Apr 3 2008
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), motor vehicles are responsible for nearly one half of smog-forming volatile organic compounds, more than half of the nitrogen oxide emissions, and about half of the toxic air pollutant emissions in the United States. Motor vehicles, including non-road vehicles, now account for 75% of carbon monoxide emissions nationwide.
While there is legislation in place for the mandatory reduction of vehicle fuel emissions, opportunities also exist for small business owners to help the environment—while improving their bottom line.
One option is the use of GPS tracking units, devices that use the Global Positioning System to determine the exact location of a vehicle, person, or other equipment asset and record its location at given intervals. It also acquires other important data through a variety of sensors connected to the device. GPS and wireless technology can help equipment fleet managers, contractors, equipment rental, and construction companies large and small instantly and easily monitor how much time vehicles and equipment spend idling each day. Managers can then set standards to reduce this mishandled time, thereby saving fuel costs.
“For most trucks, a good rule of thumb is that six minutes of idling time equals one mile of driving,” says Gary Hallgren, CEO of Remote Dynamics, Inc., a Texas-based asset tracking and fleet management company. Remote Dynamics provides fleet managers and equipment rental businesses with the hardware and software tools necessary to track, locate, and monitor their assets. “That may not seem like a lot, but over time, that becomes a lot of wasted fuel.”
Apart from the promise of eliminating idling time, and thereby reducing fuel emissions, how else might GPS technology help buttress a business’s bottom line? One area is maintenance: sophisticated GPS technology can help perform predictive analysis, monitoring equipment and high-value assets remotely, and ensuring that vehicles are secure and kept in top shape.
“The EPA suggests that one way to reduce air pollution is to get regular engine tune ups,” says Hallgren. “However it may be difficult to know exactly when each vehicle in a fleet needs maintenance. More managers are discovering that integrating technology can help make this task more efficient.”