The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recently released its annual report of holiday automobile thefts that occurred in 2016. The report included 11 major holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Valentine’s Day
- President’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Day
- New Year’s Eve
That’s not all the report reveals. It also reports on the daily rates of theft for each month, and rates the highest and lowest occurrences of vehicle thefts for 2016.
One interesting note is that this report reveals the five states with the biggest vehicle theft problem. They are:
- California
- Texas
- Florida
- Washington
- Georgia
One surprising bit of information is that while there is typically an uptick around the holidays, there are three holidays where vehicle theft trends down: Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. Looks like quality time with significant others and time spent with family does help to deter crime.
In fact, Christmas Day had the fewest incidents of car theft of any day in 2016, reporting only 1,664 thefts that day compared to a daily average for the year of 2,196. It appears that thieves aren’t overly fond of frigid temperatures as the remaining two lowest days of the year with thefts reports were March 27, 2016 when thieves absconded with 1,746 vehicles and February 28, 2016 when 1,759 cars were stolen.
Halloween was the biggest holiday for car theft, which makes sense as many people choose this night to go joyriding as pranks. It was not, however, the biggest day of the year for car thefts. That prize goes to August 1, 2016 when 2,840 cars were reported stolen. The second and third highest vehicle theft days go to October 17, 2016 with 2,650 vehicles reported stolen and July 1, 2016 when 2,671 vehicles were reported stolen.
While it’s good to know which holidays and times of year vehicle thefts tend to be on the rise, it’s important to be diligent daily and defend your vehicles. If your vehicle is stolen, using GPS car tracking can help you locate it quickly.
- Don’t leave your running car unattended – a common occurrence in winter when people warm vehicles before venturing outside.
- Park in your garage when possible. Out of sight is out of mind.
- Install GPS tracking in your vehicle to assist with a swift recovery if it is stolen.
Small changes in your routine, like these, can help you protect your investment in your vehicle.
The men and women who drive in your fleet not only help your business make money, but they also serve as ambassadors for your business by representing your name and your brand every time they are on the road. It’s important to hire the best of the best who will do great things for your company and represent your name well. These tips will help you hire the best truck drivers for your fleet in 2018 and beyond.
- Conduct Interviews in Person
While the information age makes phone and Skype interviews possible, nothing yet replaces the ability to look someone in the eye to gauge them as a person you’d want to have on your team.
- Verify Licenses and Certifications
While you want to trust the men and women you’re considering hiring, these people will represent your business. It’s good to trust, but verify, for the sake of your business.
- Incentivize Safe Driving
Excellent driving skills are necessary for truck drivers, but that doesn’t mean that drivers always exercise the greatest care when they are out of sight. GPS fleet tracking allows you to track driver behavior so you can reward good drivers while taking corrective or disciplinary actions with those who are not driving safely.
- Review Work History
Confirm the work history of drivers and check their references. This is just one more way you can cover your business if something occurs down the road. You don’t want to have missed something important, like a completely falsified work history.
- Search for Criminal History
You can’t afford to hire drivers with histories of theft from employers and other criminal charges that could reflect poorly on your business. While you may not be interested in arrests made for college pranks, stealing from former employers is a red flag you’ll want to know about before you hire new drivers rather than after.
- Invest in Driver Health
Healthy drivers are good for business. It’s as simple as that. Driver health is important and good health can result in fewer accidents, lower absentee rates, and reduced instances of driver fatigue. Driving is a demanding job that leaves men and women spending a lot of time seated, investing in good health programs that get them on their feet and out of their seats when possible is a great way to boost your business and keep good drivers lining up to work for your fleet.
- Keep a Good Reputation
Your reputation isn’t only important to customers. If your goal is to have the best drivers working for you then you need to make sure you develop a reputation for treating your drivers well. Use social media and request that your drivers say a few good words about your organization from time to time as well.
- Offer Abundant Time at Home
Drivers and their families give up a lot when drivers spend a great deal of time on the road. It’s not an easy life. Giving them plenty of time at home can improve their mental health, their physical health, and their happiness working for you. This reduces turnover and helps boost your reputation.
- Recruit Military Veterans
Hiring military veterans is not only good for business, but it can earn your business tax credits too. It will boost your reputation with customers and drivers alike while giving deserving men and women an opportunity to earn for their families upon returning to civilian life.
- Test Practical and Mechanical Skills
While it is essential to be certain your drivers have the practical skills behind the wheel to get the job done, they also need to possess some basic diesel mechanics skills too if they are driving long hauls for your fleet. Testing both allows you to put your drivers on the road with confidence that they can handle most situations that will come their way.
The snow removal industry involves a lot of different businesses. Whether you are in the business of plowing city streets under contract, if you work with area businesses to remove snow from parking lots and sidewalks, if you work with individual homeowners to blow snow from drive and walkways, or if local housing communities hire you to handle their roads when winter weather strikes, a lot of people are counting on you to remove snow and ice, so they can drive, walk, and play safely.
These are a few ways GPS fleet tracking can benefit your snow removal industry business.
Avoid Route Redundancies
No matter how many trucks you have running routes for you, the last thing you want to do is have route redundancies that cost precious fuel and run your labor costs through the roof. No matter how carefully you calculate, human error can be a problem when planning routes by hand and trying to coordinate with multiple drivers in different parts of the county. Using GPS tracking for salt trucks eliminates the possibility of human error and route redundancies so that you have the coverage you need without having areas that get a little extra love from snow plows.
Ensures No Roads are Left Unplowed
Just as you want to make sure you avoid having two plows working the same roads, you want to make sure that you’re getting all the roads you’re supposed to cover without leaving some of them out in the cold and dark.
Prioritize Which Roads Get Plowed First
While it would be nice if all roads were equal and received equal love from snow removal trucks and plows, the truth is that some roads are more critical to local infrastructure than others. For instance, it is key to make ensure that roads leading to major hospitals and medical centers are plowed well and often when snowstorms strike. It is also critical to cover major commercial roadways that fuel the city. GPS fleet tracking allows you to prioritize which roads get plowed first in a matter of seconds, something that could take more than a few precious minutes if routing by hand.
Plan Efficient Routes
Fuel costs money – as do the men and women braving ice and snow to drive the plows. GPS tracking for snow plows allows your business to plan highly efficient routes that conserve fuel and labor while ensuring that all the required roadways are cleared in a reasonable amount of time.
GPS fleet tracking can’t solve all the problems snow removal businesses, like yours, face, but they can help you prioritize and schedule routes quickly while allowing you to maximize your fuel-efficiency to cut costs while meeting the needs of your customers. It doesn’t get much better than that.
If you own or manage a snow removal business, reach out to us here at LiveViewGPS to learn more about GPS fleet tracking for your business. 1-888-544-0494
