Vehiclepath

Our friends over at FleetOwner.com recently published a very compelling article about how GPS fleet tracking can assist in recovering stolen cargo and mobile assets such as semi cabs and trailers. The writers rode along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s theft investigative unit, the Cargo Criminal Apprehension Team or Cargo CATs.

The article is a must-read for any fleet operator concerned about the theft of mobile assets such as vehicles, containers and their cargoes. It points out that according to the FBI, cargo theft is estimated to costs the U.S. economy $15 billion to $30 billion a year. The exact numbers may be even higher because some businesses are reluctant to report thefts out of concern for their reputations or higher insurance premiums.

The Cargo CATs caught a break on a stakeout thanks to a GPS fleet tracking unit hidden inside a trailer the suspects tried to use to cart off millions of dollars’ worth of stolen electronics goods.

A recent study in Canada that found mobile-asset theft is a growing problem – but one that equipment owners can easily fight off with defenses such as GPS fleet tracking.

Some highlights of the study by Rogers Research Group:

• 46% of those surveyed reported at least one mobile-asset theft from their job site
• 31% reported more than one theft
• 63% reported their stolen asset wasn’t recovered
• 8% reported damage to recovered assets
• 43% of those damages cost a minimum of $5,000 to repair

Figures like that show that mobile-asset theft can be a major expense for companies, especially when figuring in variables such as lost income caused by downtime, reduced employee productivity, higher insurance premiums and additional security requirements. Fences and alarms won’t stop the most determined thieves. The survey reported only 6% of respondents had installed GPS fleet tracking or other recovery methods on their mobile assets.

Fortunately, affordable and easily installed solutions are available to help you keep track of your mobile assets. For example, the new AT282-LP from Vehiclepath. It’s designed for fast, easy installation on mobile assets that are likely to remain in the same location for days, weeks or months at a time. Thanks to the accuracy of GPS asset tracking, the AT282-LP gives you the ability to know the location of each mobile asset and be alerted by text message or email if it moves unexpectedly.

Plus, you’ll see the exact location of your mobile assets in real time in Google Maps on any Internet-connected PC. And, unlike some other “solutions,” it will alert you by text message or email if an asset is moved outside a half-mile radius, so you can track it quickly. Then you can work with law enforcement in your jurisdiction to start the recovery process.

The affordable, waterproof AT282-LP is a low-power device designed to greatly reduce the draw on an asset’s electrical system. It includes a backup battery and alerts you if it becomes disconnected.

Here are some more specifications on the AT282-LP, which replaces the previously launched AT262 and AT272-LP:

• Internal battery provides disconnect alerts
• Goes into deep-sleep mode (less than 1mA at 12v) and will only wake up with motion or from ignition input
• Automatic locate after 24 hours in sleep mode
• Continuous tracking at half-hour intervals if 1-mile geofence is breached
• Internal antennas (GPS/cellular)
• 20 on-demand locates per month
• 24v-compatible
• Ignition input, no outputs

To learn more about Vehiclepath GPS asset or fleet tracking and try an interactive demo, visit www.vehiclepath.com.

Tags: GPS fleet tracking, GPS vehicle tracking

Filed under: Fleet Management, GPS fleet tracking, gps asset tracking by admin