Plow Operators Object to GPS Tracking System

An anonymous reader writes "The Boston Globe is reporting on a dispute between private plowing contractors and the state highway department. The state has mandated all trucks to equip with GPS enabled cellphones for tracking. The drivers have refused, just in time for a big winter storm. The latest seems to be that they have reached a compromise (no details yet), but the dispute highlights the public safety versus employee privacy issue. Presumably plowing could be more efficient and possibly save lives during storms if the trucks could be tracked.. a good thing. Or is this simply a step closer to an Orwellian society, where the State knows where we all are?" This earlier story does a much better job of detailing their grievances - apparently it's about money as much as anything, with the GPS tracking system being only a secondary issue.

Comments

Pilots need privacy too

[artakka]

I think the same applies to the pilots. It always bothers me when the radars track their airplane's position real time.
There should be a way for them to "opt-out". A "stealth mode" button will be nice. Pilots do not need the big-brother constantly watching them.

This is contractual, not about privacy

[orthogonal]

Privacy issue my ass.

It's a contractual issue.

The employer (which happens to be the state) wants to know if the employee is really doing the work (or as much of the work as) the employee claims.

This is not about tracking where I go after work, or if I visit my mistress for an extra-martial screw.

It's all about ensuring the state gets what it pays for, and any tracking is done exclusively during the employee's work.

This is legal, and this is good.

Re:This is contractual, not about privacy

[strider_starslayer]

Don't forget this is also about accountability. My cousin living just outside of New York was nearly hit by a plough and just barely managed to jump out of the way, the plough then took off the grill on the front of his truck and he got sprayed with rocks as the thing went screaming past; he sent the bill to the city, the city had to pay it, but he was told that the city was very upset with this because it happened all over and all the plough operators were blaming the independent plough operators, and all the independent plough operators were blaming the company plough operators- ultimately the city had to swallow the bill itself without being able to pass it on to the guilty party despite the fact that my cousin had an accurate time for when the incident happened. With GPS tracking that won't happen again, they'll simply look up who was where, determine wither or not they were actually there, and present the bill to the proper party. I can see how many people would not like this accountability, but I'm surprised that there aren't any Plough operators who are all for this- since it will let those who are good at there job shine, and keep there job while those who are lazy/sloppy will finally get there's and be fired.

Trust me, this is a good thing!

[twoslice]

Up in Canada we know a thing or two about snow. Hey we do all live in igloos up here, don't you know ;)

The problem is we sub-contracted most of the snow removal jobs to the lowest bidder. Yup you guessed it, the lowest bidder was Jeff and Ackbar's shovel your driveway/interstate business.

A few winters ago, I was driving through a major snowstorm with about 8-10 inches of snow on the highway. I drove for over 150 kilometers and saw only one snowplow. And guess what he was doing?

He was parked on the side of the road drinking a coffee and taking a really long break. How do I know this? That was the funniest part, the snow was just as deep infront of him as it was behind him. He must have been sitting there quite awhile.

Re:I don't get it

[phalse phace]

Are you sure you read the article because it clearly answers the questions you've just asked.

1) why the highway department wants them to have GPS

They want them to carry the GPS systems so they can "track their movements and record the work that they should be paid for" since they're paid "between $42 and $300 an hour."

2) why the contractors don't want to have it.

They don't want to carry them because of "the difficulty of operating the GPS phones while driving," and because if contractors don't "punch a code into the GPS phones and that if it is not done properly, the contractor won't get paid."

I, however, think the contractors don't want the GPS units because they'll no longer be able to slack off and milk the state. I mean, what do they have to hide. They are being paid by the state to do a job. Therefore, the state should have the right to track them and make sure they're doing exactly what they're being paid to do.

not uncommon

[btharris]

i have heard other companies upgrading their trucks towards this type of management. i have discussed this topic with the driver of the commercial garbage/dumpster pick-up service at the store I work for. a couple months ago, they upgraded all of their trucks with a GPS tracking system and so-called "tattle-tale" ("tattler") boxes, which start beeping if you stay too long in one place. he also has to scan barcodes at every stop so the computer records when and where service is made.

my first reaction was sympathy towards the driver's Orwellian fear. he said the drivers were filing many grievances with their union, but no major decision has been made as of yet.

later I realized that these are THE COMPANY'S equipment, so it seems they should have the right to know where their eqipment is and how it's being used. if the employees have a problem with doing their job, then they should look for other employment. this is, after all, what they get paid for.

there are, however, things that many people overlook---on both sides of the issue. the company may benefit from a precise tracking system so they can ensure their customers are receiving satisfactory service. customer satisfaction can obviously work in favor of the company in the form of more revenue. more revenue can mean more jobs or higher wages.

the driver i've spoken with also said that the "tattle tale" boxes are only triggered if you use the parking/emergency brake instead of just the foot pedal brake. he said he used to take quick 20-minute power naps before the tracking systems were installed, since his shift is so long. taking power naps, he said, is considered much safer than driving long hours without sleep. but now, if he engages the parking brake, the buzzer goes off and he risks punishment. he said some of his co-workers try to take these power naps with only their foot on the pedal brake to keep the buzzer from going off. obviously this isn't safe, especially when you consider that these trucks could easily be hauling over 10 tons of garbage.

my point is that the companies that install this type of equipment may not be considering all the counter-measures that their employees may take to avoid punishment, and some of these counter-measures may be unsafe. perhaps the motivation for attempting this tampering comes from ungrounded Orwellian fears or previous company-union disagreements.