Tuco
I got Tuco'd!
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Fleet GPS Trackers
- Thread starter Shonuff
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Tuco
I got Tuco'd!
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I just have no clue what the point of this thread is. You've consulted with hundreds of businesses who have dealt with this. You've received recommendations from people in service industries who have specifically installed GPS units and camera equipment. And after all that you come to rerolled.com to ask?
Any reason the hundreds of business owners you've spoken to and have dealt with this can't point you in the right direction? I own a business too, and I would never come here to ask questions about anything related to the operations (no offense to anyone here). I'd ask a colleague that I know in person and who has dealt with the specific situation rather than risking a $110,000 truck to the word of some anonymous person on a forum board.
Tmac
Adventurer
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I'm currently working on an app like this for the timber industry. Not only does it track trucks, but it tracks timber products and prices. I have a meeting today with a development firm to take our current prototype and turn it into the real deal. We've been working with an independent developer for about a year.
We're going to be using smartphones to do all the tracking/data entry.
Shonuff
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Most of them weren't service businesses. I'm asking around, and like I said, I hear good things about one service, and then someone else says bad things about it. I need to expand my network to be around more service based businesses.
Shonuff
Mr. Poopybutthole
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This place has been the most moderated board on FOH for years. Now guys come in and derail every thread they can just for fun. If you aren't going to add value, stay in screenshots where you are wanted.
chaos
Buzzfeed Editor
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I don't know about the other guys, but I don't read this forum a lot because i don't have a lot to contribute. God knows no one should be taking financial advice from me, my credit score was under 600 about 5 years ago before I straightened my shit out. If you really feel trolling is becoming a problem just report and it will draw attention.
Drinsic
privileged excrementlord
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Shonuff
Mr. Poopybutthole
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I'm looking at Fleetmatics and also Next Traq. Fleetmatics is more expensive, but the iphone app is a lot more user friendly, and it has people saying good things about it. Next Traq is about $120 cheaper a month, but the app seems pretty cumbersome. With Fleetmatics, I can look at my vehicles all over the geography, tap that vehicle, and drive directly to it through GPS. Next Traq requires me screwing with latitude and longitude, so I'd have to pull over on the side of the road to screw with it.
The good thing about both, is that in case someone were to hotwire or steal a vehicle, I'd get an alarm automatically to my iphone. Pretty much I'd know if someone stole a vehicle within five seconds of it happening.
The good thing about both, is that in case someone were to hotwire or steal a vehicle, I'd get an alarm automatically to my iphone. Pretty much I'd know if someone stole a vehicle within five seconds of it happening.
Famm
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Tmac
Adventurer
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Whichever one is easiest for you to use would be the obvious choice. If one is more "inconvenient", but it's cheaper and saves you $1440 a year, I guess the question you have to ask yourself is, "Is this inconvenience annoying enough to garner an extra $1440?".
The app in the video didn't seem all that powerful to me. It was incredibly annoying how they kept going to "Street View" as if that had anything to do with the functionality of the app. There were cool features like "speeding" and "tracking routes", but other than that it seems like a bunch of fluff. Google Maps API is the bomb diggity.
I'm currently building something similar for the Timber Industry. We have proof of concept and have already started talking to potential investors. We should be able to release alpha within the month and will be talking to businesses that want to try it out. We're going to see if we can get them to pay for it at a discount, which will grandfather them into live! at that discounted rate for helping us get through alpha/beta.
Shonuff
Mr. Poopybutthole
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I subsidize cell phones for the guys that would need them. But we'll need to figure something else out since none of them are using Iphones currently. I believe this app is Iphone and Android, does that cover most smartphones?
I think the apps are cool from the standpoint of always knowing where my equipment is. There is very little value at the shop, it's all on the road and we should know where it is at all times. I also like the protection against theft, if a vehicles starts up in off hours, I get an alarm to my phone. My competitors' salivate at my equipment, and from time to time, I get employees telling me someone at Company XYZ offered them $500 to loan them the equipment over the weekend. I'm not going to sit there all weekend staring at every piece of equipment. Also, who is to say that the comp might not take it a step further and try to just take the equipment? Two of the pieces of equipment are worth 60k, and with no license plate, someone could just repaint them and go. But now, with asset trackers, I'd at least have a chance of getting them back.
BrutulTM
Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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Android + Iphone is like 97% of the market right now. Of course as soon as you commit one of your guys will probably come in all excited about his new Windows phone. There's also the matter of the extra $35 a month per phone for a data plan if your people don't currently have them and the fact that smartphones are way easier to break than the kind of ruggedized flip phones a lot of construction guys use.
My thoughts are. How will this help protect you on the weekend if it's phone driven? That means the driver has to leave an Iphone in the equipment over the weekend, which will be a high theft item. Also has to have it keep power to it over the weekend.
I know some people with Lowjack on their cars, 1 it even saved after being stolen. Looks like they do fleet services also. I have no idea of price, but thought I would toss the link in here.http://www.lojack.com/Construction-and-Fleet
I know some people with Lowjack on their cars, 1 it even saved after being stolen. Looks like they do fleet services also. I have no idea of price, but thought I would toss the link in here.http://www.lojack.com/Construction-and-Fleet
Shonuff
Mr. Poopybutthole
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If someone steals a truck, I get an alarm to my phone automatically. As soon as the truck starts, or equipment is moved, an alarm will instantly go to my phone and anyone else I give access to the app. We only work on weekends if there is emergency work, or if the city stipulates it has to be done. Last Summer, we did work at a courthouse, and the judges stated that it had to be done on a weekend. Suffice it to say, in five years owning the company, the vehicles have had unauthorized use on the weekend almost ten times. One guy decided he was going to help tow a friend 30 miles north of our call area. The only reason I found out is that he got into a wreck in my vehicle. So now I'm legally liable for a wreck that had nothing to do with company business. Now I'll get an alarm sent to me before anyone leaves the lot.
P.S. Thanks for the lojack link, I'll take a look.
Tmac
Adventurer
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Android phones are cheaper and for the low end you'll be looking at a $40 investment with a $30-ish monthly investment for the data plan required. Most of these guys already have cell phones, they just probably don't have smart phones.
It's the same problem with truck drivers in the timber industry. Figuring out how to equip them with smart phones so that our software is worth a dealer's subsidizing of the trucker's smart phones.
Shonuff
Mr. Poopybutthole
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I don't need everyone with a smartphone, just the ones dealing with customers. Like I said, there are times where we have to jump off route, but the guys use heavy equipment and can't hear the phone. Hell, even the Secretary can find the guys' address based on the web app, and the ones that don't have smartphones can plug that into GPS.