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Telematics and GPS Tracking


Casting Doubts on Global Positioning

Many fleet executives working at electric utilities have doubts about implementing global positioning system (GPS) tracking technology into their fleet operations. A number of doubts exist. For example, GPS technologies are designed to track a vehicle’s whereabouts; this can lead to trust issues...

Managing Fleets with GPS Integration

Integrating GPS tracking software to improve business operations BY JENNY MALCOLM, GPS Insight Software integration, the process of combining individual computing systems into a unified whole is important to electric and utility companies because it provides the full picture into all fleet...

Mobile Computing


Mobile Workforce Using Augmented Reality

Plugging workers into data analytics and information technologies BY JOHN SIMMINS, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Collectively, North American electric utilities operate in a unique environment. They need to serve all willing customers; they are in one of the most capital-intensive...

Mobile Workforce Management

Taking the next step in field communications BY JIM MENTON, ClickSoftware Electricity remains the same as it always has, but the entire context around providing a safe and reliable supply has changed, and continues to evolve. New challenges have emerged for electric utility executives spanning...

Technology Adoption and Integration


Smart Substations and Their Role in the Evolving Smart Grid

A Smart substation digitizes protection and control, enabling utilities to detect faults faster, manage DER volatility, and reduce outage risk. The payoff depends on architecture, cybersecurity, and edge analytics, not just new relays. The shift toward smart substations is inseparable from broader...

Tire Management for Utility Fleet Vehicles

Maintenance, performance tracking can help optimize assets BY BRIAN BUCKHAM, Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems As utility trucks spring into action during and after severe weather events, the risk of tire damage due to storm-related debris increases exponentially. Tires on utility trucks also may...

Fleet Management

Fleet-wide Winch Line Standarization

Inspection, training, and safety support from the factory floor

BY BILL PUTNAM, Yale Cordage

Among the many tools on an electrical utility vehicle, the most widely and heavily used is the winch line. Offering the versatility of pulling, lifting, and setting equipment, the winch is found at the center of numerous critical tasks in the field. However, in the context of what the winch line is attached to—a truck often costing upwards of a quarter-million...

Fleet Management Articles