Fuel theft is becoming a worrisome trend – it is very easy to get away with emptying an oil tank on a vehicle that is parked at an unsecured spot. A common sight is where the tank is fully accessible – no sensors, no alarm, no locks anywhere, so it is easy to take advantage of unsuspecting drivers all over Europe. Even lorry drivers themselves are in on it, so they steal from their own companies without any knowledge.
As an answer to this aspiring threat, the market has developed products that are somewhat effective against such thefts. Nets, gauges, alarms, they all improve the likelihood of the company’s fuel expenses not going to waste, but the reality of the fact is that these systems can all be bypassed fairly easily. Nets and alarms can be disabled, gauges can be bypassed with some specific approaches and all of this results in losses of funds.
So, what can be done to further solve the issue?
Fleet management systems are widely used to manage fuel usage and costs. With GPS/GSM connectivity and direct vehicle synchronization, they are an essential tool to manage your fleet, but it is not much of a security tool. Most will accept a simple calibration and can show you the approximate fuel values, but they cannot immediately notify anyone of inconsistencies in fuel levels. At most, your best bet with the systems is to catch the inconsistency as early as possible and notify the driver, which is a hassle that nobody should put up with.
Secured parking is another solution to the problem that is thought to be effective, but it usually ends up doing the actual opposite. While the extra security with cameras and monitoring is useful, the safe parking spot is sometimes prone to human error and poor attentiveness. This lets some perpetrators to take advantage of the situation, getting the most out of clustered vehicles, letting them quickly do their job and store the fuel in their own parked vehicle nearby. It also proves to be ineffective against your drivers stealing fuel, since the blame can be put off onto other circumstances. Also, do not forget about the extra fee that is going to be added for the parking.
Alarms and sensors are possibly the most effective of the bunch, but there are two main issues that can make them ineffective: lack of protection from wire-tampering and lack of fuel level sensor monitoring. Far too often do thieves simply override wires with their own equipment, disabling the alarm and letting them do whatever they would like. Even if that kind of equipment is absent, drilling a hole through the tank is still as good of a way as ever for them.
Our solution
We have developed a secure alarm that can both monitor your current fuel levels and protect your fuel from being stolen, all while being encrypted and secured, making overrides or wire cuts impossible to do. Furthermore, due to constant monitoring of your fuel levels, it will notify the driver and management whenever suspicious fuel loss has been spotted.
Our fuel tank alarm features:
- Up to 4 sensors (fuel level or cap security)
- Encrypted wires with tamper protection
- Impossible to override
- GPS connectivity
- Compatible with most fleet management systems
We are confident in our solutions, which is why we offer 2 years of warranty and full tech support with all of our devices.
Message us now for an incredible, alternative solution to your fuel related security issues.