Watching over you

Tracking systems can prove invaluable in protecting assets from thieves and recovering those that do get stolen - and often it can be done with systems originally adopted for operational reasons. Sharon Clancy reports

According to the Road Haulage Association, security is an escalating cost for transport operators, and now accounts for annual losses of more than £1 billion. Despite that, says the operators' organisation, too few resources are directed at this specialised area of criminal activity by the Home Office - or, consequently, by the police.

One way operators can protect their own assets, or course, is by live tracking of vehicles and trailers. Although vehicle tracking has been promoted in the past few years primarily for its operational and cost benefits, theoretically any vehicle tracking system can also operate as a security aid.

And there is ample evidence that tracking vehicles can deter thieves. Indeed, according to Andy Kirk, sales director of Quartix, thieves now have a tactic to determine if a vehicle is tracked. 'They steal the vehicle, leave it parked somewhere unobtrusively for a couple of days - at a busy distribution park, for instance. If it is not recovered in that time, the thieves can reasonably gamble that its location is not known, and only then will they unload the vehicle.'

The implication is that even if your vehicle is stolen, if it's tracked, the thieves might leave it somewhere where you can recover it before the goods (and possibly the vehicle itself) actually disappear.

Secure your territory

The majority of tracking systems allow you to set geofences, or 'watch boxes', around depots and regularly visited sites to monitor vehicles arriving and leaving. As well as improving the efficiency of the operation, geofences can be used to enhance security of drivers, vehicles and site. The latest systems allow to you to configure and reconfigure a geofence whenever you like via over the same secure Internet site that you use to track the vehicles.

These time-based geofences allow you to set different parameters for different days and times. It doesn't matter geographically where the vehicle is - in the yard, at a customer premises or in a lay-by. The timing can be adjusted as frequently as required via the tracking company's Web site, and for specific situations and can include unplanned periods when the vehicle is either stationary or moving.

Vehicle movement alarms are actuated by a motion sensor, which triggers the 'black box' at the heart of all these systems to send an alert. Something obvious to monitor would be movements at the weekend, but day-time locations of risk include motorway service areas during drivers' rest periods, and queues at distribution centres where vehicles are unloading.

Some users are now geofencing entire routes. If the driver deviates even half a mile from the planned route, an alarm is triggered. This extra-secure consignment tracking is useful for valuable loads because it limits the time thieves have to tranship the goods. By adding sensors to load-compartment doors, managers can also set their system to send an alert of any unplanned door-openings.

'Operator security needs may vary from customer to customer, and even from load to load,' points out Steve Blackburn, business development manager at Navman Wireless. 'So it is important that you should be able to reconfigure the telematics black box remotely over the air.' To simplify the configuration procedure, Navman has introduced a 'stolen vehicle alert template' in its latest AVL2 telematics black box.

Blackburn reckons the introduction of 3D mapping will help improve security by making locations more visible. 'On a standard digital map, you can plot the vehicle's location, but you can't see precisely where the vehicle is because it is a 2D graphic image. With 3D maps you can pinpoint the location, and see for instance that the vehicle is in a lay-by, or determine whether it's at the front, rear or side of a distribution centre.'

Not all telematics black boxes can be reconfigured remotely, however, so do check. Some suppliers offer this capability of part of their all-inclusive per-vehicle tracking package, while others may either charge to set them up on your behalf or increase the cost depending on the number you want.

Listening in

'Operators must make sure they have the correct response procedures in place, especially for out-of-hours alarms,' says Andrew Pearce, managing director of Wire 3. 'There's no point sending an alarm to an unmanned transport office.' With Web-based tracking, the operator designates how managers receive the alerts - directly, via an SMS text or in an email to a mobile device.

Regardless of who receives the alert, the police will usually require confirmation before committing any resources to recovering the vehicle. Once a theft is confirmed, the tracking company can guide the police to the vehicle's location.

Some of the telematics specialists including CMS, Cybit, Isotrak, Masternaut and Wire 3 offer a monitoring service via a control centre. 'It costs around £10 a month to have a control centre monitoring out-of-hours alarms,' says Pearce, 'but the alarm control rooms understand the police protocols and, just as important, many are recognised by the police, so response times can be faster.'

The police will also respond faster if the vehicle is fitted with a Thatcham Category 5 telematics unit (Thatcham is the industry's testing body). 'There has been a 100 per cent recovery rate amongst vehicles fitted with Thatcham Category 5 tracking systems, and all but one vehicle was recovered within two hours,' says Mike Briggs, vehicle security manager at Thatcham.

Masternaut's Category 5 system comprises a covert telematics unit with an automated arm and disarm system. Only with a Category 5 system can a vehicle be legally immobilised by remotely disabling the starter motor, points out managing director Martin Port.

Although some insurance companies may insist on a Category 5 system for certain high-value loads, only a handful of Category 5-approved systems are actually available. You might ask why; well, it's because of the cost and technical difficulty of achieving this level of approval on all classes of commercial vehicle.

Anyway, suppliers say that operators can get a high-level response without Category 5 systems. 'Many operators don't want an automatic police response, but would prefer that an unusual vehicle movement is verified as theft before the police are brought in,' says Wire3's Andrew Pearce. 'Sometimes there may turn out to be a legitimate reason why a vehicle is being moved at an unusual time.'

Portable trackers

The latest self-contained tracking units offer lots of opportunities to track goods, vehicles or plant covertly. Quartix's Kirk believes the latest generation of self-contained telematics units offer greater potential to cut theft of plant, trailers and even loads. 'The latest units are the size of a business card and are easy to hide. There's no external antenna, which means there's no connecting wire to help thieves locate the black box and disable it.'

Andy Walker, sales director at Btrack, adds: 'Our customers tell us that hijackings often involve the diversion of the trailer to a location which is hidden from view to carry out the removal of the goods. Easitracker Mobile is designed to warn the operator before the criminals have the opportunity to tranship the goods. The device can be hidden well inside the trailer, so it would be very difficult for the thieves to find it quickly.'

The unit can be configured to work for up to two weeks on a single charge, delivering GPS updates at three-minute intervals. The device can be placed in dense loads such as consignments of mobile phones, postbags and tote boxes.

CMS Technologies is another company offering a discreet tracking unit, the SupaTrak Solo. The GPS and GSM antennas are housed in a compact weatherproof case, which is attached to any steel surface via built-in magnets. The unit has a tamper switch which immediately sends out notification if it is removed.

'This is an ideal solution for businesses that need temporary tracking without the cost and commitment of a full system,' says managing director Jason Airey. 'It can be used to enhance security on hired vehicles and trailers, and to monitor loads carried by subcontractors.'

A new security tracking product has just emerged from traffic data company Trafficmaster, which is launching it in the UK after proving it in America. Van manufacturer Citroen is the first vehicle manufacturer to offer the it in the UK, making it available as an optional extension to the Smartnav navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking services that are already available as standard on all new Citroen Relay and Dispatch vans.

Improved trailer utilisation is one the key benefits for operators using Axscend's trailer tracking system, but the system has also been proven to aid stolen trailer recovery. Operator Online-MBT has been able to recover a stolen trailer after identifying its location on the Axscend Web site. The stolen trailer was tracked down to an industrial estate in Nottingham, where police also found a further 15 trailers that had been reported stolen.

Online-MBT currently has 90 Axscend devices installed. Paul Woodward from Online-MBT comments: 'While the Axscend system is not installed primarily as a security device, being in control of the trailer fleet and its whereabouts meant that this trailer recovery story had a happy ending.' Woodward says that operational data such as 'number of days stationary' gives his business the information it needs to get the most from its trailer fleet.

Covert tracking is becoming more popular with rental companies, regardless of whether it is a requirement for the renter. Tracking helps them keep in touch with the whereabouts of their assets - especially useful when the operation is pan-European, as is the case with GE Equipment Services division TIP Trailer Services.

GE's VeriWise trailer tracing solution is fitted to a high percentage of the trailer fleet. Temperature-controlled transport specialist Nor-Cargo uses VeriWise specifically for its refrigerated trailers. When a Nor-Cargo trailer fully loaded with fresh salmon was stolen, not only was the trailer recovered within the hour; so was an MAN truck stolen by the same thieves. The Nor-Cargo staff alerted the authorities and the vehicle was found 30 miles away.

Cross-border tracking

TIP is one of the companies that have signed up to offer the Eurowatch cross-border tracking service. 'Security is a pressing issue for shippers and freight forwarders,' says Willem Duijf, head of strategic marketing for GE's asset intelligence business. 'With the addition of Eurowatch coverage to VeriWise, GE Equipment Services closes the loop by providing an all-in-one, pan-European solution.'

According to Eurowatch, there are around 200,000 crimes against commercial vehicles in Europe a year. Eurowatch subscribers get 24-hour access to police in 30 European countries via a single telephone number. Users speak to an operator in their own language and Eurowatch then liases with the local police in the appropriate language. The operation works through a network of national service providers that have accreditation to police in each country.

PANEL

ABB protects service fleet with Masternaut

Power and automation technology company ABB Utilities is equipping its 250-strong service vehicle fleet with Masternaut's Web-based satellite tracking system to protect vehicles that are vulnerable to theft and improve utilisation. ABB maintains industrial equipment and assets for councils and utilities, including street lighting in Staffordshire.

The vehicles, supplied by contract hire company Artegy, are highly specialised and required custom fitting. 'The big issue with theft is that a valuable vehicle suddenly becomes unavailable,' says Andy Wainwright of Artegy. 'With the specialist equipment needed for work such as street lighting, suitable vehicles are rare, and lead times on replacements can run to months. Preventing theft is therefore key to optimising utilisation.'

Ralph Izzard, transport manager, ABB Utilities, has a similar story to tell. 'We have had problems with theft, and protecting our vehicles has become a big issue. Any loss is not only very inconvenient and costly, but it can also threaten service delivery and that is something we cannot afford.

'Masternaut is part of a series of security measures aimed to protect these assets, and of course the tracking and activity reports have real potential for improving service operations.'