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.
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.
Drivers will probably pay record-high gas prices during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday week.
The current national retail average price for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline is $3.40. Today’s price 51 cents more expensive than one year ago.
Despite a lagging US economy and Europe on the verge of collapsing, oil prices surged past $100 a barrel yesterday. Experts are predicting this may drive gas prices higher in coming months. The last time crude oil settled at more than $100 per barrel was June 9.
According to data released last week by the Oil Price Information Service and the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, American households have year-to-date spent 8.4 percent of their income on gasoline. This is up from 6.7 percent of household income in 2010 and is on pace to surpass the 7.9 percent number in 2008.
The average household is spending $50 more per month on gasoline in 2011 than they did last year. Also, motorists are paying significantly more at the pump than ever before for this time of year.
After a businessman found a flashing device under the hood of his car, (which turned out to be a secret GPS tracking system installed by the man’s jealous wife) he immediately drove to the police station. Police decided to call in the bomb squad
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.
Geotagging is when a device such as an iPhone, Android smartphone or digital camera stores your location or geographical information, such as your GPS coordinates, within a photo or movie file (such as .jpg or .mov files).
Nearly all smartphone cameras geotag the photos they take. So it is important that you check the settings on all of your cameras, cel phones and other image-recording devices, because you could be disclosing details of your life and you might not even be aware of it.
How to Protect Your Privacy and Disable Geotagging
There are several ways, and some of them are better than others.
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.”
