NYC Expands Green Fleet with 70 New Electric Police Vehicles

New York City will be adding 70 electric vehicles to its police vehicle fleet as a part of an initiative to make the city more green. The city already has 360 electric vehicles currently being used by police. NYC has also launched new efforts to inform the public about the benefits of electric vehicles. The new vehicles include 50 Chevrolet Volts, ten Ford Transit Connect electric cargo vans, and ten electric Navistar E-Star utility trucks.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the city’s new batch of electric vehicles includes 50 new “extended range” hybrid Chevrolet Volts, 10 fully electric Ford Transit Connect cargo vans, and 10 new fully electric Navi-star “E-star” utility trucks.

Gas Prices Up 7 Cents in The Past Week

Gas prices are currently averaging $3.66 for a gallon of regular unleaded, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. This is a 7 cent increase from this time last week. The Fuel Gauge Report uses retail receipts from more than 100,000 service stations across the United States, compiled by the Oil Price Information Service and by Wright Express.

Since the July 4 weekend, US drivers have been paying more at the pump. The states with the most expensive gasoline today are:
* Alaska – $4.09
* Hawaii – $4.04
* Connecticut – $3.98

High Fuel Costs Compel City Fleets to Go Green and Use GPS Tracking

Faced with the impact of rising fuel costs on the city budget, local leaders are realizing the importance of “going green” and utilizing a fleet GPS tracking system.

Dozens of cities across America are facing the same challenge: the effects of rising fuel costs. In Albany, NY the cost of keeping the city government’s fleet of vehicles on the road during the next fiscal year will increase by nearly $2 million because of rising fuel costs, officials recently said. That figure is up from the $1.6 million the city spent this last calendar year on fuel for its vehicles.

Albany Mayor Willie Adams used the fuel discussion to reiterate his position that every city vehicle needs to have some sort of Global Positioning System, or GPS tracking system, to monitor their whereabouts to ensure they aren’t traveling when they aren’t supposed to be.

“Nearly every corporation in the country has some kind of GPS or AVL (automatic vehicle location) device,” Adams said. “We’re a corporation and we need to keep track of our vehicles. That’s something I’d like to see on all of our vehicles.”

Fewer Drivers on the Road Yet Gas Prices Keep Rising

Gasoline prices are rising again even though drivers in the U.S. have bought less gas for four months in a row. Gasoline is getting more expensive even though motorists continue to cut back. MasterCard SpendingPulse said Tuesday that gasoline consumption has dropped for 16 weeks in a row. SpendingPulse, which tracks credit card payments around the country, said the four-week average for gasoline demand fell by 1.1 percent last week compared to a year ago.

Demand even dropped over the July 4 weekend, usually a time for lots of road trips. MasterCard analyst Jason Gamel said motorists used 1.7 percent less this year than they did during last year’s holiday weekend.

Oil, which is used to make gasoline, is higher as well. On Tuesday. Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery gained $2.28, or 2.4 percent, to settle at $97.43 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price many international oil varieties, rose 51 cents to settle at $117.75 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Court Says GPS Tracking Can Be Used to Track Cheating Spouses

If you thought your partner was cheating on you, to what lengths would you go to try and catch them? Would you secretly place a GPS tracking system on their vehicle? Would you hire a private investigator to figure out what your spouse is up to when you’re not around? A woman in New Jersey […]

Gas Prices Up 7 Cents in One Week

Weeks of declining gas prices have come to an end. Gas prices are on the rise gain, slowly but surely.

A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is currently $3.63, up seven cents from one week ago. Gas prices are up 92 cents from one year ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.

Rising oil prices over the last few weeks are the main reason for this month’s increase in gasoline prices. Oil prices are fluctuating day to day, but seem to be on an upward climb week by week.

Gas Prices On the Rise – Again

Just when businesses and consumers thought they were in the clear – oil and gas prices have started to rise again. Gas prices certainly have come down in recent weeks, but they aren’t as low as last summer.

Two weeks after the U.S. and other 27 allies announced they were tapping domestic oil reserves (which temporarily knocked down the price of oil to almost $90 a barrel) oil is back around $100. And gas prices, which have been declining since May, are up over 4 cents since one week ago.

Oil is rising again as investors bet that the economies of many countries, including the U.S., will improve in the second half of the year, and global demand for petroleum will rise. While most experts agree that the world has plenty of oil, there are concerns that supplies could get tight as demand rises.

Ryder’s Green Fleet of Natural Gas Vehicles a Big Success

For Ryder, the decision to invest in a green fleet of natural gas vehicles is paying off. The company just reported that it is seeing a big increase in demand for its natural gas vehicles. A growing number of businesses are transitioning their fleets to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) as alternatives to gasoline and diesel because natural gas vehicles burn less fuel and produce less emissions.

Ryder (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, announced last week that it has secured lease agreements for 87 heavy-duty natural gas trucks from customers looking to take advantage of the fuel cost savings and environmental benefits of alternative fuel powered vehicles. According to Ryder, natural gas is a domestic resource and it is 25 percent cleaner than the cleanest diesel. When your company commits to going Green with CNG vehicles, you demonstrate corporate and environmental responsibility and business savvy.

“Corporate and government fleets are the strongest adopters of natural gas vehicles” said Dave Hurst, senior analyst for Pike Research, which recently published a report analyzing global clean technology markets. “More and more fleet managers are attracted to the lower fuel costs of natural gas, in addition to the opportunity to reduce their vehicles’ carbon footprint.”

A large portion on the new truck order is part of the Ryder/San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) Natural Gas Vehicle project – a joint public/private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, San Bernardino Associated Governments, Southern California Association of Governments, and Ryder. The $38.7 million project includes a total of 202 natural gas vehicles available for lease or rent, three strategically located natural gas compliant maintenance shops in Southern California, and two fueling stations. Ryder took delivery of 70 vehicles in May and is expected to have the balance of the full 202 SANBAG natural gas vehicle order in its green fleet by the end of 2011.

Parkhouse Tire Selects FieldLogix To Improve Fleet Maintenance

Parkhouse Tire Uses FieldLogix To Improve Fleet Maintenance and Enhance Employee Supervision

For the past two years, Parkhouse Tire has been successfully using FieldLogix, an industry leading GPS fleet tracking system. The company has been expanding their fleet and recently doubled the number of FieldLogix devices installed in their vehicles.

Parkhouse Tire Fleet Manager, Joe Guerrero, said “I like the ability to see where vehicles are, where they have been, and how many miles each vehicle has been driven… I’ve been given ‘bologna’ by past employees who claimed to have started their day at a certain time but actually started later. Monitoring employees makes them more accountable.”

LightSquared Fighting an Uphill Battle Against GPS System Coalition

LightSquared is in fight or flight mode. The company has publicly been on attack against the GPS industry, which has expressed grave concerns regarding the potential of interference to its operations from LightSquared’s proposed network.

In a press release LightSquared said that the GPS community is responsible for this mess, because it had the opportunity over the last several years to install filters “that cost as little as five cents each” that would have mitigated any interference issues. LightSquared said that its new plan for deploying its fledgling nationwide wholesale wireless broadband solves interference for “about 99.5% of commercial GPS devices, including 100% of the 300 million GPS-enabled cell phones.”

The new plan calls for LightSquared to use only the lower portion of its L-band spectrum, and not the upper portion, the latter of which abuts the spectrum band used for GPS system services. It also will reduce the maximum power of its base stations by more than 50%. Theoretically, these tactics in concert will lessen the chance that interference to GPS operations will occur.

The Coalition to Save Our GPS doesn’t think much of LightSquared’s latest plan, calling it a “Hail Mary solution,” and a “non-starter.” The Save Our GPS Coalition has dozens of hig profile members including major GPS players such as Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) and TomTom, as well as Delta Airlines, FedEx, UPS, Caterpillar, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

iPhone GPS Tracking System Catches Robbery Suspect Red-Handed

This weekend two robbery suyspects were caught red-handed with a stolen iPhone and other items after a GPS tracking system on the phone led police officers to their exact location. This story is a good reminder to activate a tracking system service on your electronic devices if it’s available.

On Saturday afternoon an 18-year old woman named Lilli Gordon and her mother pulled into Rooster Rock State Park in Oregon for a quick pit stop. They were visiting from California and were on their way to the airport to fly home. While they were away from the vehicle, someone broke into their car and stole several items, including an Apple iPhone 4.

“When the incident happened I was really upset and I was pretty hysterical and crying. But on the way to the airport I was like ‘oh my God, if the phone is on my dad can track where it is,” Lili said.

The young woman, Lili, had just gotten the new phone a few days before the trip. When she bought it the clerk recommended she activate a tracking system program called Mobile Me that can track the phone through GPS.

Fewer Americans Will Travel This Weekend Due to Gas Prices

Gas prices are affecting people’s travel plans for this 4th of July holiday weekend. Five out of every six travelers will make their trips by automobile, according to AAA.

Fewer Americans will travel during the Independence day weekend, consistently one of the heaviest travel periods of the year. AAA said it expects fewer travelers to travel, as high gas prices are putting the squeeze on lower-income households. Although gas prices have been decreasing recently, they are still about $1 dollar higher than they were last year.

Between Thursday June 30 and Monday July 4, 39 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home, according to AAA Independence Day forecast. That is a 2.5 percent decrease from last year.

FBI Denies Any Wrongdoing in Warrantless GPS Tracking Lawsuit

A 20-year-old college student is suing Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller, after the FBI secretly placed a GPS tracking device under his car without a warrant. The student, Yasir Afifi of San Jose, says the FBI had no reason to consider him a suspect for any type of illegal behavior.

The lawsuit says this was a violation of his civil rights. Afifi, an Egyptian-American, filed the lawsuit in March. He says he’s never done anything to attract law enforcement attention.

The GPS tracking device was found by a mechanic during a routine oil change. Not knowing exactly what the black box was or who had put it there, a friend of Afifi’s posted images of the GPS tracking device on the internet. Two days later, 6 FBI agents showed up at Afifi’s house, demanding their property back. The FBI insisted he immediately return the GPS tracking device.

FieldLogix Launches Innovative Fleet GPS Financing Program

FieldLogix is proud to offer the shortest term and lowest cost financing program on the market today.

Maximize ROI and Cashflow

If you only save one gallon of fuel a day, your system can pay for itself in less than 6 months.

Financing your fleet GPS system is a great way to maximize your return on investment.

Financing your fleet management system gives you flexibility to conserve capital and keep cash flowing.

The best purchase program in the industry

Lowest Cost:

The FieldLogix purchase program is 40%-50% lower in total costs than most 36 month programs.

Shortest Term:

The FieldLogix purchase program is short-term, only for 12 months, so you are not locked in to a long term commitment.

Police Find Stolen Truck With GPS Tracking System

Corpus Christi police used a GPS tracking system to locate a man who had stolen a truck loaded up with building supplies.

Police say employees at the construction business arrived at work and realized a chain link fence behind the business had been run over and a truck that was loaded with shingles was missing.

Police officers were able to find the stolen vehicle using the GPS tracking system installed inside the truck. Police said they found the truck parked on a local street. Someone had painted over the construction business logo to disguise the stolen truck.

Apparently, the thieves did not realize the vehicle was equipped with a GPS tracking device.

Supreme Court to Decide on Warrantless GPS Tracking

A GPS tracking system could be under the bumper of you car right now monitoring your every move. Because in most cities it is legal for police to place a GPS tracking system on a vehicle without a warrant or the vehicle owner’s knowledge. Kinda creepy, huh?

The Supreme Court announced yesterday it would decide whether police need a warrant to use a global positioning system (GPS) device to track a suspect’s movements. The case will mark the first time the Supreme Court has considered how the constitutional ban on unreasonable searches applies to global positioning systems, better known as GPS devices. A ruling, which is expected by next year, will establish limits regarding 4th Amendment privacy rights and GPS tracking technology.

“The Court’s decision in Jones could have a significant impact on everyone’s privacy because most of us are carrying a tracking device everyday: our cell phone,” said the ACLU, which has filed briefs in the case.

Gas Prices Expected to Drop up to 50 Cents a Gallon

Gas prices are expected to drop at least 10 – 15 cents in the upcoming weeks, and may drop by 40 – 50 cents a gallon after Labor Day.

Oil prices tanked last week because the US and 27 other members of the International Energy Administration (IEA) agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil reserves into the global market over the next 30 days. Many Americans are hoping that a reduction in gas prices will boost the economy.

The recent increases in gas prices are a big contributor to Americans’ lack of confidence in the U.S. economy. In a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 45% of those surveyed said the recent increase in gas prices has affected them “a great deal,” outranking concerns over food prices, the drop in home prices or even the unemployment rate.

US Taps Domestic Oil Reserves, Gas Prices Expected to Drop

Oil prices sharply declined to their lowest level in four months after the United States and 27 allies announced that they are planning to release 60 million barrels of crude oil from reserves. Increasing the nation’s oil supply could lower gas prices as much as 50 cents a gallon, but relief at the pump is still several weeks away.

The purpose of tapping the oil reserves is to boost the global economy. The US is hoping to avoid another recession, as recent sky-high oil and gas prices have been contributing to the slow economy.

Gas prices have skyrocketed in recent months, surpassing the $4-a-gallon mark in May. Though gas prices have decreased since their recent peak, today’s national average price for regular unleaded is still over $3.61 a gallon, which is more than 87 cents above gas prices one year ago, according to the AAA Fuel gauge Report.

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