Stolen truck tracking and location monitoring system launched

Cobra and Mercedes-Benz Trucks are delighted to announce the launch of ‘Mercedes-Benz Tracking System’ the first pan-European stolen vehicle tracking and location monitoring system for HGVs at the Commercial Vehicle Show.

The covertly fitted device uses GPS/GPRS/GSM technology to provide web-based on-demand pinpoint location and stolen vehicle tracking for Actros, Axor and Atego trucks. It is the only system tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz Trucks and backed-up by a one-year manufacturer warranty.

Able to accurately track a vehicle to within 10 metres of its location, the round-the-clock service is fully approved by European insurance accreditation bodies, including Thatcham in the UK, SCM in the Netherlands, INCERT in Belgium, Pimot in Poland, and SSF/TFFN in Sweden, and could even cut insurance premiums.

With HGVs stolen as much for their valuable loads as the truck itself, this GPS tracking and monitoring service can help operators to keep an eye on where their vehicles are, at any given time.

Once an alert is received, or if the owner reports the vehicle stolen, live stolen vehicle tracking commences automatically – maintaining constant contact with local police and vehicle owners are alerted by SMS, email and/or telephone in the event that the vehicle is tampered with.

A Tow-away Alert is triggered if motion is detected with the ignition switched off, while a Tamper Alert notifies the owner when the battery system is disconnected or the wiring is cut. Attempts to jam the GSM signal will also generate an alert to Cobra.

Meanwhile, a network of Secure Operating Centres (SOCs) across 36 European countries will monitor the vehicle’s movements, liaise with police authorities across all borders to recover the vehicle in the event that it is stolen.

However, it’s not just stolen vehicles that the system can track – location monitoring ensures that owners can see exactly where the vehicle is located at any time. The Geofence feature also enables operators to set a ‘zone’ for the vehicle, automatically triggering an alert if the vehicle is moved in or out of the specified area – useful if, for example, a thief managed to get hold of the keys to the vehicle from the depot and attempted to drive away.

Andrew Smith, Managing Director of Cobra UK, said: “With an estimated 2,300 HGVs stolen every year in the UK alone, only half of which are ever recovered, truck theft is a serious problem that can have catastrophic consequences for operators.

“Aside from the obvious financial implications of losing a vehicle, truck theft can damage confidence in an operator’s ability to deliver loads securely and on time, which could in turn result in the loss of further haulage contracts and potentially destroy a business overnight.”

Cobra is a long-term Mercedes-Benz partner that currently supplies parking sensors for passenger cars, as well as production line-fit alarm system components for Vito and Sprinter vans. It is also a key business partner to AVCIS (the ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service) and TruckPol – a UK freight crime intelligence unit that is part of AVCIS.

Detective Sergeant Sue Coutts of Truckpol commented, “Given the prevalence of truck and load theft, we strongly endorse this first example of a truck manufacturer-led pan European tracking programme and commend Mercedes Benz Trucks’ foresight in introducing such a programme in association with Cobra, and hope that other HGV manufacturers will follow their lead”.