During certain times of year, painting companies seem to have an endless stream of work. Whether your painting company is large or small, you can enjoy many benefits by using GPS fleet tracking to help you grow your business and your profits.

Plan More Efficient Routes

The right routing can not only help you save money on fuel, but can allow you to work more jobs into your busy days. This is especially the case when your employees know they are being monitored and have added incentive to get jobs done quickly and efficiently – so they can move on to the next. This brings you bigger and better profits without spending more to accomplish your goal.

Enjoy Happier Customers

Customers want to get their homes, offices, and other projects painted quickly and with as little distraction from their normal routines as possible. Ensuring that your employees get their quickly and operate efficiently is the number one way to ensure that your customers are pleased with the work you’ve done and the results you’ve delivered.

Encourage Safer Driving

GPS systems that can monitor the real-time driving habits of your painters are outstanding tools for helping your business generate more good will from the public and keeping your drivers, vehicles, and equipment safe from accidents. Establish policies related to driving and use your fleet tracking system to monitor your drivers’ actions behind the wheel. You can even set up notices to alert you when drivers engage in certain aggressive behaviors behind the wheel that include things like:

• Speeding
• Weaving
• Swerving
• Hard Braking

These types of actions can cause accidents and generate hostility among other drivers on the road – especially if your painting company name is on the vans and trucks they’re driving.

Assist in the Recovery of Vehicles When They are Stolen

People steal vehicles for a variety of reasons and panel vans and trucks are common targets of thieves for just as many different reasons. If your vehicles are stolen, live tracking with a GPS system allows law enforcement to track and quickly recover your vehicles that have been stolen so you, and your painters, can get back to work.

Painting companies have a lot of responsibility on any given day. GPS fleet tracking for your painting business allows you to improve your profits, reduce your expenses, and keep your customers happier for less. It’s the perfect solution to build your business bigger, better, faster, and more for less.

So, what are you waiting for? If you own or manage a painting company with a fleet, give us a call at LiveViewGPS at 1-888-544-0494 to learn more about the benefits of GPS fleet tracking and fleet management.

By next week fleet customers will have to have done two things to remain legal on the road.

First, they will need to have purchased an Electronic Monitoring Device.  The second choice they have- for this week only- is “should I run in AOBRD mode or ELD mode?” What are the pros and cons of each choice?

I have been driving in both modes to test the LiveViewGPS software and have some observations.

Choose AOBRD

Pros:

AOBRD mode still allows me to make manual transitions that allow me to choose when to note the time that I’ve spent driving.

The Engine Bus Monitoring device still reports the actual Odometer reading so there is no difficulty tracking mileage driven for each trip segment

IFTA report generation is the same in AOBRD mode and saves a lot of time and clerical work.

Logs can be edited without noting every edit.

A company can switch to ELD for a new vehicle easily with no additional training.

Cons:

The only con that I observed was that you needed to remember to transition of On Duty Not Driving whenever you stop. Otherwise, an edit might be needed.

Choose ELD

Pros:

ELD is easier, you can’t make a mistake, and the app does everything in the world that I can think of for you. Remember, the HOS rules have not changed a

bit with this new legislation.

Cons:

On Duty Driving is automatically selected when the commercial vehicle exceeds 5 MPH

Drive time can’t be edited

Any edit to other time entries are noted on the device and in the portal as Edited Entries

Then By next week fleet customers will have to have done two things to remain legal on the road. First, they will need to have purchased an Electronic Monitoring Device. The second choice they have- for this week only- is “should I run in AOBRD mode or ELD mode?” What are the pros and cons of each choice? I have been driving in both mode to test the LiveViewGPS software and have some observations.

The LiveViewGPS HOS software was created for use in ELD mode (395.20) originally and has every exemption in every jurisdiction in the US and Canada available to a driver.  Several revisions ago, we had fleet owners come to us telling us that their customers wanted an AOBRD choice. We listened and made some changes to the HOS app based on their inputs. You still get all the advantages of a comprehensive software package written to the latest standards and to take advantage of the latest technology available in engine bus monitors. Fleet owners will have more flexibility and once they choose to put a vehicle into AOBRD service. They can replace that vehicle and still use it in AOBRD mode until December 2019.

The engine bus monitor is still synchronized with the HOS application and every mile driven by the commercial vehicle is still reported. Drivers can select automatic transitions at a range of speeds all the way up to 100 miles an hour, a threshold where all transitions are manual. Even if you choose an automatic transition at 25 mph, we have disabled a helpful feature that was required by the FMCSA for ELD – the automatic transition to “On Duty Not Driving” when the vehicle is stationary. This could be helpful to conserve eligible drive time for even a short stop at a railroad crossing but the driver must remember to make the transition manually in AOBRD mode.  The engine odometer reading is automatic and will be recorded in the log at any automatic or manual transition made by the driver. Border crossings automatically note odometer readings. IFTA reports will still be accurate and the LiveViewGPS app has a great way for the driver to take a picture of the fuel receipt and enter the information at the time of purchase so you avoid the headache of keeping track of small bits of paper. The truck is selected for AOBRD, not the driver. If the truck is placed into service under AOBRD rules, it can be used in this mode until December 19, 2019. Go into the settings menu on the portal, choose Equipment, and where you enter the VIN and license plate, choose ELD or AOBRD mode on a pull-down menu. Technically, new trucks added to the fleet next month will need to be in ELD mode, but “replacement” trucks can still be in AOBRD mode.

You can edit logs in either mode. In ELD mode, there is a notation made on the log and in the back-end server that this entry was edited. In ELD mode, you can edit everything but “Drive” time. In AOBRD mode, you can edit the time of manual transitions but not the automatic transitions. All edits have the edit notation suppressed in AOBRD mode allowing much more flexibility.

AOBRD Implementation with LiveViewGPS

All logs still show manual transitions versus automatic transitions.

When the vehicle is in motion, the lock screen is still in place, so the driver can’t edit on the device while the vehicle is in motion. You can still choose a screen that shows time until violation or the four clocks screen that shows daily drive time left, shift and cycle time and time until break.

Violations are not displayed in red on the logs screen for the driver. The Roadside Inspection mode is the same for both modes and we do not show violations to compliance officers highlighted in any way. The driver must enter his password before removing his device from Roadside Inspection mode.

Using LiveViewGPS, the software interface is the same in either mode, so it is easy to transition drivers when new vehicles are put in service that must comply with ELD. We worked hard to make the software easy to use and understand and we have a lot of feedback from drivers confirming that this is the best HOS application available.HOS software was created for use in ELD mode (395.20) originally and has every exemption in every jurisdiction in the US and Canada available to a driver.  Several revisions ago, we had fleet owners come to us telling us that their customers wanted an AOBRD choice. We listened and made some changes to the HOS app based on their inputs. You still get all the advantages of a comprehensive software package written to the latest standards and to take advantage of the latest technology available in engine bus monitors. Fleet owners will have more flexibility and once they choose to put a vehicle into AOBRD service. They can replace that vehicle and still use it in AOBRD mode until December 2019.

The engine bus monitor is still synchronized with the HOS application and every mile driven by the commercial vehicle is still reported. Drivers can select automatic transitions at a range of speeds all the way up to 100 miles an hour, a threshold where all transitions are manual. Even if you choose an automatic transition at 25 mph, we have disabled a helpful feature that was required by the FMCSA for ELD – the automatic transition to “On Duty Not Driving” when the vehicle is stationary. This could be helpful to conserve eligible drive time for even a short stop at a railroad crossing but the driver must remember to make the transition manually in AOBRD mode. The engine odometer reading is automatic and will be recorded in the log at any automatic or manual transition made by the driver. Border crossings automatically note odometer readings. IFTA reports will still be accurate and the LiveViewGPS app has a great way for the driver to take a picture of the fuel receipt and enter the information at the time of purchase so you avoid the headache of keeping track of small bits of paper.  The truck is selected for AOBRD, not the driver. If the truck is placed into service under AOBRD rules, it can be used in this mode until December 19, 2019. Go into the settings menu on the portal, choose Equipment, and where you enter the VIN and license plate, choose ELD or AOBRD mode on a pull-down menu. Technically, new trucks added to the fleet next month will need to be in ELD mode, but “replacement” trucks can still be in AOBRD mode.

You can edit logs in either mode. In ELD mode, there is a notation made on the log and in the back-end server that this entry was edited. In ELD mode, you can edit everything but “Drive” time. In AOBRD mode, you can edit the time of manual transitions but not the automatic transitions. All edits have the edit notation suppressed in AOBRD mode allowing much more flexibility.

Get Compliant today, Call LiveViewGPS today – 661-294-6805. Or, simply complete the form below, and we will contact you.

Mobile truck washing is big business in certain circles. However, your days can get busy quickly – especially during times of year when there is an abundant supply of road salt in the north or love bugs in the south.

With more trucking companies looking to create cleaner images to the world, mobile truck washing fleets have plenty of room for growth in the coming years. But, did you know that GPS fleet tracking can help you grow your business even faster? These are just a few great ways GPS can be used to help your truck and equipment washing fleet expand.

Plan More Efficient Routes

This alone can help your business make a lot more money that can be reinvested in expanding and growing your operations. When you plan routes that are more efficient, you can fit more customers into a day without increasing your expenses. This is great news for your business. More importantly, you might discover that more efficient routing plus the ability to monitor your drivers to ensure they stay on route (and aren’t wasting time taking care of personal business on your clock) may reduce or eliminate overtime altogether.

Improve Customer Service

When you’re working with other businesses in the same field, you have a tough audience to please. They know the struggles you face and expect you to overcome those obstacles to deliver superior customer service. Providing these customers with accurate appointment windows for their truck and equipment washing each and every time is one of the most important ways you can deliver superior customer service time and time again. GPS fleet tracking can help you with that by diverting your drivers away from traffic problems, finding the fastest routes, and planning routes that are more efficient throughout the day.

Dress to Impress by Going Green

Additionally, using GPS fleet tracking features can help your business go green – something fleets looking to offset their heavier carbon footprints will certainly appreciate. GPS fleet tracking tools can help your business reduce idling time, eliminate unnecessary paper, and reduce fuel costs. As an added bonus, your fleet tracking system can help you stay on top of routine maintenance to help reduce your emissions too.

Now is the perfect time to take your mobile truck and equipment washing business to the next level. GPS fleet tracking for your fleet can help you get there faster and for less money than you might think.

Do you own or operate an on-site mobile truck and equipment washing fleet? If so, give us a call here at LiveViewGPS at 1-888-544-0494 to learn more about how GPS fleet tracking could benefit your business.