Is Going Green The Way To Go?

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Skypatrol

Though many drivers still rate the petroleum-based automotive as ideal, but still, the utility of hybrid cars is undeniable. With a continued unrest in the petroleum industry, it has become the need of the day to come up with the appropriate alternative. The petroleum consumption is extremely dangerous for the Ozone layer, which can pave the way towards worldwide chaos. Therefore, eco-friendly cars must be the way to go. Not just the environmental aspect, but also, several other benefits are there for the taking as well. Following are the utmost benefits transportation companies can derive by going with the green vehicles. Continue reading →

Balancing Economic and Environmental Concerns

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Skypatrol

US Federal program Clean Cities helps fleet managers control and reduce carbon emissions and cut fuel consumption, the initiative was first introduced in 1993 and operates a network of regional coalitions that work with public and private fleets to ease the transition to alternative fuels.

Clean Cities also helps fleets that aren’t ready to make the switch to alternative fuels by offering information on emerging products and technologies, and strategies on reducing petroleum consumption. Strategies such as route optimization and feedback display systems.

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Smart Driving Can Save Your Company Money

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Skypatrol

Nearly 35 years ago 33 truckers competed for three days in a fuel saving contest called “Double Nickel Challenge.” Truckers from all over the United States gathered in East Liberty, Ohio, to watch as drivers navigated laps around a track—first at 55 mph, and then at any speed of their choosing. The results were that they burned less fuel in the first, speed-limited, trial.

Today, the 55 mile per hour U.S. speed limit, which was originally enacted as a result of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, has faded into history on most highways.

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Simplifying Fleet Safety With GPS Trackers

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Skypatrol

In 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) started implementing a Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) program.

CSA 2010 replaced the SAFESTAT system that was used for many years to help track commercial driver and commercial carrier safety performance. CSA 2010 gathers information nationwide from crash sites and roadside vehicle inspections. This data helps calculate how safe a particular commercial carrier or truck driver may be.

There are seven BASIC’s (Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) used to evaluate the safety performance of commercial drivers and commercial carriers. They are: Continue reading →

Using GPS Trackers to Reduce Emissions?

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Skypatrol

Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of fleets measuring greenhouse gas emissions. 68% percent of fleet managers surveyed said they have an environmental goal for their fleets. 65% of fleets measuring emissions are using actual fuel data.

As part of the effort to reduce their fleet’s environmental impact, fleet managers are focusing on improving driving behavior as a crucial way to reduce emissions. 74% of fleet managers said they are including their drivers in the decision to set and reach environmental goals in an effort to increase driver awareness and buy-in.

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GPS Tracked White Shark is a Web Sensation

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Skypatrol

If not for the GPS device, no one would know she’s here. A great white shark affectionately dubbed Mary Lee by scientists and adopted by thousands of online fans has been using the waters off North Carolina’s coast as a private all-you-can-eat buffet.

There’s no way of telling if many boaters or tourists have crossed currents with the celebrity shark that’s as large and as heavy as a family sedan. Mary Lee’s admirers are following her movements at a safe distance – by laptop, iPad and at the office.

Mary Lee is being tracked by a GPS-type device that provides real-time data as to her whereabouts. Dozens of great whites have been tracked this way, but none in the Atlantic, where they are rare, and their sub aquatic habits are shrouded in mystery.
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Palm Beach County Votes On New GPS System For Buses

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Skypatrol

Palm Beach County parents may soon be able to track their child’s ride to and from school thanks to a proposal to install GPS tracking systems on the district’s buses.

The Palm Beach County School Board will vote today on whether to approve a contract worth $500,000 to equip 550 of the district’s 800 school buses with GPS units.

“The GPS will allow us to track the location and speed of the buses,” Joseph Sanches, chief of support operations, said in a statement. He said the new system will also detect whether a bus’s flashing lights or stop arms were activated, when a door is opened and whether a bus has been idling too long and wasting gas.

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GPS Tracking Can Do Wonders For Your Company

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Skypatrol

Small businesses constantly need to be productive and efficient for the sake of both money and time. GPS tracking technology is a very valuable resource in this respect, and offers businesses a wide variety of features that they can take advantage of, from communication to management and everything in between GPS trackers can provide small businesses with the right tools for their needs.

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Google looks towards atomic clocks and GPS for innovation

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Skypatrol

Spanner is a new platform designed by Google. Google engineers have been hinting about the platform for the past couple of years. Spanner is an innovative data transfer and storage network which will allow Google to quickly move and keep information across the millions of Google servers across the world.

On the week of September 17, as reported by GigaOm and ZDNet, Google published a research paper detailing the Spanner platform. According to Google Spanner is “the first database that can quickly store and retrieve information across a worldwide network of data centers while keeping that information consistent” this means that users can see the same collection of information at all times.

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Trailer Theft: A Growing Concern

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Skypatrol

Commercial trailer theft is on the rise. Growing as a constant trend in the past few years, trailers are disappearing in greater numbers not only in North America, but all over the world. Europol has reported a loss of 8.2 billion Euros between 2007 and 2009 in stolen trailers and the goods those trailers contained.

The United States has also had its share of issues with trailer theft; in 2007 an average of 1316 cargo trailers were stolen every single week.

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