Rocky Mountain Tracking

By Greg Bartlett

Given the current economic climate, it may come as a surprise that many business fleet managers are operating their fleets more profitably thanks to GPS fleet tracking programs. GPS tracking can benefit a business in many different ways that reduce costs and add to the bottom line.

GPS fleet tracking makes it possible for managers to monitor the amount of time employees spend at a given job site. Often, knowing that they are being monitored causes employees to work faster, meaning they get more done in a day. This feature can also be useful when a customer complains that they are being overbilled for time. The GPS data log shows exactly how long the worker was present because his vehicle did not move.

Fuel savings are a huge benefit to fleet managers utilizing GPS fleet tracking. Employees who take a roundabout route between jobs or spend a lot of time idling their company vehicle can be called on these wasteful practices and corrections made. Speeding is another fuel wasting event that can be monitored and reduced through the use of this technology.

Phone bills can be reduced because fleet managers do not have to call around to locate the nearest employee to a new call. They can check the GPS data, call the nearest employee and route them to it quickly and efficiently.

It is possible to set the system to notify the manager by text or email when it is time for routine maintenance on a vehicle. This can be determined by calendar date, mileage, or run time. It has been proven that doing routine maintenance in a timely fashion saves money on the direct costs of maintenance as well as keeps then vehicle running at optimum efficiency, saving fuel.

GPS vehicle tracking of fleet vehicles can also result in a drastic reduction in insurance premiums on each vehicle because of the protection against thefts and the reduction in incidents of speeding. Then, there is the savings in not having to replace stolen vehicles because the GPS devices make it possible to locate the vehicles and have authorities recover them, often arresting the thief at the same time.

There are many different ways in which GPS is able to improve the profitability and bottom line of businesses that operate fleets of vehicles. Fuel savings, maintenance savings, and savings on insurance premiums are three of the largest money saving features of GPS fleet tracking.

By Greg Bartlett

In a recent case that has just concluded, a man was convicted of murder when the evidence provided by the GPS tracking device that his jealous wife had installed proved he lied about events surrounding the death of a 12 year old girl. This man had originally been charged with reckless endangerment, but his wife came forward with the GPS logs and the charge was upgraded to murder.

George Ford’s wife had begun to suspect he was having an affair. She had a GPS tracking device installed covertly into his vehicle. On the night his 12 year old babysitter died, he was supposed to be taking her home. According to the GPS log, he made an extended stop at an abandoned house with the girl before he took her further down the road and ran over her with his truck.

Authorities suspect he stopped to attempt to persuade the girl to have sex with him. It is even possible that he raped her, though that information is not in the court papers. What is of importance is the fact that he lied to police about events leading up to and following the time that the girl was struck by his truck.

When his wife produced the GPS logs, the charge was changed to murder because of his attempt at deception. For the first time in history, the information provided by the GPS tracking systems was the primary piece of evidence against the suspect. In previous cases, GPS data had been admitted as secondary evidence to prove a point. This time, the only real evidence that the story Ford told police was an untruth lay in the GPS logs.

Jurors apparently believed the GPS data to be quite reliable because they returned a guilty verdict. This landmark case will no doubt set a precedent for the inclusion and relative value of GPS data in future cases involving murder and suspicious stories.

In a recent, unrelated case, GPS data from a bracelet worn by a convicted sex offender was enough to get him to confess to the murder of a 13 year old girl in a vacant field near her home. The data log from his GPS tracking device corroborates his story of what happened and how he killed the girl. It may have been unlikely that a conviction would have been obtained in this case as well had the suspect not confessed.

By Greg Bartlett

When 13 year old Alycia Nipp decided to cut through a vacant field as a shortcut on her way home from Wal Mart one evening, she had no way of knowing that one of the transients who frequented the area was a registered sex offender who had no home and who would be her killer. The suspect in the case, Darrin Sanford had been convicted previously of rape and served time in prison. Upon his release, on parole, he was fitted with a GPS tracking bracelet to allow his parole officer to monitor his movements.

According to his confession, Sanford attempted to rape Alycia in the vacant field, but was unable to maintain arousal long enough to perform. When the girl laughed at him, he flew into a killing rage and beat her and stabbed her with various things that were strewn about the field, then made some attempt to hide the body. The data taken from his GPS tracking bracelet corroborates his confession by placing him in the field at the time of the murder and the movements he claims to have made are shown in the data.

Sanford’s arraignment in the case has been postponed to give both the prosecution and the defense an opportunity to prepare death penalty arguments in the case. While his attorney is refusing to comment on the case, the outcome seems pretty clear with a confession by the killer and the data from his GPS tracking bracelet to back it up. Had he not been wearing such a bracelet, Sanford may not have been so forthcoming with information when the police questioned him about the previous day after they picked him up.

Nothing in the world will ever bring this 13 year old girl back from the grave. Her family can, however, take some solace in the fact that the man who took her from them was caught quickly by police and knew that the evidence provided by the GPS tracking bracelet he was wearing would be enough to get him convicted. For that reason, he made a full confession to police and told them what happened and how he killed the girl. Without the data from the GPS tracking bracelet, police would have had a more difficult time locating Sanford and putting together a case against him for prosecutors. The fact he was wearing the device saved the taxpayers a great deal of money and got a killer off the streets quickly.

By James Neely

Boys and their toys are expensive, so say some. There is no doubt that boats, RVs, four-wheelers, motorcycles and other such items cost a lot of money. But the satisfaction, temporary though it may be, is worth the price. Smart owners have insurance to cover accidents that occur to these items, but what about theft insurance. No, not the insurance that you purchase from an agency, but rather the kind that can help you track down your toys should they befall the exploits of a thief.

A vehicle tracking system is the way to keep track of the location of your treasured property. It can help make a dark, maddening activity by thieves into one of merely an inconvenience. Here is how:

Tracking and Recovery. Your property becomes instantly traceable with one of these units when properly installed. Police agencies can be notified within a few minutes of the theft with the location information. With this information in hand, recovery can take only minutes, not hours, days or even weeks. Since they would rather solve a crime instantly they respond quicker. It is always better to solve a crime as soon as possible as opposed to allowing it to drag out into a long protracted scenario. This helps make sure that you get your property back intact as well, because perpetrators of expensive toys do not hang on to them long, and if they are headed for a chop-shop, the chances of ever recovering that favorite item decreases dramatically. However, your chances of getting it back intact are increased with a GSP tracking unit.

Always on Technology. If one of these GPS Tracking units becomes disabled from a battery source, they still maintain a signal. This is invaluable in making sure that there is a way for the local police to track down the item as well as the people responsible. The stealth nature of a GPS tracking device helps aide in the capture of those responsible before the unit can be discovered and disabled. And, the unit can provide data regarding the direction of travel that the property is headed as well with the software that is included.

The low prices will surprise you. But there is also another way that these GPS Tracking systems can save money for you: through your insurance policies. Insurance companies are willing to lower premiums on your property if they are outfitted with one of these units. The reason is because the potential for loss is greatly reduced for them.

Now you can enjoy your toys with peace of mind knowing you are covered.

By Shannon Henry

For my brother’s 19th birthday our parents bought him a new car. Due to a history of some poor decision making on his part, they also installed a GPS tracking device without his knowledge. They were worried that, now that he had more freedom, he might slip up and begin hanging out with the wrong crowd again. He assured us that this wouldn’t happen, but parents tend to worry. As you will see, it is a good thing that they do.

A few weeks after his birthday, my brother asked if I would like to go to the mall and help him pick out a present for his long-time girlfriend. I had nothing to do, so I decided to come along as an excuse to get out of the house. Really, the mall is close enough to walk to, but he had a new car and wanted to drive.

We got to the mall and proceeded to go to the jewelry store. My brother picked out a simply gorgeous white gold necklace for his girlfriend. Nice choice!

We headed back to the car and got in. He noticed that the back windshield was covered with a piece of paper and went to get rid of it. Things happened very quickly then. With my brother at the back of the car, a masked gun man hoped into the open driver’s side door. I was told to get out, which I did. The man then sped off in my brother’s car.

My brother didn’t realize what was happening at first, I think he thought I was playing a prank on him until he saw me shakily leaning against a nearby car. He then called 911 and gave them a description of what had happened. While he was doing that, I came to my sense and called our dad. I told dad that we were at the mall and the car had just been stolen. He then told me that the car had a GPS tracking device and gave me the password for my brother to relay to the dispatch center.

Our dad came and got us to take us home. My brother was mad to find out that they hadn’t trusted him, but what really upset him was that the necklace had been in the car when it was stolen. He was more worried about that than the car.

I can’t say I really understand exactly how a GPS car tracker device works, but it must be fantastic. We weren’t home more than two hours when we got a call that our car had been found. The thief was caught as he filled up at a gas station. And best of all for my brother, the necklace was still in the car. Everything ended very well, and we were lucky to have the GPS tracking device in the car.

By James Neely

Never has there been a more important time to offer customer satisfaction by the automobile dealers than right now. With sales the lowest that can be remembered for many years, car dealers are looking for ways to hone their edge on the competition. One way that this is possible is by utilizing a loaner program. Not only is this good business for the service department, but it makes sense for the sales department as well. This is especially true for the used car market.

When a dealer loans out a vehicle for a test drive for a few days, there is an inherent risk that the vehicle will return with damage or signs of abuse. While insurance will cover accidents, what about abuse and/or neglect? Unless there are insurance policies specifically for those instances, there is probably no coverage. That can leave the dealer holding the bag on expenses related to repairs on a car which can cost thousands of dollars.

This is where a GPS Tracking system can be invaluable. Not the manufacturers system, either. This one must provide tracking for location and other important data such as speed. Monitoring number of miles traveled and speed can help insure that the vehicle in question is cared for while under the control of a potential customer. Even though body damage is visible to the eyes, internal damage to the power train is not. Abuse thereof can severely decrease the value of the car and prevent the timely sales of it to a potential customer.

Another benefit of a GPS Tracking system is that it helps create a heightened sense of safety on the part of the drivers of these vehicles. Added to this is the bonus of having lower insurance costs because of having an installation on the vehicles. Higher profitability is realized by both the dealer and the insurance company – both positives that cannot be ignored.

The benefits of these systems are many: being able to account for all vehicles and usage, increase in safety and driver responsibility, lowering of insurance premiums, and overall customer satisfaction which can result in higher sales. In fact, the benefits so override the cost that the only discussion that is relevant revolves around the question as to why you have not yet obtained these units for your dealership.

Check out the benefits for yourself of a GPS Tracking system. You will be glad you did.

By Harriette Halepis

There’s nothing that car owners dread more than that monthly car insurance bill. Unfortunately, this type of payment is mandatory in most states. While you can’t avoid paying for car insurance, you can try to lower your bill. There are lots of ways to lower your car insurance payment. Keep a clean driving record, avoid getting a lot of tickets, purchase a safe car, keep your car stored in a safe neighbourhood, make sure your credit report is top-notch (yes, this matters) – the possibilities are endless. You might already know about many of these tricks, but did you know that some insurance companies will now lower a payment if you have a GPS tracker inside of your car?

Why? When it comes to insuring your car, those insurance companies want to make sure that your vehicle can be tracked no matter where it might be. With GPS tracking, police can easily find your car even if it’s been stolen. In fact, you have a better chance of recovering your stolen car with a tracker than you do if you don’t have a GPS tracking device. Thus, in the eyes of that insurer, a car with a GPS device is a car that is relatively safe from theft.

In short, if you want to keep that insurance bill low, make sure that you purchase a GPS tracking system. There are many models available to consumers. You can find models that include other types of GPS tracking technology (maps), and there are also trackers that are virtually undetectable. These trackers can be stowed anywhere inside (or outside) of your car. You don’t need to warn a thief that your car has a tracker, but you can be sure that a thief won’t get away with stealing your car if you have installed a GPS tracking system.

Look into the many ways to lower your car insurance payment. Ask your insurer for tips and ideas. You’ll discover that there are many simple ways to keep that bill low. You’re sure to discover that most insurance companies will tell you to install a GPS tracker. These devices are small, relatively inexpensive, and they can save you a bundle of money. Nobody likes to pay for car insurance – most people wouldn’t pay for car insurance if they could get away with it! While you might not be able to skip that insurance bill, you can certainly do everything within your power to lower it. For more information, visit http://www.rmtracking.com

By Harriette Halepis

As any off-road enthusiast knows, the thrills that can be experienced when off-road driving are incomparable. With the thrill, of course, comes the risk. Driving off-road is obviously a lot riskier than driving on the highway. The different types of terrain involved, the unpredictability of the drive, and the relative remoteness of off-road locales increase the risk of serious injury significantly.

Hopefully, those who take off-road driving seriously have looked into safety precautions that should be taken. For instance, it is highly recommended to lower your tire pressure before off-road driving, as this increases your traction. It’s also crucial that you drive straight. Driving diagonally, especially on bumpy terrain or down hills, increases the risk of a rollover significantly. An oft-overlooked step, but one which can save your life, is investing in a GPS system for your off-road vehicle.

GPS is not expensive, and it provides a number of safety measures. For instance, if you get lost without a GPS system, then you are stuck trying to find your way back to main roads – in difficult and unfamiliar terrain, no less! If the same unfortunate predicament occurs when you have a GPS system installed in your car, however, then the situation is much less dire. You simply look at the GPS system, figure out where you are, and then find the closest road. Having a bird’s eye view of your surroundings when you are lost is helpful. However, there is a much more serious situation in which a GPS tracking system can help significantly: in the case of an accident.

If you have a rollover while in an off-road truck, you should instantly call emergency response. However, the question will be asked: “Where are you?” If you cannot answer this question, then it becomes much more difficult for you to receive quick help in the case of an emergency. Still, if you are able to provide the latitude and longitude of your location to the emergency response, then you have bought a significant amount of time. Those extra few minutes, in some situations, can be the difference between life and death. Putting some cash towards a GPS system in your off-road vehicle is an investment which will reap dividends in the most valuable asset available: your life. The best thing you can do while off-road truck driving is to minimize risk as much as possible. A GPS system serves just that purpose.

By Harriette Halepis

One of the biggest fears within the minds of parents is that their children will get hurt. Whether they are at school, outside playing, or at a friend’s house, this concern is a real one. Parents are also wary of being “helicopter parents,” constantly hovering over their children and making sure they are safe while preventing their children from having any fun. How can this seemingly impenetrable dichotomy be resolved? GPS tracking can help.

GPS sensors, which can be placed on belt loops or sewn into clothing, keep a close eye on children when parents simply can’t. If a child, for instance, is out playing, and the GPS system shows that the child hasn’t moved for a while, then parents will not only know that something is awry, but they will also know where their child can be located. GPS technology, almost paradoxically with all of its “Big Brother” connotations, allows children more freedom. If a child wants to go bicycling with the neighbor kids, parents with GPS technology can rest easy knowing that if something occurs to their child, they will be the very first to know. In the event of an emergency, GPS simply provides more time for action. Those extra few minutes are crucial in the event of an emergency.

GPS can also help if (heaven forbid) a child is abducted by a predator. The first question rushing through the frantic mind of a parent in that situation is, “Where is my child?!” GPS answers that question in a few seconds. Many children who have been hurt by predators in the past could have been protected with GPS technology, and with the modern affordability of GPS technology, many children will be saved by the technology. Imagine if GPS had been involved in some of the more famous stories of child abductions. These horrific stories would not have been told at all. Fortunately, with GPS, these stories can all but be eliminated from the future.

Being a parent is stressful enough. Why worry about the safety of children? GPS technology frees the psyche of the stress involved in worrying about children’s safety and allows the mind to focus on more positive and productive things, such as caring and nurturing for the emotional life of one’s children. Concern for the safety of one’s children will never be erased completely – it’s a natural part of being a parent, and it is healthy. However, GPS systems help not only to ease that stress, but also to allow the parent to act responsibly and proactively in the case of an emergency.

By James Neely

All large boats and ships are equipped with GPS tracking systems that can navigate the vessels in bright sunshine, dark nights or in blinding storms. A good example of this is the large barges that traverse the waters of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. If it were not for these systems, the incidents of accidents would be much higher.

But, what about smaller watercraft? These do not have mandatory installations of GPS tracking systems. That is why the owners and operators must consider these as a primary and necessary purchase. Not only for personal pleasure craft, but for smaller business boats as well.

Helps recover in case of theft. The incidents of theft are on the rise. As the economy falters, the need to protect assets and be able to recover them quickly is not an option. Law enforcement agencies are beset with cases, both new and old which bog them down and keep them from being able to apply the needed attention to finding perpetrators of crimes both large and small. The prospect of becoming a number on a file in a file cabinet looms large.

But, with a GPS tracking system, that need not be the case. You can pinpoint the location of a boat and then supply that information to the authorities so that you can get on with your business or pleasure. Your insurance company will be appreciative as well. A recovered asset can save them money by not having to pay for the full cost of replacement. In addition, you can realize lower premiums as well.

Provides time and distance verification. If you have a small pleasure boat operation, you can provide information on the where and when questions about your trips. Those who book cruises are interested mainly for timing purposes. How long and how far will probably be the first questions about your trips. With this system, you can provide factual data along with an invoice to help validate charges to customers. It provides a nice touch to your billing system and will be appreciated by clients as well.

This is another shining example of how a GPS tracking system can benefit you. The more you know, the more you will be convinced that a small investment of a few hundred dollars now can save many thousands later down the road. And there is no price too great for the peace of mind that it can bring as well. For more information about GPS, call Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc. at 1-888-242-0500.