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(Chris Aldridge | MLive.com File Photo)
LANSING, MI -- Michigan would begin using GPS technology to track state vehicles and monitor driver behavior under legislation advanced Thursday by a Senate panel.
The initiative, which would begin as a 120-vehicle pilot program, could help the state save money on fuel and crack down on employees who misuse government vehicles, according to sponsoring Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, R-Lawton.
Schuitmaker, in testimony before the Elections and Government Reform Committee, noted that Attorney General Bill Schuette's office recently filed charges against a state elevator inspector caught skipping work on 84 days, some of which he allegedly spent golfing while on the clock.
"There's no question that he used his state vehicle," Schuitmaker said of the inspector, who worked in her district. "He covered up the back of his license plate and took off state decals. He used it as pretty much his own vehicle for everything, and he forged his logs."
GPS tracking could also help the state respond to complaints from residents who see a government vehicle parked somewhere - say Menards -- and question the justification, Schuitmaker said.
"People see these cars at strip clubs too. Often times it's a liquor control officer but... To have that validation and accountability would be huge," she said.
Under substitute language adopted Thursday, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget would launch a 120-car pilot program across state agencies. If it proves to be cost effective, the program could expand, and the department would only buy GPS-equipped cars in the future.
Joyce Van Coevering, director of fleet operations for DTMB, said employees currently use a paper log to track mileage in state vehicles.
The "telemetrics" technology would allow real-time or after-the-fact monitoring of government vehicles, she said. The tracking could help the state save money on fuel and ensure employees are following traffic laws.
"The industry standard for fuel reduction is five to eight percent," she said. "We'd look at our fuel savings as a result of idle times and reduction in speed and possibly better routing too."
As of November, the state fleet included some 9,500 on-road vehicles. Roughly 2,000 of those were state police vehicles, which are already outfitted with location tracking technology.
In fiscal year 2014, the leased-vehicle fleet traveled 112 million miles and used 6.6 million gallons of fuel, according to a state report. Fuel costs are expected to total about $22 million in 2015.
Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.