Fleets across the globe have to deal with the unfortunate reality of vehicle theft. When a truck or trailer is stolen, companies lose money, time, and credibility with customers. Moreover, employees may be put in harm’s way, meaning modern prevention methods are a must. To address these concerns, Navixy is proud to offer a full suite of vehicle theft prevention tools to make your fleet less attractive to potential criminals.
Our mobile resource management platform arms businesses with jamming and towing detection, broken door alerts, remote engine blocking, live video, and more, so you can respond to theft attempts sooner and improve your chances of recovering stolen vehicles. Learn more by contacting us today.
Vehicle theft - a growing global problem
Although certain regions are particularly hurt by vehicle theft, every country has problems with criminals stealing fleet assets. While some are after the vehicles themselves, others are more interested in cargo, especially high-value or easily resold items, like phones, produce, and alcohol. In either case, the thieves may use threats or violence to intimidate drivers, putting lives at risk and potentially causing high turnover in affected areas.
Frequent vehicle theft can have severe consequences for fleets of all sizes. First, if a truck or van can’t be recovered, they have to cover the cost of both the vehicle itself and any cargo or items left inside. If multiple theft events occur per year, it could mean thousands of dollars in lost profit. In Mexico alone, 36 cargo trucks are stolen every day1.
Thieves have several ways to steal vehicles and their contents. Some common methods of theft include GPS jamming to avoid detection, towing a vehicle away, breaking door locks, and removing the tracker, among others. Though the impact of vehicle and cargo theft can be severe for both the shipper and the customer, Navixy has a number of modern solutions to lessen your chances of being targeted.
How to prevent vehicle theft
Despite the challenges, it’s possible for fleets and other groups to prevent theft. Generally, all of these measures boil down to making your vehicles less attractive targets to potential thieves. This is essential since once delayed, a criminal is more likely to move on and find something easier to steal.
Navixy supports a number of functions that help combat theft attempts and facilitate recovery efforts, including:
- Jamming detection
- Towing detection (auto geofence)
- Remote engine blocking
- Engine relay cutoff
- Driver ID
- Broken door/lock alerts
- Video telematics
Next, we’ll explain how these alerts and other features work to keep criminals at bay and improve overall fleet security.
Jamming detection
Since jamming a GPS tracker is one of the most common ways to steal a fleet vehicle, it makes sense that detecting signal interference is a highly effective way to thwart thieves.
When the GPS or GSM signal is disrupted, the device will automatically emit an alert letting you know someone might be trying to steal a vehicle. At this point, you can utilize remote engine blocking to render the truck, van, or car inoperable. This function will continuously decrease the vehicle’s maximum speed until it can disconnect the fuel pump. By combining jamming detection and engine cutoff, fleets have a much higher chance of both detecting a theft event and regaining possession of the vehicle.
Rental cars often use jamming detection and remote engine blocking to stay aware of theft attempts and stop people who are trying to steal their property. Instant SMS and email notifications make it easy to know what’s happening with vehicles in real-time.
Towing detection
Using a tow truck to haul away a parked vehicle has become an increasingly popular way to steal from businesses. As a result, GPS trackers like the Teltonika FMC130 and Queclink GV55 can detect if such an event is occurring. When the ignition is off, internal sensors will send an alert if the vehicle is lifted up since this indicates a potential theft is taking place.
In Navixy, towing alerts are created using auto geofencing. This function allows managers to set control limits on the time between ignition off and the vehicle moving, in addition to the radius of the specified area. If the truck leaves this virtual circle, the tracker will send an alert.
Driver identification
Requiring driver credentials to start the engine allows companies to control who can access their vehicles. Only after touching the assigned key to the ID button will the engine be able to start, so people without this credential will be stuck. If the thief is in a rush, this may be enough to make them abandon the carjacking attempt altogether.
For driver ID setup instructions, check out our user guides.
Video telematics
Implementing a video telematics solution has been proven to deter break-ins and improve recovery efforts for fleets. Navixy supports dash cams and MDVR so companies can both monitor their assets in real-time and have clear evidence of crimes when they occur. In fact, the mere presence of in-vehicle cameras can be enough to dissuade people from proceeding with a theft attempt.
To further support fleets, video telematics devices can be integrated with GPS tracking functions, such as telling the camera to save video when a broken door alert goes off. The same can apply to harsh driving, speeding, and collision alerts, geofence violations, and other anti-theft functions.
Partner case studies from Tesatel GPS
Curious to hear about the real-life benefits of Navixy vehicle recovery technology? We recently spoke with our partner Tesatel GPS—a GPS tracking provider with offices in Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, CA—and discussed some examples of companies using telematics to prevent theft and recover vehicles.
A merchandise transport company in Tijuana, Mexico, was dealing with three to four theft events each year, taking away valuable time and resources to investigate and replace the lost assets. To prevent thieves from stealing trucks, the company installed driver ID buttons in their vehicles so only authorized employees could start the engine and drive away. Thanks to this security measure, the company was able to deter criminals and prevent future thefts.
To help employees feel safer when picking up passengers, a Tijuana rideshare company wanted to find a way to check in with drivers when they entered high-crime areas.
Fortunately, with auto geofencing and event notifications, the dispatcher could receive an alert when a driver entered a specified area and call the employee to make sure they’re okay.
Finally, to combat thieves using GPS jammers to steal vehicles and stall recovery efforts, local businesses in Mexico began installing GPS trackers with jamming detection so the dispatcher could cut the engine remotely when they received an alert. By knowing when jamming occurred and taking action sooner, companies had an easier time getting vehicles back after theft.
If you have any questions about our fleet security, theft prevention, or vehicle recovery solutions, feel free to contact us today. Navixy looks forward to addressing your concerns and safeguarding your business from crime.
Sources:
- https://www.nicb.org/news/regional-news/are-cartels-connected-booming-truck-theft-mexico
