GPS vehicle tracking

[mikehaugen]

I never was tracked electronically, but I worked in a small, ( for GM ) factory, but I had a lots, and lots of supervision. I really didn't mind it.

at least that you know of

 

[Complete Turf Care]

If you don't mind telling us, are they aware of the GPS?

Yes, they are aware. I typed a letter and had all employees read it this morning.

The mowing crew leader likes it, but HE said his team members don't like it. I asked him why they didn't like it and HE said because they can't waste time anymore.

The landscape crew didn't seem to mind, and I had told that crew leader last week that I was going to install it. She said that she understood, and that most company vehicles have them anyway.

 

[Harold_J]

Got to see the GPS tracking system in action today. I really like the info I'm getting.

I was able to tell exactly how long my crews were at each stop. For the mowing crew, there were a few surprises. Some stops took longer than I expected, others took less. This should allow me to build up some data and give me some good tools to do a better job at estimating in the future...

I think you have to be careful using the data for job estimating. Your workers may just hustle more on some jobs and/or slow down when it's mid-day hot or a break time/end of the workday is approaching.

 

[dodge man]

I think the OP's reason for putting GPS in his vehicles are not out of line in any way. Some people seem pretty naïve to me. Do you want to find out who you thought was your best employee was spending time at the bar and you find out when he calls you and want you to bail him out of jail for DUI. This comment is in no way meant to say bad thing about the OP's business or the people that work for him but I doubt his people had to choose between going into brain surgery or do lawn care for a living. He probably has great people but I could see the job attracting people that might be a little sketchy.

A good example is his crew being at lunch for 40 minutes. Do they do that every day? Does it grow into an hour? If they perform the way I want or better I probably overlook the 10 minutes as a very minor thing.

 

[ozley]

Got to see the GPS tracking system in action today. I really like the info I'm getting. I was able to tell exactly how long my crews were at each stop. For the mowing crew, there were a few surprises. Some stops took longer than I expected, others took less. This should allow me to build up some data and give me some good tools to do a better job at estimating in the future. I could also see how much driving time each crew had. This is time I'm paying them for, but I can't bill for. And, the mowing crew spent 17 minutes at the gas station. That's not too bad. The landscape crew spent 36 minutes at the wholesale grower. That's probably a little longer than I'd like to see. One crew spent 27 minutes at the McDonalds for lunch, and the other spent 40 minutes at the Pizza place for lunch. I take 30 minutes out of each day for their lunch break. Oh, and I did get one text alert when one truck was speeding 67 in a 60 mph zone. He was just coming out of a 70 mph zone and had not slowed down yet. So, no big deal there. Overall, I'm please with the way the system works so far.

What system are you using ?

 

[aczlan]

What system are you using ?

See his earlier post:

That being said, check this out - Linxup - GPS Vehicle, Fleet, Car Tracking Systems, Fleet Management | LINXUP.

Thanks for this link. I just ordered 2 of these units. I went with the 1 year contract, so the 2 units cost me $115.xx including shipping. My monthly fee will be $46 per month.

What made me pull the trigger is that I will be able to see exactly how long my crews are on each job site. This will help me know if I am charging the right amount for each job, based on time they are on the sight. I will also be able to compare how much time they are on each site with 2 men vs. 3 men. This should help me get a better handle on what I need to charge, and what is most efficient.

Aaron Z

 

[ozley]

See his earlier post: Aaron Z

Thank You

 

[Inspector507]

We use NetworkFleet. It gives great reports that can be emailed to me or run on their website. I can see stop and idle time, speed, track routes, safety sensors such as seat belts, mileage of every vehicle, battery condition, etc. We've got a fleet of 50+ vehicles. Of course the employees were hot when they found out we were installing it. But if you're not doing anything wrong, there's no problem. We don't really watch the speed report too closely until something blatant pops out at us. There have been numerous times where the GPS actually worked to their advantage. Customer calls to complain that the employee was supposed to be there at a certain time and didn't show. The GPS tells me exactly when they showed and come to find out the customer missed them because they ran down to the diner to get breakfast.

 

[RickyPaul]

I am also using gps tracking system. Gps tracking is important because of many reasons. With this technology we can locate and discover our vehicle easily at any time and any where.

 

[bdog]

There are different types of tracking units. Most of the ones mentioned require cell service and a monthly contract. The one I have been looking at is GPS Tracking Anywhere without cell coverage and monthly fees . It works using 2 way radios so it works anywhere including areas with no cell service and you get updates every second if you want. There are no monthly fees either but I think the units are about 3k each. The only downside I can see is this only works if you are working in a close together area. For example I do oilfield work and travel all over the US but where I am and where the receiving antenna would be is always within five miles of where all my workers should be. If you did landscaping in a small town you could put up a small tower at your office and probably cover a 10 mile radius. The cell option is probably better for some but would never work for us as half the places we go we do not have cell service.

 

[bdog]

Just to add to what some others have touched on I think the GPS is a great idea. If you have 4-6 guys in a crew per truck you are paying upwards of $50 per hour in wages to them. That is just wages and does not include gas, potential revenue, etc. If whatever they do during the day amounts to an hour of wasted time you are wasting $250 per week in wages or $1000 per month due to them screwing around. I don't think my employees would do anything deliberately dishonest but if they knew they were being tracked they would be more efficient and hustle while doing things. It would also be great to know where they are and to be able to let your customers know.

 

[RickyPaul]

I am also using gps tracking system. Gps tracking is important because of many reasons. With this technology we can locate and discover our vehicle easily at any time and any where.

Get more information about gps tracking.