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TO PROTECT AND SERVE
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'Truck crime' brings to mind thoughts of hijackers and the theft of high-value loads. But many thieves are more interested in breaking up your cherished truck and selling the parts. As Sharon Clancy reports, there are ways you can fight back.
By the very nature of the crime, once a truck has been stolen and broken up, it can be virtually impossible to trace individual components. The thieves will be careful to remove any evidence, such as VIN numbers, that might make its engine, gearbox or other component traceable.
There's little firm evidence of how many vehicles are stolen each year for their parts rather than to be resold or for their loads, but we do have some clues.Truckpol, for example, reports that just over 50% of the 2,000-plus goods vehicles stolen last year were recovera]. Truckpol chief Mark Hooper says some do eventually turn up even after many months, but he concludes: "Many vehicles would appear to be broken up for parts — whether for the UK or foreign markets."
As is often the case with the theft of commercial vehicles, while individual police forces know what's happening in their area, things aren't so clear cut at a national level. "Individual police forces may have information relating to locations where vehicles are being cut up," says Hooper."TruckPol is aware of some. but not all. When we do have data, we are often unable to disclose the locations, however, as it may jeopardise police operations."
Insurers are less interested in component recovery than you might think, mainly because, from their viewpoint, once the vehicle has been stolen it becomes registered as a loss. If the engine or gearbox is recovered three months later, it will not change the effect the original theft has an aro en had on the cost of the victim's insurance premium.
However. Thatcham, the motor insurers' research body, says improving traceability of individual components is important because it helps police secure prosecutions, and reduces the financial rewards of CV theft. -a) 4 Marking systems such as ▪ Alpha Scientific's Alpha
O Dot are a cheap, effective
2 way to deter thieves
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"Police need to prove Norifeefakthat the components have not come from a genuine, legal breaking yard," saysThatcham's Mark Randle."Marking components is important as it provides evidence of true ownership, which can help police secure a prosecution. We know one police force that recovered 100 engines from an illegal breaking operation, but they were only able to identify three."
Randle believes the vehicle manufacturers are best placed to provide component-level identification, and that physical deterrents are the best protection against your assets being stolen. 'A well-installed mechanical immobiliser can be very robust," he says.
The older the better If you think your vehicle will be less attractive to thieves because of its age, think again. Older vehicles, Randle points out, are often easier to steal: -Electronic immobilisers on modern trucks are very effective at preventing thieves bypassing the system. On older common-rail diesels, if you can bypass the starter motor or the fuel pump, or somehow get fuel into the engine, you can get a vehicle up and running." For that reason he advises ensuring that fuel immobiliser valves are mounted directly on the engine block to make it more difficult to bypass them.
Iveco has convincing proof that older vehicles are more at risk, and it thinks immobilisers have a vital role to play in helping to deter thieves.
Immobilisers are fitted as standard across the Iveco range, from the 3.2-tonne Daily panel van to the Stralis Executive Space tractor. According to Truckpol statistics, 734 Ivecos with engines over five litres were reported as stolen in 2004. Of those, the older vehicles represented by far the biggest proportion:166 were aged between eight and 10 years old; 148 were aged between four and six years old; and only nine were less than three years old.
"The introduction of immobilisers across the Iveco truck family has played a significant role in combating truck thefts," says Chris Thorneycroft-Smith.lveco's UK market director. 'The figures really do speak for themselves, and we are confident that the strong security credentials of our product ranges will continue to help reduce truck theft rates across the country." Manufacturers do mark major components with the vehicle's 17-digit VIN number, but professional thieves will simply remove them. One solution is to have a parts marking system where it is difficult, if not impossible, to remove all the ID marks. It has to be low-cost to be attractive, and the microdot systetn,first popularised by Alpha Scientific with its Alpha Dot system, fits the bill with a retail price of 1.24.99 for a complete kit and registration.
Iveco, Scania and Volvo mark components with Alpha Dots during the pre-delivery inspection. Leyland Trucks is the latest convert, using it to mark all its new Fodens.
Datadot's Mighty Dot andTrojan offer similar marking systems.The microdots are tiny particles of polyester film, each about the size of a grain of sand. Every container of dots is allocated a unique number that is printed on to each dot.The dots are then coated with a thin film that protects them from being damaged by abrasion. ultraviolet light, water, most acids and solvents.
Operators simply paint each component in several places. When the adhesive dries it is almost invisible, and the idea is that even if the thieves manage to remove some of the ID dots, they arc bound to miss some.A notice in the cab serves as a further deterrent to thieves — the theory is that they will see it and decide to move on to easier targets.
RFID transponders are at the high-tech end of vehicle and parts traceability. But high-tech doesn't mean high-cost, according to Douglas McCartney of Trovan. He believes RFID tags are better suited to automotive environments than microdots.
Trovan's Stoptheft electronic tags are passive transponders, which can be read by the 3,000 readers that are in use with the police in the UK and Ireland.They come in various sizes and can be inserted into wiring looms and seats. When a transponder passes within range of a reader it transmits its ID code.The transponder contains no batteries and is hermetically sealed to tolerate harsh conditions. According to the manufacturer, once programmed, the codes in the transponder cannot be counterfeited or tampered with. There are more than 50 billion possible unique codes. Owners register their details on the Stoptheft property register, which can be accessed at any time by police officers anywhere in the world.
Each transponder is maintenance-free and, in theory, has an unlimited life span. A nine-tag kit for a van or truck would cost under £100 fitted, says McCartney. There's also a model for trucks and trailers, which includes a chassis-mounted overt transponder as an extra deterrent.
Label it and keep it
Sticking a metal label on a component might not seem much of a deterrent, but Retainagroup reckons its Ultra Destruct security labels will deter most thieves.They were originally developed for motorcycles, and LDV has become the first CV manufacturer to use them on its latest Maxus range.
The adhesive for the label will resist the most determined attack, says Retainagroup's automotive manager Colin Gallagher."Once the plate is stuck to the vehicle, you cannot lift it off. If you try, it'll come off in tiny pieces. To break up a vehicle for parts, you first have to steal it. So all the usual advice about maintaining site security and using physical deterrents and alarms is still relevant.
Retainagroup is probably best-known for its glass-etching security system, used by Renault and other van manufacturers to deter cloning. -Having the ID code clearly visible rather than the vehicle VIN number enhances security," says Gallagher. "Glassmarked vehicles are 50% less likely to be stolen than unmarked ones because it is expensive to replace all the glass."
The glass-etch kit includes a bottle of marking fluid and a brush, eight stencils containing the unique ID and ISR telephone number, and window warning labels. Once the vehicle is marked, you register the ID with the International Security Register, a 24-hour phone service operated by Retainagroup. It is used by police and other agencies to trace stolen vehicles. Registration cost is included in the price of the kit.
Electronic-key transponder-operated immobilisers are standard on many trucks and vans. However, as with luxury cars, this is leading to incidents where thieves attack the driver to get the keys. "Drivers are being mugged to stop them raising the alarm," says Tony Pain, marketing director for Daf Trucks. He thinks tracking is a major deterrent, which will play an increasingly important role in recovering stolen vehicles.
Physical driver protection systems include SupaGlass by Pentagon Autotint.This is an invisible laminate layer that can he applied to the inside of a vehicle's glass.Transco and Royal Mail use it to protect staff, and the company has signed an agreement with Volkswagen to cover its CV range.When SupaGlass is retrofitted to the inner surface of a glass pane, the glass becomes highly resistant to common forms of smash-and-grab and missiles.The laminate creates an invisible layer protecting passengers from broken glass.
Pentagon removes the glass to attach the fihn.The cost of fitting starts at about £200, depending on the size of the window. CP Films produces a similar material called Llurnar. Another company,Protekdor, has built a reputation on affordable mechanical protec tion systems for drivers. Its Kabgard secures the window and A prevents the door from being opened, even if the locks are broken. Lokgard prevents the door locks and handles from attack, while Sleepgard alerts sleeping drivers to the sort of attack where gas is sprayed through the lock to knock out the driver.
The proliferation of tracking systems for cars and CVs prompted Thatcham and the Association of Chief Police Officers to develop a Category 5 accreditation standard for systems aimed primarily at stolen vehicle recovery. It was launched last autumn. So far only a handful of systems have been approved, including Tracker Network. •