Vehicle Tracker

Re: Vehicle Tracker

We had them fitted to our vans a good few years ago.

Then out of the blue about six months or so ago a geezer came and “reprogrammed” them. Was told by said geezer that this stopped the tracker sending out it’s signal 😕 .

I was told the company found the license etc. to expensive to be of benefit. Personally I have my doubts as to the fact that it has been disabled.

Cynical, moi 😆

Re: Vehicle Tracker

appboy wrote:it’s not cheap at £40 per van per month

Another classic example of technology going mad and the extraodinary reasons for justifying the expense quite absurd. So whilst the ‘fleet owner’ may regard this as a useful asset I’m sure that perhaps
the hard working overworked, underpaid and mistrusted engineer will have a different view?

Re: Vehicle Tracker

Suppose you have 5 engineers and ‘trackers’ installed in their vans at a total monthly outlay of £200 (£2,400 p.a.). Mrs Bloggs is shouting and balling on the phone asking where engineer 4 has got to. You look at your tracker display, he is in the middle of Glasgow right now. You try to figure our which direction he is going? what speed is he going? Is he stuck in roadworks or buying a bag of crisps at Morrisons? You take a gamble and tell Mrs Bloggs that he’s on his way to her??…… So far has Tracker proved its worth?

Martin’s method…I would phone engineer 4 and ask where he was then as a courtesy let Mrs Bloggs know the outcome (cost equals 2 short phone calls – a few pence spent there). Tracker didn’t solve that problem!

So then how about if Tracker could indeed help calculate MPG and alert you if a van had broken down somewhere? Now we have already stumped up £2,400 this year to know it didn’t help Mrs Bloggs but we did at least know exactly where he was in Glasgow at the time – well almost ? But how is his MPG going? and has his van broken down?

According to the log he submitted last month he did 1,855 miles and spent £355 in diesel. (That equates to about 25 mpg) Using Tracker shows that he did indeed cover 1,855 miles but 120 of them where out of hours. So unless he admits to 120 private miles and stumps up the £23 he owes, Tracker may have caught him bang to rights, clawing back some of the £2,400 in the process?

The office closed at 5, no-one to monitor Tracker to see he was still working but unfortunately his van had broken down on the way to his last call. The Tracker was flashing SOS – but in space no-one can hear you scream!

We get at least two to three enquiries of that nature per day at a minimum, people are demanding these days. Cutting out the call to a mobile, which is between 10 and 25 pence depending on the network to and from during working hours. That’s not the real cost though, its the hassle factor of calling the engineer to find out where he is if he’s even got reception and you get an answer. Added to which it’s just time wasted making calls that should not really be needed.

Now, rather than think on it from your point of view as a sole trader, think what it’s like for the girl sat in an office that controls fifteen engineers. The reduction in cost and telephone time can prove substantial.

I can see you don’t agree with it and that’s fine as, TBH British Gas killed the idea off for alot of the engineers by abusing the system (IMO) from the engineer’s point of view. But that’s just big company mentality for you, used sensibly it could or can help.

I dare say you’d have been one of the people that were anti tachographs as well, also billed and hailed as “the spy in the cab” all those years ago. We suffered an outrage giving our engineers pagers, then a few years later more resistance to the introduction of mobile phones. In the office we had massive resistance to computers and databases.

All of which now have been proven to be invaluable tools, even if they were not regarded as such on introduction.

Simple fact is, technology moves on and you choose to either use it or not.

K.

kwatt wrote:Simple fact is, technology moves on and you choose to either use it or not.

It’s been a fun debate twixt you and I Ken ,as ever, with little or no input from others during that time (more’s the pity but hey 😉 ). But lest my point is not realised here I will spell it out to all who care to take note.

Employ a first rate team of engineers that enjoy what they do and will do it to their best ability, first and foremost. Give them the tools, the van, the stock and the technical notes. Then agree a daily work rate with each individual ( some are capable of doing 8 jobs a day- others possibly 12?). Give them those jobs and then let them get on with it…….

Then, (and here is the important point!)……afford them all the trust, the space and the respectibility that goes with the job. Enjoy the unique work ethic between each individual in your team and most importantly, enjoy the return from that individual. Who, in his own small way is striving to do all that you ask of him, day in, day out……..

DON’T …fuff about spying on their every move with your friggin’ modern satellite systems, checking their every movement on your VDU in the office…..(cos with your Tracker you can I know, they know 🙄 ) How many times do they visit the loo during the day I wonder ? Does that show up as well? Can they afford to take the time off work?

Speaking from the engineers point of view now. I will do your 10-12 jobs a day, no problem…but stick a spy in my cab, (don’t you trust me to do that?)….STUFF YOUR JOB!!!!

Leave BIG BROTHER to Davina Mc Call and the nurds that watch that programme……!!!! 👿