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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.
s of Friday Sept. 16, 2011, NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere September 23, plus or minus a day. The re-entry of UARS is coming a day earlier than previously predicted because of a sharp increase in solar activity this week. Solar effects from the sun can create an extra drag on satellites in space because they can heat the Earth’s atmosphere, causing it to expand, agency officials have said.
The exact date and geographic location of re-entry is hard to predict because it depends on solar activity and the satellite’s orientation as its orbit decays. As re-entry draws closer, predictions on the date will become more reliable. NASA is keeping a close watch on the falling satellite, but will only be able to pinpoint its actual crash zone to within about 6,000 miles (10,000 km) about two hours before re-entry.
When the street sweepers of Middletown go on their assigned routes, they know their work habits had better be squeaky clean. The City of Middletown, Ohio has been using the FieldLogix fleet tracking system for their street sweepers, solid waste trucks, and snow plows since 2008.
According to fleet manager, Michelle Evans, one of their favorite features is the ability to verify the stops made by their vehicles. Mrs. Evans said, “Sometimes drivers skip assigned stops during their shift in order to avoid the extreme temperatures and FieldLogix fleet tracking keeps them accountable. On the other hand, in heavy snow storms you can plow a street and an hour later it doesn’t look like you’ve been there. When we get complaints all I do is access the History Report or the Asset Activity Report and then I have proof that our drivers are out there doing their jobs.”
Using the fleet tracking system’s activity reports, he quickly realized that his employees were falsifying time sheets. Employees were taking long lunches, leaving early and were not where they were supposed to be during work hours.
But all this changed after installing a fleet tracking system. Once Mr. Contreras had a reliable way to measure his employee’s actual work hours, his overtime costs dropped immediately.
****In fact, his overtime costs dropped by more than 2 hours per man per day with no change in the workload. Based on these calculations, Mr. Contreras paid for the entire first year of the system within the first 18 days. ****
The US economy has been struggling since 2007. Many are hoping that the country does not enter a double-dip recession this year. Budget cuts are a harsh reality for cities and states across the US. Budget cuts affect us all, and now they are affecting the US global positioning system aka GPS.
The U.S. Air Force has done an incredible job with the GPS system. But budget issues are forcing the US federal government to carefully scrutinize its plans for space. One issue that may end up on the table is whether to proceed with plans to develop a new generation of “GPS III” satellites, or try to save money by sticking with the existing GPS IIF design.
Texting and talking on the phone while driving is very dangerous. We all know this, yet many people continue to do it. The Governors Highway Safety Association combed through a decade’s worth of statistics and research papers about the causes of car crashes, and found that cell phone-related distractions accounted for 15 to 25 percent of crashes, according to PC Mag. The figure is likely even higher since law enforcers might not catch every driver using his cell phone before an accident.
To combat distracted driving, Sprint (NYSE: S) has launched a new app called Sprint Drive First. The app locks your phone when you’re driving over 10 miles per hour, and alerts your parent or spouse when the phone has been locked.
Habitat for Humanity Uses FieldLogix GPS Fleet Tracking System to Improve Customer Service and Reduce Fuel Costs Habitat for Humanity Charlotte recently installed GPS fleet tracking systems in its entire fleet of vehicles. Since deploying a fleet GPS tracking system, Habitat for Humanity has reported an improvement in customer response times, the amount of job […]
A 20-year-old Egyptian-American college student is suing Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller, after the FBI secretly placed a GPS tracking device on his car without a warrant. The student, Yasir Afifi of San Jose, says the FBI had no reason to consider him a suspect of any type of illegal behavior.
It was announced yesterday that a federal judge has agreed to delay Afifi’s lawsuit against the FBI for putting a GPS tracking device on his car without a warrant. Afifi asked for the delay until the Supreme Court decides a related case.
A federal judge has decided to allow a lawsuit to proceed between a couple and a laptop tracking system called LoJack for Laptops for intercepting and sharing a couple’s private, sexually explicit communications with police, according to Wired Magazine.
Unbeknownst to Mrs. Clements-Jeffrey and her boyfriend, the laptop had a computer tracking system installed on it. The laptop tracking system was called “LoJack for Laptops” and was provided by Absolute Software.
Absolute captured screenshots of the couple while exchanging naked photos and other sexually explicit behavior. The tracking system company, Absolute Software, then sent all of the data to local police including the teacher’s sexually explicit images and location data.
Last week LightSquared received another blow in its efforts to get permission from the FCC to build out its wireless network. LightSquared’s network needs further testing because of its potential effects on a satellite system that increases the accuracy of hurricane tracking, said U.S. government agencies to Congress, according to Bloomberg News. A statement for […]
