GPS tracking, Good Idea ?

[Trublshter]

Hello folks. Just curious how many out there work for companies that did'nt utilize them and had them installed and if they are worth it. I personally don't see how they save a company money if the company's dispatching habits are slapshot at best. Like our's for example. Especially in these days of outrageous gas prices.

[cehs]

This has been discussed before.
Do a search on GPS.
At the top of this page you will see a small globe that says search beside it...

My two cents is that it helps the company far more than it does any customer or tec...

The company can trace a tec and maybe dispatch them quicker.
The tec can prove that he is, where he says he is, at the time he says he was where he was.....
The customer may benefit some by the company finding the closest tec to their door...

[i_got_ideas]

But then my boss would see me just drive for a bit to finish my cig.

[hvac3901]

it works from the aspect of absentee contract customers/ property managers off site, etc. outside source knows and sends transmitions of vehicle location. what do you mean i was'nt there for three hours why else would i have been at xxx n. nowhere for three hours.
depends on software and system, update vehicle location frequently, do not always trust mph hence no employee repremand it can lie. and have a dedicated computer to process the info and print reports.

[cphc]

If you can't trust your tech's with your trucks you should not have hired them. The calls are going to be billed anyway for time on the invoice. Get real I know that gas is extreamly high, your next move will be a camera in the cab.

[coolwhip]

Why would anyone want to work for a company with gps in their vehicles? Sounds like the boss has a paranoia problem.

[The Penguin]

yep put a camera in my truck and see how many times i moon it or you see me picking my nose or srcatching my nuts

[LR]

I worked for a company who had no business putting gps in their vans, first they did a trial run, and my van was one named. I was ok till they brought up the fact that based upon my vans gps readings I was not driving fast enough..........I was so parnoid of the thing I drove just below the speedlimit and still got pinched.
Your 100% right a gps cant fix half a## dispatching
I later left that company with a feeling that the natural bond of trust we had was gone.

[LR]

is there anyway you can hard wire a gps into a dispatchers brain...........oh and if he or she makes a mistake
it automatically deducts its value from his or her paycheck,
and we do have the deluxe model that wires a cattle prod to there.......................(fill in the blank)

[tinman]

I could not care less. I have never and will never have anything to hide. If it makes my employer feel better, go for it. I feel the same way about a blood test, anytime anyplace.

[cphc]

This is just a sore spot with all my mechanics. Trust your guys or find another. I have told them that I will never us a gps on the trucks however if I had a real problem we might us a anal probe like in south park.

[maintenanceguy]

If you've got 50 trucks spread over three states, I see the benefit.
If you've got 5 techs and you feel you need for GPS tracking you've either got:

1) An unhealthy distrust of of your employees and you need to get off their backs.
2) Techs who you know are ripping you off and you and you need to find new techs or
3)a sloppy dispatch/office setup and adding complex technology will only make it worse.

But to let your techs have GPS for thier own navigation in a truck is great. I bought one about a year ago and I love it. I never ever get lost. never. When I do get alittle mixed up, took the wrong exit, etc. I push a couple of buttons and the thing points an arrow right at my destination and tells me how far away it is.

Used it today to make some deliveries in a U-haul. I ended up within 80ft of the first site's driveway without any directions just following the arrows. And always knew exactly how far I was from each stop to the nearest 10th mile.

[Edited by maintenanceguy on 05-28-2004 at 05:56 PM]

[Trublshter]

I agree. If we had 50 trucks across a wide area, sure. But a small company, no. Seems to me some body got paranoid. But our shop has gotten strange in the last couple of weeks anyway with consistant negativity. I've been with them 7 years and I've got to the point where I feel it's time to move on.