Well said indeed roadrat. Jimd sounds like he is using GPS the way it should be used. Don't try to micromanage techs on the road. Don't worry what your techs are doing unless red flags pop up: 85 MPH, bill rental 6 hours to change a hose, charge 3 hours for a standard PM. These are red flags and need to be addressed, otherwise, let your techs do their job, taking care of the customers.

As far as all the talk about bad managers, my take on that scenario is this: A bad manager is like a bad tech, someone hired to fill a position. You will always have bad techs because there are not enough good techs to fill all the positions as there are not enough good managers to fill management positions. Also, the bean counters may not want to pay the price for a good manager so they settle for the lesser of the two, sort of like going to Walmart and buying a $5 toaster. It will fill the void. Sometimes the toast is burnt or not done but it's good enough for now until you can afford something better.

I think it all comes back to the fact that GPS can be a wonderful tool if used correctly. The $2 question is "What is the definition of using GPS correctly?"

I'd like to hear from people on exactly what "correctly" is? Monitor some techs? Monitor only bad techs? Who is a bad tech? Give time in the street for speeding? Don't check anything between 7AM to 4PM? Techs, put yourself in that management position and managers put yourself in the tech's position and think about what "correct" really means?