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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.
According to LightSquared, a majority of precision GPS devices can be fixed by replacing the external antenna, others will require a factory retrofit. The company says they are working with three high-tech companies to develop inexpensive, efficient solutions.
The first GPS device manufacturer to bring LightSquared compatible receivers to the marketplace is Javad GNSS. At a live news conference last week, the companies showed an external antenna roughly the size of an enterprise Wi-Fi access point and a ceramic filter smaller than a pencil.
LightSquared is under a new deadline to prove that it can come up with an affordable solution to stop the company’s wireless network from interfering with global positioning system (GPS) signals. If LightSquared can produce a viable solution in time, then the FCC and Congress are likely going to have to decide who will pay for the upgrades.
Troy Suhr of Alpine Materials used to have a lot of problems managing his 14 delivery drivers. Every morning he would meticulously plan out his drivers’ routes, but his drivers would often make unscheduled stops or would take too long at deliveries, which would completely throw his plans off. So he decided to research fleet tracking systems, because he “needed more control” of his employees out in the field.
Troy said, “Customers waiting for a delivery would often call wondering when their materials were going to arrive. So I would have to track down the driver on my cell phone and try to figure out where he was and reassess when he would arrive at his next delivery. Then I would have to call the customer back. It really ate up a lot of my time.”
So Troy decided to take control of the situation and purchased FieldLogix+Nav for his entire fleet. Since then, FieldLogix has greatly improved his operations, customer service and driver safety. “It makes planning the day so much easier,” said Troy. “I like not having to worry about whether or not my employees have made it to a stop, are on the way to a stop, or have left a stop…. I have more peace of mind knowing my guys aren’t speeding or driving recklessly.”
In a recent police crackdown in England, named Operation Tramline, a man was caught using a laptop and drinking a hot cup of coffee while driving. Another man was seen eating a pear with a knife while driving while a third motorist was seen writing down the answers to a quiz on the radio.
Distracted driving has become a real problem. Not only is it illegal, but it is dangerous. “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.”
According to Sgt. Paul Diamond, 84 vehicles in Operation Tramline were stopped due to offenses being witnessed, and of these 55% were commercial vehicles, according to BBC News.
SOS! Reality TV star Bethenny Frankel and her husband, Jason Hoppy, were lost at sea for over 20 hours after a sailing trip went incredibly wrong. Bethenny and Jason, along with a Bravo film crew, were aboard a sailing vessel headed towards Nantucket, Massachusetts. The boat was struck by a huge, rogue wave, causing the GPS system on the boat to malfunction.
There were about 10 people on the boat, stuck in the middle of the deep sea with no land or anybody nearby.
Pharmacies and supermarkets across the US are being equipped with a real-time tracking system that registers sales of products with pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient for making illegal meth commonly found in cold and allergy medications.
Next time you or a loved one catches a cold, chances are you will head to the local drug store and purchase an over-the-counter (OTC) medication to relieve the symptoms. If your local market has the real-time meth tracking system installed, the tracking system will scan a picture of your I.D. and record the amount of drugs bought. It also can show the cashier if you have exceeded the amount you are legally allowed to buy. The cashier can then refuse to sell to a customer that has exceeded his or her limit.
Fleet tracking systems are a worthwhile investment for many companies, large and small. Most users see a positive ROI in less than 90 days. Here’s a few reasons why:
1. A fleet tracking system can drastically improve customer service. You can impress your customers by giving them precise arrival or delivery times, based upon the actual location of your vehicles at the moment they call. You can respond quicker to last minute customer requests because the system is able to quickly locate and notify the driver that is closest to the client.
2. Employee productivity is often improved because managers are able to document long lunch hours, monitor unauthorized breaks, prevent employee overtime and maintain electronic driver records to prevent vehicle usage after hours or on weekends. Many business cut overtime costs immediately.
LighSquared Execs Say GPS Device Users Were Aware Of and Supportive Of LightSquared’s Network, But Continued To Operate Out of Their Licensed Spectrum. Therefore Certain GPS Users Such As Trimble Should Carry Some of the Financial Burden of Solving the Interference Issues. This weekend LightSquared’s General Counsel, Curtis Lu, said “The GPS industry continues to […]
Illegal poaching of fish and other sea life, known as maritime poaching, happens everyday all over the world. This winter, Maryland Natural Resources Police discovered more than 13 tons of poached striped bass, also called rockfish, in illegally anchored nets in the Chesapeake Bay.
The poaching finds led fisheries agencies to close rock fish season early. Natural Resources Police served search warrants related to the poaching but have not yet made any arrests.
The Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources is hoping to reduce the illegal fishing by launching a pilot program that would use GPS tracking systems to monitor the movements of commercial fishing boats.
GPS tracking systems discourage illegal fishing by allowing agencies to track commercial fishing boats that go into closed areas or operate during restricted times. They are being used increasingly across the United States and Canada but would be new to Maryland, according to Tom O’Connell, director of DNR’s fisheries service
