Category Archives: GPS Tracking

Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts Annual Report

Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts

The Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts (LTBCF) is an annual report produced by the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration). It contains valuable data about fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes involving large trucks and buses. A large truck is defined as a truck with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds.

The 2014 report was released on April 15, 2015. Click here to download a copy.

FleetOwner has produced some interesting charts and graphs from the data in the report. Click here to see the charts.

Facts From 2014 Report

The report contains a lot of useful facts and important information. Below are some of the most interesting ones.

The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes decreased by 5 percent, from 3,921 to 3,744 from 2013 to 2014.
The number of large trucks involved in injury crashes increased by 21 percent, from 73,000 to 88,000 from 2013 to 2014.
34% of all fatal large truck crashes in 2014 occurred between 50 and 55 MPH.
63.4% of all fatal large trucks crashes occur between 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM.

Electronic Logging Device or ELD Facts

Electronic Logging Device Facts

The purpose of this blog is to provide an easy to use source for facts and requirements for electronic logging devices. Please refer to the FMCSA’s ELD rule page for more details.

All CDL drivers who keep a Record of Duty Status (RODS) will be required by the FMCSA to use an ELD by December 18, 2017. Click here to see the official implementation timeline.

For carriers and drivers that are using AOBRDS (automatic onboard recording devices) before the compliance date must transition to ELDs no later than December 16, 2019.

Click here to download a copy of the ELD rule.

What Is An ELD?

An ELD is an electronic solution that allows a CDL driver to easily comply with the HOS regulations.

All ELD’s are required to have certain technical and performance specifications.

ELD Requirements

Connect to the truck’s engine
Driver must be able to log in and select On-duty, Off-duty, or On-Duty Not Driving
Automatically set Drive status when the truck begins to move
Display graphically a Record of Duty Status, so a driver can quickly see hours in a day
Provide data in a standard format that can be sent to law enforcement in a number of ways, such as wireless web services, USB, or Bluetooth 2.0
Be provider-certified that the device meets the proper specifications
Be listed on the FMCSA website

What Is HOS?

The Hours of Service (HOS) regulations are set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to govern how many hours a driver can operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV). The rules limit the number of daily and weekly hours that a commercial driver can spend working and driving. The purpose of the rules are to increase safety by reducing the amount of accidents caused by fatigue.

The FMCSA is responsible for enforcing HOS regulations. To comply with the regulations a CMV driver is required to maintain a log book indicating the amount of hours spent driving and resting.

Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association San Antonio

Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors San Antonio

We are excited to announce that Efficient Fleets is now a member of the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association San Antonio chapter. The PHCC is dedicated to the promotion, advancement, education and training of the industry. We are proud to support the industries that we do business with and look forward to working with the association and its members.

Efficient Fleets is a GPS tracking company that provides solutions that are designed to help the plumbing industry improve customer service, increase revenue, and decrease expenses. We offer easy-to-use affordable GPS tracking for fleets of any size.

We are located in San Antonio, TX at 437 McCarty Rd, suite D, 78216. Please contact us today at 888-777-4510 to learn more.

Michael Goldberg

President, Efficient Fleets

Efficient Fleets is a Member of the Texas Trucking Association

Texas Trucking Association

We are proud to announce that Efficient Fleets is now a member of the Texas Trucking Association. The TXTA is dedicated to supporting the trucking industry in Texas and beyond. As a company Efficient Fleets believes in supporting the industries that we do business with.

Efficient Fleets is a GPS tracking company that provides services and solutions that are specific to the trucking industry. We offer standard GPS tracking, electronic logging devices (ELD), IFTA compliance, trailer tracking, plus much more.

We are located in San Antonio, TX at 437 McCarty Rd, suite D, 78216. We support clients throughout Texas and nationwide. Please contact us today at 888-777-4510 to learn more.

Michael Goldberg

President, Efficient Fleets

Omnitracs Authorized Reseller

Efficient Fleets Is An Omnitracs Authorized Reseller

Efficient Fleets is proud to announce that we are now an Omnitracs XRS Authorized Reseller. The Omnitracs XRS platform delivers enterprise-grade fleet solutions to companies of any size. The XRS system is designed to deliver cutting edge solutions in GPS tracking, HOS compliance, and fleet optimization to a smartphone, tablet, or rugged handheld device.

The XRS system is designed with the trucking industry in mind. Efficient Fleets is committed to bringing the best technology to our clients. We consider Omnitracs to be the best in their industry and therefore we are proud to represent them in San Antonio and South Texas.

The XRS platform is a great solutions for fleets of all sizes. There are no upfront hardware or installation costs which makes the system affordable and easy to implement.

We offer a complete set of services for the XRS platform including sales, service, setup, and training. To learn more about the XRS platform please click here.

Please contact us today at 888-777-4510 to request a quote or to setup a free demo.

Michael Goldberg

President, Efficient Fleets

Car Accident Verified By GPS Tracking

Quickly Locate the Car Accident

A client called me the other day about a car accident. One of his drivers was in a minor fender bender. He wanted to know if his GPS tracking system had any info to help him. He specifically wanted to know if the driver was where the accident happened and how fast he was driving prior to the accident.

Both of these things could easily be done with the GPS tracking. I showed him how to quickly find the location of the accident and then to see if the vehicle was there. Once the client found the location of the vehicle he was able to see the vehicle’s speed before the accident.

This information helped him to quickly determine if the employee was telling the truth. He was able to verify the location and the speed in a just a few minutes.

Please note that most GPS tracking devices are not black box recorders. In other words, they are not designed to record all of the vehicle’s activity right before and after an event like an accident. Most of them are designed to send information, such as vehicle speed and location every 60 seconds.

GPS tracking can benefit fleets of any size. The ability to know where your vehicles are at any time and where they were is extremely valuable. If you have any questions please contact us at 888-777-4510.

To learn more about our GPS tracking systems please visit www.EfficientFleets.com.

Thanks for reading,

Michael Goldberg

President, Efficient Fleets

Improve Customer Service

Improve Customer Service and Boost Profits

GPS tracking is a great way to improve customer service. It can provide the verification that you need to ensure that you deliver the service that your customer’s expect. One of the most exciting ways that our clients use GPS tracking is to verify that they showed up on time and completed the job. Many of our clients have contracts with their customers that state how many times they have to show up. GPS tracking can automatically provide that verification.

Yesterday I was speaking to a client who explained that they used to constantly get complaints from their customers that they did not show up. The client is a waste management company that operates west of San Antonio, TX. Good, prompt service is how they have built their business.

No Way To Verify

Before they installed GPS tracking in their trucks all they could do was agree with the customer, apologize, and offer a refund or free service. Once they installed a tracking device on their trucks they could easily verify if they were there or not.

Stop Losing Money

Now when a customer calls to complain they have a quick and easy way to solve the problem. Our client is able to quickly check if the vehicle showed up. They can easily provide their customer with a map and a GPS report that shows what happened.

The result for our client has been in an increase in profits and better service for their customers. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact us or email me at mgoldberg@EfficientFleets.com.

Michael Goldberg

President, Efficient Fleets

How To Reduce Engine Idling With GPS Tracking

Reduce Engine Idling and Save Money

Excessive engine idling is expensive. It wastes fuel, causes additional wear and tear on the vehicle, and is bad for the environment. In this blog we discuss the impact of engine idling and how GPS tracking can help reduce it. At the end of this blog there is a list of online resources for more information.

Engine idling is when the vehicle’s engine is running and the vehicle is not moving. There are many reasons why your vehicles might be idling. For example, stuck in traffic, doing paperwork inside the vehicle, sleeping, eating lunch, etc. Unfortunately, engine idling comes with a cost.

How Does Excessive Engine Idling Impact Your Business?

Excessive engine idling can impact your business in two ways. First, it is expensive. Excessive idling can cost you big money. One hour of engine idling can burn up to 1 gallon of gasoline. Multiply that over the course of a year or with a large fleet and the costs go up very quickly.

Two, excessive idling is bad for the engine. It causes additional wear and tear on the vehicle without any benefit. The cost for maintaining your vehicles will go up because you will have to perform routine maintenance more frequently.

How Can GPS Tracking Reduce Excessive Engine Idling?

GPS tracking can help reduce engine idling in 2 ways.

1. The GPS tracking unit records the idling event.

2. You can review the idling events in an easy to read report.

1. Develop Company Policy for Engine Idling

2. Discuss Engine Idling Policy with Drivers

2. Use the Engine Idling Report

3. Setup Engine Idling Alerts

What Next?

If you already are an Efficient Fleets customer then you do not need to do anything. The Milo GPS system is already setup to monitor engine idling. All of the GPS tracking equipment that we sell automatically records idling. Whenever the vehicle is idling for more than 5 minutes the GPS unit sends that information to your GPS tracking account.

Engine Idling Resources

Below is a list of online resources related to engine idling.

Ford – How Idle Time Impacts Engine Maintenance

U.S. Department of Energy – Idle Fuel Consumption for Selected Vehicles