Category: Fleet GPS System News

351 posts
Sacramento Saves $60,000/month in Fuel with GPS Fleet Tracking

The City of Sacramento recently spent over $100,000 on a GPS fleet management system. Many tax payers questioned if the new fleet tracking system was a luxury or a necessity? Turns out, that within the first month of using the fleet management system, the City identified ways to cut fuel costs by over $60,000 in just one month.

According to Keith Leech, City of Sacramento Fleet Management, “The analysis identified savings in excess of $60,000 a month in fuel costs alone, quite an impressive figure considering the cost to equip those 184 vehicles was just over $110,000. Simply stated, the system paid for itself in just two short months making it an excellent investment for the City and a real money saver for the tax payers.”

A real-time GPS Fleet Tracking System can help to Cut Fuel Costs and other Fleet Management Costs. It can also help to:

* Save time and reduce paperwork
* Quickly identify wasteful activities
* Accurately track and measure operating efficiencies

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Google Maps Adds Fuel Cost Calculator to Driving Directions in Europe

Google Maps (GOOG) just launched a Fuel Cost Calculator to driving directions for Google Maps in Europe. Google’s new Fuel Cost Calculator can be used to estimate the average fuel cost for your journey. When a user asks for driving direction between two locations on the map, it shows an estimate of how much cash your have to spend in order to procure fuel for the journey. The estimated fuel cost appears at the bottom of the list of driving directions.

This new tool can be very helpful for many reasons. With rising gas costs on the horizon (Oil is expected to top $100 a barrel this year.) it would be nice to be able to plan your trips taking gas costs into consideration. If utilized properly, this new tool can help you to become aware of your carbon footprint, and gives you the opportunity to really cut your gas costs, which is a great incentive to take the time to plan your trips more efficiently.

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Gas Prices Could Reach $4 by Spring as Oil Prices Continue to Rise

There has been a steady rise in gas prices over the last year. According to AAA, the national average for regular unleaded gas is $3.11 a gallon. Over the last year, prices are up 39 cents a gallon, or 14%. Crude oil is up by a similar percentage, currently trading at just under $90 a barrel.

“Unless we see increases in supply, it’s hard not to see a tighter market,” John Felmy, the American Petroleum Institute’s chief economist, said in a conference call with reporters. Felmy said worldwide oil demand in 2010 hit a record of more than 87 million barrels a day.

New reports out this week show demand for oil and gas is up according to API and some analysts say that could mean paying more at the pump. Many experts are saying drivers could be paying $4 a gallon of gasoline this spring. There’s also claims some experts have been under-estimating prices for months.

The gas price increase may be due to several reasons including:

1. Global demand for oil is increasing as China, India and the Middle East are rapidly expanding.

2. Rising interest in crude as an investment can cause higher prices.

3. Winter weather has been extra cold in many parts the US and Europe, creating more demand for heating oil, which can cause an increase in gas prices.

4. The BP oil spill resulted in Obama administering an oil drilling moratorium, which means no more offshore drilling on the Gulf Coast, further reducing the oil supply.

5. OPEC continues to restrict supply.

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School District Spends Over $1.5M on GPS Tracking System

SSchool districts across the US are realizing the value in a school bus fleet GPS tracking system. In Nashville, TN, a school district just spent $1.5 million for a new school bus fleet GPS tracking system.

A GPS tracking system can be beneficial to a school district for many reasons. A tracking system can especially be very helpful in reducing conflict between parents, drivers, other school employees.

How School Bus Fleet GPS Tracking Works

The GPS tracking device automatically triggers when the ignition is turned on. The system can be used to determine if buses are hitting routes on time, or even if they’ve missed a stop. Some advanced tracking systems will do a fingerprint scan of your child every time he or she gets on and off the school bus. This is an excellent way to keep track of a child’s whereabouts. Using the website for the GPS tracking system, parent’s can view the real-time location of the school bus and know whether or not their child is on the bus.

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How to Fly Safely with Electronic Devices on Airplanes – FAA Law

Every time a plane lands or takes off, all passengers are asked to shut off all electronic devices – laptops, cel phones, iPods, GPS tracking devices, DVD players.If you don’t put your electronic devices away, then technically you’re breaking an FAA law. The FCC put the electronic devices rule into effect many years ago in order to rule out risks involving interference with the aircraft’s navigation GPS system. But many people question whether the law is really necessary. After all, can an iPod or GPS system enabled smartphone such as an iPhone really interfere with an airplane’s navigation system?

I’ve seen many people ignore this law and continue to use their cel phone or iPod during landings and take off. Chances are using an electronic device will not do anything. Therefore, no your iPod will not do any damage. But, it is a federal law to make sure your devices are shut off. The theory is that they COULD do something the aircraft’s electronics.

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Apps That Prevent Texting While Driving

We all know that texting and driving is very dangerous. Drivers should always stay focused on the road ahead of them. A very famous and successful plastic surgeon drove off a cliff in Malibu last year (2010) because he was texting while driving. The accident demonstrates the very real danger of texting while driving, an activity that has reportedly spiked in recent years.

“I hear, almost daily, accounts of people who are injured while texting,” said Dr. Angela Gardner, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Gardner said “It has stopped being an oddity when we hear that someone was texting and has a wreck. Now it’s more of a fairly common occurrence…While sending out a status update during a leisurely drive may seem innocuous, it only takes a moment for distracted drivers to become vulnerable.”

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Portable Navigation Device Better Than A Factory Installed GPS System

The debate over whether portable a GPS navigation device is better than a factory installed in-vehicle GPS system has been going on for years. It appears that portable GPS navigation systems are starting to win the battle, according to a recent article on the Wall St Journal Blog.

While some people may always prefer to find their way using the satellite navigation systems built into their vehicles, the shift towards portable units began several years ago when people didn’t want to pay $1000 – $3500 for a factory installed GPS system when they could buy a portable GPS system for $100 – $500. A portable GPS system comes equipped with comparable GPS technology for a fraction of the price.

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GPS Tracking System Busts 36,000 Taxi Drivers in Cab Scam

The investigation found that 35, 558 drivers – 75% of the city’s 47,000 licensed medallion cabbies – clipped at least one passenger. It seems scamming passengers is a part of the cabbie culture. No wonder the taxi drivers were fighting against the installation of the mandatory GPS tracking devices. One taxi driver was making $40,000 extra a year with this scam. Without the GPS tracking system, the scam would never have been uncovered.

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New GPS Navigation and Telematics Technology Exciting Part of CES 2011

CES is the world’s largest consumer electronics trade show held every year in Las Vegas in January. This year, recent advancements in vehicle, navigation and telematics technology made this area one of the most exciting parts of CES.

Here are highlights of the new technologies showcased at CES 2011:

Navigation
Garmin revealed a new version of its Nuvi navigation GPS system with an oversized screen, and TomTom displayed its Go 2505 GPS model with a new traffic service.

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Boeing’s GPS Satellite Launch To Improve GPS System Accuracy

A Boeing Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-1 satellite, built for the U.S. Air Force, is expected to be launched into orbit soon. Boeing is currently under Air Force contract to build 12 GPS IIF satellites. This will be the second satellite launched under the 12 GPS system satellite contract.

The GPS IIF satellites, with a design life of 12.7 years, will have improved anti-jam capability and substantially increased accuracy from earlier satellite versions. The GPS system signals are so accurate that time can be calculated to within a millionth of a second, velocity within a fraction of a mile per hour and location to within feet.

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Garmin CEO Buys NYC Penthouse for $40 Million

Min Kao, the co-founder and CEO of Garmin, an industry leader in GPS system devices, just bought the 41st-floor condo at 15 Central Park West for $40 million from real estate developer William Lie Zeckendorf. The transaction is Manhattan’s second most expensive of the year, after the $44 million sale of the Duke Semans Mansion. The Journal reports that the final price actually comes out to $9,940 per square foot, not counting the enormous terrace.

Like many wealthy buyers, the CEO of corporate giant Garmin GPS purchased the apartment through a limited liability corporation, so until now his identity had not been disclosed. Mr. Kao was born and attended college in Taiwan. Over the past several years he has lived in the U.S. Forbes last year estimated his net worth at $1.6 billion, down from $4.7 billion in 2007, following a decline in Garmin stock.

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Fleet GPS Tracking System Helps Cleaning Business Save Thousands

Fleet GPS tracking systems are being used more and more by local San Diego businesses, especially service-based businesses with unsupervised mobile employees on the road. A vehicle GPS tracking system can not only improve worker efficiency but a GPS tracking system can also help to cut fuel costs and improve customer service.

“Within 90 days we were able to increase profits by over 10%. Wireless fleet management systems can put a spotlight on a worker’s habits that waste time and consume excessive fuel. Even the best employees aren’t always working as productively as they could be,” said John Barr, President of San Diego Windows and Decks Cleaning Services.

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GPS Tracking Systems Help Drivers Arrive Safely During Tough Winter

GPS tracking systems are being used across the US to help drivers get through the tough winter months. This winter has been especially tough on many parts of the US, particularly the North West. Even cities such as Las Vegas, Atlanta and Austin are getting snow this winter.

When it snows a lot like it has been, most people wake up and want to know when the next snow plow will be coming through their neighborhood. Often times the information is difficult and/or time consuming to find, if it is even available at all. But now, thanks to a real-time fleet GPS tracking system and a city website, residents of Castle Rock, Colorado town are now able to stay abreast of snow plow progress throughout their community in real-time 24/7.

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Vehicle GPS Tracking System in Dallas Garbage Trucks Pays Off

GPS tracking systems were installed in the City of Dallas’ garbage trucks at the end of 2009. At that point in time, some people were not convinced that the GPS tracking system would be worth the hefty price tag of $700,000. Several City Councilmembers voted against the deal over concerns echoed by the sanitation drivers union and a rejected GPS bidder. “There’s no proof that it’s going to work,” said union spokesperson Elisa Gonzalez. ”

But the majority of City administrators believed that by monitoring sanitation workers and improving the fleet management efforts of garbage trucks, they would be able to reduce overtime and increase overall efficiency and performance of waste removal teams. And turns out, they were right.

Dallas City Officials recently announced that the tracking system (in the first 12 months of use) has saved the city $677,000 – almost paying for itself. That means the GPS tracking system is saving the City of Dallas a little over $56,000 month. Now that is an amazing ROI!

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Gas Prices Predicted to Top $4 in 2011

Oil prices are expected to continue to rise in 2011 – beyond $100 a barrel. That could push gasoline prices to over $4 a gallon by summer in some parts of the country, according to industry experts. Not only will drivers feel the pain at the pump, but the cost of other goods and services will also rise. Whenever gas prices rise, the cost of doing business goes up. Many businesses whose margins are already razor thin are forced to pass the increased costs to the consumer. Things like food, travel, and retail goods become more expensive.

Gasoline price expert Fred Rozell predicted that 15 states, including Alaska, Hawaii, Connecticut and Rhode Island, will see gasoline prices top $4 a gallon by Memorial Day. “A dollar more per gallon …will cost about $750 more per year for each motorist, and there’s a psychological aspect to gas prices,” he said. “People are going to be up in arms about this.”

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Baby Jesus Statues Protected With GPS Tracking System

Real-time GPS tracking systems are being installed in Nativity scene Baby Jesus statues across the US to protect them from being stolen. In the past, dozens of churches across the US have reported vandalism and theft of items in their holiday displays, but this year people are fighting back. This winter people are using GPS tracking to recover the stolen Bay Jesus dolls and bring the perpetrators to justice. I’m not sure what kind of a person goes around stealing items from Nativity scenes, such as Baby Jesus dolls, but unfortunately it happens.

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Fleet GPS Tracking Helps Keep Roads Clear and Safe This Winter

There has been record snow fall in many parts of the US this winter. Right now in California, there is record rainfall which means accidents, landslides, flooding, etc. Driving in winter can be quite a challenge. Harsh winter driving conditions are especially challenging for those responsible for keeping the roads clear and safe. Municipalities and snow removal companies are working long and hard to clear away the water, ice and white blankets of snow that inevitably slow down drivers during the busy holiday season.

The equipment and vehicles used to remove snow are now equipped with GPS fleet tracking devices. With the help of the fleet tracking system, the roads can be cleared much quicker. The GPS tracking can show the exact location of the road cleaning equipment in real-time. The system can monitor the position of the equipment from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing managers to visually dispatch their fleet without having to be on site.

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Google Maps Now Gives Users 3-D Interactive GPS System

Google Maps has just released two great new features for the Android – GPS System 3D interaction, offline reliability.

Offline Reliability

Mobile Internet connections are never 100% reliable but this is a huge step toward greater offline reliability. These new updates provide a solution to one of the biggest limitations with a mobile GPS system – being able to access and use your navigation GPS system while you are offline, so you can find your way even if you lose your connection. Most GPS system users have all had those frustrating moments when you get stranded without a map – like when you’re driving in the mountains and the cel coverage is limited or anywhere else with an unreliable Internet connection.

According to Google’s blog post, “dynamically drawing maps requires 100 times less data to get maps across all zoom levels, so now we’re able to proactively cache (or store) large areas on your device based on where you use Maps the most. This way, you can rely on having fast, robust maps available to you where you’re most likely to need them.”

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