The use of GPS auto tracker technology by business fleet managers and private citizens is growing daily. The savings in terms of maintenance, labor, insurance and fuel cost are enormous when applied correctly. Real time GPS more than pays for itself the first day it is employed. Some companies have even been able to reduce the size of their fleets to increased efficiency. Everyone knows that increased efficiency means a better bottom line. However there are additional benefits to using a real time GPS system.
Recently a large electrical contractor that operates more than 40 trucks over a 1000 square mile area contracted and installed a real time GPS auto tracker system in all of its vehicles. Most employees are allowed to take their work vehicles home after work. This saves the company both fuel and labor cost each day. Many of the employees felt that the company was playing big brother and invading their privacy. Some even suggested that they would leave once the system was installed.
Once the tracking system was activated and the fleet management staff trained in its use the company began to find ways to cut costs. Employees found that the system was not as intrusive as they had envisioned. The application of personnel and resources quickly began to make the company more efficient and contracts were being completed in less time. As a result the company was able to bid on additional work.
This past November found another benefit to using the GPS auto tracker technology that no one at the company expected. After a normal day of work one of the employees did not arrive home for dinner at the normal time. His wife at first passed this off as an extended work related delay. After a couple of hours she tried calling him on his cell phone but was told that the phone was not in service. Later being worried she called her husband’s supervisor to ask if he knew where her husband was and of course he did not stating that no one was working late.
Shortly after receiving the call the supervisor went on line and downloaded the location map provided by the GPS tracking Service Company. He quickly found the missing vehicle located along the Interstate highway. After calling the missing employees cell phone several times without an answer he went to investigate.
Using his laptop and GPS he drove to the exact location that the tracking system had indicated. However arriving on the scene no company truck was located. The supervisor checked the tracking information and even contacted the service company for assistance. It was suggested that the tracking device had become dislodged and fallen from the vehicle at that location. Where upon the supervisor took a flashlight and went to look for it. Instead of finding the device his flashlight reflected off the back of the company vehicle lying upside down in the roadside ditch. The missing man was trap inside and was still alive.
Emergency response personal arrived shortly thereafter extricating the injured man taking him to the hospital in serious condition. The employee survived the accident and is recovering at home. He hopes to return to work in the near future. According to law enforcement and emergency services personnel the employee probably would not have survived if he had not been found at the time he was discovered.
GPS auto tracker technology is designed to help businesses and private citizens in managing their vehicle resources. However as was discovered here there are additional benefits that this emerging technology provides. It can even save lives.
By: Jim Kesel
Posts Tagged ‘Benefit’
GPS Auto Tracker Technology Saves A Life
October 18th, 2009A GPS Auto Tracker Can Help
October 9th, 2009
Keeping up with your family can easily send you into a tailspin. Whether your son is going to soccer practice, or your daughter is going to basketball practice, you probably have a million schedules to keep up with. But I’m sure that’s not where your problems end. With everyone running in different directions on a daily basis, you also have to think about their safety. If something happens to one of your kids, how will you know?
While it’s a known fact that cell phones help to significantly improve their safety, what happens if they are put in a situation where they can’t get to their phone? It is the thought of this situation occurring that sends many parents on a search for an even more secure solution. And for some, the solution has been a GPS auto tracker.
Why Place a GPS Auto Tracker in Your Vehicle?
There are two good reasons that you would want to have a GPS auto tracker in your car: tracking your teen, and securing your car in the event of a theft. Let’s look at them more closely:
Tracking Your Teen – It is a known fact that there your teens are likely to underestimate potentially dangerous situations and get themselves into trouble before they know what happened. You know the dangers out in the world, so while they’re gone, you bite your nails and pray for a safe return everyday. But with one of these tracking devices, parents have found solace in being able to look on a computer screen to see in real time where their kids are traveling.
They can make sure they go where they should go when they should go there, and can anticipate a safe return always. But more importantly, if they don’t come home on time, they can have law enforcement track down the car easily and potentially save them from a harmful situation.
Securing Your Car in Case of Theft – Another benefit of a GPS auto tracker is that whether your teen is responsible for your car, or it is sitting in your drive way, if a person steals it, you can easily track its location and give law enforcement a great head start on getting it back for you.
Tracking Devices to Buy
Now that we’ve looked at a few reasons that you should consider purchasing one of these devices, let’s look at a few on the market that can help you keep your family more secure than ever.
GPS Nanny Teen Tracker – This tracking device was created with your teen in mind. It is a small unit that can plug into your battery or cigarette lighter then allows you to track the activities of your teen through a website. Some of the features you can take advantage of with this device include receiving notifications on speed and boundary violations, a remote door unlocking feature, an auto security interface, and a notify button that lets your teens alert you when they feel they are approaching danger. Also, if you want to put the device in a car without them knowing, simply install it under the dashboard and they’ll never have a clue.
T-Trac XS – This is another GPS auto tracker created to keep an eye on your teen. This device goes even further than the Teen Tracker, however, in keeping your kids safe. It not only keeps track of their whereabouts, but it also offers a geo-fence feature that lets you set perimeters on a map so that if your child ventures outside of their permitted geographic area you will be automatically alerted. Also, you can set a schedule through the device so that you can track your kids at specific times. For instance, if you don’t need it to activate until they get out of school, then you set it to turn on at a specific time. This way you save on battery usage. Also, if you want to govern their driving speeds, simply set a speed limit so that you can be immediately informed when one of your kids exceeds that limit.
A GPS auto tracker is a great investment for your family and a great way to help ensure their safety. Of course, honesty and great communication between family members is always a good way to make sure you know what’s going on. But if communication cannot occur in the event of an emergency, then it is good to know that a GPS auto traker can communicate location information for your child.
By: Jeffrey Meier
