Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

GPS Tracking of Commercial Aircraft

December 7th, 2009

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

As part of the push for jobs creation, the chairman of American Airlines and AMR Corporation made a pitch to the Obama Administration for funding for a new GPS-based tracking system for commercial air traffic control.

GPS & Air Traffic Monitoring

The current system is based upon radar technology from as long ago as World War II, and has served the nation well. But, with new advances, GPS Tracking stands to be a better, more reliable system.

Here is how GPS Tracking can improve commercial airline travel:

Increased Safety

Under the existing system, pilots rely upon information relayed to them from air traffic controllers on the ground. A new system would allow pilots to make better judgments about the track of their travel to help maintain safe distances between other aircraft.

Increased Information

Not only could air traffic controllers help direct traffic, but also airline pilots would be able to see the same views of air traffic patterns in the cockpit as well. This would help pilots and air traffic controllers to work in concert rather than having pilots be dependent solely upon the information given to them.

Better Service

An improved system would bring with it improved service schedules to customers. Providing better monitoring of airline traffic to the commercial carriers would allow them to use the instant information to update customers on arrivals and delays that occur from weather and other related occurrences.

Cut Costs

Being able to better manage air traffic can help save fuel costs by better planning of air traffic into and out of busy airports. Better overall service can be delivered by fewer people. The current air traffic control system requires multiple operators on each sector during a given shift. With GPS Tracking systems implemented, it is possible that those numbers could be reduced because of the higher amount of and better information that is obtained from the system.

Changing the system to GPS Tracking-based makes sense on so many levels. The current talk revolves around cost and who will pick up the bill. Airline companies are hurting financially and want to keep their investment as low as possible. And, with cost-cutting on the mind of most federal agencies these days, one wonders how this will get accomplished any time soon. It will happen, but just at a slower pace than anticipated.

Rocking 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.

Do You Want to Know When Santa Claus is coming to Town?

December 7th, 2009

By Harriette Halepis

Gone are the days when children went to bed wondering when Santa would be landing on the rooftop. Today’s tech-savvy kids can do far better than imagination – GPS trackers have Santa pegged, and tracking him is as easy as logging onto a website (www.noradsanta.org).

Tracking Santa

Kids and parents all around the world will now be able to track Santa’s movements thanks to the Internet and GPS capabilities. While it may seem impossible, Santa is now under constant surveillance thanks to a group of people known as NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command).

NORAD has teamed up with On Star to create an in-car Santa tracker. Using GPS technology, children of all ages will be able to watch as Santa flies around the globe. On Star subscribers will be automatically allowed to track Santa’s every move. If you don’t have On Star, don’t worry – Santa’s movements will also be recorded on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Google Earth.

The fun doesn’t start until December 24^th, but many kids around the globe are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa. So, when will Santa be coming to your town? Well, tune into your On Star Santa station in order to find out – one thing’s for sure, Santa won’t be able to get away with any wasted work time this year!

GPS Vehicle Tracking Reduces Expenses for Charities

December 6th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

For most people, the holidays bring excitement, joy, and memory-making moments, from reuniting with friends and family to shopping for the perfect gift to planning dazzling holiday menus. For some, however, the holidays only magnify the struggle to pay the bills and put food on the table. All around the country, struggling families rely on companies like Food Lifeline to help them feed their families. During times of economic downturn, the companies receive even more requests for assistance, and they are constantly looking for ways to cut operating costs in order to put more money toward the business of distributing food to needy families. GPS vehicle tracking provides one opportunity for charitable organizations to reduce their expenses and make sure as many folks as possible have food on their tables during the holidays.

GPS & Meail Delivery

GPS vehicle tracking allows managers to keep an eye on fleet vehicles such as delivery trucks as they make their rounds. Many models also provide information such as speed, direction of travel, and fuel consumption. By monitoring this information, food banks can ensure that drivers are taking the most efficient routes and using as little fuel as possible to reach their destinations. They can also see if trucks are left idling during deliveries or whether the drivers turn off the ignition. Armed with this information, managers can instruct drivers in ways to conserve fuel by taking more direct routes and by turning off the engine while the truck is being unloaded.

Determining more efficient routes for delivery trucks can reduce the cost of maintaining fleet vehicles by forty percent. Reductions in idling time and other fuel conservation methods such as not exceeding the speed limit can cut costs even more. GPS vehicle tracking offers an efficient way to help food bank workers conserve dollars so that they can be put to more important uses such as purchasing food and supplies for families. It can also ensure that packages make it to their intended destinations. In the event of vehicle theft, GPS vehicle tracking can give authorities the ability to pinpoint the truck’s location and increase the odds of recovery significantly.

This holiday season, food distribution charities such as Food Lifeline expect needs to be even greater than in past years. With the help of GPS vehicle tracking, they can make sure their resources are put to the best possible use, so that more needy families can focus on enjoying one another rather than wondering where their next meal is coming from.

Caltrain Adds GPS Tracking to Improve Service

December 5th, 2009

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

Public transportation operations are getting smart by incorporating GPS Tracking into their systems. One of the latest is Caltrain in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California. Caltrain is implementing GPS Tracking for one purpose: to closely monitor train movements and locations so that riders know exactly where trains are located in relation to their position and (more importantly) when they will arrive.

Caltrain Adds GPS

GPS Tracking makes its mark by helping to improve service to customers. This has long been a strong point for tracking of public transportation systems including buses and taxi cabs.

Another way of alerting riders to train schedules happens via Twitter updates. While these updates are helpful, they require riders to have cell phones with Internet access to receive the communications.

GPS Tracking systems like the one being installed for Caltrain do not discriminate in this way. Electronic signs posted at each stop convey the information to riders. What airports have been doing for years now comes to common public transportation users.

Other uses for these GPS Tracking systems include close monitoring of maintenance schedules. This allows managers to make sure that scheduled maintenance stops are performed within the time allocation set up in pre-determined intervals. This helps make sure that these large vehicles are in the best possible condition that they can be when in service which, in turn, can cut down on failures which can lead to accidents.

One reason for the installation of this system is that competition from buses has forced Caltrain to make the improvement in service which helps keep them in the running for being the best way to travel in the Bay Area.

The other issue that this addresses is the concerns by those who use the train, but because of schedules and delays, are late to work, classes and other appointments.

Score another win for GPS Tracking systems as they continue to make huge inroads into improving service and reliability. Today’s public transportation users demand better schedules and information in order to keep their own schedules and be able to take advantage of a greener travel alternative. It appears that all systems are ‘go.’

GPS Tracking and Feeding the Hungry

December 1st, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

With Thanksgiving passed and the rest of the holidays still to come, many are grateful for the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, enjoying fellowship, fun, and food. Unfortunately, a great number of Americans this season will be forced to seek their meals from food banks, churches, and shelters. Efforts by these charities to reach out to those in need are plentiful, yet inefficiency and disorganization can quickly become an issue in churches trying to provide for so many hungry people. Getting food out to where it’s needed most is a managerial nightmare without the proper tools. How can technology, specifically GPS trackers, aid the hungry?

The Athena Project, a $60 million dollar initiative by Feeding America, thinks it has the answer. The effort is developing and installing advanced tracking and management equipment in roughly 200 food banks across the country. GPS trackers will be installed on delivery vehicles and aid packages, allowing management staff to keep tabs on it all. The technology will also allow drivers to pick more efficient routes, saving much needed cash in a non-profit industry hit just as hard by the recession as anyone else.

GPS & Hunger

Waste will be reduced, and in the event of a food product recall (a nightmare scenario to aid workers), management will be able to quickly identify those who received contaminated goods. Also, the information provided by GPS trackers will allow food banks to compare those regions covered by their workers and adjust their responsibilities in the case of overlap.

Charities have just as much need for efficiency as any other organization. While their concern obviously isn’t profit, the bottom line is often aiding the needy in a way that best makes use of their donors’ funds. The savings provided by GPS trackers and advanced fleet management systems truly can help. In this case, GPS trackers made a fine donation to food banks which didn’t individually have the extra cash to invest in such a system, yet will greatly benefit from its use.

Feeding America’s affiliates serve more than 25 million in the US annually, including 3 million seniors and 9 million children. The organization handles over 2.5 billion pounds of found each year. Such a large operation, especially since eclipsed by other similar organizations, demonstrates the great need for organization and efficiency in aid groups across the country. GPS trackers, selected and implemented carefully, can be a great part of that.

Vehicle Tracking Systems And Dispatch Combine To Save Lives

April 30th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

ambulance medical emergency services

Vehicle tracking using GPS technology can now be used to save many more lives in emergency situations. Ambulances, fire trucks, and even police cruisers equipped with GPS tracking devices whose signals are monitored by dispatchers can make the response times in emergencies much shorter than they used to be.

If emergency vehicles are being monitored by dispatchers with vehicle tracking systems, it is possible to send the unit closest to an emergency, provided that unit is not already responding to a call. This could mean that an ambulance that has just dropped a patient at a hospital and is on its way back to its station could be closer to a call than the one still at the station serving that area. In this case, dispatch should send the closest unit rather than the one in the station. This move could very well make the difference between life and death.

Vehicle tracking can also be used for fire dispatch as well. Even though fire districts are drawn out on maps of the city, there are times when one station is actually closer to a fire in another district than the station supposed to serve that area. Dispatchers who are aware of the actual locations of fire trucks can dispatch the nearer units and the station that normally covers the area at the same time.

Under previous systems, the station assigned to an area would be dispatched first, then it would be up to the ranking officer on scene to request assistance if needed. Use of vehicle tracking systems could be used to send the nearest units so that many houses that have been lost in the past could have been saved by a more timely arrival of emergency response units.

Police cruisers are also better dispatched when vehicle tracking systems are used. Like other emergency vehicles, police are often assigned specific areas for patrol. However, there are times when a unit may be on the far side of its coverage area when an emergency arises. If this happens, and another cruiser from a neighboring area is closer to the scene, dispatchers can send in the nearer vehicle to provide for better response time. Depending on the situation, this could save many lives as well.

Vehicle tracking systems that use GPS technology can be used with much success in the area of emergency dispatch to save more lives than was possible before the advent of GPS technology.

Customer Service Excellence with GPS Tracking Systems

April 24th, 2009

By James Neely

customer service-business Maintaining a focus on delivering the best customer service helps you stay in business while operating on razor thin profit margins. If you are looking for additional ways to improve your profitability, you should add GPS Tracking to your fleet of vehicles. Being able to track your assets in real time also helps you lower costs. Here’s how this works.

There are principles that have to be adhered to in order to keep your customers satisfied. There are too many competitors and too little margin for error these days.

On time delivery. Everyone who is in the logistics business knows that on time delivery is the lifeline of the business. If you do not keep your commitments, your business will slowly fade away. As a primary focus of your business then, would it not be worth the investment to purchase GPS Tracking systems for your operations that can help you maintain adherence to this goal? When time equals money there is no better way.

Timely communications. Being able to track fleet vehicles and monitor for compliance allows you to be proactive in your business activities. If you see that a deliver is going to be early or late, then a phone call with that information is appreciated and often gives you a pass in dealing with customer dissatisfaction.

Also, you can see if a particular deliver schedule is realistic and communicate that to your customer in an effort to seek better parameters in which to function. This also helps to point out where inefficiencies are located in your own driver team and helps you make adjustments as needed.

Above and beyond business techniques. Being able to provide additional confirmation of your contractual obligations is an added benefit that you can provide to your end customers. The billing department can include a report with statements and invoices that verify date, time and mileage confirmation. This information can also be used to settle disputes regarding individual or collective compliance activities.

The mere existence of this data can help you avoid confrontations and any possible litigation. Customers will appreciate your openness towards this information and it will help deter inaccurate claims.

Other benefits of these systems includes: heightened safety and responsibility on the part of your drivers, a reduction in moving violations, and evidentiary support in the event of ticketed driver.

These systems are not cost-prohibitive. They are there simply to help you perform you business functions better, and that means better overall customer satisfaction.

The Hidden Advantage Your Business Has Over the Competition

April 22nd, 2009

By James Neely

Every business is looking for an edge over their competition. This is especially true since economic times are difficult and making money is more challenging than it has been in a very long time. If your business utilizes vehicles or equipment that is used out of doors, then you should consider adding a GPS Tracking system to each of these units. Here is why:

Beat Your Competition with GPS

With these units, which cost only a few hundred dollars each, you can keep track of automobiles, trucks and any other type of vehicle or large piece of equipment that is used in your business. There are many advantages that this can provide to you.

How it is done. These GPS Tracking systems allow you to accumulate and display information with regards to the location and use of your vehicle or equipment in real time. Not only that, but you can monitor direction of travel, speed and distance as well. This is the starting point of a very reliable, competitive advantage for your business. Read on to learn more.

The ‘why’ answered. With the ability to track the information above, you gain a competitive advantage by managing logistics in a very close way. This means keeping costs low while enforcing compliance on the part of your employees in the use of company assets. Time is money, and a reduction in the amount of time it takes to complete routes means a savings to you while an increase in customer satisfaction. Today it is more important than ever to watch every penny, and these systems will give you the tools that you need to accomplish this on a highly detailed level.

Applying the advantage. We have already discussed how and why, now for the application to your business. If there is one word that captures the essence of what the GPS tracking systems will provide you that would be ‘control.’ You will find that with these units installed and functioning for you, they will give you the ability to control your assets while delivering information applicable to verification.

Benefits of the systems. Because of the tracking abilities, you will be able to maintain solid management and knowledge of the location of your assets. If they are ever stolen, then you will be able to provide instantaneous information to the authorities to the whereabouts. In addition, insurance premiums will go down as you reduce the risk to the insurance companies. Other ancillary benefits include a safer community and roadways as well.

There are no losers when GPS tracking systems are placed into service. Make sure you are on the winning side and have your competition struggling to keep up.

Fleet Tracking with GPS Can Benefit Drivers, Too

March 24th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Many businesses that operate fleets of vehicles have found that there are many benefits to having GPS tracking devices installed in their vehicles. Some of the more progressive companies have found a way to make this a benefit to the driver and help the company out at the same time. Several companies have started to employ “driver service representatives” to aid drivers in avoiding problems associated with severe weather and traffic delays.

Fleet Management Drivers whose vehicles are equipped with a GPS vehicle tracking system can be rerouted from a central hub at the need of the company. This has long been a known benefit of having GPS in fleet vehicles. Today, several companies are adopting the policy of allowing drivers to call in when they are in a traffic jam and have a driver service rep help them get rerouted around it and out of the delay. This helps the driver and the company by assuring more deliveries are made on time.

Another facet of the driver service rep’s job is to monitor the weather ahead of any vehicles he/she is responsible for and to let drivers know when they may be heading into a trouble area. In winter, certain stretches of road, including interstates, have been known to become impassable during a snowstorm. When a driver service rep monitoring road conditions learns that a vehicle is headed toward a stretch of road that is closed or impassable, he/she can contact the driver and reroute him/her around the trouble spot before the shipment is delayed. The same principle can be applied in spring and summer in the event of severe storms or tornado activity that can cause transportation delays.

Many companies have long used GPS tracking devices to optimize their fleet routing for fuel efficiency and to monitor driver speeds. These methods work well for saving money. Today, many companies are finding that the ability to reroute fleet drivers can pay off and help the drivers as well by having employees monitor vehicles and aid drivers in avoiding traffic delays that could cause a shipment to arrive late and cause problems with a customer.

With this type of two way communication between drivers and the dispatchers, more drivers are likely to find that the benefits of having the GPS fleet tracking devices on board far outweigh any concerns they may have about the boss watching their every move.

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.

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