GPS fleet tracking solutions: helping businesses improve operational efficiencies, decrease costs, and increase customer satisfaction.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: TELECOM & TECHNOLOGY

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Shred Alaska specializes in providing safe, secure document destruction services for companies throughout Southcentral Alaska. When the Anchorage company wanted to enhance the performance of its mobile shedding trucks, it turned to Verizon's Networkfleet's patented GPS (global positioning system) tracking solution.

Specifically, Shred Alaska wanted to improve routing efficiencies to reduce fuel costs and speed up customer service. As a test, the company had Verizon's wireless fleet management system installed on one of its shredder trucks. And the results were impressive: "Right away, we could see the advantage of having Networkfleet because it tells us everything we want to know about where our trucks are and what they're doing," says company owner Robyn Forbes.

Now Networkfleet is installed on all of the company's shredder trucks. This enables Shred Alaska to determine the exact location of each truck and how long it idles, which has increased fleet productivity. The system's mapping and routing capabilities have also enhanced customer service by helping the firm's trucks reach destinations faster. "Seeing where all our trucks are in relation to each other and to customers enables us to respond more quickly," says Forbes. "The ability to instantly identify and route the closest truck saves time and money."

Shred Alaska has also netted some unexpected benefits: engine diagnostic alerts, online vehicle maintenance histories, and other features that facilitate proactive maintenance and minimize roadside breakdowns. The Networkfleet tracking solution has also helped improve driver safety by providing alerts for speeding, hard braking, and other unsafe driving incidents. "Networkfleet is a low-cost, high-return-on-investment product," Forbes says. "It has allowed us to take on more work and grow the company without adding new equipment or overhead."

Fleet tracking via GPS--which works by coordinating signals between receivers on earth and orbital satellites--makes it possible for companies like Shred Alaska to increase their performance, efficiency, and productivity. GPS tracking can be used to monitor a wide variety of assets, including cars, trucks, vans, boats, planes, trains, freight, and personnel. Providers like Verizon, Axiom, and AT&T offer a range of solutions to meet the needs of Alaska companies in all types of industries.

Verizon's Networkfleet

Verizon Networkfleet offers cost-effective, comprehensive fleet management solutions for government agencies, small to medium-sized businesses, and enterprise fleets. The system includes vehicle tracking hardware, asset tracking, and even emergency roadside assistance to all vehicle classes. It also provides optional satellite solutions where cellular is not available to provide safety and security across the state of Alaska.

"In a world where everyone must do more with less, Networkfleet's proprietary GPS vehicle tracking and engine diagnostic technologies provide the accurate, timely data that organizations need to manage their fleets more efficiently and effectively," says Pepsi LaMar, Verizon's Anchorage-based Manager-Solutions Architects. "With Networkfleet's fleet...