Companies realize unexpected benefits from USFT's Weather Overlay feature

OKLAHOMA CITY – (Oct. 15, 2013) – The one thing predictable about weather in most areas of the country is that it’s often completely unpredictable. Inclement conditions such as ice and snow start to enter the minds of business decision-makers all over the country, and planning for such occurrences can mean the difference between contracts gained or lost, jobs redone, and of highest importance, safety of your crews on the move. Impact Casing and Murray Pest Control, companies from two widely diverse sectors, recently employed USFT's live GPS tracking technology, and the benefits already realized have surpassed even their most optimistic expectations.

Companies from the northeast to middle America are finding USFT's weather overlay feature, with its fast updating and uniquely partnered with the National Weather Service, pays off in more ways than simple conventional weather tracking. Corporations large and small are adding value to their live GPS tracking efforts by pre-planning routes and schedules, and efficiencies are complimented by the enhanced sense of security of being able to react on the fly to unexpected weather occurrences.

Bobby Hayes operates Impact Casing, an oilfield equipment company in northwest Oklahoma. Known for extreme weather-even by Oklahoma standards-Hayes found an unexpected bonus after equipping his entire fleet of trucks and equipment: “USFT's system saved us money immediately when we got it, as we could monitor vehicle and machinery locations much easier, lessening staffing concerns dramatically. After exploring various features, we were able to add tremendous value to our investment we didn’t even count on. Weather overlay is a big one for us. Having such an updated source for conditions is indispensable in terms of safety for our onsite crews during extreme weather and even preparation for upcoming inclement events.”

USFT's Jack Duncan speaks to some intangibles the weather overlay feature offers.

“Leveraging this technology makes managers and dispatchers proactive instead of reactive,” says Jack Duncan, ERP integration director for USFT. “Travel time and vehicle expenses are pure cost with no revenue associated with them, therefore lost time due to traffic or weather conditions only exacerbate this cost.”

According to Duncan, businesses empowered with this full range of information routinely complete more service calls per day and realize more revenue to the bottom line, in terms of cost-savings and added safety for mobile crews.

“Inclement weather and traffic jams will have a drastic impact on productivity and profits, not to mention safety. Mobile employees are only building revenue when they’re doing what they are paid to do, in a manner most safe and efficient,” continues Duncan.

Jake Murray, owner of Murray Pest Control in Stillwater, Okla., calls it the ‘look-ahead’ factor in identifying USFT's weather overlay as one of the reasons he chose the company’s technology for his fleet: “I’ve got guys all over the region, and with the live GPS tracking USFT provides I can assist them with everything from service call navigation to a warning of conditions they’re driving into. The alerts and routing particularly help keep me from constantly having to make calls.

TotalView Dispatch from USFT offers third-party integration, with the ability to incorporate any of the myriad features offered by the company with all live GPS devices sold. The weather overlay feature, teamed with third-party software supported by USFT, is a valuable tool in planning mobile teams routes and schedules, but plans inevitably change sometimes. Murray says he feels much more ready when extreme or unexpected weather-like ice or snow-appears.

“If I’ve got a big construction site pre-treat, and rain or snow is coming, we can change course with that team in real time. Especially outside projects that we can’t treat in inclement weather; we can re-route them to avoid waste and the need for follow-up treatments.”

The weather overlay feature from USFT is the only feature of its kind to be tied to the National Radar Service, and offers fast, comprehensive updating.

“With the weather in the southwest as unpredictable as it is, the confidence we get from the weather overlay system alone is worth what it costs, says Murray. “Our company has added layers of productivity, with no more staff needed, since we signed with USFT. It’s a real game-changer for us.”

USFT's TotalView Dispatch offers other tools such as an aggressive driving alert, and 90-day historical playback. The aggressive driving feature signals drastic changes in vehicle movement such as abrupt starts and stops, and historical playback shows where the vehicle was at any given moment within the past 90 days.

Beyond peace of mind linked to knowing your mobile team is safe and professional, USFT's weather overlay and the entire TotalView suite offers an extra advantage. In some cases, they companies can experience a reduction in insurance premiums.

USFT, located in Oklahoma City, is the leader in live GPS vehicle and asset tracking, providing groundbreaking sub-ten-second live tracking. In addition to expertise in tracking commercial vehicles, the company provides tracking services to high-profile, large-scale public events. These include the 2010 Winter Olympics in Calgary, 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, 2012 Republican National Convention, and Super Bowls XLI through XLVII. For more in-depth details, and to access a live demonstration of USFT's system while in motion, visit https://www.usfleettracking.com.