Fleet GPS Tracking Blog

Asset and Trailer Tracking

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Historically, Trailer tracking with GPS required expensive satellite tracking devices and service. While there were many positive aspects to this type of tracking, the drawbacks of cost and the requirement for a clear line of sight to the satellites was often a problem.

Now, there is another option. There is now a GPS tracking device which is battery powered lasting up to 3 years. This type of trailer or cargo container tracking is quite reasonable in initial and subsequent costs.

At only 6 x 3.5 x .75 inches, the device is easily hidden. A further benefit is that the GPS tracking device for trailers and containers is not required to have a clear line of site to satellites. If the device cannot get a true GPS fix, it uses the cellular network to get a good fix on the current location.

It is great to have options in GPS tracking for assets and trailers. Trailer Tracking Device

Steven Van Ooyen

GPS Tracking Mathematics

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:40:00 +0000

What does it cost to procrastinate? That all depends.

If you procrastinate on your taxes, it costs a lot. If you procrastinate at Valentine's Day or anniversaries, that can cost a lot.

But what about procrastination related to your business fleet. That can be incredibly expensive.

Last week, I spoke to one customer who estimated problems that might be resolved with GPS tracking were costing him as much as $480,000 annually. Another business owner estimated that GPS tracking could save her 1.5-2 hours of labor per person per day. This morning, I spoke we spoke with another individual who estimated current losses due to issues that could be resolved with GPS tracking in excess of $50,000 annually.

So, how much would you spend on GPS tracking to resolve your issues? If you estimated the cost of GPS tracking was 20% of the cost of fuel and labor losses, would you make the purchase?

It is a simple question, but many business owners put off purchasing GPS tracking because of the cost. This never ceases to amaze me and I see it everyday.

Today, a concerned spouse dared to purchase GPS tracking for a spouse. This person wants to know the truth and has the guts to do something to learn. A lot of business owners can learn from this bold move.

I hope you never have to be concerned about your spouse, but you should definitely be concerned about those who have never pledged their love to you.

GPS tracking can save time, money, and give peace of mind.

Take care,

Seven Van Ooyen

Chief Executive Officer

Track What Matters

Can't we trust them?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:25:00 +0000

The question came up today, "do you think so many people are untrustworthy that every fleet needs GPS tracking?". This is a fair question, and I understand why people would think that GPS tracking is an expense that doesn't need to be made. The problem is the facts.

There are people wishing there was a different president elected - today and 8 years ago! But, either way, there is reality and blind hope.

The facts are simple. We talk to employers daily who tell us stories of why they are adopting GPS tracking. For instance, one customer we spoke to told us how his landscaping employees in North Carolina decided they deserved a 20 minute detour between landscaping jobs.

Other customers have had their company vehicles stolen while other customers have had employees steal business by taking side jobs.

How does GPS tracking fix this? Well, knowing the location, speed, time on site, and idle times gives customers the knowledge they need to effectively manage their fleets. Fleet tracking has saved these regular people thousands of dollars in a very short period of time.

So, should we trust employees with our fleet vehicles when they are away from the office? I wish we could.

Every employer must accept the facts, especially in this difficult market, that their employees are fallible. So, it only makes sense to use GPS tracking to mitigate your potential losses.

Take care of your resources.

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO - Track What Matters

www.SchoolBusRoster.com

Old Fashioned Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:14:00 +0000

The new year has been extremely busy for us in the GPS tracking world. Thus, I haven't had the opportunity to blog about our family trip from Texas to Florida where we tested different cellular providers with our GPS tracking devices.

This old fashioned family vacation offered me a great opportunity to drive side by side with the truckers we monitor with GPS tracking and to test GPS tracking devices and antennas. We tracked our vehicle with two GPS tracking devices through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida all the way to Disney World.

For the most part, our travels tracked through commonly traveled roads with great cellular service. What I was most interested in on this trip was how the GPS tracking worked in rural areas off the main highways. The great news is that our GPS tracking device with a new cellular provider worked fantastically reporting every 2 minutes without a single lapse in coverage. Our second GPS tracking device performed almost as well. The only lapse in coverage was in the most remote part of Louisiana.

Normally we fly when traveling this far. However, this one time, we wanted to let the kids see the coast, military bases, and to test our GPS tracking units. It was also a good time to be in the field where our customer vehicles travel every day. During this trip, I observed the professionals behind the wheel of big trucks who shared the road very courteously. I also observed others for whom GPS tracking is a great idea.

So, keep it safe on the highways and byways.

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO - Track What Matters

SchoolBusRoster.com

8 Ways Small Businesses Can Save Money

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:07:00 +0000

The world market is tough right now. Small businesses are looking for ways to cut costs and maximize efficiency. Demand is down and revenues lower. But, that should not mean we are all doomed to accept a fate common to the big auto makers or financial institutions.

No Way!

We are small and mid-size business owners and managers. We are actually responsible for making wise decisions in the midst of difficult times. And, no one is coming to bail us out.

So, what can we do?

How can GPS tracking help your business?

We need to improve our knowledge of our own business and take advantage of every tool, including GPS tracking. We have to maximize efficiency and minimize loss and waste.

Here are 8 ways small businesses can save money in tough economic times?

1. Look for inefficiencies in your organization. Are your workers wasting time surfing the Internet or playing Free Cell when they could be generating new business? Install tracking software to find out. Are your workers wasting time in the field? Add GPS tracking and let them know you are monitoring their activities.

2. Cut back on "nice to have" perks. Employees might feel ripped off for a short time when the free soft drinks or snacks are taken away. But, when weighed against the loss of a job, they get over the initial slight.

3. Ditch bottled water. A report by ResponsiblePurchasing.org says that filtered water is 750-2,700 times cheaper than bottled water!

4. Stop the printing madness! Almost anything can be held electronically and read there as well. So, do your best to avoid the printer. Save yourself a ton and save those trees as well.

5. Reduce fuel costs. If you have a fleet of vehicles, you should put policies in place to reduce idling, personal stops, and demand direct routes to locations. GPS tracking will help with that.

6. Enforce your fleet vehicle use policies. It is one thing to have a Vehicle Use Policy, but you must enforce it. The Track What Matters GPS tracking system will help you ensure your employees are adhering to the policies you set.

7. Watch out for employee theft. In the past couple of months, our GPS tracking customers have reported at least 2 thefts of vehicles by employees! In each case, because they had our GPS tracking system installed, they recovered the vehicles, with the help of the police, within a couple of hours.

8. Be certain you are receiving your full pay for the jobs your employees perform. A GPS tracking customer of ours recently reported a $1,350 loss of revenue that he was able to determine by using our GPS tracking system features to know when certain equipment was being used.

The Track What Matters GPS tracking system can be setup to let you know when fleet equipment is in use and for how long. Successful small and medium sized business owners will tell you that greed and irresponsible management was the downfall of the corporate giants in the financial and auto industries. And, since no one is giving them a bailout using the tax money they are paying, it is their responsibility to ensure success in their businesses using tried and true methods.

The trained eye can see opportunity when others see chaos.

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO - Track What Matters

SchoolBusRoster.com

IFTA Requirements for Trucking

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:26:00 +0000

There is nothing easy about owning a business or running one. This is especially true for trucking firms. Though organizations like the ATA work hard to minimize government restrictions on trucking, the federal government annually adds additional restrictions to haulers. Many people might think this doesn't matter to ordinary citizens. Unfortunately, restriction on fleets affect us all. For every extra penny it costs fleet owners to deliver goods or services, they must raise our prices by that penny.

This past year, hundreds of trucking firms have been forced out of business. This is partly because fleet owners are being hit by a troubled economy. But, this is also attributable to fleet owners being strapped by government regulations. I am not saying that all restrictions put on fleets are excessive or overbearing. But, I am concerned about the costs associated with additional restrictions placed on trucking fleets.

IFTA, or the International Fuel Tax Agreement, is one example of an added restriction that adds to costs. IFTA requires fleets whose trucks travel across state lines, to track the miles traveled in each state by trip and even what roads were traveled. As you can imagine, this is a huge headeache for truckers and administrative personell.

In an attempt to combat the hassle placed on trucking fleets by the federal governemnent and other governing bodies, Track What Matters has begun offering state by state mileage reporting. These reports will streamline the process of IFTA reporting for trucking fleet administrators and allow them to spend more time working on revenue generating projects.

Fleet tracking with GPS has a great number of useful features. IFTA reporting is just another in that long list of GPS tracking features available for fleets.

I've had about enough

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:22:00 +0000

This morning, when recounting stories of how our customers have saved money by gaining further knowledge of what their fleet vehicles and employees were doing while away from the watchful eyes of their managers and owners, I actually started to get a little miffed. One of the first things I hear from employees is that fleet GPS tracking invades their personal privacy or that this is just Big Brother watching over them. So, as I was recounting several stories of employee theft of vehicles, payment for jobs, labor, and fuel, I realized that no employee has a right to privacy with company property and that the idea of monitoring a fleet with GPS is the only sensible way for an employer to protect their investment.

The problem I have with employees who cry foul for fleet tracking is that most of these employees have, at best, inefficiencies to hide. At worst, they are stealing and embezzling from the very company that employs them to drive and work on their fleet. The employees miss the fact that the job is not a right, it is a priviledge to be employed to drive the vehicle they drive.

As for Big Brother, let us remember what George Orwell's book, "Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)", was truly about. In "1984", Big Brother was a tyrannical government that monitored every area of the citizens' lives and forbid them the basic joys of life. There was no place that was free of the eyes of tyranny. This included restrooms, bedrooms, and the like. Big Brother was a forbidding menace to basic freedoms. You can read a synopsis here.

This is a far cry from an employer, who owns his trucks, cars, vans, etc... and lets employees drive those fleet vehicles to make a living, putting a GPS tracking system on the fleet. Further, GPS tracking for a fleet is actually less intrusive than a number of monitoring activities that are employed throughout industry. Employers regularly monitor workers for their computer use, they monitor using cameras and recorders, they check and double check money in sales registers, and they monitor time cards and employee movement with the use of ID badges.

In the last 6 weeks, I have heard from customers who had their fleet trucks stolen, had employees steal $1,350 from them on a single job, had employees take joy rides between jobs, had employees use their vehicles and tools for personal jobs, and had employees use their fleet vehicles for personal errands.

So, I ask, if this is going on regularly, how should any employer who has a fleet responsibly act? Should they ignore that employees frequently steal time, money, fuel, and more? Should fleet managers and owners assume that people are basically good when the evidence is that employees, when unsupervised, "goof off" and cheat?

I would like to pretend that things were better "back when", but the truth is that this kind of thing has gone on forever. Individuals might be honest, but people, as a whole, steal and lie.

I wish this weren't the case, but it is true. So, the next time someone says that their employer is infringing on their rights by putting GPS tracking on their fleet vehicle, which is owned by the employer, I will probably beg to differ a bit more sternly than I have in the past.

Thanks for reading,

Steven Van Ooyen

CEO - Track What Matters

If you can recover a cactus...

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:18:00 +0000

While doing some research this morning, looking for stories of vehicle tracking using GPS, I ran across a story of the federal government using a computer chip to track saguaros (the giant cactus with multiple arms).

We have come a long way with the ability to track anything important to us. But, it really doesn't matter if you are tracking a cactus or a vehicle, theft recovery is basically the same. It is well known that being able to get to your vehicle or whatever you are tracking within minutes gives you the best chance of seeing that item in once piece. I've told stories of one of our customers recovering two vehicles stolen by employees in the last month using our GPS tracking system. Their savings from tracking have easily paid for the units and service for at least 2 years.

You have the opportunity to protect your investment for the very reasonable cost of GPS tracking.

Take care of things,

Steven Van Ooyen

Good Stewardship

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:38:00 +0000

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable of 3 servants that are given 3 different amounts of money to do with as they would until their master returns. In the end, when the master returns, he finds that 2 of the servants have done well with what they were entrusted with while the other hid the money he was given and took no responsibility to improve upon what he was given. The last servant was chastised for his complete failure to take any risk.

Since this blog isn't geared toward exegesis of the Bible, I will refrain from the spiritual meaning and stick with the practical, earthly ramifications of the passage (though, if you ever want to discuss the spiritual implications of the parable, I will be glad to - just send me an email).

So, what does this have to do with using GPS tracking on my fleet? That's a fair question. It is my impression from being in multiple work environments that most employees, whether they are truck drivers or fleet managers or deliver medical equipment work to survive rather than to succeed. What I mean by that is that most people, even those in management, have one main goal - to keep their job! That is just sad and depressing.

What that means for business, and fleet owners, is that very few employees and managers take risks, or propose risks that can substantially help their businesses. For example, how many fleet managers are actively seeking GPS tracking solutions? How many have known that GPS tracking exists and could be beneficial yet never made a move to investigate GPS tracking for their own fleet? How many fleet managers and owners have been told how GPS fleet tracking saved one company over $7,500 in idling on a single truck or how another company was able to get back two trucks stolen by employees on the same day they were stolen or how another company instantly stopped a gasoline bill discrepancy of $1,000 monthly yet they did nothing...

I got to speak to John Pond, one of our customers in Massachusetts today. John added our GPS tracking system to his fleet about 6 weeks ago. I called just to make sure everything was working well for him and that the tracking was meeting his needs. What I really like about John is that he fully understands the benefits of the tracking system he purchased. John told me how he has been able to review the routes his drivers have been taking, how his time sheets have magically become correct, and how he is able to curtail speeding in his limousine fleet. John said "I would tell anyone that has a fleet of vehicles that they should definitely have this system to save fuel costs, labor costs, and time." As I said, John fully understands the benefits he gets from tracking his fleet.

John is the epitome of a good steward and fleet manager. He really impressed me today.

Take care everyone. I hope that your GPS tracking saves you substantial amounts in this difficult economic time. I know it has for our customers.

Steven Van Ooyen

Employee Theft

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:16:00 +0000

When talking with potential customers about the benefits of GPS tracking for their fleets of vehicles, we often bring up theft recovery. For the most part, I thought of this GPS tracking benefit in regards to the thief you don't know. Recently, we have had a couple of instances where employees have stolen vehicles. In both cases, our GPS tracking units and service were able to help our customer recover their $50K worth of vehicle and equipment in an expedited fashion.

There are so many cost benefits for fleet GPS tracking, but these 2 incidents have more than paid for the benefits for an entire year for the entire fleet. I somewhat understand how the employee's mind thinks "it's just a pen or a few sheets of paper", but I am baffled by the thought of "I'm taking the company truck". But, it happens.

I really enjoy hearing when customers are getting great benefits from their fleet tracking. It's easy and makes financial sense.

Keep an eye out (or a virtual eye)!

Steven Van Ooyen

Challenges for Trucking

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:03:00 +0000

The last few days I was in New Orleans for the American Trucking Association (ATA) management convention. During that time, I listened to several speakers and panelists. All of whom were concerned about a few major themes.

1. Safety

2. Costs

3. Efficiency

4. Government Regulations

These 4 are greatly simplified here.

When it comes to safety, it is evident by the data, that the trucking industry has come a long way in this regard. GPS tracking on trucks, anti-rollover technology, improved awareness programs (including America's Road Team) have made great improvements. When it comes to safety, knowing what a driver is doing is critical. Having a GPS tracking system is certainly a first step to ensuring safe driving speeds and driver accountability. And, unlike some other technologies, GPS tracking for trucks is very affordable.

Costs are certainly of great concern to every trucking company. Fuel, collections, driver compensation, government regulations, and driver retention all contribute to the strains on the budgets of trucking firms. There are some interesting solutions on the market for automating billing and collections in the trucking market. This primarily focuses on the joining of networks to facilitate payment and discrepancy resolutions. This is certainly an area worth investigating. One major carrier eliminated the need for several people in his billing market by joining one of these networks. Of course, when it comes to cost reduction, GPS tracking for your trucking fleet is an incredibly easy option. ROI for a system is generally achieved in less than 6 months. Fuel and labor costs drop dramatically when GPS tracking is placed on a fleet of trucks and driver behaviour improves.

Efficiency can be achieved a number of ways. I'm sure you are already expecting me to say that GPS tracking is of great benefit here as well. Of course it is! This might be where the GPS tracking solutions for trucking fleets shines the brightest. Being able to manage the routing and details of your trucking fleet in real time leads to incredible savings with very little outlay of capital.

Finally, I heard a significant amount of discussion regarding government regulations on the trucking industry. The desire to reduce pollutants and greenhouse gasses is very popular throughout the world. That being said, from what I heard, I have to commend the trucking industry and the diesel engine manufacturers for the progress they have made. Diesel truck engines being manufactured today are cleaner burning than ever before. In addition to truck engine technology, tire manufacturers are producing tires that "stick" on the road less. Less "stick" for tires results in greater fuel economy for trucks.

I continue to be impressed by the quality of the individuals in the trucking market and their desire to make America a better, safer, cleaner, and more profitable country. I am glad our GPS tracking solutions are a significant part of the solution bank.

Keep trucking and tracking,

Steven Van Ooyen

Chief Technology Officer

Track What Matters

Cargo Thefts Cost Billions

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:09:00 +0000

An article published yesterday in the Dallas Morning news (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/092308dnmetcargothefts.1847711.html), details the extreme cost of cargo theft. The article stated that the FBI estimates $15-30 BILLION dollars are being stolen yearly in cargo hijacking.

In this article, the author talks about how thieves stake out distribution centers and execute planned heists. These are sophisticated criminals taking hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yesterday, one of our fleet GPS tracking customers called to let us know one of their trucks had been taken by a rouge employee. As a result of having our GPS tracking system for their fleet, they were able to locate and retrieve their truck later in the day. It took a call to the police, but in the end, the truck was at the company's shop at the end of the night.

$50,000 worth of equipment and truck that was retrieved rather than lost for good all because they had installed a GPS tracking system.

Take Hold of Hidden Profits - Track What Matters to YOU!

Steven Van Ooyen
Chief Technology Officer
Track What Matters

Palmetto Saves $7,500 on One Truck!

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:24:00 +0000

If your GPS tracking system isn't easy to use, you won't use it! However, when your tracking system is easy to use, and can be customized to meet your needs, you will realize fantastic savings!

Consider Palmetto State Transportation.

Palmetto State Transportation, in Greenville, NC, wanted to be certain the GPS tracking system they purchased would meet all of their needs. Partnering with Track What Matters, the team at Palmetto was able to determine their needs by testing with a single unit. Track What Matters implemented their requested features to make certain the system would work for them.

When Palmetto installed their first unit, they discovered that one of their trucks was idling for over 6 hours a day! At the time, diesel was at $4.79 per gallon. With an average consumption of 1 gallon per idling hour, that's a cost of $28.74 in wasted fuel every working day. By simply talking to the driver and making him aware of the situation, Palmetto has been able to reduce the operation cost of that single vehicle by approximately $7,000 net per year. Since then, they have equipped the rest of the fleet.

Steven Van Ooyen

Chief Technology Officer

** $28.74 * 22 working days * 12 months per year = $7,587.36

The Savings You Are Missing

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:22:00 +0000

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

We all know this phrase and have heard it many times. Each week, we talk to a number of people who are considering GPS tracking for their fleets. Unfortunately, a number of these companies fail to "drink" from the GPS fleet tracking well. We can explain all of the benefits to these customers, but until they embrace the numbers for themselves, we cannot help them save the money that is there for the saving.

According to AAA, the national average price for regular unleaded is $3.962/gallon. That hurts! What hurts worse is the diesel price of $4.792/gallon. This seems to be all everyone is talking about. So, what does this have to do with GPS Fleet Tracking?

That's simple. Short of discontinuing your business, tracking your fleet with GPS is the quickest way to reduce fuel costs. GPS fleet tracking allows you to set rules for your fleet and enforce them! People simply drive differently when they know they are being tracked. Thus, fleet managers and owners are able to reduce their overall consumption with very little outlay of capital.

Consider these example calculations for a typical GPS fleet tracking scenario:

1 fleet of tractor/trailers with 20 trucks

The trucks each travel an average of 3,333 miles per month

The trucks average 8 miles per gallon

Thus, the trucks require approximately 417 gallons of diesel per month

At today's price, that's a fuel cost of $1,996.47 per month

The cost of a fleet GPS tracking unit, per vehicle, averaged out for a year, is $62.36/month for the first year. The second year, it is just $39.95/month.

Our customers frequently report decreased fuel costs of 15% monthly. In this scenario, that would mean that the fuel savings, which would be $299.47 per month, would exceed the first year GPS tracking cost by $237.11. For just the first year, that's a net savings of $2,845.33!!! Multiply that by 20 and you get a net annual savings for the entire fleet of $56,906.60. That would find a great Christmas party!

A year ago, this calculation for using GPS tracking on this fleet would have net a savings of $1,438.18 per truck and a total fleet savings of $28.736.60.

This further reiterates the importance of adding GPS tracking to your fleet.

One more example of how GPS tracking can decrease the fuel costs for your fleet. On a demonstration unit we recently had installed in a fleet, the driver of the truck involved was idling the vehicle for as much as 5 hours a day. Since a tractor burns a gallon of diesel per hour, that added up to a cost of $23.96 per day in unnecessary fuel consumption! Just by telling the driver that this was an issue and that it was being monitored, the driver cut his idling time to less than an hour each day. That is an instant savings of $19.17 per day by simply adding GPS tracking to the fleet. Oh, and for the year, that single truck with GPS tracking, will save $4.984.20. And that does not even include the potential savings with reduced mileage, reduced labor, and improved capitalization on opportunities!

The expense of operating any fleet has almost doubled in the last year do to fuel costs. GPS tracking of your fleet is the only real way to make immediate impacts. The comparative outlay of capital is peanuts compared to the savings your fleet can achieve. In the examples above, the ROI is achieved in the first month!

I cannot think of a better investment or a more clear investment that can have this kind of impact on your bottom line.

Take care and consider calling your congressman to get the government doing something other than taxing us!

Steven Van Ooyen

Chief Technology Officer

Demand Internet Based GPS Tracking Software

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:20:00 +0000

What sets apart some GPS Tracking Systems from others is primarily the software. GPS tracking software bridges the gap between the GPS tracking units installed in your vehicles with the user interface you use on your computer to track your vehicles.

GPS tracking software comes in 2 major forms. The oldest is software installed on your PC. This type of software requires the user to install the software via a CD or download on a single or multiple computers. The user can only use the machines on which the software is installed. Often, companies that require installation of software on a PC will require software licenses in addition to GPS tracking service fees. All in all, the idea of requiring software to be installed on PCs is no good.

The second, and best option is Internet based, online-only GPS tracking software. This type of software requires the GPS tracking software user to login to a website where the GPS tracking application is served. Software that is operated from a remote server with no software to install on the user's PC or Mac is called an Application Service Provider model. GPS tracking software run from a server gives users the best possible situation. There is no GPS tracking software to install, the latest of the GPS tracking software is always available for every customer, and you do not every have to worry about waiting for downloads.

Insist on your GPS tracking software being served completely from the Internet and available on any of the major browsers. These should include Internet Explorer, Safari (Mac), and Firefox.

Steven Van Ooyen

CTO - Track What Matters

Locked Doors Keep Honest People Honest?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:19:00 +0000

I remember hearing this statement from my neighbor when I was a kid. For some reason, it struck a chord with me and has stuck with me for at least 2 decades. It is a very true statement. If you think about it, windows are easily broken and most of our doors can be easily broken down with a little force. So, we really aren't keeping the criminals out if they really wish to get into our houses or businesses. At least not most houses and businesses. So, it is the "honest" people that benefit from the locked doors. If thievery is easy, honest people are more likely to take part.

Take simple workplace theft. Each year, billions are lost by businesses on employee theft. This might be as simple as pens and paper clips or as expensive as products that walk out the door. But, consider the theft of time. I had a GPS Tracking customer this week tell me of an employee that was driving his truck on a 200 mile delivery. The truck driver, who wasn't aware he was being tracked with a concealed GPS tracking system, stopped multiple times on the delivery route to take naps. One of the stops cost the company a truck battery. Another stop resulted in the truck's alternator needing to be replaced. The worst part was the driver's shipment was 7 hours late and the company was forced to eat a delivery charge.

This company now knows the truth about this driver's work ethic and they have a choice to make. Do they tell their drivers about the GPS Tracking they are putting on their fleet of trucks? Do they keep their GPS Tracking concealed from their truck drivers until they have been able to understand the patterns they are trying to fight?

Eventually, I think it is a good idea to let employees know that GPS tracking has been installed in the company fleet of trucks, cars, etc... When employees know they are being tracked by the fleet manager or owners, the employees, who we hope are "honest" people, will respond as "honest" people and respect the company's time and property. The other option for the employees is for them not to show themselves as "honest". Either way, GPS tracking will tell you the truth.

Steven Van Ooyen

CTO - Track What Matters

GPS Tracking to reduce labor costs for fleets?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:16:00 +0000

I've talked to more fleet managers and company owners than I can count. Though fuel costs are a big issue for all, labor costs have been a bigger issue than I had originally imagined. GPS Tracking of company vans and trucks allows these company owners and managers to virtually eliminate costs from unauthorized employee activities. GPS Truck Tracking allows employers to know where their people are, when they arrive at their destination, and when they leave.

Let's consider a few examples:

One of my favorite customers owns a catering company. For a long time, she has suspected that one of her delivery truck drivers was wasting time and burning more fuel than was reasonable. So, she added GPS Tracking to her truck. The first day after getting her GPS Tracking unit installed, she was able to monitor her driver stopping at home for 30 minutes while on delivery run. Imagine if that happens every day in a 5 day week. That's 2.5 hours per week. If that driver makes just $10 per hour and you expect 50 weeks of work, that means that employee could cost $1,250 annually. So, once the problem was corrected, her investment in GPS Truck Tracking was recouped in about 5-6 months. Figure in fuel savings on top of that, and the ROI is complete in about 2-3 months.

Another customer was having issues with one truck driver that had a fuel bill that was 4 times the cost of the other trucks in the fleet. The driver's actions were costing the company as much or more than $11,000 each year. In this case, GPS Tracking paid for itself in the first month. The same GPS Tracking solution ensured that the timesheets from this employee and the others are now correct. (ok - this is a fuel issue, but it was incredibly crazy)

An HVAC company I talked to was having issues with employees reporting time incorrectly. GPS Truck Tracking allows the owner to know when the employees are done with their day. He suspected that he was losing at least 2 hours a week for each employee. At a rate of $35/hour, that works out to $3,500 per year per tracked vehicle. Being able to verify the time the employees leave allows for a savings that recoups the GPS Tracking costs for a year in less than 3 months.

These simple numbers show why every company with a fleet can benefit from GPS Tracking of their trucks, cars, vans, etc... The process is simple and the payoffs are potentially huge. With every fleet owner I have talked to, none feel that they are losing money from paying for GPS Tracking. I can't think of any other industry where that can be said.

Trust your instincts about your company's employees, they are probably correct.

Steven Van Ooyen

CTO - Track What Matters

Why not use my GSP Cell Phone to Track?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:07:00 +0000

One of the most common questions we receive when talking to customers is "Why wouldn't I just use my cell phones to track my company vehicles?". This is a valid question that I completely understand. Since most people and companies already carry cell phones, there is a natural attraction.

The problems with cell phones for tracking company cars and trucks are numerous. Of course, it depends on the needs of the customer.

First, for most companies, their assets are in the vehicle that is being tracked. Unfortunately, you cannot count on a cell phone being in a car, truck, or van. So, if the vehicle is stolen, there is nothing in place to track it.

A second issue is cell phone battery life. It is incumbent on the driver to keep the cell phone charged. If all of our drivers were reliable enough to keep their phones charged, we wouldn't be talking about this!

Third, the cell phone can be undermined in the sense that it can be put in a toolbox disabling the signal.

Fourth, the cell phones do not allow you to track idling, ignition starts/stops, or allow for things like starter disabling.

The great benefits to a wired-in device are related to reliability and features. With a wired device, you always know the device is on the job. You also get the benefits of a having access to vehicle information.

Steven Van Ooyen

CTO - Track What Matters

Beer Run in a School Bus!

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:05:00 +0000

Sometimes potentially tragic things are just a little comical. I think that is the case when discussing a particular school bus driver in Red Oak, Texas. You can read more about this story at
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/021108dnmetbusdriverdrink.afbf778d.html. The essence of the problem is that the driver, after dropping off a group of kids at a tennis tournament, took the school bus, went to a nearby convenience store, and purchased beer. Fortunately, the bus driver never returned to pick the kids up. A concerned parent notified authorities of the whereabouts of the school bus driver. As you can imagine, the superintendent was a little upset.

This is one of the easiest arguments for tracking school buses with GPS units that I have ever heard of! Imagine if the entire Red Oak School District bus fleet were outfitted with GPS tracking units. In such a case, every driver would know that their whereabouts are being tracked at all times. Though one might be crazy enough to still do as this guy, it is highly unlikely that they ever would. Certainly not if they intended to stay employed with the school district.

The best news, and the only reason this is comical, in this instance is that the driver never came back to drive those kids home.

One way to combat this in the future is under development at SchoolBusRoster.com.

Keep safe and healthy!
Steven Van Ooyen

CTO - Track What Matters

Tracking Sex Offenders with GPS

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:41:00 +0000

One of the most disturbing, if not the most disturbing, crimes in our society is the sexual predator. Most heinous of course is the pedophile. I've been researching the existing GPS tracking for sex offenders over the last few days and have found many disturbing and some interesting things.

The disturbing things didn't necessarily surprise me. Consider these facts taken from the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault website (http://www.taasa.org/sex_offenders/default.php).

Registered sex offenders represent only a small portion of the actual sex offenders living in our communities. Research has shown the majority of individuals who abuse sexually will not end up in the criminal justice system.3

Sex offenders are an extremely heterogeneous mixture and do not fit into a standard profile but fall into numerous categories, from the voyeur, exhibitionist, statutory offender, incest offender, the pedophile, the rapists, the sexual sadist, sexual murderers, to the Sexually Violent Predator (SVP).

Persons who abuse sexually are male and female and come from all socioeconomic and racial groups. Most sex offending begins during adolescence. Typology categories should be used with extreme caution because many sex offenders crossover to different victims and can fall into multiple categories.

I am conservative in regards to most things politically, socially, and economically. I abhor the increase of government control in the taxpayer's life. I strongly support the right to bear arms for more than just hunting, and I dislike the idea of the government being able to track a citizen's movements. However, given the empirical data available with regard to sex offenders, I believe there is a place for tracking sex offenders via GPS. Do a search for "Sex offender statistics". You just might be amazed.

The interesting thing to me is the view of TAASA towards GPS tracking. On their website, the TAASA disagrees with the effectiveness of GPS as a deterrent to sexually predatorily activity. This is about the only point on which I disagree with the group. (You can find their well presented article about "Jessica's Law" at http://www.taasa.org/latest_news/jessicas_law.php.) While I understand their point that GPS tracking might give someone a false sense of security about a sexual predator's behavior, there are still positive benefits to having sex offenders tracked. For instance, even if a GPS unit does not prevent a crime as the crime could happen in a location where the offender is expected to be, the GPS records could prove that the perpetrator was at the location of the crime. This would improve the opportunity of convicting the offender. Additionally, it is quite possible that a sexual predator that preys on children he or she does not know will be deterred from frequenting locations that might be tempting such as schools, parks, and other kid-friendly locations. It could also give authorities a head start finding the victim and offender once a crime is reported.

The positives of tracking sex offenders with GPS are obvious to me. However, the sited drawback is the cost. That is an easily solved problem. MAKE THE OFFENDER PAY FOR THE MONITORING! The choice could be very simple and is given in some instances to convicted DWI offenders. 1. Go to jail. 2. Pay for monitoring. The other obstacle is that GPS can be disabled or have issues. This is true. It is not a perfect technology. However, it is possible, with the use of vehicle tracking as a secondary option, that offenders who use their cars can still be caught.

I know the problem is very complex and there is no singular solution. But, given the seriousness, the empirical data, and the opportunity to protect our children, it has to be considered.

Keep safe,

Steven Van Ooyen

CTO - Track What Matters

Tracking Employees in Your Vehicles

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:33:00 +0000

It was brought to my attention this week that I haven't talked much, if any, about the benefits of GPS tracking for fleets. Well, I can't argue with that. So, let me tell you a story we recently heard.

A local company installed a GPS tracking system and told their drivers about it. Of course, the drivers knew that completely disconnecting the device would send an alert to management. So, they did not dare to do that. Instead, this pair of less-than-highly-motivated employees purchased a large magnet and placed that magnet over the GPS antenna. Unfortunately for these 2 employees, their little scheme failed to disable the GPS unit and it was discovered that the pair was simply leaving the office daily and parking. I hope their card games (or whatever they did to occupy that time) were worth their pentions. Both were 4 years from getting a full retirement.

Anyone who has managed people, white collar or blue collar, knows that employees often look for ways to improve their own situation at the expense of the company. Whether it is employee theft, endless hours of solitaire on the PC, or taking a company vehicle somewhere it should not go, companies lose an unbelievable amount of money yearly do to lack of productivity and theft. One article I found states that employee theft of small businesses totals $40 billion yearly. The same article states that 30% or workers in America will steal at some time in their careers. Wow! Anyone have 3 or more employees?

I've had employees working for me consistently over the last 14 years. During that time, I have never had an employee that was free of the need for supervision. The great thing about GPS tracking is that, for the most part, it can be used for numerous legitimate reasons other than just ensuring your employees are where they say they are. With the added benefits of fuel cost reductions, route verification, mileage logging, and more, loss of morale that might arise from the installation of a GPS fleet tracking system can be completely avoided.

We would all like to think that our employees are upstanding citizens who would never steal or cheat us out of money. If that is true for you, you have beaten the odds. But, chances are, if you knew the whole truth, you might find otherwise. So, we can take our chances or take control.

Take care,

Steven Van Ooyen

CTO

GPS School Bus Tracking

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Van Ooyen) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:23:00 +0000

Imagine having responsibility for the lives of over 3,000 students every day. That's what the transportation superintendants of major school districts deal with every day. School buses are on our roads every day of the week. Whether it is the day-to-day routes or field trips, superintendants carry that responsibility along with the drivers. As a result of crashes, close calls, and fatalities, as well as simply overlooking a student left on a bus, a number of safety restrictions have been mandated by the states and federal government.

One item that has yet to be mandated is what we believe to be the new future of bus safety. That is school bus tracking using GPS. While commercial fleets track vehicles on a regular basis, schools have been slower to adopt the technology. Cost is the first, and obvious obstacle. But, once you get beyond that, there are few reasons to not adapt this technology. Take into consideration the following:

School buses are required to remain under 50 MPH at all times. This is for the safety of the children. Reducing speed has long been proven to less the opportunity and result of accidents. GPS bus tracking gives instant feedback when speed limits are exceeded.

Since school buses carry our most precious cargo, it is imperative to monitor the drivers of those buses to ensure the bus is going where it should be and when it should be going there. When talking with school administrators, we repeatedly hear stories of drivers, whether fulltime or part time, taking unapproved trips or routes in the school buses. This not only has the opportunity to endanger the lives of the children but also leaves the school district and administrators open to legal action. GPS bus tracking with Track What Matters solves this problem by providing accountability to the drivers. Though some might want to catch offenders, I'd rather inhibit the bad behavior so that it never happens.

The school bus fleets we have spoken with are required to maintain a tight schedule and be there when expected. GPS Tracking of buses can solve at least two problems here. First, if a driver has a habit of tardiness or even leaving stops early, GPS Tracking with TMW would allow you to see this. On the other hand, if a driver is doing as they should and running as required, GPS bus tracking allows supervisors to vindicate their drivers and reason with mistaken parents.

Safety is the most important thing in the transportation of children. Tracking buses with GPS and letting the drivers know about it produces driver accountability and therefore is a deterrent to bad driving.

The worst case scenario I can imagine, beyond a horrific crash, is a bus of children being taken off route in a malicious way. I sincerely hope, if this ever happens, that a GPS bus tracking unit is present on the vehicle allowing for quick location of the vehicle by the authorities.

I usually don't "advertise" in my blogging since it is really just my opinions and the stating of facts. But, this time I think it is worth it. The cause of bus tracking resonates with me very deeply. Parents put their trust in the drivers of buses daily. But, the fact is that not every driver will always do as they should. Our device, network, and software is designed to mitigate these risks in an economical and unobtrusive manner. GPS bus tracking offers a wide array of benefits (I didn't even talk about the benefits for dispatch and the like) and our cost is very reasonable, especially when compared to some other systems.

If you are an administrator, I hope you consider tracking your buses using our GPS Tracking System. If you are a parent, you might strongly consider a discussion with your school board regarding GPS bus tracking. I don't think you will find a great amount of resistance from those administrators who have taken on this great responsibility.

Keep them safe and well

Steven Van Ooyen

CTO - Track What Matters