Sept/Oct 2005

Protecting your assets from thieves needs vigilance. Tracking systems can help, but only if you set them up correctly. Sharon Clancy checks out the latest trends

According to Truckpol, 2,000 large goods vehicle were stolen in 2004, and only 50 per cent were recovered. So when it comes to asset monitoring, you need to pay attention to the trucks and trailers, as well as the load. Truckpol, the UK's national monitoring centre for truck and load theft, says the evidence is that 'many vehicles would appear to be broken up for parts - whether for the UK or foreign markets.'

There are weekly reports of drivers being attacked in their cabs, and of audacious ruses, including that of redirecting drivers to a fake address not far from the real delivery address.

Truckpol says vehicle security and immobilisation have improved, but one consequence has been that it is receiving more reports of attacks on drivers. The reason: faced with the need to circumvent these security measures, some thieves are resorting to getting hold of the actual keys to the vehicle, even if it means violence. Don't be fooled by thinking that because a load has a low value it is not a target; thieves can quickly dispose of a truck-load of fast-moving consumer goods, whether they are baked beans or nappies.

 

Nothing can stop a determined thief, of course, but tracking vehicles can act as a deterrent. Speed is of the essence; the sooner you know the vehicle or load has gone missing, the sooner the police can be informed and the recovery process can begin.

Theoretically, any vehicle tracking system has a dual role as an efficiency enhancer and as a security aid. To the tracking system, the alarm is activated regardless of the cause. It does not know, for example, whether the route deviation was made because of a road closure, or because the vehicle has been stolen. It simply relays the message back to the hub or to the operators' base. For the same reason, strategies are needed to ensure the security aspects work as well as expected should a crisis occur.

Secure your territory

Geofencing has emerged as one of the most popular tools in remote monitoring of assets. The latest software makes geofences, or 'watch boxes' as they are sometimes called, easy both to configure and to alter. You can even set different parameters for different times and day, to prevent false alarms. For example, a trailer being shunted around the yard during the day would not trigger an alert, but the same movement sensor could trigger an alert at the weekend, when the risk is that the trailer is indeed being stolen.

Some logistics companies are geofencing entire routes. If the driver deviates even half a mile from the intended corridor, an alarm is triggered.

Event-triggered alarms have become the preferred method of receiving these warnings. After all, if nothing untoward is happening, you do not need to know about it. There can range to unauthorised or unexpected door openings, or vehicle or trailer movements.

Who's listening?

It's no good tracking assets, of course, unless someone is there to respond to an alarm. Some of the telematics specialists such as Cybit, Isotrak, Masternaut, Podsystem, Qualcomm and Siemens VDO offer a monitoring service via a control centre. With Web-based tracking, by contrast, systems, the manager receives the alert directly.

Whoever the alarm is raised with, the police will require confirmation before committing any resources to recovering the vehicle with guidance from the tracking company. That means contact with an authorised person. Telephone calls are adequate during the day, but increasingly, SMS text messages to mobile phones are being used. Not only does this approach give the monitoring centre an out-of-hours contact, it also cuts down the time need to trace the contact in, say, a multi-depot fleet.

Tracker has a different arrangement with the UK's 52 police forces. Tracker radio receivers are installed in police cars. When a vehicle is stolen, Tracker activates a radio signal on the vehicle which alerts any police car in the vicinity to the fact that the vehicle has been stolen. Tracker calls it an electronic homing device for the police. The radio signals work even if the vehicle is hidden in a warehouse or a container for shipping abroad.

There are three levels: Retrieve, Monitor, and Horizon. With Retrieve, the vehicle owner contracts Tracker to report a stolen vehicle, and the company then contacts the police. Monitor is the next level up, and includes a motion sensor that automatically sends an alert to Tracker if the vehicle moves unexpectedly. Horizon combines the radio signal technology with GPS tracking. This can speed up vehicle recovery because rather than waiting for the stolen vehicle to cross the path of a police car, Tracker can help to direct police to the vehicle.

Don't panic

Driver identification systems were first developed for high-value performance cars and in response to the growing incidences of thieves stealing the keys in order to drive away the vehicle rather than break into it. That ruse has been copied by thieves targeting truck loads, prompting some tracking companies to develop similar ID systems. Hence drive safety has also become an issue - leading to the installation of driver panic buttons in many cabs, which are linked to the tracking system. Isotrak is among those offering a 'remote panic' feature. The alarm button is attached to the driver's keyfob, so can be activated even when he's not in the cab.

Driver ID is one of the additional features in Echo, the latest in stolen vehicle recovery systems from Tracker. And Trakbak II from Siemens Datatrak, for example, includes a hidden driver-verification switch. This does not stop the thief from driving away, but automatically triggers the tracking system.

'One of the key features of TrakBak is that it can be 'woken up' by the national control centre when a vehicle is taken without permission, even if the driver has the keys and knows how the system works,' explains Trakbak business manager David Child. He says allowing hijackers to take away the vehicle reduces the risk of personal harm to the authorised driver.

Navtrak was one of the first companies to add a driver recognition level to its vehicle security system. With ADR, the driver smartcard identifies him or her as the user.

Another security tip from Navtrak is not to overlook the importance of-board data logging computers when investing in security tracking. These can be invaluable in assisting police recover stolen goods, says Navtrak, because the data log can help police pinpoint addresses - tracing, for example, where stolen goods may have been delivered to.

International tracking

Eurowatch's direct links into continental police forces are its major attraction for international load and vehicle tracking. Language difficulties and obtaining the correct telephone number can delay police reaction, even within a single country, points out Eurowatch, without adding cross-border tracking into the equation. Eurowatch has the contacts thanks it its parent company Tri-Mex, which specialises in anti-hijack services for high-value loads. Stolen vehicle data is sent to Eurowatch, which then relays it directly to the relevant police control room. There is an annual fee per vehicle - currently £350.

Load security

Many logistics companies already use electronic door seals to monitor load security in transit. The latest development is the addition of radio transmitters to the tags to enhance trailer tracking capability. Unisto's Crypta Data Tag II and Secureseal's Secureseal are two examples.

The RF transmitters in the tags download their status every time they pass a radio receiver. Receivers can be installed in gatehouses and at strategic points around the depot. Managers can check the status of the load as it leaves one depot and arrives at another, or at the customers' premises. The data captured includes the trailer identification number, the security seal number, the condition of the seal (either open or closed), along with the date and time the trailer arrived and departed from the depot. Secureseal uses radio frequency transmitters with a range of up to 300 metres and an eight-year battery life.Ê

Vehicle security specialist Maple has teamed up with VSc Solutions to offer its Seal IT load security system into VSc's Dispatch Dynamic software. Seal IT combines electronic remote locking and RFID seal management.

The latest version combines RFID with GRPS communications. Called SecureLocator, it transmits data to a Web site, where it can be viewed by any authorised person. The development of SecureLocator was boosted following a recent order from Christian Salvesen to fit its entire trailer fleet.

'We have a shared pool of 1,500 trailers operating across more than 45 sites, and SecureLocator will tell us where our trailers are,' says Simon Woodward, business support manager at Christian Salvesen. 'The system is exactly what we need, and offers the added benefit of low installation and operating costs, which will ensure a quick payback.'

Where's my trailer

With most fleets operating a ratio of one truck to every two trailers, tracking trailers can be a big headache for many fleets. Not only are valuable assets being under- utilised, but if the loaded trailer is stolen, how do you track it?

Asset-tracking of trailers may have become a reality, but as with any new technology, the debate is still raging over the most cost-effective way to do it. A lot depends on why you want to know the whereabouts of your asset and how often you need to know it. Are you, for example, consignment tracking? Or do you simply want to locate trailers for routine servicing?

These questions are important because they relate to another issue with tracking any unpowered asset: battery life. The more position reports are sent, the shorter the battery life. We reported on trailer tracking systems in the January/February issue of m.logistics, but a couple of new contenders have emerged since then.

Solar-powered battery recharging is often dismissed as unviable in the UK, particularly during dull winter days. BTrack Solutions is aiming to change that perception with its Easitracker solar-powered system. 'It is the modem that consumes the power,' explains sales director Andy Walker. 'That's why we have compromised on three position fixes per hour, which is sufficient for most operations. This eliminates the need to poll the trailer routinely to find its current location. Each poll consumes energy.'

On the other hand, Walker points out, systems which transmit position fixes just two or three times a day are not viable for operational purposes. 'Easitracker can be configured to announce when it is within a 20-mile radius of a depot or customer premises, again reducing the need for polling.' Walker says BTrack has tested the configuration, and even on dull winter days 'there is sufficient battery reserve and recharge capability to enable the unit to operate for three weeks.'

Easitracker data is transmitted to the BTrack Web site via GPRS. The cost is around £500 per trailer, with monthly communications quoted at around £9.

GE VeriWise is the asset monitoring division of GE Capital, which also owns TIP Trailer Services. VeriWise uses the SpaceChecker low-earth orbit satellite network for both positioning and communications. There are three versions: Cooltrack for temperature sensitive loads; Safetrack for security monitoring of consignments in transit; and Maptrack, which simply shows trailer location. All data is sent to the VeriWise Web site with downloadable reports. These can include asset location, tractor/trailer ratios, productivity reports and maintenance scheduling. TIP has four demonstration trailers available on a try-before-you-buy basis. Prices have yet to be announced.