The Issaquah School District in the state of Washington implemented a GPS tracking system around 4 years ago, and has saved tens of thousands of dollars in reduced fuel expenses over the years in the process.
Jim Enfield, the shop foreman for the Issaquah School District, uses the tracking system to monitor a fleet comprised of 250 vehicles and 157 buses. In addition to no longer having to depend on picking up a radio and waiting for a driver to respond in order to find out
the location of a bus or vehicle, he is able to pinpoint the location of any of the fleet vehicles with the GPS tracking software at his fingertips. Additionally, he has immediate insight to various aspects such as the direction and speed of a traveling bus, how long it has been idling, the route that it traveled, and whether or not a vehicle needs maintenance.
Jo Porter, the district’s transportation director, cites driver accountability, and the reduction of fuel consumption as some of the major benefits of the GPS tracking system. The district has saved between $12,000 and $16,000 annually since implementing the technology in it’s fleet vehicles. Driver behavior has changed as well, where instead of idling for 20 minutes in cold weather, drivers are now shutting the engines off.
“It brings us accountability, and the drivers know that,” Porter said. “There’s no secrets. They’re right out there. We will see your speed. We will know what your fuel consumption is. We will know whether you’re on time or late.”