Rocky Mountain Tracking

By Greg Bartlett

The FBI’s statistics claim that a car is stolen every 33 seconds.  With 1 in 210 vehicles being stolen, US citizens experienced a loss of $6.4 billion from stolen automobiles in 2008.  For most people, the idea that their car would be the 1 in 210 that is stolen is never considered, much less planned for.  Some people don’t think to lock their cars or take any sort of anti-theft precautions, which may mean that they will find themselves without a car and with the expense of purchasing a new vehicle should their stolen one not be recovered.

GPS Tracking & Auto Theft

And unfortunately, recovery rates aren’t high.  According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, only 63% of stolen cars are recovered.  For one man in California, his car was the 1 in 210 stolen, but it was also one of the recovered vehicles because he installed a GPS tracking device in his car.  When his truck was stolen from his workplace, the man was able to use live tracking to find his vehicle and locate the address where it stopped.  Once the owner alerted police, they were able to arrest the thief and recover the vehicle, undamaged, within a few hours of the theft.

A GPS tracking device in a vehicle can help individuals as well as companies.  For instance, one company had over $300,000 worth of vehicles stolen, but were able to recover them within an hour because of GPS tracking.  Since the devices were small and easily hidden, the thieves were unable to find and disable them before police instead located the stolen vehicles and the thieves.  Another company found that robberies of its vehicles decreased 50% because of the use of GPS tracking units.

For many people, their vehicle is not just a convenience, it’s a necessity and may even provide their livelihood should their job depend on transportation.  A GPS tracking device, though, can protect the vehicle by either constantly monitoring the vehicle’s location or, for no monthly charge, only being activated when the vehicle is stolen.

If your car is stolen, chances are high you will never see it again.  By the time you realize it’s gone and call the police, it may already be in a chop shop being dismantled.  A GPS tracking device will help save your car - and your money, time, convenience, and peace of mind - by keeping track of your car at all times and helping you recover it as quickly as possible if it is stolen.

By Greg Bartlett

For many people, vehicles are their livelihood.  Perhaps you own a car dealership.  Your cars are your “babies,” and you don’t want them out of your sight for long.  Perhaps you have a work truck that carries equipment that is vital to your career-such as construction, plumbing, or landscaping equipment.  Or perhaps you have a have a taste for expensive cars like Porsches, Ferraris, or Lamborghinis, and you want to keep a very close eye on them.  In any of these cases, vehicle tracking devices can give you the security and peace of mind that you need.

Vehicle Tracking Uses

At one time, vehicle tracking systems were a luxury.  Now, however, they are a necessity.  Vehicle tracking systems are GPS (Global Positioning Systems) that operate by receiving reliable positioning and navigational information and transmitting it to anyone with a receiver.  The receiver’s owner can put the receiver anywhere he chooses to track things that are important to him-such as a vehicle.  So, for example, let’s say that the owner of the GPS is also the owner of a car dealership.  He could place a vehicle tracking device on a car that is on his dealership lot.  When someone takes one of his cars out for a test drive, he can use the GPS to track that car.  The vehicle tracking device sends information to the owner’s computer, and he can monitor its location, speed, stops, and route of travel.  No car is ever really out of his sight.

Vehicle tracking devices also come in very handy in protecting your car, even if you don’t own a dealership.  On Friday, March 5, 2010, it was reported on a local Canadian news channel that a man’s work truck was recovered on the same day it was stolen because his boss had, unbeknownst to him, installed a vehicle tracking device just ten days earlier.  When the truck’s owner went out to get in his truck for his day of work, he discovered it missing.  He contacted his boss, and together they were able to use the computer to locate the truck.  Because of this tracking device, the truck’s owner, his boss, and the police all arrived to the stolen truck at the same time.  The truck was returned to the owner, and he was able to resume his day’s work without missing a beat-all thanks to the vehicle tracking device.

By Greg Bartlett

Recovering stolen automobiles has long been a problem for law enforcement departments. Car thieves have become experts at obscuring the identity of a given vehicle, making it nearly impossible to identify the car with certainty if it has been in the thief’s possession for any length of time. But when owners equip their cars with GPS vehicle tracking, police have much better odds of recovering not only the stolen vehicle, but many times the car thief as well.

GPS Vehicle Tracking & Thieves

A GPS vehicle tracking unit can be easily concealed inside your car. Current models are small enough to be placed discreetly, unlike older units which were bulky and easily detected. If someone steals your car, you simply log on to your computer and you can see immediately where the car is, which direction its traveling, and how fast it’s going. This information allows the police to find and identify the car quickly, even if the thief has already removed identifying characteristics such as the license plate and VIN number.

GPS vehicle tracking has proved to be so successful in stopping car theft that many departments have begun using “bait cars” to attract would-be thieves in an effort to stop car theft rings. The decoy cars are chosen based on their potential to attract the attention of a typical car thief and sometimes have valuables in plain sight. Once the thief takes the bait, the police can nab him immediately. Many of the cars are also equipped with technology that allows them to be turned off remotely, so that once police have the car in sight, they can kill the engine, making the arrest easier. Audio and video surveillance is typically used as well, which has provided invaluable insight into the actions and intentions of suspects.

Law enforcement departments have reported great success with the GPS vehicle tracking programs and have begun using the devices to monitor high theft areas and large events such as car shows or motorcycle rallies where theft is more common. The devices have saved departments significantly in terms of resources and manpower, allowing them to accomplish more and to increase effectiveness even on a tight budget.

Car owners who equip their vehicles with GPS tracking have taken the single most effective step in keep their cars safe. While locks and alarms can sometimes prove to be deterrents, experienced thieves know how to get around them. GPS tracking puts you as the owner in control of your car and gives you peace of mind that your valuable assets are protected.

by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

GPS Tracking is used as a proactive tool to help others keep watch over their vehicles and other valuable assets that are out-of-doors and constantly on the move.  It makes sense.

Personal Safety & GPS Tracking

But, consider this also:  GPS Tracking devices can be used as a way to keep track on your own movements.  It’s a kind of reverse tracking method that is very effective.

If you have ever been the object of a stalker or relationship that has broken down and now contains the elements of relationship abuse, then you might consider one of these devices.  It seems that everyone knows of situations in a relationship that could have benefitted from a GPS Tracking device.  Certainly we hear of them all of the time in the news.

By installing and using one in your vehicle, you can track your own movements and report on them as needed.  This is also good for supplying evidentiary support in court room settings.

In addition, if an unfortunate situation occurs where you are forced to drive your vehicle to a remote area, it can be tracked and found instantly with the proper model installed.  Also, with geo-fencing, you can set boundaries which can send out alerts if they have been broken.

Another area in which GPS Tracking devices can be used is in placing them on vehicles of suspects of violent crimes or stalking.  Their movements can be monitored constantly with data provided that can give a history of the location, direction and speed of the vehicle.

Finally, GPS Tracking devices are invaluable in tracking the vehicles of those who are suspected in marital infidelity cases.  Being able to place a car at a specific location and time helps validate the actions of the suspects.

These applications for GPS Tracking devices are the unseemly side of tracking, yet they are valuable in helping maintain law and order.  Peace of mind is also afforded because it is better knowing than not knowing in these cases.  Formulating actions based on facts rather than hunches is a better way to live.

While cost is often not as great of an issue when used in this case, it is nice to know that for just a few hundred dollars, these GPS Tracking devices can be employed with great results for the user.  In fact, the cost is far outweighed by the benefits.

Keep yourself and your loved ones safe with the use of a GPS Tracking device.  It has the potential to not only keep you safe, but maybe save a life, too.  You never know.

by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

Even though auto theft incidents have been dramatically cut in recent months, that is no reason to stop being vigilant about the possibility of it happening to you.  Consider that the most commonly stolen vehicle is the Toyota Camry.  That is not a luxury model by any stretch, and drives home the purpose for which Vehicle Tracking devices have been developed.

GPS & Auto Theft

Here are the best reasons to get a Vehicle Tracking device installed in your car or truck.

Safety

When you are driving and encounter a police vehicle, what is your automatic reaction?  Slow down and look at your speedometer.  This is because being in the presence of one who can enforce the laws makes you drive in a less conspicuous way.  The same is true of a GPS Tracking device.  It constantly monitors vehicle speed, direction, and location and delivers these in a report that can be used to enforced rules and laws on the part of parents to teens and parents to their parents.

Security

You should never travel in your vehicle to an unsafe location.  But, you never know where trouble might originate.  GPS Tracking devices provide a sense of security in that vehicle movements can be monitored in real-time with the proper device.  And, with geo-fencing, alerts can be generated if a vehicle breaks through established boundaries.

Sanity

Parents are constantly worried about their teens when they drive.  And for good reason.  Accidents for teen drivers are higher than any other driver group.  Parents need a GPS Tracking device that can give them some peace of mind about their teen drivers.

Savings

You can realize a savings on your insurance premiums by installing a GPS Tracking device.  Insurance companies embrace these devices as they help lower their risk.  These savings are shared with their clients.

Stability

Adding GPS Tracking devices to your vehicles gives stability to your family and the expectations that parents set forth.  It is one area in which monitoring can be a positive thing because adding them to all of your vehicles puts everyone under the same rules and guidelines.

GPS Tracking devices are more affordable than ever and you can find a model that fits your needs.  The cost can easily be made up in the insurance premium savings in just a few months.

So, what is keeping you from implementing one of these devices?  The sooner you do the better protected and prepared you will be.

By Greg Bartlett

Have you ever needed to stop by at a store for just a minute?  You know the item you need is on the shelf right by the door, and it’ll take you thirty seconds to run in there and check out.  Surely it’s not worth it to park what feels like a quarter mile away.  Or maybe all you need to do is pick up your kid, and you just need to go in the doors and catch his attention.  Circling the parking lot looking for a spot just isn’t appealing - it’ll only take a second to go inside, so it won’t hurt to leave the car running while you dash in?  Surely nothing will happen.

GPS Tracking & Auto Theft

Maybe, but maybe not.  It’s possible that some enterprising individual will seize the day - and your car, along with any valuables inside.  One man in Kansas recently had exactly that happen, but he was able to recover his vehicle through the use of GPS tracking.  If your car is stolen, whether from the curb or from a parking space, a GPS unit can help police track your vehicle, capture the thief, and recover your car.

Leaving your car running at the curb may not be the best way to avoid car theft, but a car can be stolen from a parking spot, too.  It could even be stolen from your driveway.  No matter where your car starts, the important thing for you is finding out where it goes.  A GPS tracking device will be able to tell you were your vehicle is in real time, including its speed and any stops it makes.

Once a car is stolen, recovery rates are not high.  The FBI Uniform Crime Report claims that only about 57% of stolen cars are recovered.  With GPS tracking, however, recovery rates can jump to 90%.  Since the tracking units are often small and can be easily hidden, thieves do not have the time to locate the device and get rid of it so that they can hide the car completely - at least, they don’t have time since the police and the owner will be tracking the car’s current location and the thieves won’t be able to just park somewhere and hunt for the device.

Wherever you leave your car, it’s important that it’ll be there when you get back.  Locks and alarm systems will help, but they can’t always protect your vehicle.  GPS tracking is a valuable aid to help you find and recover your car should it be stolen.

By Harriette Halepis

For months now, various states within the United States have been using GPS tracking systems to track the whereabouts of state vehicles and employees during business hours. Time and again, the data gathered from these tracking systems has shown that installing fleet tracking systems is a worthwhile investment. Not only are government and state employees spending less time slacking off on the job, but rescue and police vehicles are now able to reach emergency scenes faster than ever before.

Government Equipment & GPS Tracking

The news about the effectiveness of GPS trackers has begun to spread across the globe as various other countries look towards adopting GPS vehicle trackers. Fiji’s Transport Ministry has begun looking into GPS tracking devices as a way to “…crackdown on vehicle abuse.” The head of the Transport Ministry, Timoci Natuva, believes that GPS tracking devices could “…save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long term.”

Presently, the Transport Ministry is in the process of studying similar fleet tracking cases from around the world, but the outcome looks positive. If it can be proven that GPS trackers can save the Transport Ministry money, then they “would like to install the system because vehicle abuse is an ongoing issue that goes back to previous governments.”

The idea of installing GPS trackers on government vehicles has been met with some resistance (as it has all around the world), but the bottom line is that a simple fleet tracking system can save a government a great deal of time and money. Presently, the Transport Ministry in Fiji has not decided to install the GPS trackers, but it looks as though GPS-equipped government cars will quickly become a reality throughout Fiji.

As with Fiji, many other countries around the world are beginning to look towards GPS trackers as a way to keep tabs on government employees. Prior to the invention of the GPS tracker, governments had no way of making sure that employees were using state or government time wisely. While some view these trackers as virtual “watch dogs,” others believe that tracking government employees is a necessary way to find out how tax dollars are being spent.

All eyes will be on Fiji as the country decides whether or not to crack down on government vehicle abuse. If Fiji goes ahead with this GPS tracking system, there’s no doubt that various other countries around the globe will soon follow suit.

by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

Auto theft recovery efforts are aided by the use of GPS Tracking systems across the world.  Even in the UK, recovery efforts in 2009 surpassed £12 million.  We are talking about big dollars here in the United States as well.

GPS Tracking & Auto Theft

But, beyond big conglomerate numbers a GPS Tracking device can save you money.  Here’s how:

Lower Insurance Rates

Did you know that many insurance companies provide a discount on your monthly premiums if you have a GPS Tracking device installed and in operation on your vehicle?  It’s true and it makes sense because it lowers their risk and increases the chances of you getting your car back sooner if it becomes stolen.

These days, no one knows how much risk they are at and the best thing to do is to be ready for anything.  GPS Tracking provides you with a measure of security and peace of mind that you might not otherwise have.  Burying your head in the sand and pretending that you are not at risk is no longer an option.

Better Maintenance Monitoring

Everyone can watch their odometer and see when it is time to take their vehicle in for maintenance but, what about the terrain over which you drive your car or truck?  Simple monitoring of miles driven does not take that into consideration.  Watching your driving routes on a PC screen with your GPS Tracking unit will help in this effort.  Being mindful of the terrain and other elements in which you drive helps you better gauge the frequency of your maintenance intervals.

Watching Vehicle Usage

Do others in your family drive your vehicle?  If so, you can monitor their location, destination and speed.  This helps you curb destructive driving practices and enforces rules that you set forth about the use of your car or truck.  This is great for parents of teenage drivers.  It also provides a measure of security when teens venture out on their own.

You need to be ever vigilant in making sure that your vehicles can last as long as possible.  Economic conditions demand that cars are kept longer than they used to be.  Using the above three methods will help you in this effort.

Rocking Mountain Tracking has the best line-up of GPS Tracking devices to meet any need.  Take a look at their products and options for the best fit for your business.  You will find knowledgeable sales persons in helping you get the best unit to meet your requirements.

By Greg Bartlett

GPS trackers have become headline news in the last several years and the steps that they have taken in technology have been absolutely phenomenal. Nowadays, even your cell phone could be used to track you if necessary and some of the more advanced Blackberries and other products can easily be traced to find your location. One online program makes it possible for you to program any phone of your choice with GPS capability so that you can find it at any time you want.

GPS Tracking Uses

A GPS tracker can help you to watch your employees and their travel time to and from a client’s house. It can also let you know where your children or wife are at all times, whether you simply want to know for information’s sake, or even if you have had problems with them in the past. GPS can also tell you information about your vehicle, how fast it is driving, where it is, and how long it has stayed in one location. There are many options available with GPS tracking, but it depends on what you need it for.

GPS tracking is an exciting new technology, but it doesn’t require a lot of work on the part of the user in order to make it work. All you need to do is simply buy the device and activate it. Once you have completed that, it will do the rest of the work, sending the signals to a series of satellites that will then transfer the information to a computer. The data is then organized on the computer and used as necessary.

GPS tracking can also be used to track animals, such as in the case of a group of scientists with a wolf pack. These scientists wanted to keep an eye on the wolves, as their population has been dwindling in the state of Oregon, and to be sure that they were still doing well. Another use of a GPS tracker has been to recover stolen trucks. Companies have been able to recover several thousands of dollars worth of materials as a result of this tracking program and the program has become very useful.

Although these specific examples may not apply to you, a GPS tracker could be very helpful to you for a variety of reasons. There are several options available online to you; all you have to do is to start looking.

By Greg Bartlett

Fleet vehicle theft can provide huge payoffs for the criminals who make it their business. When tractor trailers and their contents are stolen, it’s difficult for police to recover them, and traditionally the rate of returned vehicles has been low. That is, until the advent of GPS vehicle tracking. Fleet vehicles that have been equipped with GPS tracking devices can be monitored from a company computer and their whereabouts determined at any time. That means that as soon as a theft occurs, police have access to data that will show them the exact location of the missing vehicle, enabling them to find not only the vehicle but usually the perpetrator as well.

GPS Vehicle Tracking & Businesses

Companies who have installed GPS vehicle tracking in their fleet vehicles have reported an excellent return on their investment. When dealing with large, expensive vehicles that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each, the savings of recovering just one stolen vehicle can make the purchase of GPS tracking devices worth it, since that’s one less vehicle that has to be replaced. If employers suspect their drivers of performing personal business on company time, they can monitor individual drivers as well. Whether the employees are selling company products for personal gain, operating a personal side business on company time, or simply using the company vehicle for personal driving, managers can nip these behaviors in the bud by having the information they need to confront employees with specifics.

As GPS vehicle tracking technology improves, transmitters are being built smaller, enabling discreet placement so that the devices cannot be easily detected or removed. The transmitter sends signals to a computer detailing the vehicle’s movements over time and this information can be viewed either in real time or as a report of activities over a given time span. Real time information helps track down stolen vehicles in as little as an hour from the time they were stolen, while data reports can help employers confront workers with hard facts if they deny misbehavior.  Some cities have begun using the devices to ensure that employees are performing their jobs as expected as well.

Businesses that have asked themselves whether GPS vehicle tracking could help improve their bottom line will be pleased with the cost saving efficiency that can be encouraged with the help of the tracking devices. It’s an excellent way to keep tabs on both employees and vehicles, while making sure they make the most of limited resources.