DOT & EPA Officially Release 2017 - 2025 Proposed Fuel Economy Standards - News - Automotive Fleet

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled their joint proposal to set stronger fuel economy standards for model year 2017-2025 passenger cars and light trucks on Nov. 16. The proposed program requires manufacturers to increase their average fuel economy to 54.5 mpg.

There will be an opportunity for the public to comment on the proposal for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. Public hearings will take place in January in Detroit, Philadelphia, and San Francisco to allow further public input.
Although the agencies expect this proposal to add about $2,000 to the cost of each vehicle in 2025, they expect consumers to save up to $6,600 in fuel costs for the lifetime of the vehicle, with a net lifetime savings of up to $4,400.
The proposal extends fuel economy standards set for model years 2012-2016, which will raise fuel efficiency equivalent to 35.5 mpg by 2016.
According to the release, auto manufacturers are already heavily invested in developing advanced technologies that can significantly reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions beyond the existing model year 2012-2016 standards. Technologies are available for automakers to meet the new standards, including advanced gasoline engines and transmissions, vehicle weight reduction, lower tire rolling resistance, improvements in aerodynamics, diesel engines, more efficient accessories, and improvements in air conditioning systems. The agencies also expect the standards to spur manufacturers to increasingly explore electric technologies such as start/stop, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles. The model year 2017-2025 proposal includes a number of incentive programs to encourage early adoption and introduction of "game changing" advanced technologies, such as hybridization for pickup trucks.
California plans to issue its proposal for model year 2017-2025 vehicle greenhouse gas standards on December 7 and will finalize its standards in January, according to the agencies.
For more detailed information, visit the NHTSA webiste.

DOT & EPA Officially Release 2017 - 2025 Proposed Fuel Economy Standards - News - Automotive Fleet

www.safetytrack.net/info/blog

Jeff Stoker

Fleet Safety Tip of the Week

This week’s driver safety advice, provided by the Tennessee Department of Safety, concerns the "No-Zone" for large vehicles. You may want to pass this along to your drivers as a friendly reminder.

Many motorists falsely assume that drivers of trucks and buses can see the road better because they sit twice as high as the driver of a small vehicle. While trucks and buses do enjoy a better forward view and have bigger mirrors, they have serious blind spots into which a small vehicle can disappear from view.
The No-Zone represents danger areas around trucks and buses where crashes are more likely to occur.
1. The area approximately up to 20 feet directly in front of a large vehicle is considered a No-Zone. When small vehicles cut in too soon after passing or changing lanes, then abruptly slow down, trucks and buses are forced to compensate with very little room or time to spare.
2. Unlike small vehicles, trucks and buses have deep blind spots directly behind them. Avoid following too closely in this No-Zone. If you stay in the rear blind spot of a large vehicle, you increase the possibility of a traffic crash. The driver of the bus or truck cannot see your vehicle and your view of the traffic ahead will be severely reduced.
3. Large vehicles have much larger blind spots on both sides than cars do. When you drive in these blind spots for any length of time, the vehicle's driver cannot see you. When passing, even if the vehicle's driver knows you are there, remaining alongside a large vehicle too long makes it impossible for the driver to take evasive action if an obstacle appears in the roadway ahead.
4. Truck and bus drivers often cannot see vehicles directly behind or beside them when they are attempting to safely negotiate a right turn. If you cut in between the truck or bus and the curb or shoulder to the right, this maneuver greatly increases the possibility of a crash in this "right turn squeeze."

Fleet Safety Tip of the Week - News - Automotive Fleet

Fleet Tracking and 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 S, plant manager for a local parts distributor

Idle time. This has been the biggest eye opening area of Fleet Tracking. Customers are seeing through 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.

http://www.safetytrack.net/st-m3g/

http://www.safetytrack.net/info/idle-calculator

Jeff Stoker

jstoker@safetytrack.net

GPS Fleet Tracking from Safety Track is growing in popularity as fleet managers discover the many benefits of being able to follow their vehicles in, as well as the reports you can get on worker’s activity.
But will it expose their business to a lawsuit. Is it legal to use Safety Track’s GPS Fleet Tracking to track staff?
What is GPS Fleet Tracking?

What are we referring to when we talk about GPS Fleet Tracking? Basically it is where an employee’s vehicle is fitted with a GPS Fleet Tracking device to track their movements throughout the day. The Company can use this information to know where workers have been during the day, as well as other GPS-related information such as time on the job or vehicle speed.

There are two types of GPS devices – Live or Passive. A Live device will send out a signal that can be tracked by an authorized user in real-time. This information is sent of over the air through Cell phone technology. It transmits the longitude and latitude location to a server, which marries it to mapping software and sends it to the computer you’re using. On the other hand, a passive device will store that information on a device and someone has to retrieve the device and download the data to their computer in order to review the data. There are pros and cons for both types.
A connected device can be a more popular choice because it gives employers the ability to act quickly on time-critical information, such as knowing who is closest to a job and can respond faster.
The employer may use a web-based service, such as Safety Track, to track these GPS devices so they can view them from anywhere that has an internet connection, normally in the office. They may receive instant alerts when certain ‘rules’ or parameters are breached, such as speeding, driving dangerously, entering off limit areas.
So now you’ve decided to install GPS fleet tracking devices on your vehicles so you know what you’re staff is doing throughout the day – the next question is, will you get into trouble with the law?

Is tracking your fleet legal?

There seem to be a variety of opinions on how legal it is, some will say it is a ‘gray’ area but the general consensus is that, if done properly, then you won’t have to fear a legal challenge from an employee.
The difficulty seems to be balancing the rights of a business to know how company equipment is being used and what employees are doing while on the clock, with a worker’s right to privacy.
The answer seems to be as open as possible with your staff on what you are tracking and why. The chances of running in to legal problems are greatly increased when GPS tracking is done in secret, without an employee’s knowledge. Not only does that give them grounds for defense but may result in legal action for invasion of privacy.
Use a GPS Fleet tracker on company property only
Inform staff before beginning GPS tracking and have them accept this as part of using company-owned equipment
Only collect and store information that is interferes or impacts on their job performance
Explain the benefits of using GPS tracking, possibly providing incentives to drivers now that real-time performance can be accurately measured
When done for the right reasons and with your staff on board, you’ll find it far less likely that you’ll run into legal problems, instead enjoying the safety, productivity and efficiency benefits lots of fleets are enjoying with GPS tracking.

Safety Track
888-286-9829

Fuel Savings with a Fleet Tracking System

We did training today with one of our new customers. They have 160 plug and play tracking units, the ST-400’s installed in their fleet of vehicles.

Now one of the biggest cost savings that a tracking unit can save a company is by understanding the idle habit of the drivers. Do they ever turn off their trucks?

We were going through a certain segment of this customer’s fleet and we noticed that one driver had over 24 hours of idle time in one week. We discuss that for each hour of idle time, a vehicle will burn about ¾ of a gallon of fuel. So this one driver used an additional 18 gallons of fuel for this one week. With fuel being $3.50 per gallon and that is being pretty gracious, this driver wasted $63.00 of fuel alone. Now multiple that times 52 weeks and you get $3276.00 in wasted fuel cost. Now take that times 160 trucks and you could be wasting over ½ million dollars in fuel. 

Once the customer caught his breath, he said that his fuel bill for the year was 3 million dollars!!!  If you cut just 10% of that bill, you savings would add up to $300,000.00 per year in savings.

It’s hard to run a fleet of vehicle without knowing what is going on. What are my drivers doing? Are they idling to long?

Tracking your Fleet with a GPS Fleet Tracking System can give you the data you need to manage your fleet better.

For more information contact:

Jeff Stoker

jstoker@safetytrack.net

http://www.safetytrack.net/

Safety Track’s New ST-60 Trailer Tracking Unit

Safety Track’s ST-60 mobile asset tracking solution provides 24x7 visibility to the location and status of trailers, roll-off boxes, mobile generators, construction and yard equipment and other assets.  It gives managers the power to efficiently manage asset inventory, improve revenues and reduce operating costs.

The ST-60 is an easy to install, self-contained GPS trailer tracking device with an internal long-life battery. It incorporates the latest in GPS, radio, antenna and micro-controller technologies in a weather-proof enclosure.  Safety Track’s breakthrough power management technology enables the ST-60 to operate up to 7 years without changing the battery.

It is available in two form factors to suit different operational requirements.  The ST-60 is a standard 1” high device for mounting on top of trailers. 

Hardware Features

• Easy vertical or horizontal installation
  using very high bonding adhesive
• Long-life, non-rechargeable lithium
  battery
• Updates can be sent at customer
  specified times and/or triggered by events
  such as start/stop, change in orientation,
  change in temperature
• Full duplex GSM/GPRS system – allows
  reporting configuration to be changed
  via over-the-air commands any time.

 Web-based 24x7 Visibility

• Customers access asset tracking data
  and reports via the web gateway
• No software to install or maintain

GPS Tracking & Business

Managing assets is the same whether you have a small business or are in the accounting department of a large corporation.  Keeping track of the things that are used outside of the walls of your business is a major task.  That’s why GPS Tracking is an important addition to any business.

GPS Tracking & Business

For many large corporations, physical assets make up millions and millions of dollars on a balance sheet.  For that reason alone, tight control and close management are mandatory.  That is why GPS Tracking systems should be instituted into all businesses that are tasked with managing mobile or near-mobile assets.  Anything that can easily be moved should be outfitted with a GPS Tracking device.

Protect Assets. When these systems are implemented, location is never a question.  Even if the models that just allow for periodic checking on location are used, then that makes them worth the money.

Movable and Mobile. If the assets in question are vehicles, then that is all the more reason to get GPS Tracking systems.  Not only can location be ascertained, but also direction of travel and speed as well.  Part of managing vehicles is making sure that they are properly cared for on an on-going basis.  That is what you get with GPS Tracking systems.

Lower Insurance Premiums. Lowering insurance costs means mitigating risks inherent in the managing and deploying of assets.  If lower risk from theft occurs, or even if GPS Tracking systems means finding stolen property sooner, then the cost is worth the investment.

Theft Recovery. If asset are stolen which are being tracked via GPS Tracking systems, then they can be recovered in days, not weeks, months or even years.  Or , worse yet, not at all.  Theft occurs not only from without, but within a company, too.  So, weeding out those types of employees is a positive step, as well.

Maintenance Monitoring. Close control of assets means tracking and scheduling their maintenance.  This helps increase the longevity of the assets with saves money in the long run by not having to replace it sooner because of misuse.  It is like money in the bank.

Increased Profitability. GPS Tracking systems are like adding profit to your bottom line because of the savings you can realize in other areas of asset management.  Fewer employees can manage more devices.

When GPS Tracking systems are added to a business, you achieve a balanced and controlled organization with accountability at its core.  The more you use GPS Tracking systems, the more you realize that you cannot be successful without them.

As the global economy continues to suffer, the value of business assets rises in importance in helping to keep companies afloat financially.  Sometimes businesses are just one small catastrophe away from bankruptcy.  That is why GPS Tracking as a tool for business operations is more valuable now than ever.

When is the Right Time for GPS Tracking?

This is an age old questions that seems to be asked all the time.  When do I really need to track my fleet? Is Fleet Tracking right for me?

Is it when there is an economic downturn, or is it after I find out that someone has stolen my vehicle, stolen time from my company, or stolen gas from my fuel card?  All very good time to ask this particular question, but is it too late them. Is it like closing the barn door after the cows are out?

The cost of tracking your fleet has come down over the past few years. Competition has lead to a buyer’s market. Hardware costs are falling, with airtime doing the same.  But like any other technology, the lowest price isn’t always the best buy. Think about what feature you really need, must have.  Feature you would like to have. See what the cost difference is for system with the different feature.

Some fleet owners like going directly to the manufacturer and “think” they are getting the best price for the system.  But really what they are getting is “that” system.  What if it doesn’t give you the entire feature you need? They sell you they system and hope it covers all the features you want. Going to a dealer that may sell three of four different systems, can hear what it is you are looking for, can give the system that fits your needs, and not one that may not. Find a deal that has been doing this for over five years.  They know what is going on in the industry.

Take your time and ask the right questions and see just how knowledgeable they are.

The time to buy a GPS Fleet Management and Tracking System may be closer than you think.

http://www.safetytrack.net/st-m3g/

GPS Fleet Tracking or In Vehicle Car Camera

When it comes to fleet management, the topic is, do I want to track my fleet, or use an in vehicle car camera to watch what goes on in the cab.
There are two distinct sides on this issue.
First, with Fleet Tracking System, you get real time data, starts, stops, fuel mileage, all things that can help you manage your fleet. These areas have help small and large fleet owners lower operating cost from an users point of view.
Now comes along the affordable in vehicle car camera from Safety Track. Now you can ride along with your drivers, see what they see. This can be an important feature when it comes to training and safety. Insurance companies are taking a long hard look at these camera systems for fleets. Now you can verify if your truck hit or was hit by another vehicle. Use it for training. Are you drivers running your trucks hard, accelerating fast, braking hard? Watch to see if they are on the phone texting or just talking.

This now changes how the fleet industry looks at fleet management. Take a look at how it can impact your fleet. Contact Safety Track today and see just how affordable this new technology really is.

Related articles

• Park Ellis ServiceMaster Reduces Fuel Costs by 10 percent
• GPS Fleet Solutions (safetytrackofmichigan.com)

Top 10 Reasons to Install Safety Track GPS Fleet Tracking in your Fleet Vehicles:

One
Theft prevention by always knowing where your vehicles are.

Two
Use of Dispatch feature to make sure your customers get service promptly.

Three
Eliminate disputes between your customers and employees.

Four
Know that your employees are where they are supposed to be.

Five
Save Money on Gas by effectively managing routes.

Six
You want to save money on your insurance bill. (Some insurances provide discounts if a GPS Tracking Device is installed in vehicle)

Seven
Eliminate side jobs and after hour use of company vehicles.

Eight
Better overall time management.

Nine
Give directions to drivers/employees if they get lost.

Ten
Adds to overall efficiency of company.

Five Ways GPS Fleet Tracking Save (and Make) You

Saving money is making money, and Safety Track saves fleet companies hundreds, even thousands of dollars per year. These GPS Fleet Tracking units sport numerous features that make tracking vehicles and streamlining operations simple.

1. Use less fuel and stop speeding drivers
The EPA estimates that reducing speed by 10MPH increases fuel efficiency by 20%. Our HVAC customers report $150 savings per 10 vehicles in one month by keeping their drivers at a maximum of 65MPH. The owner of a towing company saved $4000 over two months just in fuel costs. Do the math for your business and add up your savings. The dollars add up fast-here’s a simple example with a very conservative estimate: 50 vehicles reduce speed and save $10 each per week in gas costs. That’s $26,000 in a year. Slowing down a speeding driver can also limit tickets, accidents and litigation against your company.

2. Limit unnecessary trips and unauthorized use
Customers tell us their employees off-route driving completely ends once they know a GPS fleet tracking unit is installed in their vehicle. No more extended lunches, driving off-route to go home to eat, run errands, etc.

One customer reported that one driver was traveling home 60 miles per day when they should have been working. That’s a potential savings of $15-20 in fuel per day. And that’s just for one driver.

3. Ensure proper work hours, lunch breaks and overtime records
This is self explanatory, and another area where you can save thousands of dollars per year. Employees won’t likely record bogus work, lunch or overtime hours if they know their work vehicle is being tracked. If you can gain just 30 minutes of productivity each day you will save about $3,000 per employee each year.
The more your workers actually work and record correct information, the more your business is operating cost-efficiently. The immediate impact GPS fleet tracking units provide in this category is mentioned quite often by our satisfied customers.

4. Monitor company gas purchases/gas cards
Lets face the facts–gas will only get more expensive, and some employees try to cut corners and cut money out of your bottom line. Can you afford even one employee stealing $20 in fuel every week ($1040/year) from your gas account? That’s $1040 you could put in your own gas tank! This is another area where questionable purchases can be tracked and verified with our easy-to-use GPS fleet tracking software.

5. Theft prevention
Track all your vehicles every two minutes and have alerts sent to your cell phone, email or PDA whenever your vehicle is started or moves outside of a designated area (geofence). This feature gives you peace of mind 24/7/365.

To summarize, below shows a standard cost savings by implementing a GPS fleet tracking system.

• Reducing speed on a single vehicle by 10MPH increases fuel economy by 20%
  - 7 gallon weekly decrease in fuel usage
  - Weekly fuel savings of $20-30
  - Annual fuel savings of $1,000-$1,500
  (varies based on MPG, daily miles driven and fuel cost)
• Eliminating unnecessary driving by 10 miles per day for a single vehicle
  - 4 gallons of fuel saved per week
  - Weekly fuel savings of $14
  - Annual fuel savings of more than $700
  (varies based on MPG and fuel cost)
• Losing 15 minutes per day of productivity from a single employee
  - 65 hours per year in lost productivity
  - Approximate savings of $1,200-$2,000
  (varies based on hourly rate)
• One employee uses a company gas card to fill their personal vehicle once a month
  - Monthly fuel savings of $70
  - Annual fuel savings of $840
  (varies based on fuel tank size and fuel cost)

The below sample cost savings and ROI is for a single employee. Your ROI will vary based on number of vehicles in your fleet, amount of miles driven and fuel consumption.

Gas savings	$2,200
Productivity gained	$2,000
Theft savings	$840
Total annual savings	$5,040
Safety Track’s first year cost	$587
First year ROI	9X

What is Fleet Tracking?

1. GPS Fleet Tracking Solutions

One of the main problems with modern economics is, of course, management. It can be difficult to manage the portions of a business that have a lot of individual components - a hotel chain, for example, or a line of busses. That difficulty also applies to companies like taxi or limousine fleets, which is why good businessmen should consider buying technological tools to aid them in that task and to help them get the most money and profit out of their rather significant investments.

2 . What is Fleet Tracking?

First, let’s talk about a specific section of the American economic scene – the transportation industry. More specifically, we’ll talk about the personal transportation industry. It’s not easy getting around these days, and becoming harder all the time. It’s for this reason that so many enterprising businessmen and women have caught onto the idea that people will pay good money to ferry passengers from one place to another. That, in a nutshell, is the goal of the modern taxi industry.

Now, there are a fair number of taxis out there. In some places, like New York City, they all operate under a single head – the famous Medallion or “yellow cabs” of the city. Sometimes, taxis are owned by individual drivers, and make money by picking up street fares. More common, though, especially in smaller communities, are the phone summon taxis that are run by taxi companies. The person needing a ride calls the taxi company, and the company dispatches a taxi to pick them up. These types of taxis – known as FHVs or For Hire Vehicles in the industry – are generally run under a single company manager and require a lot of management to be efficient.

That’s where fleet or vehicle tracking comes in. GPS fleet tracking solutions are available on the consumer marketplace for discerning businessmen and businesswomen to use for their own taxi fleets in order to determine what’s happening in their company and what happens where – important when it comes to doling out paychecks or dealing with insurance problems, things like broken down taxis or auto accidents may cause.

3 . Why Use GPS Fleet Tracking Solutions?

The first step in good management is knowing exactly what’s happening, how long it takes, how long it costs, and where it takes place. That’s especially difficult in a taxi fleet, as all those reports depend on individual drivers – whose personal interests may be at odds with your own. If you have a driver prone to laziness, for example, he or she may report more hours on their payroll than they are actually filling, thus depriving his or her fellow employees as well as the company as a whole of valuable profits. This can also give the company a bad name, which, again, hurts fellow employees as well as you or anyone else in upper management.

So what do GPS fleet tracking solutions do? Simple. They record and observe in an unobtrusive way. They mark times, fares, stops, fuel expenses, and even, if you choose, things like speed. Are you concerned that some of your employees may be using your vehicles to break traffic laws? GPS fleet tracking solutions let you keep an eye on locations and speed limits, letting you know how fast they’re going at all times. GPS systems can also help the driver, helping him or her get to where they need to be faster and more efficiently than simply relying on street maps and personal memory.

4 . Different Types of Vehicle Tracking

There are two main varieties when it comes to good fleet management software. These depend specifically on the type of information you need and the type of technology you want to include in your vehicles. This can also make a big difference in cost, so make sure you research your options extensively before settling on one or the other. Ask yourself if the extra features of any specific system are really worth the extra cost you’ll be paying for them.

In fact, educating yourself about the details of these systems is probably a good idea. Good GPS fleet tracking solutions or fleet maintenance software can cost a lot of money, and it shouldn’t be a bill lightly looked at. With luck, these systems will last a long time and be used for a lot of solutions, so you should treat them with utter seriousness when it comes time to buy – make sure you educate yourself about all your options and know beforehand what you want, and you’ll end up with the best possible solution for your money in the end.