What's Happening?

Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

NEED HELP? QUESTIONS@FIA.ORG.ZA

become A FIA member TODAY
member login

Silly season fleet crime: Protect your drivers, cargo and vehicles

ARTICLE BY

  • Tracker

SHARE THIS POST

Tracker’s aggregated vehicle crime data recorded from 2017 reveals an increase in fleet crime annually during the months of October and November. This can be attributed to criminals taking advantage of the additional fleet activity by businesses stocking up on inventory and a larger volume of deliveries in response to shopping events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the festive season frenzy.

More fleet vehicles are hijacked than stolen during this time of year, a rising trend with 2022 reflecting a 64% hijacking versus 36% theft split, up from a 61% to 39% national split in 2020, and a 53% versus 47% split in 2018. Given the time of year, vehicles are targeted for their loads and for cash. Where the hijacked loads have been reported to Tracker, 81% of these were fast moving consumable goods (FMCG) including alcohol, clothing, groceries, couriered parcels through online sales platforms, homeware and medication.

Tracker encourages fleet owners or companies to prepare for this period by operating a well-maintained fleet of vehicles, conducting driver training and employing an effective fleet monitoring solution.

Conduct routine vehicle inspections, repair and maintenance ahead of the peak period to help prevent breakdowns which will make drivers and vehicles more vulnerable to crime. Have policies and procedures in place, for instance, a ban on giving a lift to hitchhikers, how to check on vehicle safety, and what actions to take in the event of a breakdown or accident. Consider training on how to prevent a hijacking.

Use vehicle telematics to track and monitor vehicles for safety purposes. Artificial intelligence-based software enables real-time route management and planning of alternate, safer routes when obstructions, heavy traffic congestion or poor road conditions are flagged. It delivers analytics that provides full visibility at an operational level regarding all aspects of transport management. Through an interactive dashboard, the fleet manager obtains real-time insights, including real-time tracking of vehicles and delivery status, which empowers fleet managers to make immediate decisions.

Further benefits from the increased visibility includes the ability to track trends and patterns from the data, such as increased crime incidents and poorly maintained roads, allowing for the creation of journey plans taking these factors into account and avoiding certain routes or areas.

Technology can also play a crucial role in incident management and post-incident investigations. The latest artificial intelligence-enabled dashcams incorporate software on the device to automatically record video footage before and after an event based on pre-configured capture triggers, and forward real-time alerts to fleet managers with these segments of footage.

These artificial intelligence dashcams also provide immediate improved safety for drivers by monitoring driver attentiveness through facial recognition and alerting the driver in real-time through a speaker, in response to triggers like drowsiness, distraction, safety belt usage and mobile phone usage. In this way possible incidents can be avoided.

Driver and fleet safety is further enhanced by the facial recognition on the edge coupled with a live look-in service. In the event an unknown driver enters the vehicle, the functionality will trigger an alert to notify the control centre of the unauthorised driver. The control centre can then look in on the activity taking place in the cabin and take appropriate action, possibly avoiding the loss of the vehicle and cargo.

“Vehicle telematics has evolved from simple tracking devices to smart devices,” says Duma Ngcobo, Chief Operating Officer at Tracker. “We recommend using the insights provided by vehicle telematics and related software to protect drivers, cargo and vehicles. Have cameras inside and outside the cab that can be monitored 24/7 by the company’s fleet team. Having two-way radios in the cab is also a good option as this will allow the driver to contact and alert the fleet team.”

“In addition to artificial intelligence dashcams, standout safety features for business tracking services include an assist button, the ability for drivers to share their journeys with fleet managers, impact detection and accident assistance, theft retrieval and cargo door sensors. Additional functionality can include armed response on demand. Furthermore, we recommend trailer tracking units that will assist your telematics company to recover the cargo,” concludes Ngcobo.

Subscriber Terms and Conditions

  1. APPLICATION OF TERMS
    • These terms and conditions (“Subscriber Terms”) apply to the subscription by any qualifying member of the South African Underwriting Managers Association NPC (“SAUMA”) to the services and benefits offered by FIA Services (Pty) Ltd (“FIA Services”) under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement (“Subscription”).

  2. NATURE OF SUBSCRIPTION
    • A Subscription under this arrangement:
      • does not constitute membership of FIA NPC;
      • does not confer any voting rights or governance participation in FIA NPC; and
      • is governed solely by the contractual relationship between the Subscriber and FIA Services.

  1. ELIGIBILITY
    • To qualify for the Subscription, the applicant must, at the time of application, be a current paid-up member of SAUMA.
    • FIA Services will verify the applicant’s SAUMA membership status with SAUMA prior to activation, and may re-verify such status periodically.
    • If a Subscriber ceases to be a paid-up member of SAUMA, the Subscription will correspondingly be terminated.
    • Applicants are required to authorise FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA as part of the application process.

  1. SERVICES
    • The Subscription entitles the Subscriber to the following benefits:
      • Complimentary access to the FIA CPD Platform;
      • Complimentary access to the FIA Insight Magazine (digital edition);
      • Advertising opportunities on FIA platforms at a discounted rate of 15% (fifteen percent) off the prevailing published rates; and
      • Invitations to attend FIA Technical Webinars annually.
    • FIA Services reserves the right to update, vary or substitute the Services from time to time, provided that the overall value and nature of the benefits remain materially the same.

  1. FEES AND PAYMENT
    • The monthly subscription fee is R260.00 (two hundred and sixty rand) for up to seven registered individuals (Key Individuals and Representatives), and R36.00 (thirty-six rand) per additional registered individual thereafter, excluding VAT.
    • The Subscriber shall provide FIA Services with the required details of each individual to be registered under the Subscription for the purposes of activation and billing.
    • All fees are exclusive of VAT, which shall be charged at the prevailing statutory rate.
    • Subscription fees are reviewed annually in March and may be adjusted with effect from 1 April.
    • Any changes to the Subscription, including but not limited to the number of Representatives and Key Individuals registered under the Subscription, may only be effected once annually during the annual review period in March of each year, with such changes taking effect from 1 April.
    • Subscription fees shall be billed monthly in arrears, unless the Subscriber elects an annual billing cycle at the time of application.
    • The Subscriber shall ensure that all billing information (including contact details, authorised signatories and bank account details) is kept accurate and up to date.
    • Non-payment of subscription fees may result in suspension of access to the Services until such fees are brought up to date.
    • The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that all subscription fees payable under these Subscriber Terms may be collected by way of debit order, which shall be processed by the holding company, FIA NPC (The Financial Intermediary Association of South Africa), on behalf of FIA Services. Payment to FIA NPC shall be deemed to constitute valid and sufficient discharge of the Subscriber’s payment obligations to FIA Services under these Subscriber Terms.

  1. ONBOARDING
    • Onboarding will be conducted as a Subscription with FIA Services under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement.
    • Onboarding will not confer FIA NPC membership status or any associated rights.
    • Onboarding is conditional on confirmation of the Subscriber’s current SAUMA membership at the time of application

  1. DATA PROTECTION
    • FIA Services will process all personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) as set out in our POPIA policies.
    • By subscribing, the Subscriber authorises FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA and to process personal information for the purposes of fulfilling the Subscription.

  1. TERMINATION
    • The Subscriber may terminate the Subscription by giving FIA Services one calendar month’s written notice.
    • FIA Services may terminate the Subscription on one calendar month’s written notice, or immediately if the Subscriber breaches these Subscriber Terms and fails to remedy such breach within 14 (fourteen) days of receiving written notice.
    • Termination of the SAUMA–FIA Services affiliation agreement shall not automatically terminate these Subscriber Terms.
    • Termination by the Subscriber shall not relieve the Subscriber of liability for any subscription fees accrued up to the effective date of termination.
    • FIA Services may suspend or terminate the Subscription with immediate effect in the event of non-payment of fees by the Subscriber.

  1. GENERAL
    • These Subscriber Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
    • Any disputes arising under these Subscriber Terms shall be dealt with in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions contained in the FIA NPC membership terms and conditions, as modified to reflect that the contractual relationship is with FIA Services.
    • Any notices required under these Subscriber Terms may be validly delivered by email to the addresses provided in the Subscriber’s application form, and such notices shall be deemed received on the day of transmission if sent during business hours.
    • The Subscriber may not assign, cede or transfer any of its rights or obligations under these Subscriber Terms without the prior written consent of FIA Services.
    • No variation of these Subscriber Terms shall be of any force or effect unless reduced to writing and signed by both FIA Services and the Subscriber.