Category: Vehicle Tracking Systems

• March 29th, 2011
• Jackson Parker

Over 200 trucking companies were named as defendants last week in a lawsuit filed over patent infringement for GPS-based vehicle tracking technology by PJC Logistics. According to recent legal documents filed in 8 federal court districts across the US, PJC Logistics LLC is claiming to be the sole owner of the GPS vehicle tracking technology patent, and that other users of the GPS vehicle tracking technology are doing so without legal permission. PJC Logistics is claiming that each of the carriers they are suing either “uses or directs others to use its electronic location-based fleet management and tracking system in its fleet of vehicles.”

211 trucking companies are named as defendants in the lawsuit, but many more companies are reported to actually be using the fleet management technology. No one knows why certain companies are being targeted, while others are not. The legal documents do not disclose the basis for selecting carriers.

• March 1st, 2011
• Jackson Parker

n light of today’s economy, most people are looking for ways to save money. People have become more conscientious and realize that saving a few extra dollars by changing their behavior can really pay off over time.

Upgrade the cell phone after two years? I doubt it. Exchange the flat-panel TV for an even thinner model? Maybe next year. Replace the pants with the hole? Maybe next month! People have cut back on eating out, shopping, traveling, you name it.

Recently, consumer spending has picked up, but for many Americans the recession has left something behind: a greater desire to make stuff last. Every dollar in a budget counts and must be stretched.

For a wide variety of goods — cars, phones, computers, even shampoo — the data shows a slowing of product life cycles and consumption. In many cases the difference is mere months, but economists and consumers say the approach just may continue due to the strong impression the downturn made on consumers. It’s similar to the Depression-era mentality when people stored canned goods and sewed clothes rather than replacing them for years.

In a recession, sometimes spending a bit on technology can actually end up saving your business money over the long term. Investments in Web conferencing, fleet management, and other technologies can pay off. There are countless ways technology can save organizations money. After all, technology is meant to be a tool and by definition is supposed to increase efficiency which always translates to saving money.

• February 28th, 2011
• Jackson Parker

Record High Gas Prices February 2011

Over the past week, the cost to fill up your gas tank has sky-rocketed. Gas prices increased 17 cents a gallon last week, which is a huge increase. Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, said gas prices’ 6-cent jump reported Friday was the largest one-day increase since at least 2008. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose, for the 4th day in a row, to 4.6 cents to $3.33 on Friday, according to AAA. That brings the national average to the highest level since October 2008.

Turmoil in the Middle East is largely contributing to the rapidly increasing gas prices. Oil prices shot as high as $103 a barrel on Thursday as chaos in Libya disrupted crude supplies from the OPEC nation, and traders worried instability could spread to other oil-rich countries in the Middle East. The spike in oil last week could translate to an increase in gas prices of 37 cents per gallon in the coming weeks, according Moody’s Analytics economist, Chris Lafakis. He estimates that for every $1 increase in the price of oil, retail gas prices typically rise 2.5 cents a gallon. “This will definitely be the most expensive February gas prices ever,” he said, adding that gas prices are typically lower during the winter months. Many analysts are predicting drivers will see $4-a-gallon gas by summer.

• February 16th, 2011
• Jackson Parker

Diesel prices have gone up for 11 straight weeks for a cumulative 37.2 cent gain, a 70-cent increase from last year. Current diesel prices have already risen 2.1 cents this week to $3.534 per gallon, according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). This week’s price is the 20th consecutive week prices have been at $3 per gallon or more. Current diesel prices are at their highest level since peaking at $3.659 during the week of October 13, 2008.

Even though oil prices have decreased slightly in recent weeks, some experts are saying that the price per gallon of diesel and regular gasoline could approach the $4 per gallon level, due to higher global demand for oil and the coldest winter in recorded history in many parts of the United States and Europe.

Fuel typically makes up about one-third of trucking companies’ budgets, said Kristen Monaco, an economics professor who specializes in trucking at California State University, Long Beach. However, when diesel prices get this high, the cost of fuel is the number one expense for trucking companies.