In a Bad Economy, is Fleet Tracking Cost Effective?
December 22, 2008 – 12:27 pm
With the current economic conditions throughout the United States being at a all time low, is the idea of tracking your companies fleet vehicles a proposition that you should consider.
Cost vs. Cost Savings. That is the question here. As work slows down in this economy would the ability to track your fleet vehicles be worth the upfront cost and the ongoing monthly cost.
When you look at a real-time tracking AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locator) the question isn’t always the upfront cost of the hardware ($199 - $399 per unit), but the ongoing monthly monitoring cost ($14.95 - $49.95 per month). This may not sound like much in the scheme of things, but when added to 20 -30 trucks the costs can add up quickly.
Advantages of a real-time tracking system:
These plus having the ability to maintain employee overtime and payroll cost gives a pretty good nudge to say yes to Fleet Tracking
Now for the down side:
- Up front cost
- Monthly Monitoring
- Employee tempering
- Technology changing
- Follow up
When you weigh the pros and cons of Fleet tracking, and if used properly, the thought of keeping you share of the local business market with better response and lowering your overall companies cost of maintaining a fleet makes sense to track your vehicles.
Companies sometime have trouble making decision on the ROI of a tracking system, they get lost in the paralysis by analysis loop.
Sit down and write out the pros and cons and see if you can find the right reason for your company to track their vehicles.
Asset/Trailer Tracking
September 22, 2008 – 1:36 pm
Since the inception of GPS Tracking and Fleet tracking, there has not been a unit that can provide large fleet trailer owner with the reliable tracking and scalable management of their trailer fleet.
Battery life has long been the Achilles heel of the trailer tracking unit. Many units were very reliable, yet the battery life would last only a few days to a few months. Some even tried solar power units in an effort to breach this gap in the trailer tracking oasis.
One unit now claims to have battery life of up to ten years. TEN YEARS!!! With full online reporting and 6 updates a day, this unit bridges the gap of functionality and form. This seems to be an answer to the long awaited question, How They Do That? The unit is very compact and low in profile. 6.3″ X 9.2″ X 1.77″. It can be fitted on any trailer, either vertically or horizontally. Log in and “see” what you have been missing
Trailer tracking has now met its match.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell
A lot has been discussed about the Hydro-4000 and hydrogen fuel cells that are on the market currently.
We have installed numerous Hydro-4000 units into fleet vehicles and other types of vehicles over the past four months.
With the current price of gas around $3.50 per gallon, does it make sense to install a hydrogen unit on your car? Let do some math here and figure out the answer.
We have seen a minimum of 25% increase in fuel mileage from our largest fleet operator. This vehicle travels over 300 mile per day and was averaging about 8.8 MPG. With the Hydro-4000 installed on the Isuzu turbo diesel the mileage increased in the first 30 days to 10.88. An increase over about 22%,
The second month increase was an additional 8%. Total increase was 30% or 2.64MPG.
Now let look at the numbers. 300 miles per day @ 8.8 MPG, the number before the Hydrogen unit was installed. Daily fuel consumption would be around 34 gallons of diesel fuel. Diesel being around $4.50 per gallon, total daily cost would be about $153 per day. Now if you calculate the 300by 11.44MPG you use 26 gallons of fuel. That cost is $117 per or about $36 savings.
With the cost of the unit at $1200 and about $300 to install, the total cost is about $1500. The return on investment is 42 drive days to recoup your investment on the unit. After that the savings is all yours. The icing on this cake though is that the cost and installation of the hydrogen unit is 100% tax deductible, thus saving an additional $300-$400 per unit on your taxes.
Plus you get the feeling that you ARE doing something for the environment
Fleet Tracking Cost vs. Cost Savings
With the down turn in the economy, the question arises of the ROI of GPS Fleet Tracking.
Small business owner, feeling the pinch in lower sales may question do I want to spend the money and track my fleet vehicles.
Here are a couple of things to think about.
Fleet productivity seems to increase once the drivers know that they are being watched. “We have seen a reduction in overtime and an increase in productivity” says Bob Sandau, plant manager of LKQ
Idle time. This has been the biggest eye opening area of Fleet tracking. Customers are seeing trough new eyes what exactly is happening once their trucks leave the premise.
With our fleet idle calculator, you can see just how much fuel is being wasted just from the idle time. A typical truck can waste one gallon of fuel during idling. If you trucks idles for three hours during their deliveries, then you driver unknowingly can be wasting $14.00 a day in fuel. If that be the case in a year time you could be wasting over $3500.
Hydro 4000 - How it Works
How is it possible to turn water into fuel?
Our HYDRO-4000 use a process known as electrolysis to produce Brown’s Gas as described below.
Electrolysis of Water
Electrolysis of water can be achieved in a simple hands-on project, when electricity from a low-voltage DC power supply (e.g. 12 volt battery) is passed through a vessel of water. The reaction that occurs is: 2H2O(aq) = 2H2(g) + O2(g)In practice, some kind of electrolyte will need to be used. Electrolyte is a dilute mixture of minerals and water used to enhance the flow of electricity. In our HYDRO-4000 we use inexpensive distilled water. HYDRO-4000 Process
Our HYDRO-4000 utilizes the electrolysis process, with certain patent-pending modifications built in, to improve its efficiency, durability and ease of operation. Gases are captured by the HYDRO-4000, mixed with a filtered air flow, then directed to the vehicle’s fuel intake where they are combined with the vehicle’s ordinary fuel/air mixture. The result is enhanced combustion, improved mileage and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction in emissions is caused when non-polluting hydrogen adds combustion energy, replacing some of the ordinary fuel needed to power the vehicle.
How Electrolysis Works
Electrolysis works when an electric current is applied, through an electrolytic solution, between a cathode (negative pole) and an anode (positive pole). During electrolysis, hydrogen gas will be seen to bubble up at the cathode, and oxygen will bubble at the anode. The two gases combined in a free state, constitute what is called “Brown’s Gas” If, however, the wrong metal is utilized for the anode, oxygen will react with the anode instead of being released as a gas. For example, using iron electrodes in an electrolyte solution will produce iron oxide at the anode, which will react to form iron hydroxide. When producing large quantities of hydrogen, this can significantly contaminate the electrolytic cell reducing its hydrogen output. This is why our HYDRO-4000 is made entirely of stainless steel.
- 20%- 60% reduction in fuel consumption!
- Reduces Global Warming!
- Improves power and performance of your vehicle!
- Zero pollutants!
- Distilled water fill-up is all that’s needed to produce hydrogen!
- No Hydrogen stored under pressure, makes for safe systems!
- Increases the life of your engine!
- Cutting edge technology!
- Very affordable!
- Patent Pending!
Tracking Your Teen Driver
January 26, 2008 – 2:33 pm
It’s ten o’clock; do you know where your children are…and how fast they’re traveling? This has been an age old worry for parents of teen drivers. With today’s new technology, it is much simpler than you think.
Steps
- 1. First determine the type of tracking system you will need for tracking your teen driver.
- 2. There are many types of GPS tracking devices on the market today.
- 3. The first type of tracking device is a passive device that collects driving data. Once placed in the vehicle it can collect driving data for up to two weeks. You then must remove the unit from your vehicle and then the data can be downloaded onto your computer. A detailed report of the past time the device was in the vehicle will be generated using Google maps of Microsoft Virtual earth. You can either plug these units into your 12v power outlet in your car, or have any local auto installer hardwire the unit for out of sight installation.
- 4. This is cost effective with unit cost ranging from $150 - $300.
- 5. The second type is a real-time tracking unit that can be easily installed into a vehicle and gives real-time information via the internet. The parent goes online and logins into their account and can locate the vehicle (teen driver) at any time of the day or night. Many of these have a monthly monitoring cost needed to transmit the data back to the server which gives you the real-time information. With this type of unit, you can receive alerts of speeding or leaving/entering “zones” that the parent can create. These types of unit require hardwire installation from any auto installer. Insurance discounts are available from your insurance carrier for having a real-time tracking unit in your vehicle.
- 6. These units can range in cost from $299 - $499.
Tips
Warnings
- If your teen driver finds out that he/she is being tracked, you will need to be ready to explain/defend the need for this device. This can be a difficult discussion. Sometimes prior notice of tracking of the vehicle and the reasons why can help the situation.
