The brightly colored bicycles on Google’s Mountain View campus are a symbol of the company and its commitment to its employees. Intended to allow employees to easily move freely about the large complex, the bikes are supposed to be a company perk.

Lately, though, many people living in the community are viewing them as a symbol of a company failing to do enough to prevent their theft. Especially as more and more of these bicycles are being found dumped in Stevens Creek.

It is obvious that someone is stealing the bicycles and intentionally dumping them in the creek, though no one is sure why this is happening. How bad has the problem become?

According to 9to5Google, the bicycles are disappearing at a rate of between 100 and 250 per week. They have been spotted in a variety of locations over time, including local lawns, hotspot rooftops, and other locations.

The problem with bicycles landing in the creek was one that received the ire of many local residents who felt Google wasn’t taking the situation seriously or doing enough to prevent these thefts. The more bicycles began showing up in the creek bed the louder the voices of dissent became.

This led to Google tacking action in the form of installing GPS tracking devices on the bicycles. Doing this allows Google employees to recover the bicycles themselves, even if they are in a creek or river.

In addition to using GPS tracking technology, which has been highly beneficial in helping to recover stolen bicycles, the company is adding staff to help patrol for and pick up these missing bikes. In fact, Yahoo! Finance reported that Google hired 30 new contractors for the sole purpose of recovering these bicycles that were found in the community.

Another technology Google is testing to help secure these bicycles is installing locks that only Google employees can unlock using their mobile phones. It is the combination of the three that will net impressive results.

GPS tracking can help by establishing geofences and alerting staff members whenever the bicycles leave the campus – and by providing real-time location services to aid in their recovery. The locks will help prevent thefts in the first place, and a dedicated staff to retrieve the bikes will eliminate the “litter” problem the bikes are creating throughout the area.

Salt supply companies play critical roles in keeping city streets, neighborhood roads, homes, and businesses free of ice during the worst of winter weather. Of course, you do more than that. You ensure that water is softened, animals are fed, and food tastes wonderful in homes and restaurants across the country.

You play important roles in the lives of Americans every day. What you may not know, though, is that GPS fleet tracking can help your salt supply company accomplish more while spending less. These are just a few ways your salt supply business can benefit by using GPS fleet tracking.

Create Routes that Maximize Deliveries

The best way to improve your bottom line is to make more deliveries in less time. This helps to reduce your labor costs and saves your company big. More importantly, it means you may be able to operate with fewer vehicles on the road which can reduce your fuel and maintenance costs while leaving you plenty of room to add new customers your roster.

Automate Maintenance Scheduling

Maintenance is important for all trucks. There is no doubt about that. Salt trucks, though, may require a little more careful monitoring to ensure escaping salt isn’t doing undue damage to your vehicles. GPS fleet tracking systems can automate the scheduling of maintenance. It may not seem like that big of a deal at first glance, but this ensures that vehicles are getting proper maintenance and it takes that responsibility off someone else’s plate within your organization freeing up their time for more productive pursuits.

Prioritizing Routes During Critical Shortages

There have been winters in the past when the salt supply simply didn’t meet the demand of excessive winter weather. While these times are rare, they are also times when important decisions must be made about how to prioritize delivery of salt. GPS fleet tracking can do that for you – ensuring that critical routes and thoroughfares get the precious salt deliveries.

Reduce Insurance Rates

Through wind, sleet, and driving snow; salt deliveries must be made. Insurance companies understand this and are happy to charge accordingly. However, if you have GPS fleet tracking, they are also willing to extend substantial discounts to your fleet – up to 15 percent. They also understand that GPS tracking impacts how your drivers behave behind the wheel, increase the odds of recovering stolen vehicles, and provide accurate records of the event to provide as evidence if lawsuits arise as a result of an accident.

Your salt supply company has a lot to think about at all times of the year. GPS fleet tracking can help take some of those things off your plate, so you can focus on building bigger profits in every season.

Do you own or manage a salt supply fleet? If so, give us a call here at LiveViewGPS at 1-888-544-0494 to learn more about how GPS fleet tracking can improve your bottom line.

GPS fleet tracking can provide a few winter-weather benefits you might not be banking. These are bonus benefits, if you will, that can help your fleet break important barriers when it comes to profit, customer satisfaction, customer retention, safety, and more.

These are a few of the key benefits you’ll want to consider when deciding if GPS fleet tracking is the right choice for your business this winter.

1. Improved Fleet Maintenance

No one wants to be stranded on the side of the road when the wind chill dips below zero waiting for a repairman to come take care of a maintenance-related issue. GPS fleet tracking helps you stay on top of all your vehicle maintenance needs so that this is a far less likely scenario for your drivers this winter.

2. Reduced Idling Time

As a fleet owner or manager, you control the areas you want to focus on to reduce fuel costs and improve efficiency. Idling time is a good area to review and GPS fleet tracking systems can help you monitor which drivers are the worst offenders and notify you whenever any driver’s idle time exceeds a certain amount of time so corrective measures may be taken.

3. Synchronized Local Routes with Snow Plows

Not only will this help you improve the safety of your drivers on the road, but it also helps to reduce vehicle congestion on roads that aren’t exactly safe for driving. This allows you to make necessary deliveries without increasing your risks at the same time.

4. Tracked Vehicles in Real Time

Not only does this allow you to know where your drivers are for the purpose of dispatch, but it also means you can locate your drivers quickly if they happen to break down or are involved in accidents during the brutally cold winter months. Fast service is sometimes essential for the safety of your drivers as well as the cargo they are carrying.

5. Safer Driving

Winter months are filled with risks. You can set up alerts through your GPS fleet tracking system to notify you instantly if your drivers are driving aggressively, speeding, swerving, etc. in company vehicles. This allows to address these dangerous behaviors before someone gets hurt.

These are big advantages your business can enjoy by incorporating GPS fleet tracking in all your fleet vehicles this winter. Together they make for a safer work environment, reduce insurance claims, and help you improve profits. There’s a lot to love about that.

Call us here at LiveViewGPS at 1-888-544-0494 if you’re interested in implementing GPS fleet tracking for your fleet.