Use GPS vehicle trackers to stop theft and keep an eye on driver behaviour

No fleet company will ever want to hear about vehicle theft or fleet productivity loss. However, the growing number of stolen vehicles happening because of the economic crisis can be quite alarming to see. To avoid vehicle loss, what fleet companies can do is to install GPS vehicle trackers on their fleet. This will keep you informed of any unusual driving behaviour and help you to prevent theft, recover stolen vehicles, and keep your fleet safe.

About GPS vehicle trackers

GPS trackers are placed in vehicles to monitor their current locations and past movements. Businesses often use them to improve fleet visibility and to speed up stolen vehicle investigation processes. Overall, GPS trackers can help to simplify fleet management and increase fleet effectiveness.

How to prevent vehicle theft with GPS vehicle tracking devices

Most people assume that the best way to prevent auto theft is to use a car alarm when in fact, disarming the alarm might just take a skilled car thief 30 to 40 seconds. The safest option instead is to use a GPS tracking device.

While a thief may know how to silence the alarm, he or she may not know if there is a GPS tracker installed in the vehicle because GPS trackers are hidden from view. Furthermore, since GPS trackers can detect a vehicle’s location in real-time, there is a much higher chance that it will be found if it is stolen.

The location data for your vehicle is updated every few seconds by the GPS tracking device, which gathers signals from GPS satellites. You can only imagine how much faster stolen vehicle investigations will be with such quick location tracking.

Geofencing with GPS fleet trackers

Another way to prevent vehicle theft is geofencing. Geofences are boundaries which you can set up with GPS tracking software. Your fleet managers will get an alert when a vehicle crosses this virtual boundary. This allows them to know immediately if a vehicle has left an area without permission.

Geofencing is ideal for monitoring fleet whereabouts at work sites and are also beneficial for theft warnings. By tracking geofence entrances and exits, fleet managers can ensure that their drivers are sticking to the work schedule.

What you can know from your vehicle’s GPS tracking device

1. Ignition On/Off Alert: Whenever a vehicle’s ignition is switched on or off, an alert will be triggered. You’ll get a notification the moment your driver has started the vehicle.

2. Real-Time Speed & Whereabouts: When a GPS tracker is linked to a GPS tracking system, current vehicle data, such as speed and location can be seen on a map interface. With this, you’ll be able to check any vehicle location, the direction it is headed in, and also driver behaviour in real-time.

3. Speeding Alert: With a GPS vehicle monitoring system, you can establish a speed threshold and create an alert to notify you when drivers are not driving according to schedule or who are acting suspiciously behind the wheel.

4. Geofence Alert: Geofences are areas on the map which you can set up to let you track vehicle entries and exits. Using geofencing, you can keep an eye on a driver’s activities at work sites, or at common pick-up or drop-off locations.

5. Driver ID Management & Engine Access Prevention: Some GPS trackers have anti-theft features like driver ID identification and automated engine off switches to prevent vehicle theft attempts.

6. Anti-tampering SMS Alert: Other devices often connected with GPS trackers include devices that will alert you if someone tampers with your car. These aid in preventing automobile theft and even for your commodities or gasoline.

Final thoughts

Though vehicle theft can seem like a rare occurence, it happens more often than you would realise. Also, no fleet business or person will want to be the victim of car theft and deal with the difficulty and costs of attempting to retrieve the vehicle. Why then, should you risk vehicle theft if it can be stopped?

Although vehicle theft is increasing, it may be reduced by installing a GPS vehicle monitoring system. Because the security of your fleet at stake, it’s also recommended to not go too below your budget at the risk of poor tracking reliability, so as to avoid problems down the road like incorrect GPS tracking and recurring GPS failures.

At V3 Smart Technologies, our team has expertise in creating GPS tracking solutions with GPS trackers suitable for various fleet requirements. Please get in touch with us if you’re interested in using GPS fleet tracking solutions to monitor your drivers and stop the theft of valuable assets.