A doctoral candidate in Zurich has found a new way to use GPS trackers: track local hedgehogs and follow their nightly routes.

Sonja Braaker, who is a doctoral candidate at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, is at the head of a hedgehog study. Braaker wanted to learn more about hedgehogs, particularly how the nocturnal animals spend their time at night.

It wasn’t easy, but she was able to track a total of 40 hedgehogs, each with a GPS tracker that had very limited battery power.

For the study, she began searching outdoor areas of Zurich where she thought hedgehogs would roam. This included dozens of parks, lawns, streets, and gardens. When she saw one, she would have to move fast to pick up the animal. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard for a small to mid-size company to compete with larger shippers. You can help level the playing field by using fleet tracking with global positioning software, better known as GPS. The software is affordable and lets fleet managers effectively monitor deliveries, trucks, and workers.

The Challenge

Ecommerce has changed the way people shop. Instead of going to the downtown or mall department store, many are simply purchasing online. Retailing is increasingly shifting to the internet.

And customers have come to expect their packages delivered promptly, often overnight. This puts an incredible strain on smaller fleets. For online customers, it is routine to get exact tracking information every step of the shipment. They expect a range of delivery options at checkout.

This puts pressure on fleets trying to claim their share of the market from the big boys. GPS fleet tracking can help you stay competitive. Read the rest of this entry »

RueVac Property Services is an Orange County, California company who provides a variety of property maintenance services and has a fleet of parking lot sweepers that clean about 140 properties every night!

Prior to switching to LiveViewGPS, RueVac employed tracking technology that was limited, and they often found disparities between the GPS reports and what vehicle drivers reported.

If you care to read the case study find it here – Parking Lot Sweepers Case Study.

New Mexico joins 24 other states in the U.S. tracking domestic violence offenders with GPS tracking devices.

Global positioning systems (GPS) has been aiding people all over the country for their excellent tracking capabilities. Added to the list is the ability to track people who pose a risk to others.

New Mexico will now be tracking all domestic violence offenders who are released from prison, with a GPS-tracked ankle monitor. This is to ensure they do not go near their victims after being released from prison.

A new bill is being proposed, which has already been entered at the House Judiciary Committee meeting in Santa Fe, Mexico at the state capitol. If this bill passes, judges in New Mexico can choose to track any offenders they want 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is not to be a “big brother” and watch their every move, but to make sure they don’t pose a threat to those they victimized. Read the rest of this entry »

Carpet cleaning services have a lot of moving parts to manage. Dispatchers often wish for extra help managing their fleets, whether it’s two vehicles on the road or 20. Keeping up with locations, routes, ETAs, and more can become a full time job in itself.

GPS fleet tracking uses telematics to share computerized information over long distances with dispatchers to keep track of what’s going on in the field with your carpet cleaning business.

These are just a few ways GPS tracking can be beneficial to your carpet cleaning business.

Provides More Efficient Routing Information

Efficient routing saves carpet cleaning businesses time and a great deal of money. This is money that can be reinvested into your business for unprecedented growth while enjoying bigger and better profits. It’s not just the cost of gas you’re able to save with better routing. It’s also labor costs that are far more significant overall. In other words, the savings add up faster than the average carpet cleaning business expects.

Timely Appointment Windows

The ability to accurately pinpoint when your staff will arrive to clean carpets is a big boon to consumers who often must take time out of their busy schedules to accommodate these windows. It equates to much greater rates of customer satisfaction that translates into better references and more business for you. It’s a gift you offer your customers that ultimately rewards your business.

Improved Productivity

There’s nothing like a ticking time clock and the knowledge that someone is watching to motivate workers to pick up the pace and be more productive. The fact that you can monitor the amount of time each worker spends on each call means there is added pressure on all employees to perform their tasks as efficiently as possible. This means you can fit more calls into a day without adding more hours to the day to accomplish that task. It also allows you to identify weaker links among staff members.

Reduce Personal Use of Company Vehicles

Whether employees are sneaking errands into the schedule or they’re using business vehicles to “moonlight” after hours, you need to know what’s going on with your vehicles at all times.

GPS tracking systems can be set up to send alerts whenever vehicles deviate from the prescribed route or are in use after the close of business hours. These uses could pose big problems for your business whether you know they’re happening or not because your business is liable for activities that take place within these vehicles.

Whether your interests are in better tracking, easier routing, saving money, or all of the above, there’s no denying that GPS fleet tracking can provide many benefits to your carpet cleaning business. Don’t take our word for it though. See for yourself what a difference it can make.