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GPS devices on service trucks save time, money
By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer
Service industry companies, such as plumbers and electricians, over the years have embraced the latest in technology in the name of efficiency.
First there were pagers. Then came two-way radios, some with the ability to communicate fleetwide. After that, cell phones, in the large bulky bags at first, followed by the smaller, more portable units, became a standard tool. Then came personal digital assistants, or PDAs, along with handheld and laptop computers in their trucks.
Today, global positioning systems are all the rage.
GPS technology is nothing new. Initially developed by the U.S. Department of Defense, it made its way several years ago into the commercial market on cars, trucks, boats and other forms of transit in which knowing one’s location is critical.
What is new is the application of GPS technology in the service industry as a means of saving time and money.
Take Blitch Plumbing, for instance. The company recently tested GPS devices in two of its 10 trucks.
“There are so many great things about putting GPS on the trucks,” said Jay Michel, Blitch’s vice president.
“It definitely streamlines dispatching. Being able to see on the screen where the trucks are is extremely helpful. When an emergency call comes in, or just when we’re assigning the next call, we can see which truck is closest. It’s much more efficient.”
The address can be plugged in at the office and the on-board GPS will tell the driver how to get there.
“We don’t even need maps anymore,” said Michel.
The system also allows the company to track when and where trucks are refueled as well as when and where crews are working.
“That helps us avoid wasting fuel,” said Michel. “You wouldn’t believe how much backtracking is done in the course of a day. And that’s a lot of wasted gas.”
Besides such time-saving and money-saving features, the GPS is connected to the on-board diagnostic system, which means the system can keep track of everything from fuel consumption to oil changes to tire rotation.
“So it’s not only tracking the vehicle’s location,” Michel said. “It’s also tracking performance data and sending mechanical alerts, updating the service record, keeping track of recall notices.”
In addition, the GPS knows when the vehicle is on and off, which can provide documentation in case of a dispute with a customer about how much time it took to complete a job. The system also sends an alert to the office if the vehicle exceeds the speed limit.
“From a safety and maintenance standpoint, it’s definitely worth the price,” which runs about $600 per vehicle for the equipment and a monthly service fee of $35 per vehicle, Michel said.
Tom Wilkinson of Fuel Express, the company that sold Blitch Plumbing the system, said the specific savings depends on several factors, but a typical return on investment is a unit paying for itself within four to six months.
“And that’s just the savings after the investment of the equipment and the monthly monitoring fees of the gas and wear and tear on the vehicle,” said Wilkinson.
“That doesn’t count payroll savings or increased productivity. There are multiple opportunities for savings.”
Fuel Express has been selling the units for about two years. Wilkinson’s company spent about nine months researching the best product to sell and went with the manufacturer of Network Car, calling it “the most trouble free with the greatest online coverage,” he said.
Installation takes about 30 minutes, and the system is Web-based, so it requires no special software.
“It’s basically plug-and-play,” he said.
GPS programs are catching on in the service industry, he said, mostly through word of mouth.
“Word gets passed around from one industry to another,” he said. “The plumbers get it in their trucks, then the heating and air guys hear about it, then the electricians see it being used. That’s how our business is growing.”
Wilkinson refers to the GPS as a problem-solving device.
“You have to have a sense that you have a problem, so you put it in the vehicles. But in reality, you’re not tracking the vehicles; you’re tracking employees,” he explained.
“You can use it as a tool for wage and hours issues, making sure people aren’t fudging on overtime and things like that. We like to think of it as a tool for employee behavior modification.”
However, Blitch Plumbing employees don’t see the device as a watchdog, Michel said.
“We haven’t had any problems with anyone feeling like ‘big brother’ is watching them,” he said. “For the most part, they’re just glad to have a more efficient route to get to the next call without having to study a map.”
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