Acquiring a bucket truck is like acquiring any other piece of heavy equipment: it is a huge investment for a company to make. For years, demand for this vehicle has increased for many industries including electric utilities, telecommunications, cable television, exterior building maintenance, forestry, fruit harvesting and firefighting, to name some of the more popular ones. The accessorizing of these vehicles is another important function and need, the most of which tend to specialize in the area of worker safety, which is indeed an important consideration for any company.

On the other hand, technological advancements have also made important contributions to worker safety as well as to a company’s ability to operate their fleet of vehicles with greater productivity and efficiency. GPS or "Global Positioning System" is one of the accessories your company can take advantage of for your bucket trucks especially in any rural or remote work locations.

So what is a GPS, how do they work, and how will they help efficiently maintain a fleet of commercial vehicles? Hopefully, we can offer some helpful information in this article.

The GPS (Global Positioning System)

The science knowledge that is comprised in this system actually dates back to pre-World War II. It was based on ground navigation designs used during that war. After the launching of satellites into space, the U.S. Navy first tested this new technology application in 1960 and from that developed the ongoing usage of atomic clocks in satellites that is the basis for the current process.

The early technology was very costly, so usage was limited to the military that could justify its development to help them during the Cold War arms race and its perceived nuclear threat to the United States. In 1978, the original GPS was launched which was officially named by the Pentagon as DNSS (Defense Navigation Satellite System), then later that year changed to NAVSTAR (Navigation System with Timing and Ranging). This gadgetry was strictly for military use during that time. Since this technology works with the deployment of navigational satellites, between the years 1978 to 1985, eleven satellites were launched and positioned in space solely for military GPS use.

Civilian GPS usage was begun in 1983; however, the signal designated for civilian use was intentionally degraded with the highest signal quality being reserved for military usage. In 2000, complete usage was opened to all users as by then the U.S. military had the technology to selectively deny this system’s service on a region-by-region basis.

GPS is entirely owned and run by the U.S. government to be used as a resource for the entire nation. The Department of Defense (DOD) manages the operation of this national asset and there is, of course, a Committee established by presidential directive to offer advice and coordination to all federal and civilian agencies. The DOD is charged to maintain this service and keep it safe from disruptive use.

GPS Systems and Bucket Truck Fleets

Equipping bucket trucks with GPS provides a tremendous advantage to a company that operates a fleet of these vehicles, particularly in any widespread rural area or even remote working locations. These systems can be used to determine routes and driving time to work locations as well as monitor a crew’s progress in reaching that site. Thanks to a decrease in cost over recent years, it is just a very wise monetary investment to help ensure the efficiency of the operation of a company’s fleet of expensive bucket trucks.

Following are two specific advantages as to why your company should equip your fleet of bucket trucks with GPS devices.

The GPS helps the driver get to the location site more quickly and will help the vehicle and crews travel a safer route since the device shows the exact job location position. If the vehicle can get the workers to the correct job site in the best time possible, more time can be spent working and less time traveling.

GPS devices will help your company track your fleet of vehicles while they are gone, particularly at locations that are distant from your home base and probably out of most cell phone range. Through this system, you can track how many hours are spent at the actual job location as well as if the crew has traveled to some other point that is not part of the route. This will help the crew concentrate on their assignment since they will know that they are being monitored.

It can be clearly seen that the efficiency of a GPS system can certainly contribute to the efficient usage of your fleet of bucket trucks and help your company achieve its goals in a more timely fashion. The more efficient your fleet is on the job means the faster the job will be finished and the more rapidly your company can earn money. Don’t give it a second thought: equip your bucket trucks with GPS devices today!