Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

Industry Survey Finds GPS Saves Fuel, Money

August 18th, 2008

With the rise in fuel costs accompanied by the increase of prices of other goods and services, you are probably on constant alert for ways to save money. People used to say that sometimes it takes money to make money.

Well, it also takes money to save money. After your initial investment you’ll find that a GPS tracking device will pay for itself over and over again.

A study commissioned by Motorola found that employees working for businesses that use GPS technology were able to use their time much more efficiently–saving about 54 minutes a day. These minutes translate into a yearly financial windfall of $5,484 for each employee or $5.4 million.

This survey gathered information from companies in the transportation, trucking, warehousing and manufacturing field—an field in which company employees spend a lot of time on the road. Almost half of the companies surveyed were able to cut down on miles traveled to the tune of an average of about 231 miles a week. So in addition to the minutes saved, the miles saved also represent $51, 582 in lowered fuel costs each year.

Using your company vehicles more efficiently means that they will not be put through so much wear and tear so quickly. This will also save money because you will have to replace vehicles less often.

Rocky Mountain Tracking can help you find the GPS tracking devices that can help you save time, fuel and money. Visit the Rocky Mountain Tracking website to get more information on fleet tracking.

RMT’s PT-200 Is Small, But It’s a Tracking Giant

July 30th, 2008

For those of you who need a personal tracking product, look no further than RMT’s new PT-200 GPS. At only a few inches in length, it’s the world’s smallest GPS tracking unit for personal tracking. It’s small size means that in can be unobtrusively placed in or on the object of your choice. Although it is small in size, it is great in tracking power: the PT-200 also makes excellent use of Qualcomm’s patented CDMA GPS One technology.

With the PT-200 you will be able to track, secure and, if necessary, recover your assets, either in real time or on demand. The PT-200 works in hard-to-imagine locations like the inside closed packages or trailers. And it does all this without using external antennas.

When you decide to use the PT-200 to stay informed about your assets, you will not be charged an activation fee. The monthly service plans for the PT-200 can be upgraded or downgraded when you want when you request this change in writing. You are not locked in, so you can customize your use of the PT-200 to fit your current needs. Plus, overages are only $0.05 for each locate.

With the PT-200, you will all the information you need to keep up with your packages and assets.
It features:
Long Battey Life (10-21 days on continuous use)
Location History with Complete Address, Date and Time Stamp
Real Time Tracking and Location of Asset

Go to Rocky Mountain Tracking’s website to learn more about the PT-200 and find out how you can purchase the world’s smallest personal tracking unit.

GPS Device Takes on Police Radar

July 25th, 2008

With so many machines and technological devices around us everyday, we tend to trust them implicitly. We assume that they must be right, rarely stopping to consider that some machines are older than others and that these older machines are prone to error.

Such was the case when eighteen-year-only Shaun Malone found himself accused to speeding. According to police radar, Shaun was driving at a speed of 62 miles per hour in a zone where the speed limit was 45 mph. However, because Malone’s parents had installed a Rocky Mountain Tracking GPS device in his car, he was able to plead “Not Guilty” to speeding.

How was that possible, you ask? It was possible because the GPS tracking device employs the every latest technology. The GPS device sends out a signal every 30 seconds, as well as an email alert whenever the driver exceeds the speed of 70 mph. Evidence gathered from the tracking device proved that Shaun Malone was not speeding as the police radar had concluded he was; he was actually driving at the speed limit.

Malone’s parents certainly did not want to catch him speeding, but they probably didn’t imagine that Malone would be unfairly accused of speeding and that the tracking device would be key in proving his innocence.

Visit Rocky Mountain Tracking online to learn more about GPS tracking devices in general. You can also stop by the Teen Tracking page to get more specifics on how a tracking device can help you keep up with your teens—whether they are speeding or not. See related news on Slashdot.

How GPS Tracking Recovered a Stolen BMW

July 23rd, 2008

On Monday, we discussed how a GPS tracking device from Rocky Mountain Tracking was used to recover a stolen BMW.

BMW 7 Series

Maybe you are wondering just how this was possible. After all, there are many stolen vehicles that are never found. In this particular case, the thief (who had defaulted on car payments made with stolen money) had driven the vehicle to the city of Atlanta, which was 600 miles away from its original location.

According to Brad Borst of Rocky Mountain Tracking, “There were about 1.5 million auto repossessions last year, up by at least 10 per cent from 2006. But repossession is not always easy when vehicle owners move or leave the state. Unlike the 20-year-old technology that is still on the market, RM Tracking’s GPS tracking solution offers advanced technology with live web-based tracking – every auto recovery agent’s true friend.”

That was certainly proved in this recently incident. Stephen Stough of Stough Intertational, a private investigative firm, was able to call RM Tracking for customer support. He got in touch with technical supervisor Cory Cowger. Cowger was able to give Stough live positions of the vehicle from the web-based tracking software. Getting information like the location, direction of travel and vehicle speed helped Stough to locate the stolen BMW. In fact he was able to get the car without incident when it came to a stop.

Sure it probably wasn’t nearly as exciting as a car chase in the movies, but Stough and the vehicle’s owner are probably glad (as you would be if your vehicle had to be recovered).

You can learn more about GPS tracking and vehicle recovery at RM Tracking’s website.

GPS Tracking and Employee Relations

July 18th, 2008

In one county in New York state, the topic of using GPS tracking to keep tabs on employees has been on a lot of people’s minds lately.

The police force there already has GPS tracking devices on their cars. The idea is that it is much easier to dispatch police if their location is immediately known. They can get to a place where there has been an accident or arrive at the scene of a crime sooner because real-time tracking lets the dispatcher know which officers are closest to the area of need.

Now this county wants to install GPS tracking devices on county-owned vehicles and there has been some debate about it. One county official told the media that they are only going to refer to the data if it is needed. If some there is some need to look into an employees work record because of a complaint, then they will review the driving records.

It is tricky when governments decide to use GPS tracking. They have a responsibility to their staff and to their constituents. Staff wants to feel comfortable in their work environment. While constituents need to know that their tax dollars are not being abused by employees who take liberties with government-issued vehicles.

Rocky Mountain Tracking has both passive and active GPS tracking devices. Some can record a driver’s movements and habits in real time. Others will only let you download information after a trip is complete. If you are an employer looking for GPS tracking devices, contact us and we can help you decide which kind of GPS tracking device will work best for you.

More on the TV News Teen Tracking Experiment

July 16th, 2008

Earlier this week, I wrote about how parents in Alabama, along with a local tv news station, got together to get a little information on one teen’s driving habits.

The teenager in question was not told beforehand that his driving habits were going to be monitored using a GPS tracking device. And, as you can imagine, he was not happy when he found out what had happened.

The teen denied going at a rate of 95 miles per hour, as the tracking device indicated. He also did not want to give his parents any information on where he had been one Friday night. The GPS tracking device not only recorded his speed, it also kept track of where he went. One of his stops was at a location that was unknown to his parents.

The tv news station paid for the tacking device and presumably aired footage about this experiment. They had a therapist on hand to provide commentary. The therapist pointed out that parents can expect backlash if they track teen drivers and do not tell them

You may or may not agree with what these parents did. They themselves wondered if they did the right thing in tracking their son’s driving habits without telling him and while cooperating with the media.

However, if you have teen drivers in your house, you may still want to consider installing a tracking device on the vehicles they drive so that you can be aware of how they are driving and where they are going. Unlike the parents in case, you may elect to tell your teen that they are being tracked so that they will be aware and hopefully engage in good driving habits so you need not intervene.

Visit the Rocky Mountain Tracking website the check out teen tracking devices.

TV News Teen Tracking Experiment

July 14th, 2008

Remember the old show “Candid Camera?” A person would be set up to walk into an unusual situation and be recorded without being aware. At some point, someone would pop out and tell them to smile because they were one “Candid Camera.”

One Alabama teenager was not smiling after he found out that his parents had teamed up with a local tv news station to track his driving habits using a GPS tracking device. The tv station paid for the tracking device and the young man’s parents agreed to put it on his truck without telling him. The parents were fairly confident that their son was following the rules of the road. At the same time they said that they were not the kind of parents who would say “my child would never do this or that.”

When they saw the information recorded from the GPS tracking device they learned that they were right not to assume they knew everything about their son’s driving habits.

While he did not have an exhibit continuously reckless driving habits there were a couple of red flags. According to information from the tracking device, he drove at 95 miles an hour once. He also stopped at a location that was unrecognizable to his parents.

Certainly, everyone will not be able to work with a tv news station to get a tracking device. Rocky Mountain Tracking (RMT) has GPS tracking devices available that you can use if you are concerned about your teenager’s driving habits. They are affordable and easy to use. RMT provides comprehensive customer support for its teen tracking devices and all of its other products.

GPS Tracking Used to Track Bird Migration

July 7th, 2008

GPS tracking is of course used for business purposes, for personal reasons, and even for different kinds of sports and races. But have you give much thought to the scientific and environmental uses of GPS tracking technology?

Researchers are now conducting a study of mallard hens to gather more information about their migration patterns and what they do at the stops they take while migrating. The point of the study is to get a better idea of what the mallards do when they migrate to states in the south.

These GPS transmitters have the ability to send 4-6 signals per day. Researchers involved with the project will then download the information sent by the GPS transmitters. They can learn a lot just by having the map coordinates for these birds.

Before the widespread use of GPS technology, scientists would have used radio frequencies to study animals such as birds. But they have now found that GPS tracking is much more accurate.

Perhaps your business is still using radios to communicate. Radios are a great means of communication, so we are not advocating that you stop. We just want to suggest that you add GPS tracking to the mix. While it is possible to talk via radio, a radio cannot let you know exactly where each driver is. The radio information is not stored to give you a comprehensive overview of drivers’ routes and driving habits.

GPS tracking can give you important data on your employees driiving habits and patterns–be they good or bad. This is information that you will want to be aware of for planning and evaluations.

Visit Rocky Mountain Tracking to get more information on how GPS tracking can help you keep your business on the right path.

GPS Tracking Safeguards Construction Equipment

July 4th, 2008

GPS tracking is not just for personal or company vehicles. It can also be used for construction equipment. If you work in this field, you know just how much you’ve invested in your equipment; why not invest a little more to safeguard it?

Of all of the construction equipment that is stolen each day, as little as 10% of it is actually recovered.

The troubles in the real estate market may have dampened some of the enthusiasm for building, but construction continues. What you don’t want is to have someone continue their construction project on your dime, with your equipment.

Placing a tracking device on your heavy construction equipment will allow you to recover it quickly, in the event that it is stolen.

Not only can you track if it is taken, a GPS tracking device will allow you to keep up with your equipment on a regular basis. Sometimes equipment isn’t exactly stolen, but merely “borrowed” for another job and then returned. A tracking device will alert you to this type of occurrence.

Rocky Mountain Tracking (RMT) provides reliable hardware. We work hard to test GPS tracking units to find the ones that are the absolute best. In fact, RMT rejects 96.2% of the GPS tracking units that it tests because they are not up to standard.

RMT will also provide you with great customer support. We don’t just sell you the device and send you on your way. We are there to help you with technical questions after you buy.

To learn more about GPS tracking for construction equipment, visit RMT online.

Police Use Cell Phone Tracking to Solve Crime

July 2nd, 2008

Recently, police in Maryland use cell phone tracking technology to help them solve a crime. The officers got a tip that made them investigate a suspect’s cell phone records. Using cell phone tracking technology, the police were able to associate the perpetrator and the victim with the crime scene.

You may not be on the police force, but you can still use GPS tracking technology to get to the bottom of things. Most of us feel that we just don’t know where all of the money goes. Sometimes it just seems to disappear. Well, that is not exactly true. Your money is going somewhere. If you own a business and employ drivers, it is in your best interest to so a little sleuthing of your own.

Use GPS tracking devices to figure out how more efficient mileage and gas usage can close up that hole in your pocket. Tracking the habits of your drivers will tell you who is idling, speeding, or making side trips. Then the mystery of why your transportation costs have gotten out of hand will become less of a mystery.

Even if your drivers are not siphoning away money with bad driving habits, GPS tracking can still provide you with valuable information about your business. If may give you a better idea of what customers need more or less attentions. Or you may see that there are areas of town that you need to market to more.

Visit Rocky Mountain Tracking’s website to learn more about fleet tracking and how it can save you money.