Network Fleet GPS Usage Review

Reviewed by Davis McElwain

City Management Intern

October 2012

BACKGROUND

In 2010, the City of Lawrence began purchasing and implementing Network Fleet, a network-based GPS system to track vehicles throughout the city using GPS signals and transmitting them using cellular phone tower technology.  Currently 146 vehicles are equipped with the technology, varying from dump trucks, to refuse trucks, to tractors, and even some supervisor vehicles.  Supervisors and managers have the ability to login to the network and view the last location and speed of vehicles in about two-minute intervals, as well as monitor where vehicles have been throughout the workday.

METHODOLOGY

In order to better aggregate the 146 vehicles and their data, data for this report were grouped by division and by supervisor responsibility for vehicle use.  Additionally, supervisor login statistics were grouped by department, which resulted in four departments: Solid Waste, Street, Utilities, and Public Works (Management). In order to better analyze the data, I have grouped the data by these departments.  Login data is not a foolproof metric for usage, as several supervisors in public works have set up daily reports that are sent via email that contain the information that they need to see, thus not necessitating a login to the system. 

DEPARTMENT USE

Departments vary in how they use Network Fleet.  Solid Waste Department uses it to track refuse trucks and to optimize weekly routes.  Utilities Department uses it to locate teams if moving from one work site to another.  Streets and Utilities use it as a safety mechanism if severe weather is approaching.  Public Works even uses it in remote places such as the airport to monitor the tractor operator.  Many managers have used it to investigate citizen complaints about speeding, misuse of city vehicles, and to monitor breaks while on the job. 

CAPABILITIES to SUSTAIN BASED ON INTERVIEWS

· Geo-fences: Solid Waste uses geo-fences well to monitor refuse truck routes and receive alerts when geo-fences are crossed. 

· Reports: Public Works uses weekly reports for its vehicles that are generated by the supervisor and reviewed throughout the management chain up to the director.  The report capability allows supervisors to set up custom and recurring reports so that they do not have to login daily to track their vehicles.  This capability lets the supervisor have a daily log of their crews’ usage for future study if needed.  Also, idle time of vehicles can be researched through the system; however, no managers seem to be using this feature. 

· Route Tracing for Web Display: Streets Department has the capability to map their snowplowed streets on a website, but this capability has not been tested since last year’s snowfall was well below average. 

· Complaint Investigation: Forensic use to investigate complaints of speeding, looting by sanitation workers, or excessive break time seems to give supervisors the facts with which to base an investigation.  However, several supervisors mentioned that initially the system created some mistrust between employees and their supervisors. 

CAPABILITIES TO IMPROVE BASED ON INTERVIEWS

Supervisors were generally satisfied if they know how to use the program.  Supervisors who did not receive training (some who just received a username and some who are new to the City since the initial training took place) are generally not pleased with the system.  Yearly training class for new users and/or a refresher course should be added in order to make sure the program is being used to the fullest extent.  I researched the answer to some of the questions that these supervisors had about capabilities and shared it with them.   

· Multiple Vehicle Route Traces: One manager commented that it would be nice if multiple vehicle route traces could be viewed simultaneously.  Since the system only “pings” about every two minutes, it would not be a true route trace unless the city purchased additional capability.  Five vehicles is the maximum amount that can be tracked on the multi-track map feature. 

· Driver Interface and Use in the Field: Solid Waste would like to see an interface with the drivers to improve communication in contingency routes and provide maps and directions for new routes.  Supervisors with smart phones can download the Network Fleet application and see the real-time map on their phone.  Only one manager mentioned using it on their city-issued smart phone.  I recommend that all city employees with Network Fleet access download this application to monitor where their employees are while they are moving around the city. 

· Technique-Sharing on Network Fleet: One manager was frustrated because too many waypoints such as gas stations and landmarks were clouding the map.  I showed them how to remove those waypoints and save those preferences.  Technique-sharing amongst departments and yearly training should solve this problem.  Fuel efficiency and speed history are capabilities that are available and would be beneficial to managers but are not being used widely.  Knowledge of the system does not appear to be uniform across departments, so sharing of practical uses between departments should be encouraged. 

department user trends BASED ON LOGINS and interviews

Solid Waste: Solid Waste has the largest amount of Network Fleet systems (59) and users and also has the most logins per month per user, including the “Big Board” in the front reception of their building.  The manager stated that the big board has been instrumental in refuse truck drivers seeing what other crews are doing when they walk into the office.  It has helped to decrease the perception that “I am the only one who is picking up everyone’s trash”.  Additionally, since Solid Waste has been so active with the system, the drivers know that they are being monitored for efficiency throughout the day.  Since the crews cannot go home until all the routes are finished, the system has encouraged a sense of teamwork to “get the job done”. 

Streets: Streets has a smaller group of systems (32) and users but the second highest rate of login.  The asphalt crew supervisor is the most active user since that crew is generally moving around the most during the day.  The street department anticipates using the system more during snowplow season. 

Utilities:  Utilities has many users and systems (34) for its department size since there are many disparate jobs within the department.  As such, the use is sporadic within the department, but has been useful when the supervisor is knowledgeable on the system.  The water treatment plants have Network Fleet capability in case the vehicle needs to drive to the intake to solve a problem with a water source.

Public Works:  Public Works has sporadic use because it is generally a collection of managers that have offices in city hall but their departments are based throughout the city.  There are 21 systems that fall under public works managers (not including the streets and solid waste systems).  Some are more knowledgeable than others on the system, but all managers produce weekly reports that are then forwarded to the director.    

additional comments

I did not do a cost analysis of the system as I do not know the historical costs and price structure.  This could be an area for future analysis based on feedback.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In addition to the training mentioned above, there are several other departments that could benefit from this technology.  Code enforcement and inspection personnel operate autonomously and often have unpleasant interaction with citizens.  Currently the managers have a general idea of the inspection locations for the day, but may not know where their inspectors are at any one time.  Network Fleet could be used for safety in code enforcement.  This would only require a 7 or 8 GPS-unit addition to the fleet. 

Additionally, several departments such as streets and sewers have vehicles that always operate as a crew.  Other than the added safety of tracking 4 or 5 vehicles, the amount of GPS units could be reduced to the main equipment, such as the Sanitary Sewer Jet Truck, and removed from the additional support trucks. 

City of Lawrence Login Frequency by User in 2012