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Theft of vehicles and loads is increasing. Organised gangs are now targeting trailers because the UK—unique in the European Union—does not have a "from new" registration scheme for these vehicles. Enhancing security does not have to cost a fortune, but owners do have to identify the likely risks and take measures to eliminate or avoid them.

Trailer theft is defi

nitely on the increase, says detective constable lain MacKinnon, who runs the UK's National Stolen Lorry oad Desk, operated by Essex olice and part funded by donaons from the transport industry. 'he desk operates two databases: ne records what was stolen and 'hen; the other collates intellimce from police forces, operators "id loss adjustors to pinpoint ends and identify offenders.

MacKinnon says: "Some of the se is because we are now better . recording load theft. But we :low criminals are targeting sites ich as motorway service areas." e also warns operators that deves want more than just highdue goods. "There are ready tak

ers for everyday goods such as drinks and household items."

He advises owners to report a stolen trailer as soon as they find out. "Speed is of the essence," he says. "Loads can change hands five times within three days."

The Metropolitan Police's Organised Crime Croup says trailers are to times more likely to be stolen than other vehicles—it estimates the UK parc at about 230,000, of which 12,359 were stolen in a three-year period.

The Met blames two main areas: lack of a registration scheme and lax controls over duplicate document issuing. Duplicates cost just £9.50 and there are no checks on the identity of the owner. Trailer identification plates fitted by the manufacturers are no solution because they too can be changed.

n The DVLA has agreed in princ pie to introduce a supervise trailer registration scheme ar hopes to have a consultation do umen t ready later this year.

Vehicle security

Protecting vehicles involve securing the load compartmet as well as the cab. Generally, var and vehicles up to 3.5 tonne gross are more likely than trucl to have sophisticated electron locking and immobilisation sy tems, although truck makers ai making up lost ground as the introduce new models.

Buyers are advised to chec what security level a van or truc has as standard as it can vat widely. Even if it means high( cost, this can often be recouped i reduced insurance premium Insurance companies may, how ever, have a minimum requin ment, such as a Thatchan approved system (see panel, right

• by Sharon Clancy

VANS

• Most vans have Thatchamapproved security systems and there is a variety of after-market security kit from which to choose.

Ford has led the way on van security, but Citroen and Vauxhall have also adopted a positive attitude.

Citroen was one of the first manufacturers to offer immobilisers as standard. Anti-drill locks and securityetched windows are becoming more common and many vans now come with electronic transponder-style keys which are linked to an electronic Renault's new Clio van has a Category 2 immobiliser and RAID as standard (Renault Anti-Intruder Device). Doors are locked automatically while the engine is running to deter opportunistic load thefts. Central locking systems are usually optional but can be worthwhile on multi-drop work.

Not all security is high-tech. Ford's Safeguard system on the Transit might have an immobiliser plus keyless remote entry, but it also features more basic security measures. Only the driver's door has a cylinder barrel and the ignition key is needed to open the bonnet. Mechanically, a steel box encases the door lock and latch, and the lock is mounted inside the latch. So the rods and cables connecting lock and latch which thieves can anipulate with wire are eliminated.

The van racking companies can so help improve security. Bri-Stor is friong those offering rear-window j'illes and extra security items. Above: Citroen was one of the first to adopt a positive attitude to security and offer immobilisers as a standard feature.

RUCKS

• Thatcham's HGV Security scheme, launch partly because many fleets are self-insuring truck and security equipment makers.

Thatcharn approvals cost £8,000-10,000 security specialists have been reluctant to demanding it. Only Daf (on the CF and LF Thatcham-approved C terns. Thatcham-appr available on Cummins and LFs, Mercedes-Be trucks and Volvo old m Thatcham approval for approved systems on year.

The choice narrow ment. Only Scorpion Category 1 or 2 syste Maple, MD of Maple requirement for a cod too precise in its desc gves one company an intended," Maple says. Thatcham has earn' the vehicle or engine e tive, but is unsmiling t immobilisers are adeq bilisers as standard, b ager, Chris Haynes, sa tection for the ECU connection to gain Thatc possible for a thief to reprogramme the E Thatcham wanted the ECU to withstand atta that the extra cost is just £90."

The lack of Thatcham approvals has not cavalier attitude to security. Renault, for exa dard across its range. Most new trucks nou Thatcham-approved or not. Features like optional Of standard on higher-spec models lveco and Scania are among those apply vehicle parts. The Alpha Dots are microdo Each dot incorporates the VIN and the liquid ing the engine and gearbox. The liquid bond thieves might find one Of two dots, they are can also help identify stolen property. In on owner of an Iveco engine and cab which ha

chassis. 01727 87959 1)161624 8171 01889 27 202 01952 7.8171 01633 85 ' 859 0121328 .700 01509 6 1318 0161477 476 01623 491903 01283 51 602 0161777 '666 01793 501108 020 7740 •400 01295 81 621 0500091909 0177289'980

xi in 1997, has been less successful , and partly due to resistance from md most truck manufacturers and my that when few operators were and Volvo (old EH and FM) have ategory 1 alarm/immobiliser sysived Category 2 immobilisers are luro-2 and Euro-3 engines, Daf CFs nz Actros, Atego, Axor and Econic odd l FH and FMs. Volvo is awaiting its new EH/FM range and Daf says XE tractors will be available this s even more for aftermarket fitnanufactures Thatcham-approved as. The hurdle, according to Alan Systems, is that the Thatcham ad fuel valve on H2 immobilisers is ription of a patented device. "That lonopoly which is surely not what's litted vehicle manufacturers to use ectronic control unit as an alterna3 accept that EU Type Approved uate. Daf's CF and LF have Immoit the manufacturer's product man Daf has had to upgrade the proam hI2 approval. "Theoretically it is U to override the immobiliser so ck for 15 minutes. The good news is ?ncoL,iragerd truck makers to take a mple, has made immobilisers stens, have an immobiliser as standard, )entral locking and alarms can be —it's worth negotiating over.

ng Alpha-Dot identification spots to ts contained in a colourless liquid. Is painted on all major parts, includi to most substances and, although Inlikely to find them all. The product e instance Essex police traced the d been transplanted onto an older

LOAD $E CURM

Load security in vans ranges from centrally-locking and slam-locking load bay doors to padlock systems. Bulldog, Expresslock and Regency offer hasp-and-staple type locking for panel vans. Regency's Padlock Protector comprises a steel domed cover to prevent thieves attaching the close-shackled padlock with cutters. There are three types for rear and side loading van doors. Regency can supply matched padlocks so that one key will open both rear and side doors. Prices start at £7.34 for the 50mm version.

Maple is upgrading its Vanguard systems to make them easier to fit and suitable for a wider variety of doors. Details will be revealed at this year's Commercial Vehicle Show.

Improved door locks and slash-proof curtains can make a big difference while trailer theft-prevention devices range from kingpin or coupling locks to independently-powered tracking systems.

Pownall specialises in what it calls affordable trailer security systems. Both its C-coupling lock and kingpin lock automatically activate when pressed in position and are released by keys. The C-coupling lock has a hardened steel body designed to rotate on the coupling and a drill-resistant integral lock. The kingpin body covers the kingpin mounting bolts too.

Slam locks on shutter doors automatically lock when the shutter is closed. Most trailer shutter door locks are air-operated, but Pownall's Enforcer is mechanical, so is suitable for trailers and demountable bodies that are parked up.

The Abloy Disklock, used in the Enforcer, has rotating tumbler discs that provide up to 36 million combinations.

Maple plans to introduce an enhanced version of its barn-door system at the Commercial Vehicle Show.

The jaw-locking system has been enhanced and an allstainless-steel lock will replace the current aluminium/steel unit to improve strength. Operators will be able to specify Maple's Intellikey electronic key system for extra security. Each key is programmed with a digital code that can limit access times and record when it was used to provide an audit trail.

Vulnerable curtainsiders can be made more attack resistant through specifying slash-resistant curtains—offered by Southfields and Lawrence David among others.

THE LEGISLATION

• Commercial vehicle security is covered by European Union directive 95/96EC and by United Nations ECE Regulation 97. Electronic immobilisers (the type activated by a transponder in the key) are mandatory only on cars which have Whole Vehicle Type Approval. However, they are not mandatory on trucks or vans over 3.5-tonnes in the directive: some members states have chosen to make them so, but the UK does not. However, when trucks do have Immobilisers and alarms, they must comply with the directive whether they are fitted new or aftermarket The directive has been updated and now includes specific criteria for commercial vehicles. Mechanical airbrake immobilisers are now permitted and manufacturers are allowed to lock the vehicle wrth the engine running so that ancillary equipment such as winches can be powered. Many truck manufacturers dislike air-brake immobilisers because fitting them involves interfering with a fundamental safety system on the truck and some EU states ban them for that reason.

The DETR's viewpoint, however, is that, as they are a viable means of deterring crime, it should not prevent their use, provided safety is not compromised.

VEHICLE ANL RACKING

More operators are installir Automatic Vehicle Location syster on their vehicles, persuaded by th cost-saving benefits they ca deliver. Tracking stolen vehicles i perhaps a secondary consideratia yet two of the best known AVL sys tems, Tracker and Trakbak, wer developed for just that purpose.

Datatrak and Trakbak, owned by electronics group Siemen were designed by Securicor to trac high-value goods and cash-in-trail sit vehicles. Vehicles are tracked h low frequency radio waves from 1 transmitters which cover 95% of U mainland roads. Vehicle unit receive a signal every two minute and then transmit the vehicle' position, end, direction and status to a base ation. Trakbak vehicles are also nipped with an Immobiliser and batry powered motion sensor which tomatically sends a signal to the akbak bureau via a radio frequency if e vehicle is moved Illegally. The reau alerts the customer and ises with the police, while acking the vehicle's position.

; Tracker is fitted to more than i,000 HGV vehicles, 33,000 LGVs Id 22,000 pieces of plant equipant. Since it was introduced in 93,532 heavy trucks, 1,160 light ucks and vans, and 859 items of ant have been recovered worth total 136.75 million.

Tracker remains unique in at each of the UK's 52 police forces Ls at least one vehicle equipped with acker monitoring equipment. A transItter is hidden in the vehicle or plant id, when activated, a silent landLsed radio signal can be picked up by lectors fitted in police patrol cars id aircraft, loading them to the iuipment.

There are three levels of tracking: acker Retrieve depends on the operar notifying Tracker that the vehicle is issing; Tracker Monitor incorporates otion sensors that automatically sigd an unauthorised movement; and acker Horizon which incorporates itellito tracking as well. If you are routinely tracking vehicles it is easy to add alerts if one departs from an expected route. With Vehicle Solutions V-Sol 2000 each vehicle in the fleet is plotted automatically on a single map, with regular updates an positions. The link is via an ISDN modem which is quicker than satellite or cellular telephone network, so each fix costs only 2p. The vehicle black boxes can be leased for £40 a month, with the ISDN line rental £5 a month. The office black box costs £68 a month.

It is relatively easy to track trailers while they are being towed. Reefer operators can now track trailers via the refrigeration unit thanks to remote data downloading options offered by Carrier, Frigoblock and Thermo King.

For many operators, though, independent tracking of trailers remains prohibitively expensive even though some of the technical hitches-the reliability of the power supply for example-have been overcome.

Susie-Track, by vehicle tracking specialist TMC Innovations, is a GSM-GPS trailer tracking system comprising a sensor that detects coupling and uncoupling and a control unit through which all sensor and signal information is routed.

The built-in tracking unit stays in sleep mode until It is activated either by its in-built report timer or if a status change occurs. When active It can be polled by sending a position request message or it can receive a command from base to remotely trigger a predefined action. Should the trailer be stolen, the After-Theft Recovery option tracks the trailer.

It operates from a 14-amp sealed battery. Fully charged, it can power the unit for several weeks, says TMC, and is automatically topped up whenever the trailer is connected to a tractor.

The latest version includes interfaces with door locking systems and security sealing systems such as Encrypta. New is a tractor Identification module. A black box on the tractor allows Susie-Track to identify which tractor is pulling the trailer.

If there is no tractor ID, the unit recognises that, too. Roland Rime, the Susie-Track designer, believes it will help operators Improve tractor and trailer utlilisation, help monitor drivers and contractors and provide an audit trail if the trailer is damaged.

Pownall has developed a solarpowered version of its Axis alarm system for demountable bodies but it can also be used on unattended trailers. The battery that powers the Axis alarm is recharged from a small solar panel fitted to the roof of the body.

iHATCHAM-APPROVED SECURITY SYSTEMS

Thatcham is the Motor Insurance Repair and Research Centre funded by the Association of British Insurers. It . tests alarms and immobilisers to ensure they meet minimum performance standards. One of the most critical checks is to ensure that systems can withstand attack for 15 minutes. Category 2 immobilisers must include a coded fuel valve.

Security systems are divided into three main types Category 1: alarm and immobiliser. Category 2: electronic or electromechanical immobiliser.

Category 3: mechanical immobiliser. Additionally, Category 2+1upgrades a category 2 immobiliser to Category 1 systems.

• Commercial vehicles are classified either L (light commercial vehicle) or H (HGVs). So LI describes a security system that has passed Thatcham tests for light commercial vehicles.112 describes an immobiliser for a heavy goods vehicle,