When it comes to obtaining return on investment (ROI) information with GPS fleet tracking technology, the lowest hanging fruit typically revolves around fuel savings by reducing speeding and idling time. Idling time can be defined as the duration of time the engine is running and the vehicle is not moving. When looking at the total idling time, the lower the amount the better right? Maybe, maybe not. To completely understand and address the idle time, we need to break it down into three segments: Idle time before the trip The idle time during the trip Idle time after the trip Check out the chart below. The majority of preventable...

Lower Your Fuel Costs With Fuel Saving Practices Businesses with fleet operations have been feeling the strain of high fuel costs for the past few years. At first, these business owners assumed they just had to get past a tough couple of years and then the fuel costs would stabilize. It is now clear that high fuel costs are here to stay. The only way to lower your fuel costs is to implement fuel-saving tips and use less fuel. Decrease Idle Times Each hour your vehicle is in idle equals approximately 25 driving miles in fuel. Unfortunately, many drivers are in the...

One of the biggest (if not the biggest) expense for fleet-based companies is fuel. And with fuel being necessary to running your business you may often think there is nothing you can do about high fuel costs. However, properly maintaining vehicles and educating your drivers are two of the best ways to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce high fuel expenses. Change Your Air Filter Up to 10% of your engine’s efficiency can be compromised and internal engine parts can be damaged from a clogged air filter. A clean air filter can improve a vehicle’s gas mileage by up to 10%, according to the federal...

Businesses with vehicles often ask, “Can I manage fuel all by myself or do I need a fuel management system?” On the business expense report, fuel accounts for 70% of variable cost. For that reason, fleet managers are paid big bucks to control fuel expenses. Fleet managers often target fuel as the #1 expense to control. What happens to fleet managers who are successful in controlling fuel costs? They get rewarded and recognized. In a list of Top 20 Fleet Managers Under 40, several managers were recognized because of their effort to manage fuel. So, let’s get started. The answer is...

Welcome back to Fuel Management System 101 – in this post, we will answer the question “How does a fuel management system work?”. Let’s start with a history lesson! Fuel management is the process of controlling fuel usage and fuel cost. Fleets have been managing fuel for many, many years. Before they used computers, fleets relied on manual controls. This mostly meant that fleets collected data through pen and paper. Then, when computers arrived, fuel management became a lot easier. Fleets used spreadsheets and ID chips to record fuel data. Of course, in today’s generation, fuel management systems became even...

Location is Everything If you need to pinpoint the location of a person, vehicle, or asset, GPS (or a global positioning system) is capable of identifying and reporting that information with the highest level of accuracy. Instead of spending several hours a day looking for something or someone, you can simply activate your ZascoGPS tracking device and receive real-time location data. The only difficult part of using one of these systems is determining where to place your tracker in order to ensure a quick recovery. Where to Place an LGPS Device Within a Vehicle With GPS tracking technology, thousands of vehicles...

What are some of the advantages of wireless temperature monitoring? Improving Customer Service Preventing Spoilage Complying with Laws Before discussing these benefits, let’s take a step back. Even before wireless temperature monitoring existed, fleets had to control the temperature to ensure food is not spoiled. Spoiled food can lead to nasty food-related illnesses. Anyone who ate spoiled food can probably relate to this video: Fleets traditionally control temperature through onboard trailer monitoring. Trailers produce temperature reports throughout the trip and these reports are reviewed afterward. This approach, unfortunately, is reactive rather than proactive. Fleets often realize issues only after the...

Fleet owners and managers are usually painfully aware of the costs associated with keeping vehicles fueled up. GPS vehicle tracking can help to identify inefficiencies in order to reduce costs. The specific fuel concerns many trackers can identify and monitor include:  Mileage per gallon  Idle times Emissions These assist fleet managers with identifying inefficient drivers, correcting bad habits, and recognizing maintenance needs for individual vehicles. By taking active control of fuel consumption and educating drivers, managers can optimize and streamline fuel costs as a segment of total fleet costs. There are also environmental benefits as less fuel consumption means less...

An insurance policy can go a long way towards protecting a business’s assets, but even the best insurance can’t tackle the issue of loss prevention before theft has occurred. Valuable asset theft is a concern for businesses of all sizes and GPS asset tracking is the first big step toward a solution. GPS tracking technology has a wide range of applications, from the vehicle and heavy machinery tracking to asset tracking for smaller valuables. Here’s a closer look at the many uses of GPS asset tracking and how it can protect your business.  GPS is the Gold Standard for Asset...

If you are a business owner or manager seeking to monitor the activity of your mobile workers, it’s important for you to first understand your rights as an employer, and those of your employees. As an employer, it is within your legal rights to ensure your workers are where they say they are, but before you begin using GPS tracking devices to monitor them, you should be aware of the potential legal issues you may encounter.  Your Rights as the Boss Employee monitoring laws may vary from state to state, so it’s important to review the laws in the state...