GPS Tracking Systems » GPS fleet tracking

GPS fleet tracking boasts major savings

Rich — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:37:05 +0000

I’ve noticed several stories lately highlighting impressive savings for companies that utilize GPS fleet tracking. The payback period on this technology must be very short indeed. Here are a few links to check out:

A Maryland-based HVAC company (35 vehicles) saved over $21,000 in fuel costs in their first six months using GPS fleet tracking, and saved over $100,000 in labor charges
Peterson Industrial, Inc., an Alabama based company focused on industrial and commercial piping, plumbing and metal fabricating, anticipates annual savings of around $350,000
A Navtrak study reports average reductions in overtime of 13.4%

Navtrak GPS tracking success stories

Rich — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:45:11 +0000

Navtrak seems to be making a full court press on the publicity front. Having recently started their GPS Tracking Insights & Info newsletter, they are now publishing GPS tracking success stories. These span multiple industries including electric, food distribution, fuel delivery, home construction, HVAC, paving, pest control, plumbing, real estate and more.

Unfortunately, to view the full reports, you must fill out a form and download the report. Still, even the brief information on the website, which includes fleet size, is quite helpful. Consider this quote from the head of a plumbing company with a fleet of five vehicles…

Before Navtrak, I was spending a lot more time trying to keep track of my trucks instead of growing my business. This was very frustrating to me and I needed a solution that would free up my time in that area.

GPS tracking a hit with fleet operators

Rich — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:13:19 +0000

C.J. Driscoll has released a study of U.S. fleet operators’ satisfaction with GPS tracking. 73% of participants indicated that they were either extremely satisfied or very satisfied with their systems.

The 2007 Survey of Fleet Operator Interest in Mobile Resource Management (MRM) Systems and Services,

…assesses fleet operator interest in installed and handset-based MRM solutions, as well as willingness to pay and intent to purchase. In addition to GPS tracking, the study covers a wide range of other services including navigation, traffic, remote vehicle diagnostics, data messaging, weather alerts, fuel prices, and others. The study also assesses satisfaction with MRM systems and services among current users. Opinions of fleet operators ranging from local service fleets to truckload carriers are covered in the research.

The 2007 Survey of Fleet Operator Interest in MRM Systems and Services was partially funded by 13 companies, including leading cellular carriers, digital mapping suppliers, and suppliers of Mobile Resource Management equipment, software and services. This comprehensive new study is based on a nationwide telephone survey of over 500 fleet operators. Survey participants were drawn from all major categories of fleets, including service, local and over-the-road trucking, private delivery, utilities, transportation and government fleets. The sample included a balance of small and large fleets from all major U.S. regions.

The full GPS fleet tracking survey can be purchased directly from C.J. Driscoll.

GPS asset tracking thwarts million dollar heist

Rich — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:16:59 +0000

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that a GPS tracking device thwarted the theft of 4704 Sony PS2 consoles, worth a reported $1 million. The semi-trailer carrying the game consoles was outfitted with a GPS asset tracking device. Police were able to track the trailer to a residence where the games were being off-loaded. Four men were arrested and are due to appear in court on August 13.

TeleNav Track review

Rich — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:20:35 +0000

It’s not often that we see a full and detailed review of a GPS fleet tracking service, but that’s exactly what CIO has posted — a four-part review of TeleNav Track. They didn’t find much not to like about it either, other than the limited number of phones supported (the service is currently only offered on AT&T and Sprint/Nextel phones).

TeleNav Track is available in several packages according to a business’s needs, and at various pricing levels. TeleNav Track features include GPS navigation and wireless forms, dispatching and barcode scanning.

Related posts:

GPS fleet tracking – who uses it and why

Rich — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:21:52 +0000

I came across an interesting article today about who uses GPS fleet tracking and why they use it. Especially useful is their list of eleven reasons why. It’s easy to see why they say the pay back period on GPS fleet tracking systems is 6-12 months. Here’s a short summary:

Reduced costs due to speeding, excess wear and tear etc.
Improved vehicle maintenance due to automatic reminders
Insurance discounts
Productivity gains
Improved customer service
Better record keeping
Improved ability to analyze trends
Better overtime management
Eliminated the need to track down employees
Improved asset management
Elimination of driver logs

Maptuit selects NAVTEQ to power NaviGo

Rich — Sat, 05 May 2007 15:45:47 +0000

Maptuit, a provider of GPS fleet and asset tracking solutions, recently announced that they have chosen NAVTEQ TRANSPORT™ truck attributes for their latest fleet navigation product, NaviGo (PDF). NaviGo features real-time mapping and navigation; commercial-grade routing and re-routing; text-to-speech turn-by-turn directions; and a large moving map format as well as a truck-specific dynamic road network.

The announcement was made at the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) 2007 Education Management Conference and Exhibition. Roy Kolstad, NAVTEQ Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise commented…

“NAVTEQ is extremely excited to be associated with the best navigation product commercially available for large Class 6-8 trucks. The combination of NAVTEQ’s fresh map data and Maptuit’s innovative, robust routing application is a tremendous win for commercial fleets.”

OpenGTS – Open source GPS fleet tracking for free

Rich — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:52:28 +0000

This is one of the more interesting options I’ve come across – OpenGTS – an open source GPS fleet tracking solution. Yes, open source, as in free. Now I’m not sure how many companies will actually take this on. Just ask your CTO about doing it and see what he/she says!

OpenGTS uses a Google Maps interface (as shown below), though their site says you can use other mapping interfaces if desired. Geofencing can be used to provide arrival / departure information.

OpenGTS supports devices using Open DMTP, the Open Device Monitoring and Tracking Protocol, a companion project. The system can currently be used with the Palm Treo 650 and the HP hw6945.

Via Free Geo Tools.

AT&T partners with TeleNav on GPS workforce management solution

Rich — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:41:01 +0000

AT&T has announced a partnership with TeleNav, to implement a workforce management solution utilizing TeleNavTrack:

TeleNav Track is an affordable enterprise-grade application for companies of all sizes and includes multiple features, such as GPS-enabled location-tracking, mileage-tracking, wireless time sheets, alerts and detailed location-reporting to capture field data. A premium version of TeleNav Track is also available with features including wireless forms, dispatching, barcode- scanning support and voice and on-screen turn-by-turn GPS directions. Initially, TeleNav Track is available on the new BlackBerry® 8800 and HP iPAQ hw6920 Mobile Communicator, both of which have integrated GPS.

TeleNav Track is available now directly from AT&T’s wireless business-to-business sales force. There are two monthly subscription plans. The entry-level TeleNav Track service plan, TeleNav Track Plus, is $12.99 per device; the TeleNav Track Premium service plan is $21.99 per device. There also is a one-time setup fee of $19.99 for each subscriber. An AT&T data plan is also required. Unlimited AT&T Push to Talk service is available for an additional monthly charge of $9.99 for each device. AT&T Push to Talk service also features a pay-per-use option of $.15 for minute.

TomTom unveils GO 715

Rich — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 19:32:47 +0000

TomTom has announced the TomTom GO 715, a new GPS receiver that is integrated into the TomTom WORK Compact GPS tracking solution.

The TomTom GO 715 is limited to to Western Europe however, and the company has not announced plans to expand it to North America. A more comprehensive solution, TomTom WORK active, is available in the U.S., Canada and Europe. It utilizes the TomTom GO 510, 710 and 910. Here is a a link where you can compare the features of these two TomTom WORK GPS fleet tracking options.

The TomTom WORK solution is very similar to Garmin Fleet Management solution.