Time is indeed money, which is why fleet managers need to use effective methods to protect them from time theft by drivers. Without oversight, you are at the mercy of drivers taking long lunches, running personal errands and moonlighting.

Types of Time Theft

Taking a long lunch and doing personal errands are at the minor end of the scale when it comes to time theft. That isn’t to say it doesn’t add up, especially if you have a large number of drivers in your fleet.

But more serious is moonlighting, using your trucks and gear to perform jobs on the side. This is especially troublesome because it sets your company up for liability issues, which is potentially more costly than the theft involved. Read the rest of this entry »

Feral pigs are getting their comeuppance with the use of high-tech GPS tracking and thermal imagery equipment. The pigs range over the southwest part of Australia, rooting up the land.

The pigs cause major problems for the diverse ecosystem in this part of the continent by digging up soil in order to find food like tubers, rhizomes, roots and fungal fruiting bodies, like mushrooms, and small animals. A recent study showed that the pigs disturbed almost 13 tons of soil in one forest over the course of a year.

The feral pigs, just like their domestic cousins, will eat just about anything. This includes dead meat and live prey like reptiles, turtle eggs, small mammals, and bird chicks that nest in the ground. Read the rest of this entry »

Basic types of GPS tracking devices for vehicles help drivers get directions and monitor locations. This is useful, but the advanced features available in fleet GPS tracking and management software take the benefits for your company to the next level. This technology can help you save money on equipment costs, fuel labor, maintenance and security.

Here is a closer look at how GPS capability can improve your bottom line.

Reduce Security Risks

The tracking capability of GPS software lets you monitor where each vehicle is at all times and track activity around your vehicles. It is easier to recover stolen trucks and minimize their unauthorized use.

Improve Safety

With GPS devices installed on vehicles in your fleet, you can check when drivers are speeding. Just knowing that their behavior is being monitored keeps drivers more aware of following speed limits and other rules of the road. Read the rest of this entry »

Researchers have successfully tracked the movements of wild parrots in New Zealand using GPS telemetry, according to an article The Auk, published by the American Ornithologists’ Union.

The Purpose of the Study

The goal was to understand now the Kea, officially known as Nestor notabilis, behave, what migratory routes they use and when they interact with humans. Researchers were able to tell what they ate and when, and how they spent their time.

Prior to the use of GPS tracking technology, scientists found it very difficult to track parrots because they are naturally curious and refuse to follow completely standard routes. Read the rest of this entry »

GPS tracking technology is making is possible to find missing soldiers in the middle of nowhere. A Limerick, Ireland company has developed a tiny, but extremely accurate tracking unit that can be stitched into a soldier’s uniform.

What makes it so accurate is the fact that each unit can access an array of satellites, owned by the U.S., Russia and European countries, instead of just one satellite. Since the unit is wearable, it goes where the soldier goes.

The Israeli army is also considering embedding GPS in uniforms. They goal is to track the movements of soldiers in real time and help reduce the problem of injuries and death from friendly fire.

Power Innovations

The British military is also investigating solar-powered uniforms that get their energy from the sun and from the soldier’s body at night. Read the rest of this entry »