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FieldLogix announces the release of its guide for creating a company policy for dash cameras. The guide discusses all of the factors involved when creating a dash camera policy and how to make the policy driver-friendly in order to minimize driver resistance. “In todays’ litigious world, fleets are often targeted by unscrupulous motorists for insurance […]
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.
Habitat for Humanity Selects FieldLogix Fleet GPS to Improve Customer Service and Reduce Fuel Usage
Habitat for Humanity Charlotte announced last month that it has installed FieldLogix Fleet GPS 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 orders completed, and reduced fuel consumption.
Improved Customer Service
Now Habitat for Humanity dispatchers can keep a close eye on the exact location of every vehicle in its fleet in real-time. According to Habitat For Humanity manager, Jon Huffman, “We can make last minutes changes with just a few clicks. If drivers are running late, we can call ahead of time to let someone know. FieldLogix gives dispatchers the ability to assign jobs in a way that maximizes productivity and service, since vehicle stops are constantly being added or changed throughout the day.”
Reduced Fuel Consumption
Jon Huffman also added, “We have experienced significant savings in fuel expenses since installing FieldLogix. We are quite pleased with that. The initial improvements have been so good that we haven’t had time to see everything else the system can do for us!”
Eco-Friendly Driving
Huffman further stated, “FieldLogix is a Green company with an eco-friendly product. It was important for us to choose a company with same core values as Habitat for Humanity.”
A report about the effects of LightSquared’s proposed network was supposedly leaked from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week, according to a report from PC Mag. The effects of LightSquared deployment would be far-reaching and potentially devastating to aviation.
The “estimated loss of life from 2014 to 2023 as a result of LightSquared impacts to GPS during a period when the nation’s aircraft were retrofitted to accommodate the LightSquared signals would include 794 deaths, with a value of life totaling $4.9 billion,” the report states.
The FAA’s Navigation Services division also said there will be over $72 billion in additional costs to U.S. taxpayers if the LightSquared LTE system is implemented. The FAA report called that estimates conservative, and it did not include injuries or property loss.
The FAA’s report, dated Jul 12, said the LightSquared network would interfere with the GPS systems that US aviation depends on everyday. The Federal Aviation Administration says even a revised proposal from LightSquared to launch a national wireless broadband network will interfere with global positioning systems critical to aviation.
“Proposed LightSquared operations would severely impact the efficiency and modernization of the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. After the LightSquared network is deployed, GPS systems are expected to be unavailable for planned aviation use over the whole of the continental U.S. based upon FAA analysis and tests, ” the report concludes.
