With cargo theft and truck hijackings on the rise, Mexican delivery companies are seeking solutions to protect both their employees and assets. This is especially crucial for last-mile delivery, since smaller vans and trucks are particularly vulnerable to pilferage.
To address this critical issue, Navixy offers a host of telematic functions that tackle cargo theft head on. With real-time location monitoring, geofence alerts, door control, engine relay cut, and other powerful capabilities, last-mile delivery companies can effectively prevent the theft of valuable goods, recover stolen loads, and protect employees from danger.
Current state of cargo theft in Mexico
According to data from the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (AMIS), cargo theft cost Mexican businesses around 400 million pesos in 2023. This cost is passed on to the end consumer in the form of higher prices, as businesses must cover the costs of lost cargo, as well as the costs of security to protect their cargo. In fact, the accumulated economic value of cargo theft in Mexico was $12.5 billion Mexican pesos ($725 million USD) from 2019 to 2022.
Data has also shown that cargo theft of last-mile carriers has been steadily increasing in Mexico. In 2022, a total of 22,213 cargo theft events were recorded, up 10.7% from 2021.
Among the products with the highest theft rate in Mexico during 2022, the Food and Beverage category stands out at 30% of all theft events.
Internal processes: how companies deal with theft
In order to understand how to solve the problem of last-mile delivery theft, it’s vital to know how and when these companies are vulnerable, how theft events happen, and how companies are currently addressing this growing problem.
Last-mile deliveries are particularly prone to theft for several reasons. Since these deliveries often take place in narrow alleys and side streets, they’re easier targets than trucks that stick to main roads and populated areas. The thieves may physically threaten the driver and take the vehicle, or steal goods from the back as soon as the door is opened. Moreover, the thieves often take stolen vehicles and/or goods out of the city, making it even more difficult to track them down. In some cases, the drivers themselves are involved in the robbery, making fleet managers suspicious of unscheduled route deviations and stops.
Delivery companies generally find out that a load has been stolen when the driver reports it. Since there may be a delay between the theft occurring and the employee reporting it, companies lose precious time in the race to recover their assets. So, rather than relying on slow processes, businesses should seek Navixy-powered, automated solutions that take a proactive approach to theft prevention.
Preventing vehicle and cargo theft with telematics
Fortunately for delivery companies, Navixy offers intelligent telematics solutions for preventing last-mile theft and recovering stolen goods. These include:
- Live video monitoring of vehicle surroundings
- SOS/emergency button
- Geofence alerts
- Remote door control
- Engine relay cut
- Route playback
Video recording
With the help of MDVR and dash cams, fleets can now get a live look at what’s happening during deliveries. Strategically placed cameras allow monitoring agents to view the scene remotely and discreetly, and inform the driver if it’s safe to proceed with the delivery. If they notice any suspicious individuals in the vicinity, they tell the driver that the location isn’t secure.
In addition to providing live video, dash cams can also store past video for future review. This is extremely useful if a theft does occur, as the footage can be used as evidence of the crime for insurance claims and police reports.
Live tracking
Naturally, live tracking makes it possible to see both a vehicle’s current location and route in real-time. This feature provides last-mile delivery fleet owners with several opportunities to prevent theft and recover stolen goods.
For instance, the manager can view the map to tell if the van or truck has deviated from the prescribed route and check to see what the problem is by calling the driver. This could prevent someone from bringing the load to an unintended recipient. Or, if the vehicle has been stolen, they can provide its real-time location and updates to the authorities to assist them with tracking down the thieves.
SOS button
If a driver recognizes a threat, then can quickly let their dispatcher or manager know simply by pressing an SOS button. Knowing exactly when an attempted theft is happening gives companies more time to respond and could potentially prevent the robbery from happening in the first place. Even if a theft still occurs, the employee won’t be put in harm’s way, since the SOS button can be activated without alerting the criminals.
Geofence alerts
With the help of geofences, fleet managers can receive alerts when their vehicles enter and exit designated zones. By creating a geofence around an intended delivery location, you’ll know exactly when the driver has arrived to ensure everything goes smoothly, especially if the area is known to be risky. Furthermore, the manager will know if an employee tries to take the goods somewhere else, preventing “off-the-books” deals
Remote door control
Thieves can’t access goods until the van door is opened. Remote door control gives fleet owners more control over the security of deliveries by preventing criminals from getting access to the goods.
Normally, when an employee reaches their destination, they’ll unlock and open the door without confirming if it’s safe to do so. As soon as the van is accessible, thieves overwhelm the driver and steal the goods from the back. Through remote monitoring and driver confirmation, fleet managers can wait until they’re certain that the area is safe and clear before unlocking the door. If they notice any suspicious individuals, they can keep the door locked and inform the delivery driver of the danger.
Engine relay cut
In the event that criminals steal the vehicle itself, engine relay cut gives owners a way to prevent them from getting very far. Once you know that the van or truck is in the hands of thieves, you can send a signal to the tracker to cut engine power and completely immobilize it. Then, using some of the other features already mentioned, the company can track its location and recover their assets.
Why choose Navixy for last-mile theft prevention
Using Navixy to secure last-mile deliveries arms businesses in this industry with a wide range of advantages. Learn how we assist businesses below!
- Fast and easy configuration of outputs: Configure powerful functions like engine stop, door locking, and others in the platform with utmost ease.
- Driver log: Access full availability of alerts, location data, and video for evidence when processing insurance claims or audits.
- Hardware agnostic: Explore a range of more than 1,500 integrated devices and select the one that suits your needs.
- Automated GPS device activation: We help customers reduce the cost of device implementation by making device activation a simple and streamlined process.
- Location sharing: With our Weblocator location-sharing tool, last-mile delivery companies have the ability to share real-time tracking information with external parties, such as local authorities, without requiring access to the platform.
- Geofence alerts: Set up the geofence alerts in seconds: upload 200 geofences in seconds, and add one alert for all the devices and geofences. (For dangerous zone entering)
- Video alerts and monitoring: Get alerts with video proof to your mobile app and review the situation in real-time.
Last-mile delivery use cases
To fully appreciate how Navixy can transform last-mile delivery security, we’ll explore a few use cases from partners that have successfully used the platform to prevent theft and recover stolen property.
Door security in Mexico
A Navixy partner based in Tijuana, Mexico, has recently used our remote door control function to secure its last-mile deliveries. When the vehicle arrives at the destination, the driver makes a phone call to a monitoring team who can authorize door access. This is done using electromechanical bolts that are remotely controlled. If the delivery is in an area with limited cell coverage, the door must be opened with a password entered via keypad. Either way, these steps ensure that access to the goods is only granted once the site has been cleared.
Advanced monitoring for delivery safety
Another Mexico-based Navixy partner has also taken advantage of our suite of theft-prevention tools.
With the help of geofences and alerts, the management team can now detect when drivers enter areas they aren’t assigned to. If they receive an alert that an employee isn’t in their designated delivery area, they can immediately contact them to ask about the deviation or impose corrections to avoid such detours in the future. Furthermore, they can tell which direction drivers are moving in and reach out to see if they need any assistance.
When an employee feels unsafe at a particular delivery and presses the SOS button, remote monitoring agents can view a live feed of the vehicle’s cabin and external surroundings to check for any suspicious activity. If they see cars blocking the road or people approaching the truck, they can inform the driver of the danger. Not to mention, the agents can save this video for review at a later time.
Finally, when vehicles have actually been stolen, the company has used the Navixy Weblocator plugin to stay current with its latest location and real-time movements. By knowing exactly where their trucks have been, they’ve successfully recovered 9 out of 10 stolen vehicles.
Conclusion
To combat the theft of high-value goods in the last mile, retailers and logistics operators are adopting a range of security measures, GPS tracking, cameras, and remote door locks. New technologies are also being developed to help prevent the theft of high-value goods in the last mile, including artificial intelligence (AI) to identify patterns of suspicious behavior.
Contact us today to learn more about our last-mile delivery security tools!
