Networkfleet Case Study
Vertical Market: Local Government
Networkfleet® Helps City of Huntsville Reduce Miles
Driven and Idle Time by Changing Driving Habits
Summary
While piloting Networkfleet’s GPS fleet tracking products, the City of Huntsville in eastern Texas uncovered costly driving
habits that were subsequently curtailed. The city will save nearly $20,000 this year by reducing idling time and distance
traveled.
Problem
With a population of about 35,000, Huntsville is small by Texas standards, yet it has a fleet of 400 vehicles to manage
and maintain. In 2010, one of the city managers realized that this size fleet required more attention than current
resources could handle.
“We had one person who spent most of the day just keeping track
of jobs and vehicles and making sure the vehicles were being
used in the most productive way possible,” said Laurie O’Brien,
finance administrator/analyst for the city. “Some drivers were
logging more miles than they should have been to do their jobs.
This was a drain on the budget as well as on productivity.”
Solution
The city’s management team began researching options to
address this challenge, but it was Premier GPS Tracking, a
Networkfleet reseller, who ultimately led them to the answer.
Results
• Cut idle time from 50% to 25%.
•S
aved a total of $800 per week in fuel costs due to
reduction in idling, which is expected to total nearly
$10,000 annually.
educed total distance driven by 30 miles each week per
•R
vehicle (1200 miles total per week).
• Able to use GPS reports to resolve complaints.
Premier GPS Tracking regularly recommends the Networkfleet wireless fleet management system to its customers
because Networkfleet connects directly to the vehicle’s onboard computer, a distinction in the market. Networkfleet
devices continually monitor engine diagnostics and send alerts with meaningful diagnostic codes when there is an
engine malfunction.
This capability makes Networkfleet more accurate in calculating idle time. Traditional GPS devices estimate idle time
based on stops. Networkfleet bases idle time on actual engine readings.
After a Networkfleet demo and a recommendation from another local government, the City of Huntsville installed
Networkfleet on four vehicles to collect data and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Results
Baseline data from the pilot uncovered several surprising findings. Vehicles were idling 50% of the time, and many
drivers were driving twice as far as necessary to reach a job. This added up to an average of 30 extra miles each week.
“Since most light trucks get 13 to 15 miles per gallon, 30 miles means two gallons of wasted fuel,” said O’Brien. “At
$2.50 a gallon, if each vehicle in our 400-vehicle fleet used two gallons less each week, we would save $8,000 each
month.”
Based on the pilot results, the city installed Networkfleet units on 40 light and heavy duty trucks. The city’s management
team also established new policies aimed at improving wasteful and unsafe driving habits such as idling, speeding, and
unnecessary driving.
During the pilot program, the city decreased idle time from 50% to around 25% on average, which the city estimates as
a savings of 8 hours per month for each vehicle. Because one hour of idle time equates to one gallon of fuel, that’s an
$800 savings in fuel each month, or $9,600 per year for 40 vehicles.
City employees are more conscientious while using city vehicles, and they are traveling fewer miles thanks to
Networkfleet’s GPS capabilities. The city also uses Networkfleet’s reporting capabilities to resolve complaints.
“If a resident claims his street wasn’t swept, we use Networkfleet reports to determine the facts and show exactly when
the street sweeper was on that street,” said O’Brien.
The city will make a formal assessment after 12 months of use and plans to install Networkfleet on all 400 vehicles in its
fleet if these positive results continue.
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