Thanks to the Wollondilly Council staff’s efforts, the number of koalas found in the shire has increased.

GPS tracking collars were fitted on eight koalas in Appin (Scottish West Highlands) in mid-April so council staff could track them and determine where they roam and live.

They also want to see where the koalas are crossing roads, since koalas have been killed recently when crossing roads.  Because of the high number of road kill, the councilors want to retro-fit the area so the animals can cross the road safely.

Officers also located a tagged mother koala with her baby, adult male and a juvenile male and female near Appin.

Also tracked was a koala nicknamed “Publican” which was found last year in November crossing the pedestrian crossing outside Appin pub.  Publican is now on the Wilton side after having crossed over Broughton Pass.

Council staff found and gathered up a male and female koala, which were both killed on Picton Road in two isolated accidents.

Damion Stirling, the council’s environment education officer, said they collected data to determine which areas of the road the koalas commonly crossed. According to Stirling, it concerns the councilors that there have already been three koalas killed in the same area on this same road within six months. He also mentioned another male koala being killed last year in November.

They will talk with Roads and Maritime Services once they’ve determined the hotspots and see about having floppy-top fencing installed and funneling the koalas to underpass culverts, Stirling said.

They will track the koalas for six more months, according to Stirling, and if they have a clear idea and map of the habitat of the koalas, they can use the gathered data to plan new developments.

Mr. Stirling said he would have preferred to collar more koalas, however, the allocated grant budget provided by the Office of Environment and Heritage was already spent.

He hopes to be allocated more funding due to the success of the program this year so they can collar more koalas and track them.

He’d like to broaden the program to the shire’s western fringe to track koalas in Werombi, Bargo, Thirlmere Lakes and Orangeville where they’ve already spotted koala sightings.

When your fleet operates across many state lines and jurisdictions, things can get confusing quickly when it comes to compliance. While there are federal guidelines for safety and several regulations regarding fleet operations, several states have laws that impose additional requirements on drivers.

Not only can GPS fleet tracking help you manage your fleet through multiple jurisdictions, but it can also alert you to unsafe driving practices, changing regulations across state lines, and improve compliance with local traffic laws.

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GPS fleet tracking technology is growing in popularity, and for fleet owners like you, it can help you make better use of their resources (drivers, vehicles and mobile technicians). It can also help you reduce fuel expenditures.

With GPS fleet tracking you can:

• Reduce aggressive driving (rapid acceleration, speeding and braking): According to the Department of Energy, aggressive driving wastes gas. GPS tracking can help improve fuel economy by around three percent and improve gas mileage by around 10 percent for those using it.

• Reduce unnecessary idling: Keep track of drivers who are idling excessively and change this behavior. One hour of idling uses up around a half gallon of gas.

• Reduce risk: When you can track the speed of your fleet drivers, you’re able to not only lower fuel consumption and save money, you can also reduce their risk of getting into an accident.

• Reduce vehicles required: With GPS fleet tracking, you can reduce the number of vehicles and routes required to meet your schedule needs.

GPS tracking devices can help you identify where your fleet is at all times which can help you increase fuel efficiency and make other improvements. When you’re able to identify where excessive fuel consumption is coming from, you can make the changes needed to reduce your fuel costs.

Fleet managers often use fuel cards manage and control fuel costs. Integrate your fuel card with your GPS tracking technology and have complete visibility of your fuel consumption and spend.

It can be unquestionably complicated having to generate long reports of your fuel card use. However, when you integrate your fuel card with GPS fleet tracking, you are able to integrate fuel card use and present the data you get in a simple format.

GPS fleet tracking technology provides you with the exact fuel data of just one driver or your entire fleet. You’re able to pinpoint any outright fuel theft or fuel wasting practices easily.  With GPS fleet tracking you can:

• Pinpoint exactly where high fuel consumption is taking place
• Track accurate MPG
• Enforce driving habits that save fuel
• Eliminate fuel slippage
• Reduce fuel costs
• Ensure your vehicles are running efficiently

Bottom line, GPS fleet tracking technology will alert you various driving behaviors that waste fuel so you can implement necessary changes to reduce your fuel expenditures and run your fleet operation more effectively.

To learn more about GPS fleet tracking, speak to one of our fleet tracking experts today here at LiveViewGPS.   1-888-544-0494