Landscape Management, January 2019

Turf Ornamental BUSINESS BOOSTERS Tracking your trucks I n the hustle and bustle of serving lawn care customers and managing employees it can be daunting to streamline operations and track where crews and equipment are at any given moment Integrating GPS tracking into your operation can help and will pay off in the long run Lawn and landscaping companies have a lot of challenges to solve says Kevin Aries senior manager products for Verizon Connect GPS tracking benefits them by giving them the real time vehicle locations and information they need in order to eliminate wasteful activities and it allows them to be more productive in their business operations Ryan Driscoll vice president of marketing at GPS Insight says the positives are obvious for companies with expensive equipment and a workforce thats always on the move Think about it this way If you have trucks trailers or mowers that are of value and if location information driver accountability safety efficiency and maintenance are important to you then you should consider using GPS tracking he says THE CHALLENGES Aries says prior to researching GPS fleet tracking systems lawn and landscape companies should first consider the specific challenges theyre looking to solve Typically these challenges include accountability safety efficiency and vehicle maintenance Accountability relates to how a company holds its drivers responsible for their time and use of company property and how it holds itself responsible to its customers A GPS fleet tracking system displays where drivers are their current status and where they have been The system can track the number of customer visits and length of time spent with each customer which also can offer proof of service to customers in the event they claim a crew didnt provide a service or stay the expected length of time GPS tracking allows companies to verify payroll using location information which according to Driscoll can help save companies thousands of dollars a year due to intentional or unintentional LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET JANUARY 2019 34 rounding errors He notes that contractors have found blatant and subtle cases of inaccurate time reporting a discrepancy of just 10 to 15 minutes of billable time reported can add up over a long period An additional concern may be that crews are doing unscheduled side jobs off of the books These would also appear on GPS tracking reports Safety issues include unsafe driver behavior vehicle accidents and liability for accidents It also involves ensuring the safety of employees and the public When your drivers are reckless in company vehicles the consequences go far beyond just monetary they can be fatal Driscoll says adding that among businesses with vehicle fleets trailers and other equipment safety is the No 1 challenge those companies look to solve with GPS Tracking systems can help improve driver behavior and reduce tickets and accidents which can ultimately lower insurance and liability costs and improve a companys brand image in the community For a fleet efficiency and vehicle maintenance relate to ensuring vehicles and equipment receive preventive maintenance on schedule working as efficiently as possible to deliver the best customer experience ensuring fuel efficiency and examining the use of vehicles and equipment Driscoll says GPS tracking systems can help lawn and landscape companies track schedule and receive reminders for all preventive maintenance due on a vehicle PHOTO GPS INSIGHT GPS tracking systems help shed light on how lawn and landscape crews are using resources and help companies work efficiently while promoting safety and accountability BY ABBY HART LM SENIOR EDITOR Kevin Aries SMOOTH ROADS AHEAD Implementing a GPS system aids with safety accountability and efficiency Continued on page 36