iTRAK News - December 2008

Customer Spotlight –Tumino's Towing, Inc.

GPS technology wasn't available when John Tumino bought his first tow truck in 1981. Now, with more than 60 trucks of all types and sizes in the fleet, he couldn’t manage without it.

Tumino's Towing is the largest towing and recovery company in New Jersey, operating from four locations across the state, and covering 80,000 miles per month. The company has towing contracts with the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, all major bus companies, and more than 30 local police departments. Most contracts specify strict response time standards, which can only be met reliably if dispatchers know the location and availability of every truck. If the contract states the vehicle must be on scene within 18 minutes, for example, they must meet that standard every time, or risk contract cancellation. When their response efficiency has been challenged, Tumino's used iTRAK Fleet Manager to verify that response was within the guidelines.

Larry LaManna, Operations Manager for Tumino's Towing, relies on iTRAK Fleet Manager to audit all customer billing and payroll activities. "Commercial customers are often billed based on time, so it is critical to know exactly when a transport started and ended," says LaManna. His staff can run a report in seconds to confirm the pick-up and drop-off, see the exact route taken, and show the amount of billable time. "Even when heavy traffic may slow down a transport, we can make sure that the customer is being billed for the correct number of hours."

Tumino's heavy-duty hauling equipment was also pressed into service in the aftermath of recent Gulf Coast hurricanes to transport large generators to Louisiana and Mississippi. Since all trucks were equipped with iTRAK units, dispatchers were able to monitor progress of the shipments and provide up-to-date status to anxious relief workers.

"Efficiency has improved dramatically since the installation of iTRAK," says LaManna. "We have seen a dramatic reduction of overtime, which had been as high as 30-40 hours per week. Since our drivers are now dispatched efficiently, there is virtually no wasted time between calls. We are saving time and money every day." Fuel saving is also critical to running the business efficiently. The average fuel consumption rate for Tumino's fleet is about 8-10 miles per gallon, but some of the largest rigs get only about 5 miles per gallon! Keeping units on the most efficient route helps minimize the fuel costs. Even a 10% reduction in unnecessary mileage translates into a savings of more than $3,000 per month.

Tumino's web site states the company's goal: "To service all of our clients, big or small, to the best of our ability every time we get a call." Steve Greenburg, Tumino's Head Dispatcher, supervises a group of six dispatchers who are tasked with delivering on that promise. "Not only can we dispatch the closest truck for every incident, but we can follow its progress and keep the client advised," says Greenburg. "We can also see exactly when the unit has arrived on scene, when they begin the transport, and know that the customer is being served."

According to Greenburg, "Even if you have just a few trucks on the road, I don’t see how you can manage them without a tool like iTRAK Fleet Manager." For more information about how iTRAK can help your business run more efficiently, click here.

Dispatchers at Tumino's Towing use InTow Manager software for routine dispatch operations. See the 'Partner Profile' below for more about InTow Manager from OnScene Solutions.

Partner Profile – OnScene Solutions, LLC

Most companies in the towing and recovery industry use dispatch software, and some progressive software providers like OnScene Solutions have integrated iTRAK GPS with their dispatch application. "Once we started offering iTRAK position and status data as part of our InTow Manager application, customers couldn't believe what a difference it made," said Dennis Thurlow, Director of Sales for the Ohio-based developer of software for the towing industry.

Naturally, towing companies strive to differentiate themselves from competition by offering fast, economical service. Most have recognized the benefits of using a good dispatch software product to enter service calls, keep track of available assets, assign trucks/drivers, and handle back-end accounting. But knowing which truck is closest to a call, its availability, and how long it will take to arrive, gives a dispatcher a huge improvement in operational efficiency.

To feed up-to-date location and status information into the dispatch program, OnScene Solutions' developers took advantage of iTRAK's Application Programming Interface (API). The API specifies a set of commands that can be executed by the InTow Manager application to extract the latest information about every vehicle in the fleet. Approximately once every minute, InTow Manager makes a request via the Internet to the iTRAK Fleet Manager server, which immediately responds with the most recent latitude and longitude of every vehicle in the fleet, as well as its status (e.g., stopped, moving at 35 MPH, tow in progress, etc.). InTow Manager not only displays location and status next to each truck on the 'Vehicles' screen, but it uses the latest position data to instantaneously calculate which vehicle is closest to a new call for service. The application even predicts how long the truck will take to arrive on scene—critical for providing customers with accurate estimates. "Adding iTRAK to our dispatch system has made an incredible difference," says Larry LaManna, Operations Manager at Tumino's Towing in New Jersey. "Both our operational efficiency and customer service are as high as ever."

"A typical developer can write and test the necessary software in a day or two," according to Rich Geving, iTRAK's Vice President of Customer Support. "The API documentation is very straightforward, and gives the developer a few different options, depending on what they are trying to accomplish."

Tow companies also use iTRAK's on-board 'PTO' sensor to determine when and where the hydraulic tow mechanism has been activated by the driver. This single feature ensures that all tow events are recorded, and helps with the daily and weekly billing audits.

The combination of InTow Manager and iTRAK Fleet Manager is very powerful, and dramatically demonstrates the synergy that can be achieved through partnering. For more information about InTow Manager, visit www.onscene-solutions.com. Software providers across a wide range of industries have used iTRAK's API to extend their functionality, and we’re always open to working with new partners. Contact us if you would like to explore the benefits of adding GPS and status data to your fleet management operation.

Industry News – Insurance Discounts for Tracking!

Fleet operators can pay as much as 4% of their total revenue for insurance. For an average 'big rig' that generates $180,000 in annual gross revenue, insurance costs average more than $500 per month. Some states are now mandating lower premiums on vehicles that are tracked, and many commercial carriers are willing to negotiate a discount on premiums if a company can present scenarios to show that having GPS tracking can reduce or mitigate risk.

So how does discounted insurance help pay for your fleet management system? For the purpose of analysis, it may be helpful to estimate the cost of tracking by using the monthly lease price as a benchmark. In other words, if a customer leases 25 units, the total monthly cost (including hardware, iTRAK Fleet Manager, and wireless service) will be about $40-45 per unit per month. Even a reduction of just 10% in a $500 monthly insurance premium is $50 per month—more than the entire monthly cost of iTRAK!

Since insurance regulations differ from state to state, and from company to company, you will need to approach your state's insurance commission and/or provider to see what discounts are available. Some companies and states offer as much as 25% discount off the theft portion of the insurance premium. Approval of discounts may also be subjective, based on the strength of your case. (Different insurance companies have different underwriting standards, so not all discounts apply to everyone.) Here are some persuasive arguments for claiming lower rates:

• I know where my vehicles are, and if one has been misappropriated or stolen, I can easily locate it and recover it. I can even set up a 'geofences' that will alert me if a vehicle leaves my company's facility after hours.
• I know the speed of all my vehicles all the time, and I can even receive real-time alerts if a driver exceeds a pre-set speed threshold. (Slower speeds translate into lower risk of accident.)
• I know where my vehicles are every minute of every day, and can dismiss false damage claims based on knowing that my vehicle was not involved in an incident.

If you need further assistance in investigating insurance discounts in your state, contact your sales representative or email itrak.sales@itrak.com.

Who's Who at iTRAK...

Admin Support – This dedicated group based at our headquarters handles a large number of different tasks, including new order processing and acceptance, questions relating to existing orders, new user set-up, fleet and unit changes, billing, and all other administrative issues. Call the admin staff at 1-866-694-8725 or email them at admin.support@itrak.com.

Technical Support – Rich Geving and his team will make sure you derive the maximum benefit from your iTRAK system. They can help with installation questions, answer technical questions, and help performance issues. Live hours are 6:00 AM - 5:00 PM Mountain Time, with on-call technicians available after hours. Call 1-866-224-8725 or email technical.support@itrak.com.

Sales Team – Based in regional offices throughout the U.S., our team of Regional Sales Managers stands ready to set up product demonstrations, provide current pricing, help calculate return on investment to justify your iTRAK purchase, and organize post-sales training. You can reach the sales team by calling 1-866-694-8725, or emailing itrak.sales@itrak.com

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