Chronos boss warns of drivers using GPS jammers
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By Chris Tindall
FLEET MANAGERS should wake up to the problem of drivers using easily obtained GPS jammers to prevent their vehicles being tracked, according to Charles Curry, MD at Chronos Technology, who is investigating their use.
Curry said he believed instances of jamming, using products bought cheaply on the internet, were on the increase and had the potential to cause chaos to operators. Chronos was involved in a
recent project to gauge the frequency of GPS jamming events on UK motorways, urban and rural roads, and discovered such devices were being used regularly.
Jammers swamp the signal used by firms to keep track of their fleet, making them disappear off the radar.
"There are 60 websites selling these things," said Curry. "The big worry for fleet managers is [when] drivers who might want to do something that doesn't relate to what they do officially for the company. We
have seen instances of this."
In 2010, criminals used jammers to prevent LGVs from being tracked to steal metal worth £6m.
Two men were later jailed for a total of 16 years.
Professor Bob Cockshott at the National Physics Laboratory said: "Companies [use] tracking for their business purposes, for asset control and control of their vehicle fleet; if an employee can interrupt the system, then it must be a worry to them."
• See CM 2 January 2014 for an investigation into januners.