Global positioning systems (GPS) can pinpoint your exact location on the planet, but the technology's most impressive feat may be the about-face it has accomplished in the gas industry. Morphing from potential privacy invader to indispensable tool, GPS is now the technology many gas companies turn to when they want to distribute gas or provide service to customers more efficiently.

GPS is hot because it allows gas companies to monitor the locations of delivery trucks or service vehicles. And mobile workers are not as quick to complain that the technology will expose their every step to scrutiny either. They now know the technology can help more than harm.

"There isn't as much resistance or protests of 'Big Brother' as there used to be because management has gotten better at explaining the benefits of GPS," says Bruce Kane, director of customer relations for Atlanta-based Axiom Corp. which provides mobile computing solutions under the Mobility brand.

The growing appeal of GPS is part of the bigger trend toward wireless communications, which, says Kane, is already standard among gas utilities. And gas companies are not the only GPS beneficiaries—firms with vehicle fleets, such as logistics and transportation companies, are also using GPS to coordinate the movement of mobile workers and thus increase their productivity.

Indeed, it's not difficult to zero in on GPS success stories. For example, Wisconsin-based Poplar Gas Co. has already seen a 10% jump in driver productivity since it installed the tracking system on its delivery trucks last winter. And the productivity boost has resulted in a $16,000 yearly payroll savings. Each of its five medium-duty trucks delivers as much as 8,000 gallons of propane each day, making 12-15 stops.

The system allows general manager Ernie Weschcke to gain visibility into his trucks' whereabouts every half hour. Using the 20/20v nationwide tracking system from Maryland-based Aether Systems Inc., he can monitor the vehicles' locations over an Internet-based host from almost any computer that's connected to the on-board tracking devices on the trucks.

Demand spikes no longer pose a problem for the gas company because truck drivers can complete more deliveries with the help of GPS. In fact, employing the same number of trucks and drivers, the company has been able to increase deliveries by 15%, which has resulted in an additional $300,000 in annual revenues.

GPS has also delivered productivity gains to gas utilities, which have improved the scheduling of field technicians. Such service personnel have to drive to customer sites every workday and through GPS, they can now make better use of their time.

For starters, they can obtain directions to the next location through GPS. In fact, integrated with other mobile communications systems, GPS has restructured the workday of many service technicians.

For example, about 400 field technicians employed by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh no longer have to show up at the dispatch center each morning. They save on the commute time by downloading their list of assignments from a laptop computer in their vehicles.

And throughout the day, they are able to communicate in real-time with dispatchers, who can immediately spot backlogs and reassign work to prevent long wait times for scheduled customers. Aside from keeping customers satisfied, technicians are also able to bolster emergency response time and minimize overtime.

GPS also eases the work of dispatchers who often have to call ahead to inform a customer of a technician's estimated arrival time. GPS can show that a technician is already close to the customer's location and, working with a call-ahead system, it can stop a call-ahead request from being sent to the dispatcher.

Some utilities are also using the tracking system to protect their workers. For example, some trucks have been outfitted with panic buttons which drivers can hit if say, the vehicle has been hijacked. This will immediately alert dispatchers to the situation.

Indeed, for both emergency situations and everyday operations, GPS is providing substantial benefits. In addition, the costs of the technology can be mitigated because many systems use both land-based and satellite communications, which is more expensive, employing the latter only when necessary. Monitoring rates range from $30 to $65 per month per vehicle while hardware costs are roughly $500 to $3,000 per truck.

Even small companies such as Alabama-based Mobile Gas, which only has 35 field technicians and 4 dispatchers, are planning to deploy GPS because of the technology's bolstering—certainly not Big Brother-like—effect on workers.

According to Leo Hagood, vice president of business development for Axiom Corp., you can expect more from such wireless communications than business gains and customer satisfaction. "Employee satisfaction should grow as well because field workers will be better able to determine their workloads and know where they will be working and what tools and materials will be needed."

Sources: Technology on the Move
Sandra R. Sabo
American Gas Magazine, Nov. 2002
http://www.aga.org/Template.cfm?Section=Past_Issues&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=9400

Fleet Connections
Peter Strozniak
Frontline Solutions, Dec. 1, 2002
http://www.frontlinetoday.com/frontline/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=38934