Fleet vehicle theft is a huge problem in the United States. According to the FBI, $7.4 billion was lost to motor vehicle theft in 2020. To stop this, there isn’t a lot you can do without actionable information. The first 24 hours are the most crucial. If you can’t act within that window, you’re most likely not going to get your vehicle back.
There is an easy fix for the actionable info part. You will need to install a GPS tracking device on your vehicle. This way, you can track it at any point in time. With it, you can get actionable information to apprehend the suspects and recover your vehicle as soon as possible.
Here is how you can stop fleet vehicle theft with GPS tracking
How GPS Tracking Can Minimize Fleet Vehicle Theft
Geo-Fencing Technology
Geofencing technology basically sets up a virtual perimeter for every single vehicle in your fleet. Crossing this virtual fence basically sends an alert to you. This can alert you to vehicle theft, abuse, or misuse.
You can set up separate geofencing zones for different vehicles in your fleet. This way, you can bind them to certain areas and monitor them very closely. You can be notified as soon as anything suspicious occurs. You can stop theft during its progress or at least notify the police immediately.
You can temporarily set geofences using a mobile app or do it with your GPS tracker itself. By personalizing geofencing for your vehicles, you can create operational parameters for different deliveries.
Vehicle Alerts
Vehicle alerts are not just restricted to preventing theft for fleet vehicles. In fact, modern GPS tracking is so exact, it can identify speeding, sudden breaking, or idling for too long. This may seem like overkill, but these alerts can help you identify vehicles which are acting very, very strangely.
Unauthorized Use Alerts
You can get an alert when your vehicle is moving if its driver is off shift. This may notify you to misuse, abuse or theft of that vehicle. You can call the driver to confirm this misuse or set up an automatic call to the authorities to prevent this theft.
Disconnected Tracker Alerts
You can also receive alerts if the GPS tracker is disabled for any reason. This can be due to low battery, physical destruction, or loss of signals. You can then call the truck driver to confirm, or call the authorities to report the problem.
Speeding Alerts
Modern GPS tracking can minimize fleet vehicle theft by also monitoring speeding. If your GPS notices high speeding which is atypical of your driver, it will also alert you. This anomaly detection is analogous to detecting suspicious activity on a banking portal or identifying financial fraud.
Idle Time Alerts
Idle time alerts notify you when a vehicle has idled more than a specified time. This comes under improving safety for your vehicles and your drivers. Your driver may have been pulled over or held at gunpoint or been idling for any other reason. You can also save on fuel with this alert. The alert gets the driver to shut the vehicle off as soon as the threshold of the allowed time has been crossed.
Landmark Alerts
When your vehicles enter or exit a particular landmark or point of interest, you will be notified. This is an important alert for last mile tracking especially. You can use it to improve customer service by identifying your customers more regularly where their package is.
Odd-Hours Alerts
Odd hours alerts are for when your vehicles are moving at odd hours. This can prevent a lot of thefts. Fleet managers and even drivers can act on this information and potentially prevent vehicle theft or damage.
Insights From GPS Data Collection
You can gather a lot of insights from the valuable stats that your GPS tracker collects. In the event of theft, you can dive into this data to analyze what happened. You can also identify the routes where the theft happened. You can then take preventive steps to stop any recurring incidents.
This is not just for thefts, but for accidents and injuries as well. This will create a safer environment for your truck drivers as well.
Get Your Vehicle Back Quickly
You can retrieve your vehicle much quicker if you have a GPS device. If your GPS tracker is deactivated, you can at least share with the police where your vehicle went missing. This is an incredibly important and useful piece of tech which can recover your vehicle quickly. It’s miles better than having ambiguous information.
Best Practices for to Stop Fleet Vehicle Theft with GPS Tracking
Even with GPS trackers, you need to adopt some best practices to stop fleet vehicle theft with GPS tracking.
Regularly Charge GPS Trackers
You should have your GPS trackers charged and ready for operation regularly. You should know how often they run out of juice, and even notify drivers of this problem. You should have calendars marked or reminders set up for recharging your GPS trackers.
This isn’t something that should be left to chance. Your drivers may be out on the road for many days. If GPS devices run out of juice, this will defeat their purpose.
Regularly Call in Your Vehicles for Maintenance
You should use GPS tracking to monitor how much distance your vehicles travel. This way, you can decide when they need to come in for diagnostic tests and check ups. In essence, this will prevent any premature breakdowns or problems with your vehicles. It may even increase their total lifespan.
Use Relevant Metrics to Monitor Improper Use
Building on the insights from data points made earlier, you should use relevant metrics to monitor improper use. Some important metrics include cost per mile and total cost trend. If these vary too much from the norm, you can identify which vehicles are being misused or abused. You should also take a look at cost summary to reduce the costs that a vehicle incurs over the year.
Set Relevant Alerts to Prevent Vehicle Abuse/Theft
For certain alerts, you should set triggers so that a call automatically goes out to 911. Along with the GPS location, this alert can notify the police and help them act immediately to recover stolen vehicles. This way, you can save a lot of time and money and worry.
All these things will obviously put your mind to rest, but also keep annual financial losses low. This way, GPS tracking won’t only minimize vehicle theft, but safety for your employees all around. This is what a GPS tracker is capable of doing for your business.
The TKSTAR GPS Tracker Will Stop Vehicle Theft For Your Business
The TKSTAR GPS tracker is one of the best investments you can make for your fleet. It’s a theft tracking device which can work for any vehicle, whether it’s a truck or a van or a car. It uses 4G to track your vehicle wherever it may go and responds fast.
There are no monthly fees, and no hidden charges. The device has GPS accuracy to about 16 ft and you can easily attach the device to any iron surface. The battery lasts for up to 7-10 days. It can rest for up to 90 days on standby.
The device is pretty light, up to 10.5 pounds, and it’s also waterproof. This means that it can work in the wettest of conditions and won’t be harmed by dirt or water damage. You also don’t need to install it and it can send you automatic GPS coordinates via SMS if needed.
So, try the TKSTAR GPS tracking device today, and gain peace of mind for your business vehicles.
