5 ways GpsGate strengthens fleet security
€17 million in a month. That’s what fleets across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East lost to cargo theft in December 2022 according to Tapa EMEA. Driver and cargo security are top priorities for fleet managers, but how do they cope with the uptick in cargo and vehicle theft? With GpsGate. Fleet teams use SOS alerts, SMS notifications, and route geofences to combat theft, and keep drivers safe. Let’s take a look at more fleet security tools within GpsGate.
Event rules and Dashboard contribute to fleet security and driver safety
It’s not just businesses that are put at risk when fleet security is compromised. While cargo is what thieves are typically after, it’s the drivers that bear the brunt of criminal malpractice. Drivers are typically confronted with force, or the threat of force in these situations, and may even be left stranded or worse.
In GpsGate, configured event rules bolster driver safety. Triggered SOS alerts are configured to send SMS notifications, notifying fleet managers, or even the local authorities. Event rules are then paired with Dashboard Metrics so that fleet managers can see where and when SOS alerts are most frequently triggered to plan routes more effectively.
How GpsGate is used to shore up fleet security
Fleets that don’t take security into account can’t operate effectively. Just ask Skyangel. The Mexico-based security experts use custom points of interest, SMS notifications, and SOS alerts to keep drivers safe and prevent catastrophic cargo losses. Skyangel’s 200 custody agents use GpsGate’s software to meet the security needs of their 850+ corporate clients in consumer cargo, and partner with local authorities in the event of stolen vehicles or triggered SOS events. The outcome? Vehicle recovery rates of more than 95.3%.
“We have found a great ally in GpsGate. With GpsGate, we have an excellent tool that allows us to automate tasks, improving our customer service.”
Juan Manuel Vázquez CIO, Skyangel
Read more about how Skyangel uses GpsGate to provide cargo security monitoring
Geofences and pre-planned routes reduce fleet safety risks
Route planning can be an effective countermeasure against fleet safety risks. In Mexico, 60% of cargo theft occurs within the country's more central territories. Publicly available data can be used by fleet managers to inform a route-planning strategy for vehicles to bypass cargo theft hotspots.
In GpsGate, route geofences ensure drivers stick to pre-planned routes and are configurable so that fleet managers are notified within the application, and on the Fleet app if vehicles veer off course. Furthermore, standard geofences are drawn and configured to alert monitor centers of vehicles entering or exiting predetermined problem areas. Fleet managers use this data to analyze driver behavior with reporting to further optimize their route planning strategy.
Custom points of interest help keep drivers and vehicles secure
According to US-based Northland Insurance, most cargo theft occurs when vehicles are left unattended at service stops, shopping malls, and unsecured parking lots. In GpsGate, application maps are customized to feature important places, known as POIs (points of interest). Fleet managers use POIs to mark specific locations, such as safe fill stations, monitored loading areas, and secure parking lots. When vehicles are nearing a given POI, monitor centers are notified that all is running smoothly.
Custom POIs aren't only used to protect drivers and cargo from criminal malpractice. During the dry season in Aragón, Spain, wildfires pose a serious threat to the region's agriculture industry. Custom POIs are integrated into application maps for operations managers to identify water-filling stations, helicopter landing pads, and aerial surveillance points.
Learn how Aragonesa de Servicios Telemáticos (AST) uses GpsGate to fight wildfires.
GpsGate supports advanced fleet security technologies
While many cargo theft prevention measures exist, some situations call for intervention. The good news is that hardware manufacturers work tirelessly to develop technologies to combat thefts in progress. Dominican Republic-based fleet security experts Informac combine Teltonika’s FMB series with GpsGate software to remotely cut off stolen vehicle ignitions, leading to improved vehicle recovery rates.
Chinese hardware manufacturers Jointech offers their JT701D smart locks, activated via remote control, giving fleet managers the power to secure cargo from miles away. Jointech’s JT701D is integrated with GpsGate and is an invaluable tool for intervening in cargo theft.
GpsGate’s joint camera solution helps with cargo security monitoring
According to FreightWaves, Mexico averaged 58 cargo thefts a day in Q2 of 2023, crippling countless businesses in the process. Amongst the fleets most affected were those carrying food and construction materials. Video telematics is a powerful countermeasure against cargo theft and driver security risks. The presence of fleet cameras alone can deter criminals, but GpsGate’s joint solution with Howen’s Mobile DVR provides live and historical streams that can serve as hard evidence against prospecting thieves.
Video streams within GpsGate are used together with triggered event rules to further pinpoint security breaches, increasing the likelihood of vehicle recovery.
Optimize fleet security with GpsGate
Threats to fleet security will exist as long as we have cargo to move, and fleet managers will continue to tackle these risks head-on. But they’re not alone. GpsGate powers solutions like those offered by Skyangel and Informac to keep fleets operating safely. By using event rules, Dashboard, geofences, and custom POIs, along with the right hardware, fleet managers will keep drivers and cargo safe, and their operations running smoothly.
