In an effort to help you find the best deals out in the GPS fleet tracking market, we are going to provide you with some information on different provides int he fleet management field.

The first provider we are going to be looking at is SageTracker World Tracking Solutions. The website for this company is fairly clean and straight forward. Navigation is principally found on the left sidebar and top link menu. Since the site also offers their own web-based real-time GPS fleet tracking they have a clearly marked section for the login for this feature under the ‘My Site’ link. This could probably more prominently placed, but it is sufficient to have it where they do.

The next thing that I noticed on the website for World Tracking Solutions was the following warning:

The use of a GPS vehicle tracking device to track a person without their permission could be illegal or result in a legal action against you, even if you own the vehicle.

Tracking another person’s vehicle is usually illegal without a warrant.

You should seek legal advice before using any GPS vehicle tracking device as the regulations vary from region to region.

I though that this was interesting for a couple of reasons:

1. What are the implications for employers in this case? Are they unable to track their company’s vehicles? Do you need to get a lawyer to check out your GPS fleet tracking system?
2. How many people use this to track people in an unlawful manner? Are they mostly psychos who are stalking women or children? Or paranoid spouses concerned with the every where about of their significant other.
3. Why have this on the front page?

The site also has products on the landing page, which is useful for those seeking information immediately. Of the products on the main page the prices range from $215 for a simple data logger to $499 plus a subscription fee for a ST Sentinel GPS Fleet Tracker. According to the companies website the ST Sentinel is a durable and weatherproof GPS that has a batter life of years. It is designed to be used for remote and exception monitoring. The annual subscription of one hour reporting for this device will run an additional $499 per unit, bringing the total to nearly $1,000.

If you have question about any of the companies GPS products you can call the toll free number that they list on their website.  I am sure a friendly sales person or customer service representative will take your call and provide you all the information that you need to make an informed decision about the best type of GPS to buy for your fleet management needs.

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One of these individuals, James Marcotte, a retired pilot now boat captain in Florida, has very little inkling on how these systems will generate the savings promised. He was quoted as saying, “A GPS will not aid in any way. It will tell you where the bus is and nothing more. How then will we realize $790,000 in savings?”

Not only is the average tax payer suspicious of the new tracking system, members of the school board are also voicing concerns over the plan. Faced with a tightening budget, the members are hard pressed to realize the savings that the plan is projected to produce. If they don’t, they could lose be held responsible by the public.

To add to the pressure, the bus drivers are resenting the notion that their every position will be monitored. They see the money as a waste, assuming that they already choose the best routes to pick up the children. They also claim that they already implement fuel saving techniques such as reducing the amount of time spent idling and driving the speed limit so that expectations of fuel savings are overblown.

That might be the case, but bus drivers from a school district in Orange county saw an 10% reduction in fuel related expense once the GPS devices were enable on the vehicles.  With gas prices running at their current prices this is a very significant amount of money.  When you add to that the improved efficiency of workers, streamlined routes, and improved central routing that could add up to significant savings.

While pressure is mounting for the district to abort the plan it might be in the best interest of the school board to take a big picture approach and implement the GPS tracking.  Over the long run, this system will help enhance the overall functionality of the fleet, improving fuel economy and worker efficiency.  It even has some added benefits that you would not normally think about in deploying this type of system - knowing where students are at any given time.

In the case of emergencies - catastrophic bus accidents, bus hijackings, school shootings, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, mud slides, or wild fires - it is always good to know exactly where the children are so that you can respond in exactly the right way. This information is provided by this system. A parent is only a phone call away from knowing that their child is safe and secure on a bus or that when something does go their child will have a first responder there in no time because of the GPS.

If the school board succumbs to the pressure of the bus drivers, public opinion, and pandering politicians they will miss out on this golden opportunity to keep their children safe and to save money as well. While there are plenty of ways the district might be spending its money, this is an expenditure that will hopefully in the long term free up more resources for those needs than spending the $411,000 on them now. It is a risk, but it is a risk that is well worth it.

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All those cool models on an oversized map move about to represent the reality of the battle was intriguing to me.  In order for the head quarters to have reliable information to make command decisions about where to send forces, push the enemy, or build defenses they had to have reliable picture of the way things really are out in the field.

It is exactly the same way with your small business.  In order to get your driver, serviceman, or package to the right location as new needs pop up in real-time requires you to have a fleet management solution that empowers you to provide a superior service that leaves your customer with an impression of significance.  GPS fleet tracking can do this for your business.

There are a few different ways that GPS is able to do this, but the primary way is through a web-based interface.  The way it works is like this: Each vehicle in your fleet is equipped with a GPS device manufactured specifically for fleet management.  This type of GPS differs significantly from your standard auto GPS in that a regular auto GPS unit only gathers, logs, and displays information for the driver of the vehicle.

GPS for fleet management, on the other hand, does all these same things but it also transmits this information to a central processing station via radio or cell tower waves.  This central processing station then interprets the position of your fleet in real time - enabling you to get a bird’s eye view of your fleet as they make the calls that make you money and prosper your business.

There are a variety of options available depending upon your particular locality, but almost all of them work around this basic premise.  Charges for the service normally work the same way across the board.  There is a large up-front fee to purchase the GPS unit.  Then, on top of that, they charge a monthly service fee for use of the processing station.  The devices can probably be hacked to transmit the information to another location, but if you already have the skill to set to do that then you could just hack a cell phone to do essentially the same thing without the large upfront fee and a much smaller monthly fee.

However you plan on making use of fleet management technology what is important to your bottom line is that you do it.  That way you can build that war room for your business to get the job done better and faster.  That will make your customers happy and your business successful.

If you are interested in more information about the how GPS fleet tracking benefits small businesses check out the post looking at the Aberdeen report on the subject.

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To accomplish that goal one metropolitan area is seriously considering using GPS fleet tracking to create efficiencies in their fleet of around 3500 vehicles. Currently, workers have to use road maps or print out directions from places like MapQuest or Google Maps in order to get directions to the place they want to go. Once they are out in the field, they have limited flexibility in terms of responding to an additional - they have to know exactly where the new call is or they have to go back to the office to get more directions printed on the computer.

To end this cycle of wasted paper and unnecessarily consumed gasoline the Nashville, Tennessee is considering installing a GPS monitoring system in many of its vehicles. This system would not only help workers save fuel and arrive at destinations on time, it would also assist city managers in ensuring that their workers accomplish the tasks that they say that they do in a timely and efficient manner. The potential for savings of the GPS fleet tracking system are therefore twofold, and elimination of wasted gas and of wasted time.  However, it is hoped that the system will not have to be used punitively against city workers, but that seems to be an inevitability considering that statistically speaking there have to be some poor employees among the many municipal workers.

Right now Nashville is just considering the use of the fleet tracking system. They want to make sure that the cost does not outweigh the benefits. One city councilman, Charlie Tygard, was seen in a TV interview saying that the devices, when used properly, will pay for themselves in a matter of months - indicating that the he thinks the devices will be an excellent investment for the city. When a slow moving bureaucratic organization like a municipality is awakened to the benefits of GPS, don’t you think your business might benefit from it as well?

For more information on this story consider reading the news story found here:
Wireless Tracking System For Metro Govt. Cars

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In the report, businesses were grouped together based on the size of their fleet. The breakdown was as follows:

• 1 to 10 where characterized as small
• 11 to 50 as medium small
• 51 to 250 as medium
• 251 to 1000 as medium large
• More than 1000 as large

The report also measured the pressures that businesses cited as reasons they desired to increase their efficiency with GPS technology. Of the reasons mentioned by small fleets, a desire to improve to improve the customer experience through improved response times was listed by 73% or participants. This was by far the leading response, and for obvious reasons. By improving customer experience a company hopes to generate return customers and establish a word of mouth advertising campaign, both essential for the survivability and longevity of a small business.

Other reasons businesses cited for wishing to implement some form of GPS technology were:

• Reduce service response times (57%)
• Reduce fleet related operating costs (46%)
• Increase service related productivity (41%)
• Extend life of service vehicles (16%)

Probably the most interesting finding of the report was that small businesses (fleets with 1-10 vehicles) tend to benefit more from implementing GPS technology than large businesses (fleets with more than 1000 vehicles). According to the report, small fleets saw an increase of 25% in the number of work orders completed per day after two years of GPS implementation. Large fleets only saw an increase of 8%. This technology need not necessarily be a GPS fleet tracking system, it could be “GPS-enabled vehicle tracking systems, cell phones with GPS navigation or tracking capabilities, commercial-grade mobile or ruggedized handhelds with GPS, and other personal and in-vehicle monitoring and navigation devices.”

Another KPI (Key Performance Indicator) that the GPS technology has improved for these businesses is the ability of technicians to arrive to the service location on time. Small fleets have seen a 46% increase in this key metric. It is easy to see how this will result in an improved experience for the customer and solidify your businesses reputation of being punctual.

The report then goes on to make recommendations on how one ought to proceed in implementing a GPS fleet tracking system. These recommendations include:

• Get GPS. It works and it is relatively inexpensive to implement across any size fleet.
• Measure your process. Knowing your “as-is” condition is important for viewing the impact that GPS technology will have once it is implemented. It can also highlight areas where additional the low tech measures will further improve efficiencies.
• Initiate employee training on improved fleet usage and maintenance. Taking a whole fleet approach to maintenance will improve overall results and increase worker productivity, enhance fleet durability, and improve workplace communications.
• Consider implementing dynamic scheduling.

In the end, determining which solution to implement could save your company money, increase revenue, and improve your image among customers. Considering that GPS technology has become so affordable in recent years is there any reason not to test this out for you fleet?

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Fleet tracking systems, on the other hand, have a proven record in doing just the opposite. They can help you reduce fuel consumption, decrease the time your employees are in transit, improve worker accountability, and protect your fleet assets. This will reduce your expenses, enabling you to direct these funds into avenues that will help impact your bottom line and meet your financial benchmarks.

Many companies are becoming savvy to this fact and a few GPS fleet tracking produces are reporting that in the first half of 2008 they saw an impressive jump in sales. It is not hard to see why as fuel prices are increasing. Companies that employ fleets to get their employees out to clients need a way to hedge these increases and GPS tracking technology is certainly the wave of the future.

Here are some of the six of the main reasons companies are turning to the technological solution for fleet maintenance and management:

1. Increase Fuel Efficiency - Since fuel prices do not seem to be likely to drop any time soon there is an increasing desire to engage in efficient driving practices. By using a GPS system you can optimize routes and instill good driving tactics within your drivers. Some analysts suggest that fuel bills can be reduced by about 13% through the use of GPS fleet tracking systems.
2. More Productive Workers - Workers naturally slack off. It is only natural since they are often isolated from their coworkers out in the field and tiredness or distractions can creep in on even the most diligent of workers. However, when they know that their actions are being watched they will certainly be more productive, often without them even knowing it. This can can increase worker productivity significantly, reducing overtime hours and worker dissipation.
3. Smarter Workers - Employees will be empowered to make better decisions with their time with a tracking system. Knowing that their actions matter will help the employees brainstorm on their own ways to streamline their production. A business that has all hands working toward the same goal is a stronger business.
4. Safeguard Your Assets - With a GPS fleet tracking system you will always know exactly where a vehicle from your fleet is, even if one of your employees is not the driver. This information is of great value to law enforcement authorities. It will give you an advantage in recovering the vehicle and returning business operations back to normal.
5. Falling Cost Of Technology - As we all know, computers are better and cheaper today than they were just a few years ago. GPS technology is no different. Since it is cheaper that means that a smaller portion of your budget has to go to purchasing the system and it is more likely that the savings from reduced fuel consumption and improved worker productivity will be significant even when you consider the purchase price of the units.
6. It’s Just Plain Fun - Let’s be honest, managing a fleet can be fun - and especially so when you have cool high tech gadgets that help you do it. Imagine looking at a screen of your region and seeing move blips filling orders and making you money. The satisfaction can fill your belly with satisfaction like a warm bowl of soup on a cold a winters day.

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If you have any questions or comments please feel free to let us know by using our contact form.  We take your input very seriously and are constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of the fleet tracking information we provide.

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