March 2008, Fleet Financials - Feature
How to Defuse Driver Resistance to GPS
By Chad Simon
Gemma advises other fleet managers to get their employees involved in the GPS conversion. Explain what’s in it for them and stick by the rules so drivers won’t be tempted to challenge the limits.
"It’s an uncomfortable conversation to have initially with your employees, so make sure you do your homework and you have all the benefits of GPS and provide examples of companies that use GPS positively," he says.
Automating the Back Office
Joe Christianson, president of Plumbing Plus and Remodel Works Bath & Kitchen in Poway, Calif., has a fleet of 30 service vans and pickups. He uses the Nextel phone GPS system, which also works as an employee timecard. It automatically collects location data, so all drivers have to do is put in the job number and code for the type of work they’re doing.
"Our drivers do multiple tasks because we do kitchen and bathroom remodeling. If they’re doing demolition, they put one code into the phone and if they start doing plumbing, it’s a different code," Christianson says. "They used to have to keep track of that and now they don’t."
The Poway, Calif.-based Plumbing Plus and Remodel Works Bath & Kitchen companies use a GPS system to capture timecard data. Now drivers go directly to the job site from home, increasing productivity.
Management then captures the GPS location, converts it for payroll, and downloads the data into the computer, so all the job costing and data collection for Workers’ Compensation is done. GPS assists in back-office functions by eliminating paperwork, and since drivers don’t have to bring in a timecard, they can go directly to the job site and be more productive.
The fleet also uses Xora software to route drivers to jobs closer to their homes. The GPS system installed in vehicles keeps track of maintenance and informs drivers when it’s time for an oil change.
Using GPS to Manage Fleet
Generally, drivers accept the concept of a fleet GPS program. However, "We’ve had drivers make a fuss and I told them, ‘Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.’ It’s just the way we operate. I don’t care how good he was; I don’t put up with that. If I lost 25 percent of my workforce for this reason, see you later, because then you’ve got something to be angry about," says Christianson.
He uses GPS as a tool to manage his business and thinks of it as similar to using a computer. "It helps me be more competitive and know exactly what I’m doing with my vehicles, especially with gas prices the way they are. I can eliminate problem employees because drivers know up-front we have GPS. It’s protection for us because honest people aren’t going to have a problem with it; they understand it’s a tool for us to help our business," Christianson says.
"Employees are a little more in tune to GPS, and now with high gas prices, you have to wring every bit of efficiency out of your routes. Now I can tell them this saves me money so I can afford to pay you better."
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