How can vehicle monitoring help secure the transport sector?

In recent times, crime has reached a point where assets and people aren’t 100% safe. This is particularly true when it comes to the transportation of goods, moving people from A to B and providing a quality delivery service, writes MARCEL BRUYNS.

In the mobility industry, security has become an everyday challenge, and using technology is a key aspect to improving service delivery, no matter the situation. The ability to utilise industry-leading technologies to provide solutions to the market is where Axis and its partnered solutions add value.

Hijacking, theft, and vandalism cause unnecessary interruptions and end up costing billions in lost revenue annually. An increase in hijacked vehicles over the past few years suggests criminals are becoming smarter and more brazen. There’s also been an increase in violent crimes. We’ve seen people working in the mobility industry hijacked for their goods or vehicles, while courier vehicles have become easy targets for national crime syndicates.

Vandalism of buses, trains, and other vehicles has also increased, impacting service delivery in the private and public sector. There are many reasons behind this. We have witnessed looting across the country, driven by political and social ideals that cause widespread panic and cost billions in property destruction – the unfortunate end result is the closure of businesses, both large and small.

Another aspect to consider is deliberate or accidental misuse of vehicles by employees in the transportation sector, potentially leading to bad customer service. On the other hand, employees themselves are often subject to abuse from customers taking out their frustration on individuals rather than the organisation. Neither scenario is good for business.

Meanwhile, traffic routes grow more congested, and the rising cost of fuel makes efficiency more important than ever. Fleet management services, used to help organisations maintain their assets, keep vehicle downtime to a minimum and streamline the maintenance of service delivery contracts.

For years, Axis Communications has supplied robust and transportation-rated products used in buses and trucks, as well as mining and service delivery vehicles. With the increase in edge processing, we are seeing more partnered solutions coming to market. These solutions have helped combat hijacking, theft, and vandalism, acting as a deterrent to ward off criminals. Other solutions such as body-worn cameras help maintain services while also monitoring possible aggression towards staff and customers.

Vehicle tracking solutions allow businesses to track their vehicles while ensuring they remain within an allocated geofence, preventing route diversions by drivers. These solutions also provide businesses with footage in the event of accidents, while control rooms can log into a vehicle’s surveillance system and monitor surrounding areas and other vehicles.

Inside the vehicle cabin, facial recognition notifies the control room if an unauthorised person enters, with the option of live notifications to save internet bandwidth and data. In addition to facial recognition, automatic licence plate recognition means the system can record plates and link them to a database that can detect known offenders and create active alerts.

The flexibility and customisation of these solutions is one of Axis’ strengths. Take dash cams – they should allow for a full 360-degree view of a vehicle, as well as combine onboard intelligence and telematics data to create a bespoke solution that resolves specific issues. Standard dash cams can’t offer this, but Axis solutions do. There is pride in offering partnered solutions that satisfy the needs of each user; this is what separates Axis from standard solutions. Taking technology to the next level is the Axis difference.