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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.
Oil prices dropped to a six-month low Thursday as investors and energy traders grew more concerned that the U.S. economy will enter another recession and that Europe’s debt problems are not closed to being solved.
As oil prices were dropping, the stock market plummeted. Major stock indexes fell more than 4 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost over 500 points. It was the worst day for the Dow since October 22, 2008.
The decline in oil should bring some needed relief to drivers. U.S. gas prices currently remain near three-year highs at a national average of $3.703 per gallon. But gas prcies are expected to drop in the near future.
According to Fred Rozell, retail pricing director at Oil Price Information Service, the recent slide in oil could push gasoline 20 to 35 cents per gallon lower over the next month. “This market is moving up and down, but you could see some sizable declines at the pump if this holds,” Rozell said.
Gas Prices Remain Steady as Oil Prices Drop Below $93 Due to Concerns About the Economy
After news was released of an eleventh hour agreement in Washington to raise the debt ceiling, the markets reacted positively in very early Monday morning trading – for a very brief period. The positivity was fleeting. By late Monday morning, the ending of the debt debacle had no more positive impact on the markets. The stock market reversed and has been declining for the last several days.
The way the markets have traded since the announcement of the debt deal suggest strongly to me that the majority of the selling last week was more to do with the faltering global economy rather than uncertainty over the US politicians doing a deal. There is speculation that the US may still lost its AAA credit rating, and that Europe may be on the brink of a financial meltdown.
Besides the debt problems both here and in Europe, there is also evidence that the US economy is not rebounding as many hoped it would be. Investors are also concerned that consumer spending is down and there is weak demand for oil and gas.
Fleet Tracking System Features – Part One
If your business requires vehicles and mobile employees, and you are interested in finding ways to increase your company’s productivity and profitability, then you should consider investing in a GPS Fleet Tracking System.
A Fleet Tracking System can provide your company with numerous benefits at an affordable price. A fleet tracking system can help the average fleet reduce fuel costs by up to 20%. Most customers typically see a positive ROI in less than 6 months.
There are several factors to consider when researching and selecting the right Fleet Tracking System. Here are some of the fleet tracking features you should be considering in your purchase decision.
GPS Tracking Devices Attached to Toucans Help Scientists Gather Data on Seed Dispersal
There were two main things scientists had to do to set up the experiment, which took place in Panama. First, the scientists had to figure out how long and how many seeds the Toucans would eat in a day. So the scientists gathered fresh seeds from a nutmeg tree and fed them to captive toucans at the Rotterdam Zoo.
Toucans love nutmeg seeds. When Toucans eat, they gulp the nutmeg seeds whole. The outer pulp is processed in the bird’s crop, and the hard inner seed is then regurgitated.
During the GPS tracking experiment, five zoo toucans fed 100 nutmeg seeds took an average of 25.5 minutes to process and regurgitate the seeds.
Next the scientists captured six wild toucans that were feeding from a large nutmeg tree in the rainforest. The scientists attached lightweight backpacks containing GPS tracking devices to the wild birds.The GPS tracking devices recorded the birds’ exact location every 15 minutes and used accelerometers to measure the Toucans’ daily activity level.
A new satellite communication for oceanic flights has been approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Now airlines can use the satellite communication to fly through the Polar Regions instead of around them, while still maintaining communication with air traffic control.
Until now, airlines had no way of communicating in the Polar Region besides using a High Frequency (HF) radio, which is so unreliable that airlines decided not to use it because it was too dangerous. Now, being able to fly over the poles, airlines can save time and money. Plus they will produce less pollution.
According to Damien McCormack, director of Aircraft Solutions at SITA, flying over the poles can save approximately 30 minutes to an hour in flight time, depending on the size of the aircraft, flight route and exactly what points over the Poles the plane is flying.
McCormack also said that by saving one hour on an airbus 330, which can accommodate up to 335 passengers, it can account to a savings of 5.5 tons of fuel, which equates to 17 tons of C02 emissions. With a Boeing 747, which can accommodate between 416-524 passengers, saving one hour of flying time would account to saving 10 tons of fuel, which equates to 35 tons of C02 emissions.
A new vehicle tracking survey was released last month in the UK. Results of the study showed that businesses using fleet GPS tracking systems are saving money in several ways. The vehicle tracking survey showed that businesses can achieve measurable benefits in terms of fleet performance, service and legislative compliance.
The vehicle tracking study was conducted by CTrack. The company surveyed over 250 fleet decision makers in the UK. The survey was developed to provide insight into the uptake of vehicle tracking amongst UK-based businesses, how the technology is being used, what benefits are being achieved and what barriers are preventing more companies adopting a vehicle tracking solution. When asked about the primary purpose for vehicle tracking more than a third of the respondents using the technology stated productivity was the main reason, whilst cost reduction, asset management and customer service made up almost half of the answers.
Earlier this year in Muskegon Cunty, Michigan, rumors were spreading that city employees were not working when and where they said they were. A county judge, John Ruck, became suspect after hearing rumors that a handful of city employees were misusing city vehicles and decided to take action.
He rallied enough support and money from the county and the state to purchase several vehicle tracking systems. Ruck then ordered someone to install the tracking systems inconspicuously in the trunk of several county owned fleet vehicles. The GPS tracking systems started gathering information in June.
Court administrators reviewed the vehicle tracking system data for several weeks looking for discrepancies. According to Ruck the process was simple – look at the employee’s time card and where the car they checked out was located.
Then lo and behold, the GPS tracking system data revealed that three county workers were not working while on the clock. One spent several hours at a golf course, another at the gym. Both resigned when confronted about the abuse. A third employee, whose error was not as egregious, is going to be disciplined.
US debt concerns are fueling rising gas prices. Now speculation that fuel prices could go much higher if the government cannot come to an agreement about raising the debt ceiling.
Currently gas prices are averaging $3.70 a gallon in the US. Oil prices fell below $97 per barrel as US leaders failed to agree to lift the government debt limit just hours from a deadline, leaving investors to consider worst case scenarios if a default occurs. By the early afternoon on Friday, crude oil rose 4 cents and closed at $97.44 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
According to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report: Default or a downgrade of the U.S. credit rating would have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. economy. These consequences would likely affect crude oil prices with pressure in two opposing directions. A weakening U.S. economy likely means a weaker U.S. dollar. As discussed, when the dollar weakens, crude oil prices are expected to see upward pressure as the product becomes relatively cheaper.
Currently a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline is averaging $3.70, up one cent from last week and up 15 cents in the last 30 days, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. Diesel gas prices are currently averaging $3.89 per gallon, up one cent in the past week and up 6 cents in the past month.
This was the third consecutive week crude oil prices were under the increasing influence of worldwide debt concerns. Crude has traded near USD 97 for the last few days as investors wait for an outcome of the debt limit talks. Most analysts said that US debt default is still very unlikely but if it happened would devastate the economy.
