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Fleet management systems have been around a while and have become so complex that it has evolved into Field Resource Management. This article explores 5 reasons why all fleets need at least a basic Field Resource Management system.
The price of diesel fuel began to decline across the nation this week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. The price of a gallon of diesel gas is currently $4.13, a two cent decrease from one week ago. One week ago diesel gas was averaging 4.16 a gallon. However, diesel fuel prices are still up by two cents from one month ago, when it was averaging $4.11 a gallon.
Although the decline in diesel prices aren’t huge, it may be the start of a declining trend. Many businesses and consumer have been hoping for relief at the pumps for months now.
Nationally, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is currently $3.98. One week ago, prices were the same. One month ago, gas prices were 18 cents less, averaging $3.80 per gallon, according to AAA. However, many cities and states have seen gas prices fluctuating. Some cities have broken local records for all-time high prices, while other cities have seen slight decreases in prices at the pump.
Apple and Google testified this week in front of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law. The purpose of the hearing was to to address users’ privacy on smartphones, tablets, and cell phones, and to get answers from Google and Apple about how and why they record various aspects of consumer data. Representatives from Apple and Google faced tough questions at they tried to defend their their location tracking system and privacy policies.
The hearing was called by Senator Al Franken (D-MN) in April following the location tracking controversy that first exploded over Apple’s products and Google soon thereafter. Apple VP of Software Technology Guy “Bud” Tribble and Google Director of Public Policy Alan Davidson both stood behind their companies’ policies at the hearing, while continuing to insist that they take consumer privacy seriously.
“Each year, over 26,000 adults are stalked using a GPS tracking system, including GPS tracking devices on mobile phones. This is from 2006 when there were a third as many smartphones as there are today,” Franken said at the beginning of the hearing. “The answer to this problem is not ending location-based services. No one up here wants to stop Apple or Google from producing their products or doing the incredible things that you do. What today is about is trying to find a balance between all those wonderful benefits and the public’s right to privacy.”
After 40-plus consecutive business days of gas price increases, there finally seems to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas decreased slightly from $3.966 to $3.960, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.One week ago, gas prices were averaging $3.952.
Premium gas is currently at $4.231 a gallon, as of May 9, 2011. Diesel fuel is currently averaging $4.15 a gallon.
Garmin, (GRMN) the industry leader in GPS navigation devices, announced last week that its profit nearly tripled in the first quarter of 2011, driven by sales growth in its core segment that makes GPS systems for cars.
The company has a lot of positive things going for it. It has a solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. Profits were boosted by an increase in sales at its automotive segment and a lower-than-expected tax rate. Garmin’s revenue increased to $507.8 million from $431.1 million a year earlier. The company earned $95.5 million, or 49 cents per share, compared with a profit of $37.3 million, or 19 cents per share, a year earlier.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas in the US is $3.96, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. According to the Lundberg Survey, published this weekend, the average price for a gallon of regular gas topped the $4 mark . In July 2008, gas reached a record high price of $4.11. Lundberg says gas prices may have already peaked this season and predicts prices will fluctuate over the next few weeks.
Gas prices have increased every day this week, even though the price of oil has been dropping. The current average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the US is $3.98, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.
Wisconsin’s average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline reached a new all-time high of $4.115 today, surpassing the previous record of $4.111 set on July 17, 2008. In Michigan, a gallon of regular gas climbed to $4.26, which tops the states record high price of $4.21, set in July 2008.
In West Virginia, gas prises rose 5 cents to $4.155 per gallon, surpassing the previous all-time high of $4.12 a gallon reached in July 2008. In Indiana, the average price of a gallon of regular gas hit a record high price of $4.25. The previous record high was $4.17 a gallon, set in September 2008.
The New York Mercantile Exchange reported that oil futures settled at $99.80, down $9.44 or 8.6 percent for the day. This is the first time since March 16 that oil prices closed below $100.
Fleet managers who used a GPS fleet tracking system reported a nearly 25% reduction in downtime and costs from maintenance management, according to a recent study published by TrackNet. The results were announced this week in a company press release which also discussed some of the myriad benefits and solutions that a fleet tracking system can provide.
The study mentioned several fleet tracking benefits, including a reduction in fleet maintenance costs and and increased driver safety. In example, driving at 70 mph takes 159% more horsepower and burns excessive fuel when compared to driving 50 to 55 mph. Speeding means more wear and tear on the engine, resulting in higher fuel and maintenance costs. Each mile per hour above the ideal 50 to 55 mph a vehicle drives increases its fuel consumption by 1.5%.
A telematics based GPS fleet tracking system enables fleet managers to monitor speeds and encourage drivers to drive slower, therefore protecting the vehicle fleet.
Gas prices have risen for the past 42 consecutive business days and have increased 33 cents in the past month, closing in on the record 54 day streak of consecutive increases set from April 28-June 21, 2009 when the price climbed from $2.05 to $2.69 per gallon — an increase of 64 cents. A gallon of regular gas is averaging $3.97 a gallon in the US. This is an increase of 10 cents from one week ago, and $1.07 increase from one year ago.
In the last week, seven states have seen their average price rise to $4 or more for a gallon of regular gasoline, bringing the total to 13 states plus the District of Columbia at or above the $4 mark: Hawaii, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Alaska, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Washington state and Washington, D.C. Several analysts are predicting that the majority of states will see $4 a gallon gas by the end of the week.
ast week thirty-six tortoises were released into desert near Las Vegas. The endangered desert tortoises were outfitted with small radio transmitters and GPS tracking devices attached to their green and brown shells.
All of the tortoises are being tracked with a VHF radio transmitter roughly the size of a $3 stack of quarters, and 24 of them are also sporting GPS tracking units double the height of a deck of cards but not as wide or long. The portable technology carried by the tortoises will make it easier for the zoo’s workers to learn about the creatures’ movement patterns and habitat conditions.
The San Diego Zoo placed the tortoises in the wild after they were nurtured at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center, a partnership between the zoo and federal and state agencies. This is the first time a high-tech GPS tracking device has been affixed to the exoskeletal creatures to monitor their movements. In 2009, the San Diego Zoo began partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversaw the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center. Last year, the center released 100 tortoises into the desert.
