Author: Victoria Gole

Federal mandate for Electronic Log Devices In Effect Soon

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Don’t be caught off guard– Federal mandate for Electronic Log Devices takes affect this winter.

Don’t think for a minute that the federal government has forgotten about the electronic logs we’ve been hearing so much about this year. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration still expects to publish a proposed electronic log device mandate in November.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has taken another step on an electronic log device (aka electronic onboard recorders or EOBR systems) mandate and has made a separate proposal to protect drivers from pressure to work in violation of safety regulations.

The White House Office of Management and Budget received the FMCSA’s Electronic Log Device Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on August 7. The agency forecasts the OMB will clear the notice by November 6th, 2013, allowing the FMCSA to publish the proposal November 18th and accept public comment until January 20th, 2014.

The 2012 highway reauthorization act includes the Electronic Log Device mandate and directed the agency to address coercion. The FMCSA began referring to the devices as Electronic Log Devices because of the language used in the law and dropped the traditional, but more generic term of electronic onboard recorders (EOBR Systems).

The agency began its journey with Electronic Log Devices beginning in 1994, but the statutory requirement regarding coercion took effect last October. That new law stipulates regulations must exit to prevent carriers, shippers, receivers, and transportation intermediaries from coercing drivers to work in violation of any safety regulation.

If you want to be compliant immediately with these new mandates, please give GoFleet a call with any questions about the new Electronic Log mandate at 1.888.998.1122 or by emailing our sales team here.

Venice Installs Small Real Time GPS Tracking Device on Gondolas

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Local Venetian Government Installs Small Real Time GPS Tracking Devices

Venice’s famous gondolas—the very essence of old Europe – will now be fitted with small real time GPS tracking devices to prevent the kind of accident that killed a German tourist two months ago, and also to alleviate the heavy traffic that clogs the city’s waterways.

Local papers reported that Venice’s municipal officials became concerned about maritime safety after a German professor died when the gondola he rode collided with a ‘vaporetto’ waterbus, a much larger vehicle that is operated by Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano, the city’s public transportation system.

To address safety concerns, effective beginning November 4th, each gondola will not only include a small real time GPS tracking device (to monitor its movements and speed), but will also be outfitted with an external numbered plate and reflectors to make the boats more visible after dark. This comes after the city has installed 40 CCTV cameras along the Grand Canal to observe and identify any gondolier who violate the rules of the water.

Under these new policies, about 5,000 vessels—including water taxis, will be mandated to have small real time GPS tracking devices installed.

In addition to these policies, given that the gondolier involved in the earlier fatality, Stefano Pizzaggia, was found to have cocaine and cannabis in his system, other gondoliers may face regular blood and urine tests.

The president of the gondoliers’ association, Aldo Reato, has refused to comment on the new policies, saying he will reserve judgment on the new rules until after their implementation.

If you’d like to learn more about how small real time GPS tracking devices can protect your fleet and your business from liability issues, please call the GoFleet team at 1.888.998.1122 or email our sales team here.

GoFleet’s Overview: Fleet Management Solutions

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A Comprehensive Overview of Fleet Management Solutions

If you are managing a fleet in the food and beverage distribution industry, you are aware of the need for oversight of employees, vehicles, and other assets. It has become necessary that businesses in the field recognize this as an important daily basis. Fleet and asset tracking are becoming more common in these fleet based businesses as executives and fleet management look to ensure the efficient and effective use of their fleets, assets, and employees.

Global positioning systems—GPS fleet tracking can create a comprehensive fleet management solution that blends well into the day to day business needs for a food and beverage logistics business. This solution has many more capabilities than a simple track-and-trace option—allowing fleet managers to do more than locate vehicles or assets on a map. A comprehensive GPS fleet management solution should be an essential business tool for any food and beverage company with a fleet, no matter how small. With just the most basic usage, this system allow for increased fuel efficiency and employee productivity, showing a reduction in overall operating expenses.

Vehicle Tracking to Save on Fuel

A recent study conducted by the EPA found that trucks left idling for long periods of time waste approximately 960 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. That fuel comes from your bottom line. Real-time data collection gives you, the fleet manager/owner the power to monitor variable costs associated with fleets. A large number of companies now track their fleets to report on idling times, fuel consumption, driving speeds, vehicle location and verification of employee hours.

Maintenance monitoring allows fleet managers to automate maintenance schedules for vehicles and alerts headquarters when preventive maintenance, such as an oil change, needs to be conducted. Automating maintenance procedures can save money and keep vehicles on the road.

 

Hard Data to Cut Back on Costs

A look into operations is all that is needed to make it clear of what’s working and what’s not. GPS fleet management solutions provide a variety of reports and information on a number of driving factors, including how many times a truck starts and stops, how long it idles, and if any dangerous driving behavior occurs. These reports are not used to scold drivers, but to simply identify driving habits that can be altered to save money for the company. This fleet management solution provides a wealth of information and valuable insight at a moment’s notice. Perhaps, most importantly, the collected data can be presented in a graphically rich dashboard and is actionable, which means that the data can be used to improve processes. Dashboards also give fleet management the ability to set user-defined goals that allow for benchmarking operations.

Interesting Uses For Real Time GPS Tracking

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Track Luggage With Real Time GPS Tracking

There are many uses for real time GPS tracking other than fleet management, and some of these are quite enthralling. For instance, the recent GPS technology has hit the traveler markets. For a nominal purchase price, you can get a GPS device that is designed to be discreetly and easily placed in any size and shape of luggage to give you peace of mind as you travel to your destination.

Real time GPS luggage tracking enables you to see where your luggage is, whether it accompanies you as planned or includes an unexpected detour or delay.

Luggage laden travelers no longer need worry about how to reunite with their belongings—the device can ensure that this process is as efficient as possible.

This device is a real time GPS tracker that can be tracked almost anywhere in the world and can be operated from a range of devices including smartphones and tablets.

Real time GPS tracking devices have a variety of uses. From fleet management to commercial GPS tracking solutions, their applications range far and wide for fleet-oriented businesses. GoFleet’s real time GPS tracking solutions can help you manage your fleet as efficiently as the above real time GPS tracking can help a traveler locate their lost bags.

Manage your fleet through your cell phone, and employ a commercial GPS system unlike any other with better reliability, more support post-install, and much more with GoFleet and their innovative real time GPS tracking.

Save time and money today by employing GoFleet’s real time GPS tracking solutions in your fleet management regimen by contacting us at 1.888.998.1122 or emailing our sales team here.

Airtel Kenya Improves Road Safety with Vehicle GPS Tracking Devices

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Airtel Kenya Uses Vehicle GPS Tracking Devices to Improve Road Safety

Airtel Kenya is working with police and Frotcom East Africa to implement a road safety initiative by rewarding responsible drivers from 2NK Matatu Saving and Credit Co-operative Society (SACCO) identified by Frotcom’s computerized vehicle GPS tracking devices.

The vehicle GPS tracking devices will help monitor driving behavior minute-by-minute regardless of where they are driving in the country. The same data generated by the system will also be used to identify drivers who need extra training so as to achieve a change of attitude as they handle passengers.

The rewarding program will go a long way to enforcing compliance to traffic rules rather than evasion. Through the initiative, the National Traffic Commandant, Samuel Kimaru, will identify and reward drivers from 2NK SACCO along a number of busy highways in Kenya.

Airtel and Frotcom have already fitted vehicle GPS tracking devices in more than 550 vehicles in the SACCO’s fleet, which relay messages of speed limit violation to the SACCO management.

The vehicle GPS tracking system also tracks fuel consumption and number of trips a vehicle makes and gives alerts when a vehicle diverts from its intended route, which will assist in managing misuse and any possible criminal cases such as incidents of carjacking or vehicle theft.

Estimated financial benefits show that the SACCO members could save up to KSh40 million (US$461,000) annually by sealing revenue leakage loopholes with the use of this product.

The savings will be made with reduced accident claims to the insurers significantly reducing the cost of risk management.

Amtrak Pleases Customers with Real Time GPS Trackers

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Amtrak Offers A Customer Benefit Through Their Real Time GPS Trackers.

If you’ve ever stood, peering over the platform and worrying about when your train will arrive, Amtrak has solved their traveler’s problems—you can now quickly track train routes with a real time GPS tracker incorporating Google Maps. Amtrak introduced the interactive train locator map using the Google Maps Engine on Monday.

The map shows the specific locations of Amtrak’s 300 national trains and the time that train is predicted to arrive at a particular station. Sensors embedded on train tracks send location data via real time GPS trackers installed on each train. Then, the map data is passed to the Google Maps Engine along with station data from Amtrak’s content management system.

Travelers can search for trains by name or train number on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop. Previously, passengers could only see a text list of train statuses and arrival times.

Users can search for trains by name or train number on a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer. Previously, passengers could only see a text list of train statuses and arrival times.

Within a year, Amtrak hopes to add local transit, restaurants and tourist attractions to its maps. Real time GPS Trackers are the future and Amtrak customers will greatly benefit from this new technology.

GoFleet’s Introduction to GPS Fleet Solutions

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GoFleet’s Introduction to GPS Fleet Solutions

It’s not uncommon, as a fleet manager or business owner, to have never heard of telematics. However, that is quickly changing. You may have heard of telematics as a GPS fleet solution. Here is more information:

Telematics, in its simplest form, is defined as machine-to-machine communication. This is marking a new era in fleet management solutions.

Today’s construction equipment is much more sophisticated with a variety of electronic and computer-controlled modules that are gathering information about a machine’s performance and communicating with manufacturers that are using the data for research and development to improve the productivity and efficiency of their machines.

The next step is figuring out what information manufacturers are willing to share with their customers — including rental stores — to help them incorporate better GPS fleet management solutions. Already the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) is partnering with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) to set data standards and come to an agreement on what types of telematics information is needed.

Once that happens — and the AEMP expects this to come to fruition in 2014 — there will be an explosion of data available for rental stores and fleet managers that can help them improve operations and be more competitive.

In many ways, telematics is what those touting global positioning system (GPS) technology said was possible many years ago, taking it beyond just knowing the location of a machine, but tracking run time, fuel usage, oil pressure and more to help diagnose or predict possible problems and cut or eliminate a machine’s downtime.

This is what GoFleet offers—a complete GPS fleet tracking solution. Through the use of GPS technology, a user-friendly dashboard to manage and track reports, and a simplified workflow process—you can reduce costs associated with fleet management like vehicle maintenance, accidents that can increase your insurance, fuel consumption and much more.

To learn more about the GPS fleet solution that can save your business money, please call GoFleet at 1.888.998.1122 or contact our sales team here.

prevent vehicle abuse

New Jersey DOT Employs GPS Fleet Tracking To Track Abuse

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GPS Fleet Tracking Used to Track Use & Abuse of Vehicles

Reports of cars screaming up and down the highway at more than 100 mph. Others of employees doing private jobs while on the government dime. Then, there are those who steal time by parking their state Department of Transportation trucks in mall lots, on side streets, even near bowling alleys, and take leisurely breaks when they’re supposed to be filling potholes, fixing signs, or picking up dead deer on the highway.

Such practices have gotten more difficult since the DOT wrapped up a $22 million dollar contract to install radios with GPS fleet tracking systems in 3,000 vehicles that allow supervisors to monitor workers’ speeds, locations, and the length of time spent in any one place.

Officials are saying it is the most aggressive attempt the DOT has ever made to manage productivity among its workforce in the field, and it comes at a time when two New Jersey lawmakers—Assemblywoman Amy Handlin, and Sen. Jeff Van Drew have proposed extending it to thousands of state-owned vehicles. Under their program, the state would get a report on vehicle use by state workers, abuses and the feasibility of making the GPS fleet tracking permanent.

The use of GPS fleet tracking to track employees is a fledgling practice in both the public and private sectors, but it is gaining traction as organizations look for ways to prevent abuses and manage costs. UPS uses it, as does one Atlanta school district that outfitted its bus fleet with a GPS fleet tracking system after noticing overages in overtime.

Just last month, the state DOT employees were issued a “Use of State Vehicles” notice that warns that “all department vehicles are equipped with a GPS system to monitor the location of the vehicle,” and that “the GPS system also records the speed of the vehicle and registers alerts when the vehicle is driven at high speeds.”

Violating the rules of the road or tampering with the GPS system could result in disciplinary action, including being fired, the notice says.

A GPS fleet tracking system will save the state of New Jersey money—can it help save your business costs associated with owning a fleet? Are you seeing overages in overtime, fuel consumption, or billable labor hours? Contact GoFleet to talk about our options for GPS fleet tracking at 1.888.998.1122 or message our sales team here.

The Many Uses of GPS Tracking Software

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GPS tracking software has multitudes of uses!

 

GPS tracking software doesn’t just help streamline fleet management on the roads. At traffic hubs such as O’Hare International, planes can spend a ridiculous amount of time waiting for their turn to land. And at airports like Rio de Janeiro- Galeao International, pilots must contend with tight flight paths to avoid crowded areas, centers and hills on their final approach. However, a new hyper-accurate GPS tracking software system can change all of this—no longer will airliners have to contend with land-locked navigation beacons and overworked control towers.

This new technology is known as Required Navigation Performance (RNP). Rather than the Eisenhower-era traffic management systems and land-based radio navigation beacons we’ve been using. RNP uses GPS satellite navigation to track planes with an accuracy of 32 feet and within 10 seconds of their arrival. It also demands that the planes fly along specific three-dimensional flight paths. This results in a more efficient flight path for the plane, shorter flight times for travelers, reduced fuel costs for the airlines, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

RNP is more of a comprehensive GPS fleet tracking software system than any one specific piece of technology. It combines software, hardware, and procedure very similar to what’s known as area navigation (RNAV, which differs in that it doesn’t require on-board performance monitoring and alerting should the pilot make a mistake and fly outside the lines) to ensure that all aircraft operating within a specific airspace are doing so within bounds of at least 95% of the time. This allows air traffic controllers to develop specific landing approaches that avoid noise-sensitive areas and geographical obstacles.

The level of tolerance an RNP allows can vary, depending on the specific topological conditions. If an area has an RNP of 10—such as over oceans, all aircraft operating within that space must be able to calculate their positions within a 10 nautical mile radius.

This technology has slowly been gaining traction at airports around the world in recent years, but the pace of adoption is quickening…especially with the very real cost savings the GPS tracking software and system provides. Brazil has installed the system at nearly a dozen airports in the country and has seen amazing results. Planes travel 22 miles less and spend 7.5 fewer minutes per landing than before, translating into an estimated 1.620 fewer lbs of emissions and $24 million in operational savings over the next 5 years. In New Zealand’s Queenstown airports, the system reduced monthly cumulative delays from 2,400 minutes to 200 minutes. Temuco, Chile and Cajamarca, Peru have both seen drastically simplified approach patterns in these very mountainous regions by utilizing RNP GPS tracking software technology. In Cusco, Peru, on the slopes of Machu Picchu—the system has reduced weather-based flight cancellations by 60 %.

Point being, these systems are being employed all over the world in a variety of different ways. GoFleet specializes in GPS tracking software for the fleet-based business.  Let us show you the differences that our GPS fleet management solution can provide your business. Contact GoFleet about our GPS tracking software by calling us at 1.888.998.1122, or messaging our sales staff here.

Measure Productivity with GPS Tracking

Asset Control With Employee GPS Tracking Solutions!

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GoFleet offers employee GPS tracking solutions!

As the owner of a fleet oriented business, you know that you need to maintain control over your biggest asset- your vehicle fleet. With GoFleet’s employee GPS tracking intelligence, you no longer need to worry about keeping tabs on refueling costs, you’ll be able to lower labor billing and free up time for customer service to prioritize what is important to your business- the customer or client. In order to make an employee GPS tracking system effective, an awareness of the key needs of your business is necessary.

 

Are you increasing vehicular awareness in your fleet?

 

Knowing that your drivers remain on course, while viewing data that distinguishes fuel used vs. fuel efficiency is highly necessary in commercial trucking industries. Employee GPS tracking can make a real difference to your business. Constantly controlling costs allows any savings to be passed down to your customers, therefore widening your customer base.  You should really be asking your managerial team if your current employee GPS tracking methods are up to par with what’s required to track vehicles as wholly as possible.

 

Does your current fleet technology use the highest standards of driver safety tracking?

 

Driver safety is perhaps number one on the priorities and concerns of the fleet owner/manager. Especially if numerous fleets are operating for your large commercial trucking service. American transportation departments now mandate that drivers perform safety checks, yet nobody can predict where—or when, for that matter, tragedy will strike. The right employee GPS tracker technology used with your fleet, designed with both driver safety and company loss prevention in mind, can assure everyone remains safely atop their intended course while pro-actively monitoring vehicular location.

 

How can you better monitor expenditures?

 

For the commercial driving industry, great fleet employee GPS trackers can track the behaviors of the drivers effortlessly. If the driver is idling, it can measure that so you can correct the problem. Also, higher levels of employee GPS tracking can see the routes the trucks are taking for any out of route mileage. Finally, you could also break down mileage by state that will get your IFTA reports done seamlessly. It will reduce brake pads, and unnecessary switching of tires when you reduce excess stoppage.

Without monitoring expenditures, drivers and fuel, you’ll probably go nowhere. No matter what your business is, you want to expand your profit margin as much as possible, of course, while offering safety, customer service, and an exceptional workplace ethic. Business owners attempt to increase their bottom lines in all sorts of ways—some work, some do not.

The only thing that fleet owners can count on is choosing the right fleet employee GPS tracking technology to contain fueling costs, increase overall productivity, and hold those problem drivers accountable. To take your fleet employee GPS tracker system to the next level, identify areas which lack and contact GoFleet to talk about their employee GPS tracker solutions by calling 1.888.998.1122 or messaging our sales staff here.