In 2024 alone, the South African Police Service reported around 40,000 vehicles stolen. Meanwhile, in Mexico, the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions shared that in one year, the vehicle recovery rate was at a mere 41.4%.
A few years ago, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics reported that the cost of unrecovered stolen vehicles amounted to 1.8 billion Nigerian Naira in losses to owners.
If you are a fleet manager or a fleet service provider, you already know how real the risks of theft and hijacking are. There are, of course, severe financial losses when a vehicle disappears, but the safety of drivers should also be considered.
We collaborated with NatureLink to share how technology and smarter fleet management can help you and your clients protect against theft and recover vehicles efficiently.
About the panelists
Irvin Mdluli
Irvin Mdluli is the Product Specialist at 3Dtracking and a Telematics Software Product Specialist with nearly a decade of experience. He brings a unique blend of technical expertise and product insight to the world of telematics and IOT.
Mine Chen
Mine Chen is the Business Director at NatureLink. NatureLink is a global leading IoT hardware manufacturer and Telematics solutions provider, founded by a group of entrepreneurs who have more than 10 years of experience in the Vehicle Telematics Industry. NatureLink has developed market-oriented products, including a 4G GNSS tracker, Mobile DVR, AI Dashcam, and Device Configuration Software.
Watch: how to prevent vehicle theft and fast-track recovery
Frequently asked questions
- What would the system do if a vehicle were towed away by a criminal?
The device will be able to send a towing alert via the 3Dtracking platform to the relevant person.
- How can the NatureLink device send a jamming alert to the server when jammed?
The device has internal memory. When the signal recovers, it will send the jamming alert later.
- Will it send an SMS even if the vehicle is jammed via GMS?
The device has internal memory. When the signal recovers, it will send the jamming alert later via SMS.
- What constitutes jamming detection?
The criminal will use a professional signal jammer and which can generate jamming to interfere with the device.
- Does the device check for connectivity, and if it stops connecting for a while, does it recognize this as jamming? What happens in areas with poor reception?
If a jamming device is used, the alert won’t trigger. However, as a safety measure, our platform includes a Data Interval Alert. You can configure it to trigger when a device hasn’t communicated with the platform for a set period.
For example, you could set it to one hour. If the device doesn’t communicate within that time, you’ll receive an alert. This helps detect if a device has gone offline for too long. It works well in combination with the jamming alert.
- What about if a truck driver is in on the hijacking, providing information to the hijackers on the device in the vehicle?
That’s a valid concern. Specialist installations tend to be very discreet - drivers and operators don’t know where the devices are installed. This is standard practice across most tracking systems.
Additionally, the Bluetooth relay adds another layer of complexity. Even if someone finds the device, they likely won’t know where the Bluetooth relay is. If the device is removed, the relay can still activate immobilization.
We’ve also tested remote switch-off functionality through the 3Dtracking platform. It works very effectively.
- If a fleet operates across borders, will theft alerts still work in other countries or areas with poor connectivity?
3Dtracking recently launched a Cross-Border Alert (or Border Crossing Alert). This allows you to define boundaries, both country and provincial, and receive an alert the moment a vehicle crosses them. For alerts to trigger, the device must have connectivity. So, if your vehicle is crossing borders, ensure your carrier supports roaming. Many devices also support satellite connectivity, but the easiest solution is to use a carrier with roaming enabled.
All of our alerts, including the border crossing alert, can be triggered across borders in different countries.
- Upon detection of a jamming attempt, is the immobilization feature automatically activated?
When jamming is detected, the buzzer is triggered first. If the driver doesn’t press the Acknowledge button, immobilization is automatically activated via the Bluetooth relay. The buzzer comes first, and without confirmation, immobilization follows.
- In areas where the network connection is unstable, can the device save events and give a report later?
Yes. The device has internal memory and will store buffered data. Once network connectivity is restored, it sends all stored events to the server.
On the 3Dtracking platform, all buffered events that occur while a vehicle is offline are uploaded as soon as connectivity resumes. You can then see every event and trip point exactly as they happened.
Book a free demo with 3Dtracking
To experience how the 3Dtracking platform strengthens vehicle theft prevention and recovery, contact us for a demo.
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