Category Archives: GPS Monitoring Individuals

Blizzard in the Midwest

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A snowstorm hit the Midwest last night leaving approximately 15 inches of snow. The strong winds and heavy snow made driving conditions nearly impossible. Authorities even required that snow plows be off the roads until conditions improved.

Virtually everything in eastern Iowa is shut down. As of this morning (February 2) Iowa Transportation Department reported several closed highways, including Interstate 80. In addition, U.S. Highway 218 was closed in both directions from Iowa City south to the Missouri line.

Although, the snow has tapered off into flurries the main concern now is the 30 mph wind that is expected to continue throughout the day, causing more snow into drifts that had previously been cleared away. Many trucks have been sitting at truck stops all across Iowa, waiting for the weather to clear to continue towards their final destination.

On the bright side though, the groundhog did not see his shadow. Hope Punxsutawney Phil is right and spring comes early. Happy Groundhog Day!

Update on EOBR Rule

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As of Monday, January 31 the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) passed the electronic onboard recorder (EOBR) rule. The rule will mandate almost all motor carriers install EOBRs to monitor the drivers hours of service (HOS).

According to an article in FleetOwner, the proposal states, “All motor carriers are currently required to maintain Records of Duty Status (RODS) for HOS recordkeeping would be required to use EOBRs to systematically and effectively monitor their drivers’ compliance with HOS requirements.” Additionally, drivers will still need to retain some documents in order to verify driving time. It was noted in the article that toll receipts would be a way to monitor time.

The FMCSA explains that the approach will place an appropriate balance between promoting highway safety and minimizing cost. Therefore, this proposal is an important step to increase the safety bar for commercial carriers and drivers (FleetOwner).

Do you think this is a good idea? Yes? No?

How do they do it? Success for JB Hunt

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As of Friday, January 27, JB Hunt Transport Services, Inc announced 2010 financial results that could be very positive and informative by other truckload and multi-modal carriers (FleetOwner).

JB Hunt’s President and CEO, John N. Roberts III stated, “In 2010, we continued our strategic mission of integrating our distinct and complementary services, while simultaneously maintaining execution discipline in our four business segments.” According to an article in FleetOwner, the company offered a comprehensive approach by taking a ‘horizontal view,’ which consisted of manufacturing and importing, various distribution channels, retail replenishment, and final delivery to the consumer.

As a whole JB Hunt is very pleased with the progress they have made. They will continue to collaborate with their clients and still plan to provide efficiency to their consumers. In addition, JB Hunt will focus on revenue quality and the appropriate addition of assets across the business segments (FleetOwner).

GPS Tracking: Bad Idea for Fishermen, Good Idea for Ships’ Crew

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Ever think you’d be busted for “cruelty to shrimp”? Or that the federal government would limit the amount of fish you caught by species?

Fishermen don’t have to worry about those kinds of restrictions — yet. But a hilarious column in Florida’s Naplenews.com speculates on what could happen if the ’crats take over regulation of the fish in our nation’s waterways. Even GPS fleet tracking (or maybe GPS fish tracking) would be involved.

While the column is tongue-in-cheek, we know that GPS fleet tracking is already being put to use aboard oceangoing ships and boats. Installing GPS tracking devices on cargo containers is becoming routine. But the technology also will be used soon for finding a ship’s most valuable cargo: its crew.

A British company has devised a system that swings into action if a crew member goes overboard (or MOB, as sailors say for “man overboard”). It uses the same type of real time technology found in GPS fleet tracking – but it’s waterproof.

The device is in the development stage now, but consists of a central tracking unit on the ship and all-weather GPS tracking units worn by each crew member. According to the European Space Agency:

“When a man falls overboard the mobile unit is detached automatically from the life jacket when it inflates, and on hitting the water it starts transmitting its position to the central unit on the ship. The signal is plotted as a waypoint on the ships navigation device, and the ship can easily return to the position of the MOB. The signal is transmitted on an open radio channel so the MOB position can also be picked up by other ships.”

The development firm is seeking funding partners to continue developing the system, and it won the Galileo Master prize in the European Satellite Navigation Competition 2008. The system is targeted at commercial fishing boats, merchant shipping, offshore exploration (oil rigs), passenger vessels and the leisure yachting market.

Not to sound flippant, but perhaps such a system could be devised for cruise ship crews and possibly passengers, considering the alarming number of people-overboard incidents in recent years.

And as for the fish? We hope the government has better things to do than get involved in fishing expeditions.

Teen Drivers Can be More Safety-Conscious With GPS Tracking Along for the Ride

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It’s a hot summer night and you’re nervous. Your teenage son or daughter is taking the family car for a spin and you hope she’s applying all the rules of the road he/she learned in driver’s ed and under your tutelage.

You’ve got good reason to worry. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of more than 17 teens a day die on American roads during June, July and August — the months with the highest teen crash rates. Nearly 6,000 teens die in car crashes annually, a statistic that hasn’t changed in more than a decade. While research shows that parents and teens believe alcohol is the cause of most crashes involving teen drivers, the primary causes of most teen crashes — between 2003 and 2005 — was driver error (87 percent).

You might not be able to control your teen’s personal habits, but you can keep an eye on their driving style with some help from GPS fleet tracking technology. When you install a small, easily concealed GPS tracking device in their car, truck or SUV, you’ll not only know where they are in real time, but you’ll also have peace of mind. So if your daughter says she’ll be at a girlfriend’s apartment until 11 p.m., ask for her friend’s address. Then, by logging in to a dedicated site on your web-connected PC, you’ll be able to confirm she’s at her friend’s place on a familiar Google Map. If her vehicle is at an over-21 club instead, she’ll have some ‘splaining to do.

Whether you live in a city, the suburbs or a rural area, you should be concerned about your teen driver’s whereabouts. Allstate Insurance recently released its study of America’s deadliest teen driving hot spots. The top 10 metropolitan areas for fatal teen crashes are:

  • Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Florida
  • Orlando/Kissimmee, Florida
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • Birmingham, Alabama
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • Kansas City, Missouri (and Kansas)
  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Louisville, Kentucky

The safest metro areas in the study include some of the nation’s largest cities. The best scoring areas are:

  • San Francisco/Oakland, California
  • San Jose, California
  • New York City (including Long Island and northern New Jersey)
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Cleveland, Ohio
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Chicago, Illinois

Perhaps surprisingly, the study also found that fatal crash rates for teens are double in rural areas compared to cities and suburbs. Fortunately, GPS fleet tracking technology has you covered in non-metro areas as well. Here are some ways GPS can help make your teens better drivers.

  • If you suspect your son is speeding the way you did as a teenager, your GPS tracking system will alert you by text message or email if he exceeds a pre-discussed speed. You also can receive alerts if he enters or exits a “geofence” you create on your PC. That’s a geographic box around your home, the library, shopping mall or anywhere you choose. You’ll be certain your son (or at least his car) was “on his way home” when he said he was.
  • It might impress your teens that you’ll be using a high-tech “Hansel and Gretel”method of tracking their whereabouts. With GPS fleet tracking, you’ll always have a “breadcrumb trail” of their vehicle’s exact route, from the time it left your home to its true destination. If he or she counters that you’re spying on them, remind them they have no cause for concern if they respect your driving rules, curfews, speed limits and other guidelines. If they’re as well-behaved as they claim to be, they’ll have nothing to worry about.
  • Not all teens object to being monitored by GPS fleet tracking. Some find it can actually help them – like being trusted as the designated driver by their friends’ parents. And if the unexpected occurs, such as a stolen vehicle or the teen “disappearing,” you’ll know precisely where the car is in real time or its last tracked location – a significant aid to law enforcement.

Using a GPS tracking system to follow your kids while assuring their privacy is a delicate balance. Many parents have their teens sign a “driving contract” that spells out what’s expected of them when they get behind the wheel. Like any contract, tradeoffs are involved. You expect them to be safe; they expect you to respect their privacy. With GPS, you’ll have proof that they’ve upheld or broken the contract in the form of detailed reports on speed, location and other variables. It’s a good life lesson, one that they’ll very likely apply to your grandchildren someday. They do want to give you grandchildren, don’t they ?