The AnyTrack Blog

Should You Tell Your Employees You’ve Installed GPS Tracking?

So, maybe you're a builder, a construction company, or equipment rental company and you've decided to install GPS tracking devices in newly installed appliances, lumber pallets or heavy equipment. Should you tell your employees?

It depends.

If you've been hit by a string of thefts, unfortunately, there's the possibility that an employee may be the perpetrator. Since covert GPS tracking can help you identify the thief, saying nothing may be best. On the other hand, GPS tracking can be used as a preventive measure. Just by informing employees it's been installed might persuade the bad apples to move on to an easier target.

But if GPS tracking is being installed to help manage productivity, the fair thing is to tell employees in advance how, why and on what they are being measured. After all, the point is to improve effectiveness, not to play 'gotcha.' You're much more likely to get the results you want if you're straightforward with them.

In any case, keep system passwords, installation locations and user guides confidential so that information about your security measures isn't innocently or deliberately passed along to potential thieves.

Guide to Prevent Vehicle and Cargo Theft

According to some reports, over $30 billion of in-transit cargo was reported stolen last year in the U.S. Cargo theft has become one of the biggest challenges affecting businesses today that results in potential disruption of the supply chain.

The use of advanced technologies, such as GPS tracking, has increasingly become a popular tool to monitor vehicles. A real time GPS tracking technology (GPS 130) significantly improves the vehicle recovery process and may deter less sophisticated criminals. But, technology alone can't give you 100% protection against cargo theft. A well planned and effective security program puts together technology, such as GPS Tracking system, with fundamental security practices. Followings are few steps that can help you to ensure safety for your vehicles or cargo:

Stay Alert

Always stay alert of possible surveillance being conducted by vehicle thieves on your facility's operation. Signs of suspicious surveillance include:

• Unauthorized vehicles parked outside your facility gates and entrances.
• Persons operating still or video cameras.
• Unknown personnel inside the facility.
• Suspicious vehicles with two or more person inside, that appear to be following drivers. Cargo thieves mainly use minivans or SUVs and they can follow their target for hundreds of miles waiting for an opportunity to hijack the vehicle and cargo.

React Sharply

Be pro-active in reporting all suspicious movements or theft to concerned authority and law enforcement agencies. (You can use AnyTrack real time GPS system to track exact location of your vehicle)

• Quick reporting of theft to law enforcement is critical as criminals can move stolen vehicle and goods very fast.
• Take serious note of frequent "false alarms," that include attempted entries or break-ins into the installation. Chances are that criminals are testing the security system.

Information Management

Don't disclose information on your vehicle and cargo movements to anyone except those directly involved.

• Share information only with people who really need to know.
• Strange changes in inventory levels may help to alert when something is wrong.

Train Your Drivers

In many cases, it has been seen that cargo theft is perpetrated with inside help. So, pre-employment background check is very important to make your work place more secure. Security training of your drivers should include:

• Communicating security awareness information and location-specific security rules.
• Security training on their role in the security system, reporting security incidents and identifying internal conspiracies and suspicious movements.
• Taking part in the Highway Watch program to train drivers for suspicious and possibly terrorism-related activities.

GPS Tracking Devices: AnyTrack Welcomes the New GPS-130

We’re pleased as punch to add the GPS-130 to our product offerings.

The AnyTrack GPS-130 combines the cellular enhanced GPS-100 with a high capacity rechargeable battery pack in a magnetic, impact resistant case to provide you with tracking capability up to three months without the need to recharge. This provides customers with a long-term solution for point-to-point tracking of freight trailers, cargo, and pallets, as well as fleet tracking and security applications.  See more about the GPS-130 here.

Equipment Theft Prevention: Protect Your Heavy Equipment with these Tips from the National Insurance Crime Bureau

The National Crime Insurance Bureau (NCIB) warns that heavy equipment theft in North America is a growing problem. They provide these tips on their website to help you protect your investment:

• Render equipment immobile or difficult to move after hours or on weekends by:
  • not leaving equipment, such as backhoes, on trailers when unattended clustering equipment in a "wagon circle" with more easily transported equipment, such as compressors, in the middle, surrounded by larger pieces of equipment.
• Maintain a log listing all equipment serial or product identification numbers in a central location. If possible, include photos and other identifying information.
• Use hydro locks to fix articulated equipment in a curved position, preventing them from traveling in a straight line.
• Use sleeve locks to fix backhoe pads in an extended position, keeping wheels off the ground.
• Install a system that disables the equipment's electrical or ignition system if universal keys are used.
• Install a tracking transmitter system in each unit designed for construction and heavy-duty equipment.

Via National Crime Insurance Bureau