FieldLogix is proud to announce that it has been selected by San Diego Metro as One of “The Most Admired Companies in San Diego in 2011.”

FieldLogix,  an industry leader in Green GPS fleet tracking technology, was built with no outside financing and has grown to support thousands of vehicles throughout the US.

Companies using FieldLogix’s GPS-based fleet tracking system experience lower fuel consumption, equating to reduced fuel costs, lower maintenance costs, improved customer response time, lower fleet emissions and reduced insurance costs, plus increased employee productivity and efficiency.

FieldLogix’s fleet tracking system helps companies throughout the US reduce costs and management headaches. It shows companies what their field employees are doing and holds them accountable.

A wireless fleet tracking system can put a spotlight on a driver’s habits that consume excessive fuel and emit unnecessary pollution. The most frequent of these activities include excessive speeding, idling and sudden acceleration and stops. Tracking these types of activities is essential to achieving a fuel-efficient green fleet.

A fleet tracking system can provide an ROI in less than six months and immediately reduce fuel consumption, plus produce ecological benefits.

FieldLogix’s original business plan is part of the coursework for the SDSU graduate business program and is highlighted in graduate level business courses throughout the world (Finland, Hong Kong, etc.).

Whether you manage a fleet of 5 vans or hundreds of fleet vehicles, GPS fleet tracking solutions can improve your bottom line. A fleet tracking device can instantly help to improve your ROI by reducing insurance premiums, fuel and labor costs, while also improving customer service and management.

If your company doesn’t have a fleet tracking device, then you may be missing out on a valuable opportunity to improve management of your mobile worker performance, reduce expenses and increase customer satisfaction.

Fleet tracking can help you to:

1. Eliminate any Unauthorized or Personal use of Company Vehicles.
2. Catch Moonlighting Employees.
3. Improve Routing and Dispatching.
4. Reduce Fuel Costs.
5. Eliminate Unnecessary Idling.
6. Improve Driving Habits.
6. Quit Worrying About Car Theft.
7. Reduce Insurance Premiums.

Wireless fleet tracking systems can put a spotlight on a driver’s habits that consume excessive fuel and emit unnecessary pollution. The most frequent of these activities include excessive speeding, idling and sudden acceleration and stops. Tracking these types of activities is essential to achieving a fuel-efficient fleet.

Challenges  & Controlling Operating Expenses with GPS Fleet Tracking:

Lack of accountability for drivers – Having a widespread fleet makes tracking worker location and activity difficult. GPS fleet tracking can make your mobile employees and contractors more accountable.  Improving employee performance will not only make your customers more happy but it will make your drivers safe and at less risk of an accident.

Carlos Contreras, owner of Sunshine Landscape Services, said “my overtime costs dropped by more than 2 hours per man per day with no change in the workload. Based on these calculations, I paid for the entire first year of the system within the first 18 days.”

High Cost of Fleet Vehicle Maintenance and Insurance – Managing a large group of fleet vehicles has high operational costs.  Managers have trouble keeping up with vehicle maintenance logs because they have to wait for drivers to manually submit their mileage records. But with a vehicle tracking system, electronic driving records are available 24/7 with just a click of the mouse.

A modern GPS fleet tracking system can also help you to get better resale values when it’s time to sell or trade-in vehicles.

Also, installing a fleet tracking device can instantly reduce your company’s insurance premiums and will help to immediately improve your ROI.(For more info, go to: Sunshine Landscape Sees Positive ROI in 18 Days With FieldLogix.)

Inefficient Dispatching – Stop dispatching drivers at the end of their shift across town. With fleet tracking software dispatchers can locate and assign the best vehicle and driver nearest to the customer. This improved efficiency often leads to 1-2 additional service calls per day, per technician! $100 to $200 more per day, $500 to $1,000 per week, $2,000 to $4,000 monthly or an incredible $24,000 to $48,000 per year!

Not only can this reduce employee overtime costs and improve customer service, but it can also reduce your fuel expenses and vehicle wear and tear.

Unauthorized vehicle usage  and Liability– Side jobs are common in building service industries, and they can cost your company in many ways. FieldLogix was able to help a company that had a mobile employee taking jobs after hours and using the company name and materials without permission. This caused the company huge problems because when the customer called, the manager had no record of the contract. Not only did the manager look bad, but it could have easily caused lawsuit.

Reputation and Brand Protection – When a construction services company has spent decades building up its reputation, not being able to protect it is not an option. Monitoring fleet vehicles branded with the corporate logo cannot tolerate irresponsible or unsafe drivers.

Fleet tracking is very popular across many industries for several different reasons including:

HVAC & Mechanical - Increases employee accountability, reduces fuel costs, increases the number of jobs you are able to complete by identifying available, nearby service technicians, creates optimal routes and driving directions.

Municipalities - Documents all driver activities, reduces fuel expenses, eliminates unauthorized personal and after-hours use of fleet vehicles, reduces insurance costs.

Plumbing – Verifies work orders, improves customer support, lowers fuel costs, monitors and reduces excessive speeding, and can recover stolen vehicles.

Refrigeration Services -Decreases unnecessary idle time, enhances routing & dispatching, optimizes scheduling, service performance metrics, and reduces insurance costs.

Waste Management – Reduces operating expenses, improves customer service, increased the number of stops per day, and optimizes route efficiency.

Residential Services & Construction – Monitors job site activities, able to take-on new clients by quickly locating the nearest available vehicles, reduce response time, reduce fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Courier Services - Improves customer service and the ability get more jobs done with real time location of fleet delivery vehicles.

Distribution & Trucking – Reduces fuel expenditures, reduces insurance expenses, ability to create and distribute last minute routing changes; ability to track after hours driving and unauthorized cargo access;  records important information for tax reasons; monitors trucks usage by each state; improves driver efficiency; reduces speeding, increases driver safety, reduces fleet greenhouse  gas emissions; records data to meet or exceed emissions regulations.

Electrical Contractors – Verifies service calls and work orders, improves accounting and billing accuracy, improves customer service.

Automotive – Reduces gas costs, overtime and response time, betters customer service, stops employees from taking side jobs.

Concrete and Paving – Verifies job orders, monitors materials with customizable sensors.

Field Services – Decreases unnecessary idling time, enhances dispatching, improves routing, optimizes scheduling, improves service performance metrics, and reduces insurance costs.

Fire and Security – Monitors and documents time on location, improves billing accuracy.

Limousine and Transportation – Improves customer service, identifies available vehicles quickly and navigates drivers on optimal routes to avoid traffic driving directions.

Now may be the perfect time to invest in a GPS tracking system since the federal government will essentially pay for a large portion of it. Thanks to the extension and increased deductions with IRS Piggy-BankSection 179, businesses can write off up to $500,000 for equipment purchased during 2011.

Take advantage of IRS Section 179 by purchasing your GPS tracking equipment before the end of the year!

You may be able to write off your entire GPS tracking system purchase through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Under the ARRA, the U.S. government extended the increased depreciation limits for Section 179 of the IRS tax code. This allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment purchased or financed during the tax year. This was put in place to encourage business growth in the U.S.

Here is a summary of the benefits of Section 179:

- Write off 100% of equipment purchases up to $500,000

- Receive 100% bonus depreciation for purchases above $500,000 up to a maximum of $2,000,000

How Section 179 works:

When your business buys certain pieces of equipment, it typically gets to write them off a little at a time through depreciation. In other words, if your company spends $50,000 on a vehicle, it gets to write off $10,000 each year over five years. With Section 179, you can write off the entire amount this year.

Visit the FieldLogix website to calculate your potential cost savings.

Click-to-Calculate-Savings

In today’s tough economic climate, profit margins are slim and companies must implement as many cost-saving initiatives as possible. In order to stay competitive, companies have to look very closely at every penny spent.

A fleet tracking system can provide an ROI in less than six months and immediately reduce fuel consumption, plus produce ecological benefits. Companies both large and small are utilizing them to create profitable, sustainable fleets – including corporate giants such as Fed EX (NYSE: FDX) and UPS (NYSE: UPS).

A wireless fleet tracking system can put a spotlight on a driver’s habits that consume excessive fuel and emit unnecessary pollution. The most frequent of these activities include excessive speeding, idling and sudden acceleration and stops. Tracking these types of activities is essential to achieving a fuel-efficient green fleet.

Here are some Fleet Tracking System Features that can help you instantly reduce fuel costs:

Closest vehicle
Allows dispatchers to select the closest vehicle to a specific destination and provide turn-by-turn directions for the routes.
Garmin navigation interface (NASDAQ: GRMN)
Dispatchers can immediately send new calls to an in-vehicle navigation device to route drivers from current locations to their new jobs
Idling report
Displays each time a vehicle has idled in excess of 5 minutes. Report displays total time spent idling during a specified time period.
Mileage report
Displays total miles traveled during a specified time period.
Speeding report
Displays each excessive speeding incident during a specified time period
History replay
Displays entire route traveled on a map. Allows user to determine if vehicles are taking indirect routes to stops.

In light of today’s economic volatility, there is some good news – gas prices are expected to come down in the near future. With that said, gas prices are still historically high and the economy doesn’t appear to be turning around anytime soon. So it is more important than ever for companies to take control and operate as efficiently as possible.

Even drivers with years behind the wheel can improve their skills and driving performance with a fuel efficient driver training program.

A few simple changes in driving techniques can produce sizable fuel savings of 5 percent or more, according to the EPA. Fleets that improve fuel economy by at least 5 percent through driver training and monitoring programs can save more than $1,200 per truck each year in fuel costs and eliminate 8 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per truck each year.

Drivers are taught that an idling vehicle gets zero miles per gallon. The driver training also shows drivers how and why they should not speed in an effort to conserve gas. For example, driving at 55 mph rather than 65 mph can lower fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent, according to the EPA.

Companies using the FieldLogix fleet tracking system have access to their proprietary Green Fleet Reports, which can determine which vehicles are wasting time and money on excessive idling and speeding. The Green Fleet Reports can monitor driver performance and improvements over time.

Driver training based on fuel efficiency suggests limiting weight in the vehicle to the bare minimum. An extra 100 pounds can reduce fuel efficiency by 2 percent.

Fuel efficient driving also emphasizes effective route planning. A modern fleet GPS system can be very useful in planning the most efficient route.

FieldLogix encourages fleet managers to provide incentives to the best drivers who make the most progress and reduce fuel consumption. The Fuel Efficiency Driver Training courses are divided into several modules, such as the Physics of Fuel and Fuel Efficient Driving Techniques.

After each course module is completed, students will be given a brief online exam to test their knowledge. Students must pass the test with a score of 80% or more in order to move on to the next course module.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/smartwaylogistics/documents/drivertraining.pdf

Driven by economic uncertainty, rising fuel costs and strategic acquisitions, the US commercial fleet telematics industry has reached a key tipping point. Asset & Fleet Management USA 2011, an upcoming conference sponsored by Telematics Update, can provide corporate fleet management with technical and strategic business intelligence to capitalize on this uncertain but potentially lucrative period in the market’s development.

With over 25 hand-picked fleet management experts, speaking on an independently researched agenda of the most up to the moment commercial telematics topics, the 10th annual conference is set to be the biggest and most successful to date. Expert strategies will be shared by leading executives from Volvo, Microsoft (MSFT), Coca-Cola (KO), John Deere, Trimble, FMCSA, Verizon (VZ) and many more.

Take a look at some of the key discussion points:

Key acquisitions and investment in the fleet telematics market
The vital role of telematics in the future of commercial insurance
Harnessing the power of fuel management solutions
Get an inside view on the EV (electric vehicle) business case
How FMCSA rules are set to shape the industry
Leveraging vehicle generated data to develop next-gen commercial telematics services

Key topics to be discussed:

Gain a fascinating insight into Coca-Cola’s FMS Strategy: Hear directly from an end-user on how to align your fuel management systems with needs
Understand how insurers are approaching commercial auto customers. Find out out how to factor in driver behavioral trends to develop services for each commercial vehicle segment
Asses how private equity firms and MRM suppliers are continuing to build subscriber and technology market-share through strategic corporate acquisitions
Get an inside view on the electric vehicle business case. Challenge perceptions such as battery life and range anxiety to see why companies are moving forward with green fleets
Discuss the impact of EOBR (electronic on-board recorder) and CSA rules on the trucking sector and align your solutions in order to comply and avoid tech. redundancy

For the complete Fleet & Asset Management USA 2011 conference program and speaker line-up, visit http://www.telematicsupdate.com/fleet/ or contact the Telematics Update team at fleet(at)telematicsupdate(dot)com

Companies using a GPS-based fleet tracking system experience lower fuel consumption, equating to reduced fuel costs, lower maintenance costs, improved customer response time, lower fleet emissions and reduced insurance costs, plus increased employee productivity and efficiency.

Don’t just take our word for it, here is what Jason Mathers, project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund, recently told Contractor Magazine.  “A GPS routing software is probably most useful for a truck that is out in the field and regularly calls in to find out about its next appointment. A dispatcher can send the trucks to the closest appointments. Also, drivers can use these to cut miles by navigating to their destination directly. A fleet tracking system can be used to track unnecessary idling, and also driving behaviors that increase fuel consumption (i.e. speeding). These can be helpful to any fleet. All are impacted by the human element in the driving equation.”

A fleet tracking system can notify fleet managers when a vehicle needs to be brought in for service and repairs. This equates to proactive vehicle maintenance and the ability to make better decisions regarding future vehicle purchases.

A company can use a fleet tracking system to see how many employees are in the field and how many jobs there are in a specific time frame, and then figure out what is the right balance of resources to work with. Fleet tracking data can be used to decide if you should bring more work into the company, increasing billable hours, how better to use company resources, such as expanding the service area, or to trim back resources.

“We are honored to be selected as a winner for the 2011 TechAmerica High Tech Awards” said Yukon Palmer, CEO of FieldLogix. “This recognition validates the unique innovation of our system and its enormous potential.”

FieldLogix was recognized for the Outstanding Emerging Growth category, based on its innovation in the telematics industry and its proven ability to not only survive an economic recession, but even grow during it. “Because a fleet tracking system can provide an ROI in less than six months and immediately reduce fuel consumption, plus produce ecological benefits, companies both large and small are utilizing them to create profitable, sustainable fleets.”

FieldLogix, a leading developer of GPS fleet tracking systems, is one of the more enduring companies in its industry and is also one of the most efficient. “We focus heavily on automating processes to make our customers’ experience pleasant and non-disruptive, while also giving them the ability to easily pick up a phone and talk to us. These processes, along with a user-friendly and reliable product, have helped us grow rapidly throughout the years,” said Mr. Palmer.

The TechAmerica High Tech Awards were held on Oct. 28 and showcased San Diego’s most innovative technology companies. In its eighteenth year, the annual awards program celebrates excellence in the region’s technology industry, and honors outstanding companies for their technological or business innovation; exceptional products or service; product marketplace validation; perseverance in the face of adversity; and community involvement.

“Every year I grow more impressed by the caliber of award nominations we receive,” said Kevin Carroll, regional vice president, TechAmerica San Diego. “We are pleased to honor FieldLogix as a leader in the Outstanding Emerging Growth Category, not only for its innovative contributions, but because we believe its fleet tracking solutions exemplify key developments in the industry, helping further establish San Diego as a technology hub.”

About FieldLogix

FieldLogix provides green GPS fleet management solutions designed to reduce fleet fuel consumption and improve productivity. FieldLogix has ranked among the 100 Fastest Growing Companies in San Diego for the past two years.

About TechAmerica

TechAmerica is the leading voice for the U.S. technology industry — the driving force behind productivity growth and jobs creation in the United States and the foundation of the global innovation economy. Representing approximately 1,000 member companies of all sizes from the public and commercial sectors of the economy, it is the industry’s largest advocacy organization and is dedicated to helping members’ top and bottom lines. TechAmerica has offices in state capitals around the United States, Washington, D.C., Europe (Brussels) and Asia (Beijing).

The company is eager to expand its complete suite of fleet management products and services to fleets in Canada. In addition, services are now available to U.S. fleets operating in Canada.

FieldLogix’s expanded service and the company’s ongoing success is based upon continually meeting the needs of its clients. Because a fleet management system can provide an ROI in less than six months and immediately reduce fuel consumption, plus produce ecological benefits, companies both large and small utilize FieldLogix to create profitable, sustainable fleets.

In today’s tough economic climate, profit margins are slim and companies must implement as many cost-saving initiatives as possible. In order to stay competitive, companies have to look very closely at every penny spent. Wireless fleet management systems can put a spotlight on a driver’s habits that consume excessive fuel and emit unnecessary pollution.

About FieldLogix

FieldLogix is a feature–rich fleet tracking system, integrated with turn-by-turn navigation by Garmin and Google Maps, that can be customized for fleets of all kinds, shape and sizes, from 5 – 500 vehicles.

Driver training that targets fuel efficiency can help recognize and change driving habits that waste fuel. Even drivers with years behind the wheel can improve their skills and driving performance through fuel efficient driver training programs.

A few simple changes in driving techniques can produce sizable fuel savings of 5 percent or more, according to the EPA. Fleets that improve fuel economy by at least 5 percent through driver training and monitoring programs can save more than $1,200 per truck each year in fuel costs and eliminate 8 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per truck each year.

Drivers are taught that an idling vehicle gets zero miles per gallon. The driver training also shows drivers how and why they should not speed in an effort to conserve gas. For example, driving at 55 mph rather than 65 mph can lower fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent, according to the EPA.

Companies using the FieldLogix fleet tracking system have access to their proprietary Green Fleet Reports, which can determine which vehicles are wasting time and money on excessive idling and speeding. The Green Fleet Reports can monitor driver performance and improvements over time.

Driver training based on fuel efficiency suggests limiting weight in the vehicle to the bare minimum. An extra 100 pounds can reduce fuel efficiency by 2 percent.

Fuel efficienct driving also emphasizes effective route planning. A modern GPS system can be very useful in planning the most efficient route.

FieldLogix encourages fleet managers to provide incentives to the best drivers who make the most progress and reduce fuel consumption. The Fuel Efficiency Driver Training courses are divided into several modules, such as the Physics of Fuel and Fuel Efficient Driving Techniques.

After each course module is completed, students will be given a brief online exam to test their knowledge. Students must pass the test with a score of 80% or more in order to move on to the next course module.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/smartwaylogistics/documents/drivertraining.pdf