Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

GPS Monitoring in the Workplace: Balancing Employee Privacy and Employer Concerns

May 7th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Everywhere you go, it seems like someone is watching. Whether it is other people, security cameras, or tracking devices, very often people are being monitored. This is especially true in the workplace. Employers of trucking industries and those who drive corporate fleets seek to increase efficiency, productivity, and accountability by monitoring their drivers.

sleeping driver employee GPS monitoring of employees has become increasing popular in recent years. Employers, concerned about their company resources, seek to find a way to monitor their employees in order to increase efficiency and save costs. With GPS devices, they can now see if employees are speeding, moonlighting, making unnecessary stops, using inefficient routes, or charging excessive overtime. Since these activities increase company liability and expenses and decrease company efficiency and opportunity to effectively help customers, companies are glad to find a way to monitor employee activity.

One company in Kansas which employs a small fleet started using GPS tracking because of a few problems the employees had in the past, such as the drivers not being where they were supposed to be. Now the company can make sure that drivers are using the most efficient routes, are driving safely, and are spending an appropriate amount of time on each job. GPS monitoring has allowed the company to increase its profits and its relationship with its customers by being more reliable.

Despite the benefits of GPS monitoring, some employees are worried about privacy issues. Most of the monitoring is concerned with employee malfeasance, but employees still aren’t thrilled with the idea of constantly being watched. Employees are especially concerned about being monitored after working hours.

At this point, there have been no court decisions about the legality of GPS tracking in the workplace. Only Connecticut requires that employees be informed beforehand if they are going to be monitored electronically. However, to protect the company against lawsuits and to avoid violating employees’ privacy, employers should be careful to inform employees that they will be monitored and explain when and how that monitoring will take place. Furthermore, information gathered from monitoring should be used only for the proper purposes, namely, to monitor work-related activities.

GPS monitoring can be a useful tool for employers to increase productivity, efficiency, and profit, but it needs to be carefully balanced with employee privacy. Only when properly balanced will GPS tracking be the best option for your company.

A GPS Fleet Tracking System Helps Run Your Business Efficiently

May 4th, 2009

By James Neely

Ever feel like you are going in multiple directions at the same time in your business? Wonder what it would be like to actually be able to sit back and watch your operations function without you having to constantly be there to ‘baby sit?’ If you have significant capital invested in assets you can with a GPS Tracking system which is installed in your equipment.

Logistics

You do not have to be a fancy operation or have lots of money to be able to afford these systems. Units start at just a few hundred dollars and will be invaluable to your business. Here are the things that they offer to you as a business owner/operator.

Provides instant feedback. Think about your operations. When have you been the most nervous? When new employees are using your assets in order to perform their jobs? Now you can be sure that they are doing well by monitoring for speed, direction, location and information on stops. What better way to train those new employees to become better at their jobs by providing feedback that they can see and hold in their hands?

Helps you schedule your fleet. When you are working out scheduling, sometimes things have to change because of customer demands. With a GPS tracking system, you can see when drivers are close to customer locations and re-route them based on customer demands.

This puts you into a better position that your competition of being able to deliver better service. And that translates into more consistent business over a long period of time. There are few things more valuable than customer loyalty. Use whatever methods that you can to help cultivate this environment by implementing these systems.

Makes maintenance tracking a breeze. Do you struggle to keep maintenance scheduling? If so, you can use a GPS Tracking system to monitor miles driving an hours on the road. Sure you can use the odometers for monitoring mileage, but if you use a GPS Tracking system for the same information plus duration of service and the type of driving conditions in which the vehicles are driven, you can schedule maintenance sooner on vehicles that appear to be in more heavily used circumstances. These are the ones that will develop problems sooner. How about being able to maintain them proactively to keep them on the road with fewer down times?

Puts your assets under tight control. With a GPS fleet tracking system it is all about control. This helps your business in so many ways that it is almost impossible to pick the most valuable. But, once you have these systems functioning for you, you will wonder what you ever did before. And that is the best feeling of all.

GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems Monitor Employees

April 29th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Tempted to stop for Starbucks? Knowing that one of the many new GPS tracking systems is recording your movements causes you to think twice about it and decide to just go on with the delivery.

Tracking History Report

Whether in their cell phone or their vehicle, many companies are deciding to track the movements of their employees to ensure that they stay on schedule and keep working. Knowing that they have a system checking up on them will help workers to stay motivated and keep them focused on their work during work hours. Employees often waste time as soon as the boss’s back is turned and these kinds of systems would help companies run more efficiently and save them money in lost productivity.

One kind of system, Xora, even includes “geofences” that notifies the business when an employee visits one of the chosen off-limits areas, such as a bar, while on company time. Keeping mobile workers on task has been a challenge in the past, causing employers frustration that they are unsure of just how faithful their employees are. This new technology will lift that burden from employers around the country.

But it’s not all bad news for employees: these GPS tracking systems can also be used to track work hours, allowing employees to clock in and out from their phones. This will help them keep accurate records and they can trust that on payday they will receive every penny that they deserve for their hours of hard work.

GPS vehicle tracking systems might be resented by employees as an unneeded babysitter and an invasion of their personal privacy, but it is clearly the technology of the future. More and more companies are choosing these systems. Although many employees have loudly protested the switch, soon it will be much more common and widely accepted by employees.

As for their personal rights, while it is scary to know that your boss has the capability to watch your every move, businesses that use GPS tracking systems will have detailed privacy laws concerning them. For example, these devices can be turned off during lunch breaks and after hours to protect the privacy of the employees.

In the next few years, employers and employees from companies around the country and around the world will be coming together to compromise about these tracking systems, and soon it will be a integral part of the mobile worker’s job.

GPS Tracking and Employee Theft

April 15th, 2009

By James Neely

Employee Theft Recently a business owner caught an employee stealing from him, by using a camera that was made for hunting. This underscores the importance of doing what you can in order to maintain control over your business assets and keeping a watchful eye out for problems. Technological advances have improved the opportunities to catch thieves and retain asset control.

But, what about those items in your inventory which cannot be tracked with a video camera? Or how about the times that an employee is charged with the responsibility of using a company vehicle? Do you feel totally safe and comfortable with the person in question in this situation? What could you do differently to reduce the risk, and encourage responsible behavior?

A GPS Tracking system and software can help you fill these voids in your business. Because it does not matter how many theft deterrent systems that you have, if they cannot provide for evidentiary support on equipment that is outside of your business, then you have a vulnerability that must be stopped.

Tracking in real-time. With a GPS Tracking system you can track vehicles and equipment in real-time from software on your PC. At a moments notice you can know where your equipment is, what direction it is travelling and the speed at which it is moving. All good information to have and use for compliance purposes.

Tracking periodically only. If you need to just check on the whereabouts of a vehicle or piece of equipment, you can obtain a unit that will allow this type of tracking. This gives you the ability to use the system in case you suspect that something is awry and needs verification.

Encouraging employee compliance. Installing and communicating the existence of these units should provide incentive for employees to operate within company guidelines, and more importantly, laws regarding speed. Filing copies of the logs on equipment usage can within your system allows you to go back and determine who is your best employee in this regard.

Reducing costs. You can keep costs low by monitoring usage which encourages responsible behavior. Also, your insurance premiums can be decreased as a result of installing and maintaining these units.

There are no disadvantages to using these devices. Employee compliance is increased, costs are reduced and assets are properly maintained. The best of all worlds tied up on one little unit – GPS Tracking. Make one part of your operations today.

Using GPS Tracking To Provide A City With Benefits Enjoyed By Business Fleets

April 3rd, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

GPS vehicle tracking has been used by businesses to track their fleets of company owned vehicles and produce data used to save a great deal of money. Savings on fuel from limiting idling times, routing for the most efficient trip, whether shortest or not, and being able to reroute the closest driver to a project have all been done to improve fuel economy in business fleets. The city of Augusta, Georgia is now equipping 150 city owned vehicles with GPS vehicle tracking systems.

The city’s fleet manager says that the city is investing $45,000 in equipment and another $54,000 in monitoring. The GPS vehicle tracking system being used can track not only the location of the vehicles, but whether or not the engine is running, idling, off, and if the vehicle is moving, the speed, etc. He fully expects the city to save the entire cost of the systems within the next two years in fuel savings and reduced wear on city owned vehicles. Less wear means less maintenance required.

The Mayor Pro Tem of Augusta is firmly behind the program. He feels that it is a matter of accountability. These systems make information available to the taxpayers about how their money is being spent. The city has made no secret of the fact they are using these systems. Some people have mentioned the possibility of Big Brother, to which the city fleet manager replies, “Yes, if that’s what it takes to save the taxpayers’ money, Big Brother is watching.”

City Vehicles When asked for her opinion on the issue, a fire department building inspector said she had no opinion. “That is the decision they made and we just have to live with it,” was her comment. Public opinion on the matter seems to be that city employees who have a problem with the city knowing where they are and for how long, need a new job.

Businesses have been using GPS vehicle tracking systems as a means of fleet management for years. The city of Augusta, Georgia has determined that many of the benefits realized by private businesses from GPS systems would save tax dollars within their city. For this reason, they have invested almost $100,000 to equip 150 city vehicles with GPS systems that monitor location and status of the vehicles in real time.

The citizens of the city seem to be completely behind the program. They are very happy to know that they now can see how their taxes are being spent in city owned vehicles.

GPS is Much More than Navigation

March 22nd, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Almost everyone is familiar with the onboard GPS navigation systems being marketed for vehicles. These systems are able to provide drivers with real time turn by turn directions to get from point A to point B. What many people may not realize is that GPS has many other uses in a vehicle. GPS tracking is much more than simply navigation.

GPS technology is now being used to protect cars and trucks. Devices are being installed in vehicles that can send out a signal retrievable by a computer with an active internet connection in the event of vehicle theft. Once the theft is realized by the owner, the GPS signal can be used to locate the vehicle and pass that information on to the proper authorities. For vehicles in motion, the method of tracking the signal can be provided to police to aid them in locating and recovering the vehicle.

GPS tracking is also being linked to sensors in cars that let the system know when an accident has occurred. In many cases, if the driver is unconscious or incapacitated, the car can alert authorities to the accident and the location so that emergency crews can be dispatched. This facet of GPS tracking has saved many lives in the past few years.

Businesses are using GPS car tracker to monitor their fleets of company owned vehicles and to route drivers and technicians to their next call. The data is used to adjust routes driven by employees to maximize fuel economy and to reduce the amount of territory that is being covered repeatedly by more than one driver. In addition, dispatchers have the ability to route drivers to a new location based on who is closest rather than who is available first. This can lead to a great deal of money savings for business.

Vehicle tracking devices are being used more and more all the time. People are finding a great many ways to save money by using the data supplied by the GPS devices. They are also finding a better safety system that can save lives by letting emergency personnel know exactly where to locate a vehicle following an accident.

GPS navigation is a convenience many drivers are coming to rely on heavily for getting around in strange locations. There is, however, a lot more to GPS car tracking technology than simply navigation. The benefits of GPS technology are varied and many for individuals and businesses alike.

GPS Vehicle Tracking may Save Waste Company Fines

March 21st, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

In an interesting twist on the use of GPS vehicle tracking by companies to monitor their fleets of vehicles, one waste company in New Orleans may have saved itself a lot of money in fines by having the devices installed in their trucks.

www.RMTracking.com A television station’s news department contacted the company after being given a tip that an individual had made a video of one of this company’s waste trucks dumping its contents into a storm drain at 2 am on a Sunday morning. The companies owner immediately pulled up the GPS vehicle tracking data for his trucks and found that one of the trucks had been stolen from a locked and gated yard at about 10:20 pm Saturday night, driven to the location where the video was supposedly made, and parked outside the company’s main offices at approximately 11:02 pm the same night.

The company is now offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for stealing the truck and attempting to set his company up to receive some hefty fines from the city and from the EPA. Only that none of the company’s employees were on duty at the time and the data from the GPS car tracker device were able to save the company this huge amount.

GPS tracking data has been used to save companies money by tracking their fleets for minimizing fuel consumption and for optimum customer service for a while now. Using the data to locate stolen vehicles has been in use even longer. The result of both has been savings for companies on the costs of operating their vehicle fleets in terms of fuel, salaries for drivers, and even insurance premiums. Now it is possible to add proving that the company did not commit a crime, but someone else committed a crime against the company to the list of ways GPS tracking data can save a company money.

GPS tracking technology is used in vehicles for many different purposes. Individuals and businesses are finding that the benefits of having GPS tracking devices in their vehicles far outweigh the costs of acquiring such systems and having them installed. This example just goes to prove that new uses are being found almost every day for the data produced by the use of GPS vehicle tracking.

GPS Vehicle Tracking – The Easy Taxi Fleet Management Solution

March 18th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Managing a fleet of independent cab drivers can be an incredibly exhausting endeavor, or it can be as easy as watching an automatically updating webpage. GPS tracking offers owners of taxi companies and their dispatcher almost instant access to the location of their drivers.

Fleet Management Solution The primary advantage to a cab company is knowing where assets are in real-time. Armed with this information the dispatcher will then be able to see which driver is the closest available to take incoming calls and improve customer wait times. This also means that customers who call in can expect more accurate estimates of arrival than a vague ten minutes or soon. Taxis survive on word of mouth advertising, so happy customers equal more customers.

Additionally, the data generated by the devices can be collected and analyzed on a periodic basis to determine if the high volume areas are being adequately served. Rather than recording the address of each call, a very costly process in man-hours, the vehicle tracking device already documents each movement of individual cars within the fleet. This information will help to ensure that resources are placed where they are needed, or in the case of expansion show a bank the demand for service.

Sadly, driving a cab is not the safest job available, but this technology can help lessen the risk drivers face. If the GPS were equipped with a “panic button” that alerted the dispatch center of trouble they would then be able to request police assistance immediately. The current system, of a flashing light outside the car, relies too heavily on someone happening upon the incident, whereas GPS is able to protect the driver without witnesses.

Another concern for owners of these businesses is ensuring that drivers are actually working. These GPS tracking devices record all car movements, or lack thereof at set intervals. This allows the owner to take corrective action with an employee early before bad habits have a chance to start. With cab companies there is also the concern that drivers are using the cars for their own purposes – “off-the-books” as it were – a practice that the owner also needs to keep in check.

The benefits of adopting GPS tracking technology for fleet management are apparent. It will save money and increase employee safety. These devices have been shown to improve recovery rates for stolen vehicles and the installation of GPS devices lower insurance payments. Because data is stored digitally and accessible via internet, this may unshackle the small business owner from the office and free them up for life. For more information, call the friendly staff at Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc at 1-888-242-0500.

Informer

GPS Vehicle Tracking for Recreational Protection

March 8th, 2009

By James Neely

In the world of outdoor recreation, businesses need a method of managing their assets and monitoring usage. There is no better way of accomplishing this than to use a GPS Tracking system.

The types of businesses that can benefit from GPS are endless:

Golf Courses and Country Clubs. Management of golf carts can be made easy but in addition so too can the equipment that is used in the operations of a course: tractors, mowers, and anything else that has a motor.

Boat Rentals. Want to know where your rental boat is located? Look it up on your GPS Tracking system. Want to know where it has been and when it is returning? Look it up on your GPS Tracking system.

Ski Resorts. These businesses have the responsibility to keep track of their valued motorized equipment as well as snowmobiles. Not only can you locate them in the worst of weather, you can alert authorities to their whereabouts should there be a need.

Theme Parks. Crowded theme parks make for easy misplacement of motorized equipment. A GPS vehicle tracking system not only finds them, but helps insure that employees are performing their rounds in a timely fashion.

Public Parks. Local and national parks cover many acres of land. Keeping track of assets in this setting is a chore because of the amount of space involved. Imagine being able to track a conservation vehicle as to its whereabouts in real time.

Zoos. Many vehicles are used in the operations of a zoo. Managing fleets of vehicles is made easier with a GPS Tracking system. Find an asset quickly and track its use around the facilities.

Motorcycle and Scooters. When renting out vehicles for use outside of a business, a system is mandatory for maintaining speed enforcement. Also, mileage can be verified as well.

Flight Instructors. Losing an aircraft due to theft is not a usual occurrence, but a GPS Tracking system can help report on flight sessions and in-flight whereabouts as well.

RVs and Campers. Rental companies that offer RVs and campers have a difficult time maintaining location and mileage details. This system provides that in a report that can be used at time of return to help insure that the vehicle was used in a proper manner.

Finding out about all of the benefits of a system like this must include a discussion of theft recovery. Not only can assets be tracked for location, but insurance premiums can be lowered on these vehicles to help keep operating overhead low.

GPS Fleet Management: Let Your Requirements Decide the Type of Vehicle Tracking System You Need

March 5th, 2009

Fleet management is the primary reason for installing a GPS system, but there are many added-value benefits. While you are tempted to utilize this modern technology for your fleet business, it is essential to evaluate your requirements and then choose the most appropriate system.

Let’s make an effort to determine your requirements and find a solution accordingly.

Size of Your Fleet
There is no such thing as too few vehicles or too many vehicles to benefit from GPS. Whether you have one vehicle or one hundred thousand vehicles, everyone benefits. The number of vehicles in your fleet can help you choose the appropriate GPS fleet tracking system. While a group of 3-4 vehicles can be easily managed by a simple location-tracking system, you need a sophisticated arrangement for larger fleets.

Fleet Future Growth Evaluation
Do you expect to add more vehicles to the existing fleet in the future? Then, be wise and go for a high-level fleet GPS tracking system well in advance. You can save the cost of replacing a system by starting out with a device that meets your needs and the growth of your business.

Encompass All Cost Factors

Consider the interest rates, if you are borrowing a bank loan for purchasing GPS fleet management system.
Leasing can be a good option, as a monthly expenditure can be easily adjusted to the overall business costs. On the other hand, one-time investment in these equipments can also be a wise choice.
How much will you need to spend for monthly monitoring fees? For this, take into account the number of pings and alerts you expect from each vehicle. Also, the cost for installation should be calculated.
Above all, you need to evaluate the operational effects and the cost-saving benefits of installing GPS fleet tracking system. The good news is that insurance premiums are reduced. GPS vehicle tracking systems reduce accidents and traffic violations. As a result, discounted insurance rates are being offered by nearly all insurance companies.

A GPS tracking system is capable of introducing savings that will neutralize the burden of investment costs of this technology. The implementation of GPS vehicle tracking will provide you with an increased knowledge of managing employees and assets, and it will improve the efficiency of your overall business operations. To inquire about GPS for your fleet, call Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc at 1-888-242-0500.