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Every year, thousands, if not millions, of dollars are wasted on the maintenance and usage of state-owned vehicles. An auditor for the state of Illinois raised many issues and concerns on this topic that he believes might easily be addressed with the use of GPS technology. In a struggling economy, people are looking for ways to save and the answer may just be in the satellites.

The Report
Auditor General William Holland filed a report analyzing the usage and cost of Illinois’s fleet of 16,600 vehicles in 2010. He found that this massive fleet costs the state $129 million a year, but he also expressed concern over the under-usage of some vehicles and the inaccurate record keeping of the drivers, which represents funds wasted. He found that of 100 cars studied, one-fourth were not driven the 7,000 miles deemed necessary to warrant its being part of the fleet; in total, about two of every five cars in the fleet could be relinquished. He also found that 5,100 heavily used vehicles had been assigned to employees who drove them back and forth to work every day from their homes with commutes accounting for 30 percent of the miles used on almost of half of these vehicles.

The Resolution
One seemingly quick and easy solution is to use mileage reimbursements for state employees using their own cars, but this raises insurance issues as well as issues of inaccurate record keeping, again adding up to waste and fraud. A far superior answer is to install GPS tracking devices on state-owned vehicles to give a more accurate record of actual miles driven and destinations; currently, only the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and the Workers Compensation Commission use GPS units on their vehicles, raising questions about the State’s sincerity in cutting the budget.
Government’s answer to these issues is often to raise taxes to cover the cost; however, this is a solution taxpayers are not likely to swallow, particularly in this economy. Though it may cost to install tracking devices in all state-owned vehicles, the data collected may help cut costs  in the long run by eliminating unnecessary vehicles from Illinois’s fleet. GPS tracking is accurate, reliable, and well worth the investment.

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With the costs of fuel rising, and the economy sinking, everyone is looking for ways to cut down on their travel expenses. Employees may find the answer with their company credit card. Trusting employees with fleet credit cards is always a risk. On the one hand it relieves the employer of the hassle of putting gas in company cars himself or having a company fuel-up station, but giving the employee a credit card to take care of gas costs makes the company susceptible to paying for the employee’s personal use as well.

Of course, this risk is not limited to the private sector. Most people expect government employees to abuse their privileges and spend public funds for personal use. The U.S Department of Justice recently caught a Deputy U.S. Marshal in the act of doing just that.  U.S Marshal Peter F. Rouse was caught swiping government money to pay for his personal gas – to the tune of $4,000 – 8,000. The deputy’s free ride was interrupted due to the use of GPS tracking systems in conjunction with the examination of credit card records.

The Justice Department was able to use GPS data to prove that Rouse’s government owned vehicle was not at the gas stations shown on the credit card statement at the time gas was purchased. Obviously, it wasn’t the government vehicle that was getting filled up. This left Rouse with little room to escape charges. Although government fraud surely goes under the radar many times, this particular case was found out. Too bad other instances of government free-riding aren’t as easy to solve.

GPS tracking can lead to more solutions, just as easily. As was demonstrated in this case, GPS tracking can save the government and private sector businesses large amounts of money. GPS tracking provides accountability, enabling employers to investigate suspect situations with a simple review of GPS tracking data.

If an employee decides to fill up his SUV for a quick family weekend vacation using the company credit card, GPS tracking equipment would show the company car parked at the time of that fuel-up. Company executives have a greater ability to protect company assets and hold employees accountable with GPS tracking. The result is a better bottom line for the company, as well as healthier company morale. When the nature of a company, or the government’s business requires issuing company credit cards along with company vehicles, a simple GPS tracking system is a smart idea.

Article Written by Lynetta Bowen

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Maybe you have heard about RFID tagging to keep track of material goods. These radio-frequency identification tags are placed on the items of concern or value, so that they can be traced through GPS tracking if taken or misplaced. That seems all well and good if we are talking about hotel linens or sports equipment, but what about tagging people in a work situation? Does an employer cross the line when he decides to keep an eagle eye on his employees’ production or is he within his rights to ensure productivity and honesty in the workplace?

The whole idea of RFID tagging of employees was tested in a manufacturing plant. Researchers were primarily concerned with comparing an employee’s account of his work time and an actual digital reading of his clocked time with a passive tag “reader.” The advantage of a passive tag is that it requires no batteries, and passive tags can be read in large numbers as long as they are close enough to a tag “reader” or scanner.

In the study, 250 employees were tagged at the beginning of their work shift and asked to go about their normal workday. They passed through a “reader,” where their start time was recorded. Readers were placed throughout the plant to track the movements of the employees and record how much time was spent in certain areas; the readers could even determine how long a person spent at lunch. Tags were collected at the end of the shift, and GPS tracking data was gathered.

When questioned about the ethical ramifications of such a program, proponents of the study affirm that such information is used only for verifying clocked work time. They claim it is beneficial to both the employers and employees, and not an invasion of privacy. The employers know they are paying their employees for time actually spent at work, and employees are protected from being overworked based on federal wage and hour rules since an employer cannot ask an employee to clock out and continue to work.

The RFID system is quite cost-efficient as well. Passive tags run as little as 5 cents each whereas active tags, often used to track valuable items, can run as high as $100 each. An employer would easily recoup his costs if it would help increase productivity, improve efficiency, and decrease wasted time and money. Such tracking of employees gives employers a way to protect their investment and promote their product.

Although there is no way to measure the difference, it seems that a person who knows he is being followed with GPS tracking will tend to work harder and faster, even if the information recorded is just in relation to his work times.

Article Written by Hillary Mayfield

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As an update to last week’s article about the individuals in New York who were fired based on GPS tracking data, one of the individuals in question is suing the New York government, claiming that it was an unreasonable search of his private data. New York Civil Liberties Union attorney Corey Stoughton said, “Our argument is that even under the lower standard this is clearly an unconstitutional search,” when asked about the pending lawsuit.

In August, the plaintiff, Michael Cunningham, was fired after his employer, the New York State Government, tracked his activity on his personal car with a GPS system. Upon discovering that he was not completing work-related activities on the job, they fired him.

While the GPS tracking evidence was not the only evidence cited in the case, the firing relied heavily on the GPS tracking data.

The state says: “While we cannot comment on the litigation, we can reiterate what has been said in the past regarding this case: After multiple disciplinary actions, Mr. Cunningham was found by an independent hearing officer to have defrauded New Yorkers by falsifying time and attendance and travel records which ultimately led to his termination for cause.”

Is it valid to use GPS tracking data to fire an employee? According to a 2008 case, no, it is not. However, this case falls into a gray area, as this was not based on personal time outside of work. Instead, this case, the state argues, is directly relevant to its financial interests.

If the employee in question, as well as the other employees who were fired, were in fact cheating their employer out of money, then the firing may hold up in court. A date for court proceedings has not been set.

Article Written by Greg Minton

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Trumbull County, Ohio, used GPS tracking to determine whether two employees were really doing their jobs. It turns out they weren’t. Whenever employees are away from the office for most of their work day, employers can find it a difficult task to keep them accountable. Within a limited area, it’s easier to keep people from wasting time on the clock, but when the employee is out of eyesight, he has a lot more options for cheating on work time. Employers can spend a lot of time and energy trying to keep tabs on their workers, and they can unknowingly be wasting financial resources by paying employees who don’t actually work. Even if they have reason to think that their employee is doing unauthorized personal business on the clock, their suspicions can often be difficult to prove.

How to Keep Tabs on Employees

A GPS tracking device attached to a company car is a simple way for employers to verify that their workers are doing what they are supposed to do. The device uses technology and satellite communication to show where the vehicle is at the moment or track the history of its movements. The device does all the leg-work for the boss, saving him the effort and time required to gather this data in other ways.

In the Trumbull incident, someone called in a tip that two sanitation department inspectors weren’t doing what they were supposed to do. Department supervisors decided to look into it by placing GPS trackers on the county cars that the inspectors drove. For three weeks, they followed workers’ movements, and then they used this concrete data to make their decision. One of the employees, David Harper, spent over 50% of his work hours during those three weeks engaged in other activities. In one three-day period, Lori Graham spent only an hour per day on work-related business. The rest of the time, the employees were each at their own homes, at other homes, or in shopping centers.

Based on all this information, the county commissioners voted to fire both of the employees.
While the two fired employees can request arbitration, their supervisors have a lot less to worry about with the solid data they received from the GPS. Uncovering the problem effectively ended the financial losses it was causing and will also serve as a deterrent for other employees who may be considering or engaged in similar actions. The county is now considering using GPS to check up regularly on their workers and hold them all responsible for their jobs.

Article Written By Greg Bartlett

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Article Written by Greg Bartlett

When you hear of a car dealership advertising “no credit checks” or “no one is turned down”, you can bet that the dealership is appealing to high risk customers. Many of these customers are unemployed, but require a car to secure a job. While offering car loans to high risk customers may seem somewhat foolish, though GPS tracking technology can now make this process a whole lot easier for car dealerships.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a woman  from Illinois whose Buick had been giving her GPS-based late payment warnings for days. Red and yellow flashing lights informed the woman that her car payment was late. She ignored these warnings until she  heard the last chance warning — an incessant beeping that told her to make her car payment that day or the car would be disabled.

Some car owners who would not qualify for any purchase without a high risk loan feel that the trade off of having a GPS tracking device on their vehicle is fair: they are able to purchase a car but if they don’t pay, at some point the car will not start. Dealers who have installed the devices say they now have a way of encouraging on-time payments. These GPS devices also provide an easy way to locate the vehicle if necessary.

Car dealers benefit from better cash flow and, in turn, are able to offer better cars to their customers. Most car dealers don’t feel that the GPS tracking on the cars is a danger to the customer as it cannot switch the car off while it is running, and it gives ample warnings before disabling the car.

Remote disabling and tracking of automobiles is well worth the investment for car dealerships as it will increase sales, dramatically reduce late payments, help recover stolen vehicles, and serve the consumer better.  Not everyone buying a car from the “buy-here-pay-here” market is a deadbeat. Some just need a helping hand to get back on their feet, and this includes reliable transportation. The installation of a GPS tracking device allows dealerships to give those in need a helping hand.

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You know how you immediately change your driving habits when you are being followed by a police car? You are so careful in making sure that each movement is within the law. This is also true when it comes to your work. Employees who are closely watched tend to work better and with more productivity than those who are not monitored. GPS Tracking works in the same manner. Verification of activities is one of the strongest reasons to obtain and implement a system.

Location monitoring is the most valuable of benefits. When assets are outfitted with GPS Tracking devices, monitoring location helps owners keep track of where they are at all times. For employees this means that they must make sure that they are where they should be at all times when using company cars and trucks. Personal use is no longer acceptable and long distance driving to favorite restaurants can be discovered during lunch hours.

If employees use their vehicles in compliance to rules and regulations of the company, there will be no problems, but if they deviate even a little bit, it can be discovered. Company managers can watch to make sure that drivers are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Important tasks like running efficient routes and even monitoring engine idling are now possible. Verifying employee activity keeps them in check.

Along with the implementation of a GPS Tracking system must come an employee meeting so that they know what is coming and what will be expected of them when a system is up and running. What businesses will find is that the greater part of their employees will be compliant and will live within the policies that are set forth. Then, the few that are not will find themselves without a job. And, the other benefit is that profitability will be maintained for the business (if not increased). Being able to better manage assets is a valuable exercise for any business these days, and GPS Tracking delivers. That is, especially when coupled with employee compliance and involvement. It only takes a small amount of time and effort to make this happen.

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By Greg Bartlett

GPS technology is quickly becoming one of the best ways to monitor important people, vehicles, and assets in your life.  It is also becoming a great way for businesses to save time and money.  The Global Positioning System (GPS) involves at least 24 satellites that the Depart of Defense put up in space.  They orbit the earth in a very precise manner twice every day.  These satellites connect with individual tracking devices on earth, and the satellites and devices send and receive radio signals to each other.  As the device travels, it sends information to the satellites in space.  The satellites then use the information to compile into a travel report including route and speed.

The Tracking Key

The GPS tracking key is the most popular and most commonly used of the three basic types of GPS tracking devices.  The three types are data loggers, data pushers, and data pullers.  The data pusher is a real-time GPS tracking device that “pushes” or sends the device’s location intermittently every few seconds.  A data puller is also a real-time GPS tracker that sends the device’s location intermittently every few seconds; the difference is that you can also “pull” up the device’s location at any point you wish.  The GPS tracking key is a data logger.  This is not a real-time GPS; instead, the car’s travel information is “logged” on the device and can be retrieved later.  The GPS tracking key is a small device that can be placed discreetly on the underside of a car.  It is magnetic, so it attaches to virtually any part of the outside of the car.  Most are weatherproof, allowing it to be splashed by puddles or hit by dirt and rocks without being damaged.  There is a USB port located at one end of the tracker so that you can retrieve the logged information onto your computer.

So who uses the GPS tracking key?  Anyone who has an invaluable vehicle or asset that they wish to follow.  For example, if you have a teenage driver whose route you want to follow, you may want to install a tracking key.  If you have an employee whose travel route you want to trace, a tracking key may come in handy.  Some critics claim that the GPS tracking key is an infringement on one’s privacy.  Strong supporters of GPS, however, believe that it is wise to be completely informed of your children’s or employees’ travel patterns.

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by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

It has been well established that you get what you pay for with most things in life.  The same is true for the labor that you hire to work for you.  There are reasons to keep a constant watch over your work force.  Some workers are better than others at policing their own activities to meet the demands of business and the expectations of managers who run them.  Others are not so inclined.  Here are the best reasons to get GPS Tracking to help in the task of monitoring your workers.

GPS Tracking & Labor

Responsible Employees.  Human behavior is such that constant supervision promotes closer adherence to rules and guidelines.  Those who know they are being watched are more careful in how they work.  This means fewer moving violations resulting in fewer tickets as well.  This also cuts down on accidents, too.

Reins in Operating Costs.  Keeping a tight rein on where your drivers travel means fewer miles driven, lower fuel and maintenance costs.  Less wear and tear on vehicles will allow you to be able to keep them longer which stretches your operating dollar further.

Lowers Insurance Premiums.  Insurance companies are advocates of GPS Tracking systems because they provide a cost-effective way to monitor usage and location which assists in loss prevention.  Lower premiums are the resulting benefit to the businesses which make use of them.

Compliance Verification.  Ever need to provide proof of performance of what your employees have done but did not have the data to do so?  Now you can do this and so much more with a GPS Tracking device attached to your assets.

Helps Develop Safe Drivers.  You no longer have to be overly concerned about driver activities.  Being able to validate location, speed and direction gives you all the information that you need to verify employee performance.

Your labor force can make or break you as it relates to profitability.  The use of technology in the form of GPS Tracking helps insure that you know what your employees are doing and how they are doing it.

When you have this information at your finger tips, you can make changes to your business in an instant which can help stave off trouble down the road.

Rocky Mountain Tracking has the best line-up of GPS Tracking devices to meet any need.  Take a look at their products and options for the best fit for your business.  You will find knowledgeable sales persons in helping you get the best unit to meet your requirements.

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By Harriette Halepis

All across the nation, state departments have been toying with the idea of installing GPS trackers inside of state owned vehicles. In some states, these trackers have been implemented, and in all cases the trackers have been proven highly effective. State employers have learned that employees aren’t always “on the job” when they are “on the clock.” In addition, employees have begun using work time to, well, work (for fear of being caught not working).

Tracking Employees

The same reasons for tracking state employees can easily apply to private employees. If you are one of the many people who hire various employees on a private level, then you may want to consider GPS tracking bracelets and other devices. Even though you can’t place a GPS tracker on an employee without written consent, you can ask all new hires to consider wearing a GPS tracker. Why would you even ponder this idea?

Well, the old adage that “time is money” is as true today as it ever was. When you hire an employee on an hourly basis, you expect that employee to work during those hours. However, some people may not actually be working, even though you are paying them to work. Consider how upset you would be if you found out that your housekeeper took a nap for three hours during the afternoon. Or, think about what your reaction might be if you discovered that your babysitter took your children to her boyfriend’s house while you were away.

From cleaning crews to childcare providers, asking an employee to wear or carry a GPS tracking device may save you money. In the same manner that various state departments found out that numerous state employees were attending to personal affairs on state time, you may also discover that you are paying someone an hourly wage, so that they can take advantage of your trust.

Does this notion ruin the trust that’s supposed to exist between an employee and an employer? Not necessarily. Any employee who is trustworthy would not have a problem carrying or wearing a GPS tracking device. While you may want to trust everyone you hire, this isn’t always a possibility. GPS technology makes it possible to keep tabs on your children, elderly family members, pets, and employees – tracking a private employee is no different.

If you want to make sure that you are paying someone who’s actually working, think about using a GPS tracker. Hiring someone on an hourly basis can be a great thing, but this arrangement only works if you can ensure that the person you’re hiring is completing the tasks at hand. With GPS technology, this kind of assurance has become a reality, and it’s a reality that makes a lot of financial sense.

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