In a recent news story, police were able to apprehend a criminal who stole a van because the van was equipped with a GPS tracking device.
A felon spotted a van that was property of a county in New York state and hopped in for a ride. As you probably know some crimes are planned, but many are simply crimes of opportunity. An idling van, an open door…these are the kinds of temptations that criminals find hard to resist.
The employee who had been entrusted with the van was quick to alert his employer and they in turn called the police. Because of the GPS tracking device inside, the police were able to find the van outside of a fast food restaurant. Without the GPS tracking device, who can say how long it would have taken for them to find the vehicle? It surely wasn’t the only county-owned van on the streets. So police would have had to be on the lookout for both the van, not really knowing exactly where it was or who was driving it. A detective in an unmarked car attempted to get the suspect to end his joy ride. The suspect left the vehicle and made a run for it.
Eventually the van thief, someone who had been arrested 17 times in the past, was apprehended.
There is another side to this story though-what about the employees who left the car running and accessible to an opportunistic thief? We didn’t get to read about the end of that person’s story. I’m sure the county was glad that this employee came forward quickly and did not try to hide the theft.
As great as GPS technology is and as much as it can do to help make things more efficient, it doesn’t beat old-fashioned common sense. Most employers would prefer of their employees didn’t leave company vehicles idling, but having a GPS tracking device can add an extra layer of security in the event that something like this does happen.
By: Nancy McCord
Posts Tagged ‘Gps Technology’
To Catch a Thief – Use a GPS Tracking Device
March 30th, 2010GPS Tracking is Saving Businesses Money
March 15th, 2010
Businesses are saving thousands of dollars per month with GPS vehicle tracking devices.
“Businesses have reported a reduction in fuel usage as the biggest advantage of GPS tracking,” said Brad Borst, Founder and President of RMT. Monitoring and reducing speeds, routes, and idle time are just a few things that fleet owners can do to lower the fuel bill. Each mile per hour above 50 MPH increases fuel consumption by 1 ½ percent. Higher speeds also cause more tire heat, which puts more wear on tires. Wear on tires will almost double at road speeds of 70 MPH or greater. RMT’s GPS tracking systems report all vehicle activity and immediately alerts fleet managers by cell phone and email of speeding and unauthorized use of company vehicles.
Business owners are most concerned with fuel & maintenance, employee overtime, and employee productivity. New GPS technology significantly reducing excess costs for businesses:
1. Fuel & Maintenance – The average operating cost per vehicle is about $1.50 per mile. A company can reduce at least 25 miles per week for each vehicle with a GPS tracking device.
2. Employee Overtime – The employee overtime rate is estimated at about $30 per hour. On average, a company can reduce at least 1 hour of overtime per week with a GPS fleet tracking system.
3. Employee Productivity – On average, each vehicle could complete at lease 1 extra stop, job, or delivery per week with a live GPS tracking unit.
For an average size fleet of 10 vehicles, this means an estimated monthly savings of over $6000 with RMT’s GPS tracking solution.
A new Mileage (odometer) tracking feature for the Discovery LITE GPS fleet tracking system. The mileage tracking will allow fleet managers to observe vehicle performance and maintenance from the convenience of their computer. RMT expects to offer the mileage tracking to its thousands of customers by the end of the month.
By: Brad Borst
Motorcycle GPS Makes For Better Travels
March 10th, 2010
If you have ever traveled on a motorcycle across country you know what the hassles can be associated with it. It can be a drag having to stop ever so often to find the correct route. Most of the time you will have to pull over on the highway and with traffic flying by it is really hard to read a map sometimes. This is why getting a GPS unit for your motorcycle is something you really should consider. It will make traveling a lot easier as you will be able to have more time to enjoy your ride instead of having to worry about which turn to make all the time. Let us look a little closer at GPS on motorcycles and how it can actually help you.
Over the years many different companies have come out with Motorcycle GPS, but none have worked very well until the Zumo550. This portable GPS unit is from Garmin and has many great features that will make traveling so much easier. It is very easy to operate and has all the features anybody who rides a motorcycle would ever need. You also get the Garmin name, which is the industry leader as far as GPS technology is concerned. Turn by turn navigation is something you will like from this unit as well as touch display and easy accessible controls make your traveling much easier than ever before. This is a very solid performer that will last you for years. Let’s look at how it will make life easier for you as you’re on the road as well.
One of the hardest things to do when you’re driving a motorcycle is to watch everything around you. With traffic and other obstacles that could be fatal you must stay very alert and this usually causes you to miss an exit and makes traveling much tougher than ever before. This is where a motorcycle GPS unit can really make things much easier. With turn-by-turn navigation you will be able to see what exit you need before you get right upon it. You will have much more time to react and in the end you will be much safer as you will not be weaving in and out of traffic because you will know exactly where you need to be.
Most of the newer motorcycle GPS units have a fuel monitor on them which means it will give you a warning when you are getting low on fuel so you will know exactly when it is time to fuel up. Now finding a gas station especially out on the road can be tough sometimes, but with GPS technology that will not be a problem either. With a touch of a button you will be able to pull up the points of interest database. This database will have a list of gas stations and exactly what exit they are on and how many miles away from you. This takes all the guesswork out and makes sure you never run out of fuel.
Motorcycle GPS will also make traveling on your motorcycle much more fun as well. No more worrying about how to get somewhere or how many more miles to go. It will all be right at your fingertips. This is why getting a GPS system for your bike could be the best investment you ever make. The hours that a unit of this type will save you is immeasurable. Most people who get one will tell you they would never leave home without it. Many people worry about hooking one of these up, but in reality it is real easy and does not take much time at all. The learning curve is real short as well so you will be on the road heading in the right direction very quickly.
If you travel a lot and want to make that experience even more fun than by all means grab a GPS unit for your motorcycle. One of the best around is the Garmin Zumo550, which has many extras that you will love. It is easy to hookup and operates so you will be on the road in no time at all. GPS technology is the wave of the future why not has it on your motorcycle as well. It will save you money in wasted trips and wrong turns that it will pay for it probably is just a few uses. I know as a rider I have made so many wrong turns, but now with GPS technology those turns will be a thing of the past for me.
By: Jeffrey Meier
