Dude, Where's My Fleet?

It may sound a bit like big brother, but it's really more about money and safety.

Since 2007, government agencies and private companies have been using GPS systems to track fleet vehicles, and the result has been fewer accidents and massively reduced fuel costs.

"With the economy as tight as it is, companies are doing everything they can to save money, and GPS systems seem to be the best bet out there to get that done," said George Karonis, CEO of LiveViewGPS (www.liveviewGPS.com). "It's not so much that managers want to catch people goofing off, but rather, it's that all the extra miles on the vehicles caused by using the fleet vehicles for personal trips -- when you multiply it across a fleet -- costs companies and government agencies a lot of money."

Karonis recounted several news reports from over the last few years that stated:

• The city government of Islip, New York saved nearly 14,000 gallons of gas over a three-month period from the previous year after GPS devices were installed in the city's 614 fleet vehicles. At current gas prices, that amounts to a savings of $38,500 for that quarter. Annual savings would amount to $154,000.

• In the city of Denver, Colorado, 76 government vehicles equipped with GPS systems were driven 5,000 fewer miles than the unequipped fleet had during the same period the previous year. Denver plans to outfit police cars, snowplows and trash trucks with GPS soon.
• School officials in Boston use GPS systems to track school buses, enabling them to advise worried parents when a bus is running late.

Karonis said fleet managers should look for GPS systems that have the following features:

• The ability to monitor positions and speed of the vehicle online in 10-second intervals
• Comprehensive vehicle reporting, including when the vehicle is stopped, when it's started, when it's idling and when it exceeds the speed limit
• Microsoft Virtual Earth: Satellite/Map/Hybrid/Bird's-Eye View compatible
• Control Panel Messaging that allows fleet managers to send instant messages to drivers through the unit, enabling supervisors to reroute fleet vehicles on the fly

"The real issues here are about saving money on gas, reducing maintenance costs and increasing the efficient use of the field time of their vehicles," said Karonis. "You may be losing money because of man-hours wasted by drivers goofing off or taking too much time on service calls. Being late to a customer can cost you business, and the larger the fleet, the more money those extra side trips drivers may take frequently will cost you in wear and tear and gas. So, it's really not about making sure fleet drivers work every second they are in the vehicles, but rather, about protecting the investment you have in your equipment and saving thousands in gasoline costs."