Aug/Sept 2008

Seen in this screen shot is a Web site developed for Eastern Region Truckwatch, a joint venture involving the Suffolk Constabulary, Norfolk Police and the Road Haulage Association. It enables truck operators with vehicles passing through East Anglia to sign up for free SMS alerts about traffic news, route diversions and accidents.

The service has been developed by HTK, a specialist in customer interaction services. The company says it runs on the same robust, scalable and secure HTK Horizon Warn & Inform platform that already provides national message broadcasting services.

HTK created the custom registration Web site to integrate seamlessly with Eastern Region Truckwatch's own online presence and branding. It allows Truckwatch members to sign up for message broadcasts.

The name 'Truckwatch' seems to be turning into a catch-all for a range of online services related to truck crime and transport information. South Yorkshire Police, the Road Haulage Association and People United Against Crime (a Sheffield-based charity) run a service called Yorkshire and Humber TruckWatch (www.truckwatch.org).

 

This organisation works with four police forces (South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Humberside) plus Crimestoppers to provide a range of truck theft-related services to members, including a service that notifies members of stolen vehicles and cargo.

Meanwhile the Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association and police run a service called TruckWatch focusing on vehicle theft alerting (www.truckwatch.co.uk). Road Tech Computer Systems is also a participant in this service.