cumulative 37.2 cent gain, a 70-cent increase from last year. Current diesel prices have already risen 2.1 cents this week to $3.534 per gallon, according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). This week’s price is the 20th consecutive week prices have been at $3 per gallon or more. Current diesel prices are at their highest level since peaking at $3.659 during the week of October 13, 2008.
Even though oil prices have decreased slightly in recent weeks, some experts are saying that the price per gallon of diesel and regular gasoline could approach the $4 per gallon level, due to higher global demand for oil and the coldest winter in recorded history in many parts of the United States and Europe.
Fuel typically makes up about one-third of trucking companies’ budgets, said Kristen Monaco, an economics professor who specializes in trucking at California State University, Long Beach. However, when diesel prices get this high, the cost of fuel is the number one expense for trucking companies.
vehicle rental company in Australia has made a controversial decision to install a GPS vehicle tracking system in roughly 30% of the vehicles in its car rental fleet. Using the GPS vehicle tracking system signal, the car rental company will be able to know in real time the exact location of the vehicle. Plus they can be notified by text message if the car rental customer has breached any of the terms of their rental agreement, such as driving the rented car down a dirt road. Renters can be fined for their driving behavior, if it is a breach of the car rental contract.
Next time you or someone you love is about to be transported in an ambulance to the closest hospital, you might want to hop in the back of the vehicle and give the driver directions using your cel phone GPS navigation system. Why? Because many ambulances are not equipped with a GPS navigation system that gives drivers directions. Instead many ambulances are equipped with a GPS tracking system that is only used to keep track of the vehicle’s location, but this type of global positioning system (GPS) is not able to give driving directions.
It is important to recognize the differences in the capabilities of these two types of GPS tracking systems. What this means is that ambulance drivers are still forced to rely on paper maps to get to and from emergency destinations in a hurry. In emergency situations, every minute counts. This isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring and seems a bit archaic.
FieldLogix, an industry leading ‘Green” GPS fleet management system, announces the launch of an IFTA-only plan, designed to make IFTA fuel tax reporting simple and affordable. The FieldLogix IFTA fuel tax reporting plan makes calculating IFTA taxes a breeze because the FieldLogix GPS fleet tracking system automatically tracks everything your accountants will need to determine the amount of taxes your fleet owes in each state.
For fleet management, calculating IFTA taxes is a tedious but necessary part of the job. The good news is that with the FieldLogix IFTA-only plan, determining the mileage driven in each state and fuel expenses for each vehicle can be automatically uploaded into a fleet’s tax software. Therefore, the proper IFTA paperwork can quickly be produced.
