Carrier getting GPS TRACKERS

[jayhawker]

"Corporate America Bites" Nobody knows your name or even cares to, its just numbers, emails, frat-boys and micro managed BS. What corporate America dosen't understand is that without small business ,all the way down to the single guy shop, who would all the coporations sell their product to? Nobody!

[Tech Rob]

For example, you take a person that works hard every day. Does a good job and makes the customer happy. When the company does nothing but beat you down with crap like fire retardent uniforms and trackers, then it is hard to keep that employee happy. And without the workers you the owner do not make the money. Then you take the same person and give him a little appreciation in some way and make it a good place to work then you keep your good hand and you make more money. Key words more money. Because that is what this is all about. It is hard to replace good mechanics. Because the good ones normally stay where they are because they are well payed and usually taken care of. But when you start adding all this other crap people will leave and lets see how you do then.

That's exactly what I'm talking about... You feel you deserve something extra for doing what you were hired to do. You don't feel "appreciated", even though you have steady work and take home a check every week. For a grown man, you sure are whining like a child.

[uke]

NBorth Carolina's office got them already. NYC suppose to get trackers by the end of the year.

[JBM1000]

We already have GPS systems and use the unit for next call, finished, gone to supply house etc. I could care less whether I'm tracked or not. I just think its stupid when your asked why you wasted 11 miles on a certain date back at 2:32PM to 3:09PM? **Ever heard of heavy traffic, stop lights, old lady's crossing the street? Next time I'll be sure to go 92 MPH in a 40 MPH zone, run every stop light and kill small little old lady's trying to cross the street OK?!!!!

They ask you that question and then also bust you for going over 65 MPH for over 5 min's. It gets a good laugh when they don't understand why your already laughing at there double sided analysis.!!!!

Don't forget the excessive idling over 10 min's. #Ever heard of traffic jams# so just go for 4-1/2 mins. turn it off and put it in park and stop traffic. Then fire back up and go some more. Then you here how someone called in and complained about your driving!!

[carriermechanic]

That's exactly what I'm talking about... You feel you deserve something extra for doing what you were hired to do. You don't feel "appreciated", even though you have steady work and take home a check every week. For a grown man, you sure are whining like a child.

Oh you are funny berger and you can kiss my ass. It is people like you that let these companies run over you and you say yes sir master. That is one thing that is wrong with this world. That is also why it is hard for unions or all of the guys at your work to stick together. Because there is always one lame idiot willing to do whatever they say to make them happy. You are right about they do not owe me anything other than a paycheck. But, just think about how much more they can get out of a person if they show a little appreciation. If all they want to do is give me a paycheck then that is fine. But do not ask me to go out of my way to help you.

[freonrick]

They need to spend all that money buying tools and what ever will help us do our job better. All they are doing is adding to overhead. How many people are they going to hire to monitor everybody? They are tech's out there that abuse the system but the manager needs to deal with the problem people and they know who they are but afraid to.

[carriermechanic]

They need to spend all that money buying tools and what ever will help us do our job better. All they are doing is adding to overhead. How many people are they going to hire to monitor everybody? They are tech's out there that abuse the system but the manager needs to deal with the problem people and they know who they are but afraid to.

That is exactly what I am talking about. Spend that money on something that is worth while. Like you said better shop equipment, rigging or any kind of tool. Every supervisor should be able to look at your time and know what is going on. Epecially if they know what they are doing. Take it out on the individuals and not they whole group.

[markettech]

That's funny.........I don't care who ya are

[TRGunner]

I'm of the opinion that the only people who get upset over things like this are those with something to hide.

Agreed. They lose alot of labor hours on technicians who think it is ok to leave early, come in late, take extended lunches, and eat donuts for 45 minutes at the parts house or use the company vehicle to go to Grandma's house. It is a valuable tool that forces those hedging to staighten up or recieve a pink slip. If they say, "I will quit" then the company is gaining lost labor hours without unemployment payouts.

[acjourneyman]

That maybe true but good chiller guys are hard to find, Just go and try and find one. Losing them over anything so trivial is ridiculous, don't let a tool make up for useless people in the office not doing there jobs.Do you honestly think the dispatchers are going to get better, NEWS FLASH,NO, they will hire some stupider people that can look at a screen and make a decision based on where you are.Your company hires a service manager and you guys don't see eye to eye, guess what, your truck has been registered as speeding 3X, CYA.Don't ever think this will benefit the technician, look at the real reasons.

[mark beiser]

GPS tracking has a long, well documented, track record of saving large organizations, with lots of field personnel, big money.
That is one of the reason you see so many companies going to it.

Couple that with the development of GPS enabled dispatching software, and GPS becomes a no brainer.

There are companies that go to far with it and try to micromanage every minute of time. That is a mistake IMO.

As for opponents of GPS, I question your motives. Is the reason you hate it really because you are a "leader", or is it really that you have become accustomed to stealing from the company by taking long lunches, and sometimes going home early, while still billing time to jobs?

It isn't quite as big of an issue with people that are doing multi day/week jobs, but it can be a huge business loss when techs that do 1-2hr service calls are blowing off an hour or more a day on company time.
If a tech blows off 1.5 hours on company time, not only is the company loosing the 1.5 hours of wage and benefit expense the tech, but that is potentially 1 less service call the tech could have run. The potential revenue loss can be in the hundreds, or thousands, of dollars.
This is the same reason that warranty callbacks are really bad. It isn't just the cost of the wasted time that has to be considdered, it is the potential cost of lost revenue for doing other productive work that is the real killer.

On another note, since there seems to be some confusion about it, the company doesn't exist to pat you on the head for doing your job and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, it is there to make money for the owners. You are paid to do a job, do it!
If you don't like the way the owners/managers run things, find a new job!

[markettech]

As for opponents of GPS, I question your motives. Is the reason you hate it really because you are a "leader", or is it really that you have become accustomed to stealing from the company by taking long lunches, and sometimes going home early, while still billing time to jobs?

Trust, buy verify.

No matter what company I worked for, I used to keep track of my hours seperately from the time card I turned in. It wasn't that I didn't trust the boss to pay me for all my hours......but I wanted to verify for myself that I got paid for the hours I worked.

In my mind, equipping a vehicle with GPS isn't much different than me tracking my working hours.

Anybody want to guess what my first reaction would have been if the boss had threatened to cut me loose for tracking my working hours?

On another note, since there seems to be some confusion about it, the company doesn't exist to pat you on the head for doing your job and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, it is there to make money for the owners. You are paid to do a job, do it!
If you don't like the way the owners/managers run things, find a new job!

Entirely too many people forget this in my opinion.

Sure, a good business owner wants to go above and beyond for his employees.....but now days it seems the overwhelming majority of employees see a paycheck as the BARE MINIMUM a company owes.

[carriermechanic]

GPS tracking has a long, well documented, track record of saving large organizations, with lots of field personnel, big money.
That is one of the reason you see so many companies going to it.

Couple that with the development of GPS enabled dispatching software, and GPS becomes a no brainer.

As for opponents of GPS, I question your motives. Is the reason you hate it really because you are a "leader", or is it really that you have become accustomed to stealing from the company by taking long lunches, and sometimes going home early, while still billing time to jobs?

It isn't quite as big of an issue with people that are doing multi day/week jobs, but it can be a huge business loss when techs that do 1-2hr service calls are blowing off an hour or more a day on company time.
If a tech blows off 1.5 hours on company time, not only is the company loosing the 1.5 hours of wage and benefit expense the tech, but that is potentially 1 less service call the tech could have run. The potential revenue loss can be in the hundreds, or thousands, of dollars.
This is the same reason that warranty callbacks are really bad. It isn't just the cost of the wasted time that has to be considdered, it is the potential cost of lost revenue for doing other productive work that is the real killer.

On another note, since there seems to be some confusion about it, the company doesn't exist to pat you on the head for doing your job and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, it is there to make money for the owners. You are paid to do a job, do it!
If you don't like the way the owners/managers run things, find a new job!

Spoken by a manger I would venture to guess. If somebody actually thinks that trackers will help you deal with service calls when you are talking about a commercial A\C business that has guys with different talents and when they work on different types of equipment then you need to look at replacing either the dispatcher or supervisor. Because they must not know what they are doing. They should be able to tell you where the guy is at and who might have time to run the call. Just because I am closer does not mean I have time. You still have to use your brain. But how about we just let a computer do it. That is what most managers think.

As far as the company losing money because somebody does not work a full eight hours is a crock of s--t. They still make there money no matter what unless it is a full maintenance contract or maybe a bid job that you went over on. If you stay under the hours then most managers that I have talked to fill it is not a big deal to leave an hour or two early that day.

How many times do I have to say that I understand they do not have to pat me on the back or give me or you anything else. That is fine and I have no problem with it. I am saying that if you take two companies that are equal and one of them starts making the employees wear these dumbass flame retardant uniforms and put trackers on the vans but never show any kind of appreciation ( not that they have to ) then take the other company that gives back to the employees and makes it enjoyable to come to work. Who do you think will have the most success. I feel that the company that gives back in some small way will become a much better company and more profitable company in the short term and long term future. Plus they will probably take away the other companies best guys and lets see where that gets you. It takes money to make money. Plus I have always felt, like that old saying goes, that you should treat others just like you want to be treated.