How to prevent trailer and chassis theft and keep them secure

Trailer theft is an ongoing concern and continues to climb. Trailers and chassis are an easy target to take, especially when you are traveling out of state and leaving your trailer in a parking lot overnight. It can take less than 20 seconds to steal a trailer. Trailer and chassis theft is often related to cargo theft, but not exclusively.  Cutting-edge technology can play an important role in preventing trailer and chassis theft.  

Based on a study by Matrack Inc. 82% of trailer thefts occur from trucks, as opposed to cargo stored at a facility or being transported by rail, sea or van. The study also suggests that using GPS tracking devices in the vehicle/trailer and covert GPS tracking devices within the cargo are important protocols that should be followed to help prevent theft. Nonetheless, traditional GPS tracking systems are inadequate because they are reactionary in nature. Since you never know when a threat will occur and traditional GPS systems cannot detect when a theft is in progress, GPS systems alone are not enough. 

That is why FleetUp developed a multi-tiered approach to address this problem. One that is based on early threat detection and the other that is based on having a fast response.

FleetUp’s security solution utilizes FleetUp’s Protection Mode, a smart feature that detects any suspicious movement of your trailers or chassis based on your selected non-working hours. You can set the times and days of the week when you want to detect movement. You can create multiple Protection Mode schedules to cover whatever schedule you want, such as one for weekdays and another for weekends. This provides the early detection mechanism. 

FleetUp Protection Mode can also be used to detect theft based on a geographic area. You can set FleetUp Protection Mode to be triggered off of a set geofence. Geofencing is a feature that allows fleet managers to set up digital geographic boundaries. These boundaries are used to alert managers as soon as a vehicle leaves a specified location.

Once you know a theft is in progress, the next step is to respond as quickly as possible. If FleetUp Protection Mode detects suspicious movement of your trailers or chassis, you will receive an alert with the live tracking of your vehicle. You can share this information with your security team and law enforcement to track and recover your assets. This is the fast response mechanism. With FleetUp’s state-of-the-art GPS tracking, you can continue to monitor the location and movement of your vehicles in real time.

Commercial businesses already face numerous production and financial challenges. Trailer theft is a big problem that has been growing every year. Theft can eat into your profits and productivity, throwing a wrench into your daily operations and tarnishing your reputation.

Thankfully new technology is now available to better protect and and secure your valuable assets and business. By utilizing the latest technology, you can reduce the likelihood of theft and minimize incidents that could cost your business valuable time and resources. If you’re interested in learning more about FleetUp’s solutions, please don’t hesitate to request a demo.