Monday, August 4, 2008
GPS Uses, 4 Good, 4 Not So Good
Welcome back. I've been off getting married, but it's time to re-start the ongoing conversation about GPS devices and what they can do for you. What better way to begin that discussion than with a brief overview of what they can't do for you?
Things you should never do with a GPS tracker:
1. Spy On Your Employees - This is probably the second biggest request we get. The chief problem here is that it's probably illegal, even if you're really only tracking your own vehicles. And even if you're not criminally liable, there's still civil court to deal with. Here's the scenario. You track one of your employees who is having an affair and using the company vehicle to meet up with his mistress. You catch him, he gets fired and subsequently divorced. He sues you. And us. There have been cases like that in which the employee has won.
The other side of the coin is this: what are you going to do when you catch the guy? When you say "hey, I've been tracking you and I caught you driving where you weren't supposed to be", how is that conversation going to go? Will it be any less awkward than saying "we're going to start tracking everyone--gas is $4 a gallon and we need to know what we're spending so we can afford to keep paying you!" before the fact? Isn't the point to correct bad behavior, rather than fire bad employees?
2. Cut Food - GPS trackers are expensive and don't have any sharp edges. This is a task much better suited to a knife.
Okay, now that that bit of silliness is out of the way...
3. Track Packages - Once in a while, people ask us to leave the tracker on while it's in transit so they can track it to it's destination. This rarely works out. There are too many times the tracker will be in a metal building (where it won't work well) or on a plane (where it won't work at all and may or may not interfere with the navigation systems).
4. Spy On Your Cheating Spouse - Biggest downside, again, it's probably illegal. And what are you going to say when you have your evidence? You're almost certainly better hiring a PI, who knows how to spy on people without breaking laws.
Are we noticing a pattern here? Lots of people regard GPS as a weapon for passive-aggression. And it can be used for that, I suppose, but spying on people is almost certainly not going to end well for the spy... spyer... spier... person who is spying.
So, just to contrast, here are some things that GPS is great for:
1. Personal Tracking (of a non-secretive nature) - Got an expensive car and a teenage driver? Maybe a loved one with dementia? Even a pet that's prone to wandering off.
2. Mileage Tracking - Compare it to the odometer, even calculate labor costs.
3. Navigation and Routing - Okay, our system doesn't do this, nor do most systems like ours. There are basically two types of GPS trackers, the type that track or the type that navigate. Ours is the former, but the latter are quite useful as well.
4. Theft Prevention - Enough said.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Things you should never do with a GPS tracker:
1. Spy On Your Employees - This is probably the second biggest request we get. The chief problem here is that it's probably illegal, even if you're really only tracking your own vehicles. And even if you're not criminally liable, there's still civil court to deal with. Here's the scenario. You track one of your employees who is having an affair and using the company vehicle to meet up with his mistress. You catch him, he gets fired and subsequently divorced. He sues you. And us. There have been cases like that in which the employee has won.
The other side of the coin is this: what are you going to do when you catch the guy? When you say "hey, I've been tracking you and I caught you driving where you weren't supposed to be", how is that conversation going to go? Will it be any less awkward than saying "we're going to start tracking everyone--gas is $4 a gallon and we need to know what we're spending so we can afford to keep paying you!" before the fact? Isn't the point to correct bad behavior, rather than fire bad employees?
2. Cut Food - GPS trackers are expensive and don't have any sharp edges. This is a task much better suited to a knife.
Okay, now that that bit of silliness is out of the way...
3. Track Packages - Once in a while, people ask us to leave the tracker on while it's in transit so they can track it to it's destination. This rarely works out. There are too many times the tracker will be in a metal building (where it won't work well) or on a plane (where it won't work at all and may or may not interfere with the navigation systems).
4. Spy On Your Cheating Spouse - Biggest downside, again, it's probably illegal. And what are you going to say when you have your evidence? You're almost certainly better hiring a PI, who knows how to spy on people without breaking laws.
Are we noticing a pattern here? Lots of people regard GPS as a weapon for passive-aggression. And it can be used for that, I suppose, but spying on people is almost certainly not going to end well for the spy... spyer... spier... person who is spying.
So, just to contrast, here are some things that GPS is great for:
1. Personal Tracking (of a non-secretive nature) - Got an expensive car and a teenage driver? Maybe a loved one with dementia? Even a pet that's prone to wandering off.
2. Mileage Tracking - Compare it to the odometer, even calculate labor costs.
3. Navigation and Routing - Okay, our system doesn't do this, nor do most systems like ours. There are basically two types of GPS trackers, the type that track or the type that navigate. Ours is the former, but the latter are quite useful as well.
4. Theft Prevention - Enough said.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Labels: GPS
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