"Well what "say ye" batman, it's your turn.

Gps wont give what it dont know if your smart enough to be a tech your smart emough to bypass it. 1 12 volt batt 2 jumper wires and your off to the races with gps sitting at spot you like.Gps can not be the only tool/method used.

Response to: Dave C----"You hit the nail on the head!"

"You described, in a few sentences, exactly where the problem is at"

GPS is just a tool like a wrench or a keyboard, controlled by people. When not properly managed by competent people will create problems. Sounds like alot of wreches & GPS users currently out there are lacking the training and/or skills to handle the job properly. Managers need to lead by example, after all there job as managers include being leaders, so all you managers out there should look at how you conduct your business, you are the leaders! How your organaztion operates is a reflection on how you operate.

Almost everyone that has posted knows of people they work with that are wasting time, speeding, using the van for things other than work. Did you need GPS to tell you these things? In todays world the GPS report will give a manager the hard proof to take the action neccessary to stop these things. It will also give you the hard proof to dispute them. It seems like we always see the down side to these things and no up side. It will allow you to have the proof that you were not speeding, reckless driving, all of the things you can get in trouble for can also be proved wrong. Much like any other tool it is just a tool that can be used or abused. In the end most of us don't own the van, the company, or the GPS unit that will be installed. The choice is not really ours to make so we need to take advantage of the technology and make the best of it.

Response to Dave C: You are right!
The problem goes back to management.

If you have 40 tech's "**** the sytem" you need more help than GPS!

I have intimate knowledge of both sides of the fence: management and tech because I have been both. The service and parts departments are THE money makers in any service business. New sales is happy to break even as is used sales and rental. However, rental is a different animal because the company is getting equipment at the end that is paid for by the customers.

So, let's say you own a forklift business and have a service department billing about 3 million per year. You should be making at least 1.5 million in profit. To bill this 3 million you have 40 road techs that you feel are **** the system for at least one hour per day per tech on average.

40 techs x 1 hour x 250 working days per year = 10,000 hours per year lost x $50 internal billing rate = $500,000 of increased PROFIT. Who in their right mind would NOT install GPS on service vehicles. Not to mention fuel savings due to decreased speed, no more weekend use of vans, etc., etc.

If this is your business with this scenario would really NOT install GPS?

I just started a new thread to discuss service managers, how many of them come from the service side? and are the ones from the service side any different?
I bet we would get a considerably different bunch of answers if we were on the MHEDA blog site for that thread....

The last service manager I had came from arrowhead water as a warehouse manager, big ? in 35 years I never seen a general thats came through the ranks as a tech, mostly they come from sales.

Response to crownd: "Very well put",

Many years ago, an owner of a forlift dealer stated "We do not have a "TREE" at the corporate office that produces money, We are actually "MONEY DISTIBUTORS"

"The money comes from customers."

"The guys in the shop and the ones on the road provide a service for a CUSTOMER for which a FEE is charged"

"The Parts Department generates money from customers via ROAD/SHOP Guys and COUNTER/OUTSIDE sale"

"Sales and Rental generate money"

"In turn the money generated from the transaction is "Distributed" to :

"Uncle Sam" ---The State---The county/city---employees--Administration and operating expenses---Insurance--Benefits--The profits are used to replace or add equipment and secure the future of the business and it's growth"

Take care of the customer and the "Bottom Line" will take care of itself, so many companies are so full of INTERNAL BULL****. EGO maniac managers trying to jerk people around and tending to their own "AGENDA" , walking around sweating and ringing their hands wondering what the TECHS are doing, causing turmoil and stirring up trouble, PARTS departments that think that the world revolves around them and exert more effort to "cause" problems, then to be a part of the solution, instead of working together and promoting a good working enviroment for everyone so we can take care of the CUSTOMER.

"IN other WORDS, Taking care of the CUSTOMER is where it's at"

"And I second that motion, edward t"

A lot of "if's" to consider

i vote == yes :-)

I have to toss my thoughts in on this, I have worked for a forklift dealership for over 10 years and when they said they were going to put GPS's on our service vans quite a number of the guys did not like the idea. Me? I forget it is even there anymore.
If the tech does his job, and management does not micromanage the system it works fine.
Does the company I work for use it for dispatch? Sometimes. Do they use it to check on guys? They spot check from time to time.
GPS is a tool just like any other.