admin

Caught between the thin red line of selecting the best GPS in town, depends on where you are stuck, in the Alps or in the Ural mountains, some might find the phrase hilarious but solemnly choosing a GPS with so much to choose from banks solely on the geographical location. In other words it is the battle of two versatile worlds of brands when it comes to buying a GPS. In America folks would tell you to opt for Gramin basically due to its pioneering credentials but on the other hand in Europe, the gentlemen would say, "I am afraid we would like to acknowledge TomTom as our GPS".

Both the brands are market leaders in their own vicinity and geographical demographics, and there is without a shadow of doubt that Gramin is the market leader in North America while TomTom operates at the highest levels in the markets of Europe.

Gramin is said to be the pioneer in the industry of GPS navigation and a market leader in United States Of America, particularly because it holds the detailed map of the entire country. Gramin has traveled time and space since its first invention and the contemporary ones are equipped exemplifying and swift touch screen visual operating system aligned with small speakers, the latest models such as nuvi 880 at a price band of $900 which is compact and sleek enough to slide smoothly into your pocket and adorn the palm of you're hand. Its fast satellite acquisition time, even in cloudy and crowded areas align it with the latest technologies innovated for GPS industry. The FM traffic receiver acquaints you with the real time traffic alerts and uploads to take you to your destination from a more convenient route than which was destined. Gramin comes exclusively with its personal database, aiding your journey with information about food, lodging and transit establishments. Language Guide, SD card and Travel Kit are some of the other unique features which make it the most adorable and admired GPS among the American consumers. Nuvi 200 and nuvi 350 which comes at a comparatively cheaper price band of $150 and $200 respectively are two models which are often recommended for the novices at the entry level in the GPS industry.

Tom Tom is a darling of European markets and are known for their cheaper and affordable price bands procuring state of the art technology for peanuts, in the European markets, but that does not signify that a technology which comes cheap has a catch; in fact owing to its market value Tom Tom has gradually amalgamated into the developing and promising markets such as India, China and other South East Asian countries. Among other advantages Tom Tom is known for its reliable and perpetually updated maps. This is something where its competitors have lagged, who has focused their entire strengths on technology rather than the basic purpose of GPS itself. Tom Tom made headlines back in nineties with its in genuine, "Navigator 1", and since then there was no time for the company to look back. Navigator 2 was the next milestone the company set out, before coming up with an entirely latest flabbergasting model of "Tom Tom Go" in 2004 which is armored with features like Bluetooth, touch screen functionalities with huge database of the terrain. Tom Tom not only is a blessing in disguise for the motorists or car travelers as it procures an advanced warning of those hidden cameras with tickets. Another unique asset added to it is the feature of map share which guides you verbally on every direction, so that the drivers can concentrate more on the road rather than the GPS itself. Voice recognition and language selection from over 30 countries provide it with a versatile cloak of superiority over its competitor in terms of safety and usage. The unique feature of "help me" grafted with the Tom Tom GPS guarantees of taking you out of a pickle, on a road trip or journey to a distant land. The database is updated on regular bases for the destinations and land marks of the gas stations, hospitals and other exit points which can be of paramount help, when in a destitute situation.

Some of the critics believe that Gramin has the upper hand and it can out flank the rival Tom Tom by the back of its hand, but as per my opinion, indeed Gramin has the upper hand in technology, but Tom Tom is one company which has made GPS for the common man and visualizing its requisites at a much affordable price structure and offers the best for the true potential and value for your money.

Maximizing driver productivity is the most important factor for fleet managers to fully realize the lowest costs while getting the most of their fleet revenue.

A GPS fleet management solution can produce improved driver productivity.

The following are a couple examples of how GPS can help put an end to the wasted time that drains drivers of their valuable production:

GPS Replaces Time Clock:

An Orlando, Florida-based plumbing company used a standard punch clock to keep track of its technicians' work day. In theory, at the start of every eight hour business day, technicians were expected to punch in at 7 a.m., go on their calls during the day, and return to base to punch out at 4 p.m. Put into practice, however, the owner would frequently see drivers hanging about the home office during the morning, well after they had punched in. What's more, at the end of the day, he would see his drivers hanging out at home base well before the four o'clock clock out time. These drivers would punch the clock early, leaving some service calls unfinished or not done at all. These calls would have to be rolled over and charged to the company as overtime, resulting in a double loss of time and money.

To increase productivity and save overtime costs, the owner replaced his punch clock with GPS location reports that showed the drivers' arrivals and departures.

After he removed the time clock, the owner considered the time that his drivers really left the headquarters as the beginning of their day and the time departed from the office as the official end of their day. He expected them to be on the road by 8:00 AM and back at the office by 4:00 PM. This new schedule gave drivers eight hours-1/2 hour to check in every morning and one 1/2 to turn in receipts in the evening. Drivers were allowed one hour for lunch. Drivers understood that they would only get paid for the actual time they spent on calls completed between their arrival at home base in the morning and when they left at the end of the day. As a result, the company experienced a positive change in behaviors, a noteworthy reduction in overtime costs, and was able to eliminate loitering at the home office.
A Morning Idle Issue:

Each work day morning, the four vehicle fleet of a New Jersey-based business gathered at the company office. Company drivers would leave their vehicles idling for 15 minutes or longer while hanging around the office. Only four weeks after having their GPS solution installed, this company exposed that their fleet had logged over 35 hours in excessive vehicle idling. This fuel and time wasting idle cost the business over $60 per week which equals $3,000 annually in idle-related fuel losses.

Decrease Actions That Hurt Productivity:

A GPS fleet management system can provide numerous examples of innocent or irresponsible productivity-killing behaviors that can come to light once Fleet Managers can determine fleet performance using their GPS solutions.

• Increased Liability/Bad Publicity: The Company owner explained that one of his drivers had been arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in the company truck. Using his GPS solution, the owner discovered that his driver had been at a local bar for over 5 hours prior to being taken into custody. The owner then reviewed the drivers GPS history to that location for the previous 3 months. He was stunned by what he discovered.

Not only had his driver been frequenting this same bar at least 3 times a week but four of his other drivers had also been using their company vehicles to meet at this bar regularly, during business hours and on their way home from work. Apart from lost efficiency and potentially severe corporate liability, the bad publicity resulting from official vehicle parked outside a bar during the day was a blow to the company's customer and public relations.

• Morning Breakfasts/Friday Lunch Breaks: Fleet Managers have shared stories about their employees meeting for breakfast after morning clock-in or for lunch during the week. While comradery between employees is encouraged, employers who use GPS often discover that plenty of their drivers travel over 30 minutes off their assigned routes to meet with other workers. Because of this, breaks end up lasting longer than their scheduled time, and companies end up paying higher costs due to overspending on gas and lost of productivity.

As the preceding examples demonstrate, the right GPS fleet management system can be a wonderful device to maximize the productivity of any fleet.