Read from our blogs
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 California Air Resources Board (CARB) is accepting nominations for its CoolCalifornia Small Business Awards, which recognize small California businesses (under 100 employees) that have shown leadership and taken action to reduce their energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions and made notable, voluntary achievements towards reducing their environmental impact. Nominations are being accepted until January 24, 2011.
Two categories of awards will be given — one recognizing the CoolCalifornia “Small Businesses of the Year” and another to the CoolCalifornia “Climate Leaders.”
The businesses of the year must demonstrate significant, measurable actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, invest in clean or renewable energy, purchase environmentally-conscious products such as hybrid or electric vehicles, and educate employees, customers and the general public. The “Climate Leaders” will be the most proactive nominees in reducing environmental impacts, through changes that may include efficient lighting, recycling programs, increased weatherization or the buying of environmentally-friendly products.
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.
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!
A GPS tracking system was used to recover a bag stuffed full of stolen hundred dollar bills from a recent bank robbery (Bank of America) in Buffalo, NY. The bag full of money was hidden inside a garbage can, but thanks to the GPS tracking system, police were able to quickly recover the money. The police will not disclose how the GPS tracking system got inside the bag full of money, but they did confirm that the GPS tracking system was placed inside the bag of money during the robbery by someone at the bank. Buffalo City Officials said that the GPS tracking device is so small or so well concealed that a robber might need to go through each bill or stack of bills to find it. How cool is that?
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.”
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.
Drivers across the US are cringing as they pull up to the gas pump. Drivers in many states are already paying at least $3 a gallon for regular and most analysts don’t predict any relief soon. That’s because crude oil has hovered between $83 and $89 a barrel since Thanksgiving, and the global demand for oil remains strong due to rapid growth in China and India.
Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at OPIS, expects prices to fall during the winter and then begin to climb again. He has forecast prices between $3.25 and $3.75 a gallon from March to May, unless there is an unforeseen global economic issue. Pump prices could rise above $4 a gallon again in some states for the peak driving season, if oil prices continue to climb.
GPS tracking technology lets officers monitor convicts without actually keeping them incarcerated. Providing housing, security, food, health care, plus administrative costs etc. to prisoners is an expensive financial burden for most states in the US. Due to the high costs, some states are using a GPS system to track nonviolent prisoners as an alternative to keeping them locked up.
This type of GPS tracking allows authorities to monitor the criminals at all times without the responsibility of keeping them incarcerated. While the GPS tracking system make it easier for states to track offenders, the use of such systems does have its downsides.
New Leaf Biofuel is a San Diego based biodiesel company focused on transforming the way companies fuel their vehicle fleets. New Leaf BioFuel collects used cooking oil from roughly 1,000 local restaurants and converts it to biodiesel fuel. It sells the biodiesel to distributors who sell the fuel to customers running green fleets of diesel trucks.
Vehicles run cleaner and quieter on biodiesel and the fleet emissions are much better. Biodiesel is an alternative renewable fuel made from plant and animal oils that is used in diesel engines. It has been shown to reduce vehicle emissions by 75% on average compared to petroleum diesel.
