Game On: Mobile Technology and Today’s Utility Fleet
Mobile technology, gamification, and the evolution of how we communicate with mobile workforces to achieve greater safety, productivity and compliance.
By Tim Taylor, Chief Client Success Officer, Telogis
Today’s utility fleets all have a powerful tool at their disposal – and it’s one of the most basic tools we all carry with us: our mobile phone or tablet. New applications tied into existing fleet management and work order management solutions can significantly improve how mobile workers perform their day-to-day work – and it can all be unlocked through the mobile device they’re already using. This article will look at some of the most effective ways today’s utility fleets are leveraging these solutions to coach and improve worker performance in real time, and why today’s utility fleet manager should consider engaging with these technologies today.
The Secret to Managing Collision Repair Subcontractors
By John Wolford, CEI associate director of network services and loss recovery
When thinking about collision repairs, you may well envision just one provider: the body shop. But there are many times when there are more players who need to be involved, because further repair expertise is required. And, just as with any other project, the more players involved the greater the chance for delays.
Since time is money – in this case, more money spent on temporary replacement vehicles, drivers who are sidelined, and sales that don’t happen – it’s imperative that repair delays be avoided or minimized. Fortunately, while delays can and will happen some of the time, there is a way to manage repair subcontractors. But first, you need to a review of why and when subcontractors are involved.
Ford Faces Trial on MPG Estimates as Judge Refuses to Toss Suit
Ford Motor Co. will have to face trial over claims that it exaggerated fuel-efficiency estimates for its Fusion and C-Max hybrids after a federal judge in New York on Nov. 12 denied the company’s request to throw the case out.
Ford buyers sued in 2013 questioning claims that the vehicles could get 47 miles per gallon. “Ford implicitly recognized that its advertising campaign was misleading,” U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas said in a ruling dismissing the carmaker’s request to toss the suit.
Nissan Harnesses Radar Sensor To See Around Cars With Refreshed Altima
Think back to the days of your childhood and playing hide and seek. The game would have been much easier if you could actually see through and around the trees, rocks and walls that obscured your friends.
For all the advances that have been made in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) over the past 20 years, seeing through the other cars to find out what is happening further down the road is still a problem. However, it’s a problem that Nissan is trying to fix with predictive forward collision warning that is coming to the updated Altima sedan for 2016.
Flat Lining: One Third of 2015 Vehicles Missing Spare Tire
Automakers’ decision to eliminate the spare tire may leave more than 30 million drivers vulnerable at the roadside, according to new research from AAA.
Tire inflator kits, a high-cost alternative for consumers, have replaced the spare tire in millions of vehicles over the last 10 model years and, due to their limited functionality, cannot provide even a temporary fix for many common tire-related problems. AAA calls on automakers to put consumer interests first and halt the elimination of the spare tire.
“Flat tires are not a disappearing problem, but spare tires are,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair. “AAA responds to more than four million calls for flat tire assistance annually and, despite advances in vehicle technology, we have not seen a decline in tire-related calls over the last five years.”
