Rocky Mountain Tracking

By Greg Bartlett

A business owner has a lot at stake in any large, expensive equipment that are needed to run his or her business. If any of this equipment should be stolen, it could create a great deal of difficulty for the owner, including a temporarily or permanently lost source of income and high costs in replacing equipment. An owner of a tow truck company knew these things and prepared in advance by having GPS units installed in his all three of his trucks. Just this last week, on August 15, 2009, this wise company owner had reason to rejoice in his investment.

GPS tracking has actually been around for nearly seventy years. Though rooted in the military, GPS has proven helpful to civilians since becoming available to the public in the 1980’s. Planning a business trip or family vacation is much less time consuming that it once was. This is true not only because the professional or the family member can simply enter the beginning point and destination and quickly arrive at a mapped route, but also because a driver can be accurately redirected at a moment’s notice, if ever he or she should get off route. GPS has simplified the art of traveling for many twenty-first-century folks; it has also changed the world of monitoring persons, animals, and objects. With GPS tracking, anything with a GPS receiver attached can be located within seconds. Military, professionals – of many different vocations, and civilians the world over have enjoyed the benefits of GPS tracking. GPS tracking has saved times, money, and lives.

This business owner’s vehicles were stolen by night about a week ago. He quickly received word, however, from an employee, that his vehicles were missing. Since the owner had GPS tracking devices installed into his tow trucks, his wife was able to quickly locate the vehicles using her mobile device. Employees were sent to investigate the two sites identified through the GPS tracking. One vehicle was found, abandoned. The second vehicle was spotted, but one of the thieves reached the truck before the employee. Having called the police, the employee followed the stolen truck, but the thief soon realized he was being followed, and that vehicle was abandoned as well. By studying the GPS tracking devices’ records, the police were able to later apprehend both criminals. GPS tracking was indeed an excellent investment that this tow truck company owner made, as it followed his vehicles where he could not.

By Greg Bartlett

You work third shift, and you were glad this morning when you finally got off work and could head home. However, a startling surprise awaited you in the parking lot – your car wasn’t in your parking spot. Apparently someone stole it.
While that might inconvenience you at the present, having your car stolen doesn’t have to permanently destroy your day or even disrupt your life very much. At least, it doesn’t if you had GPS vehicle tracking installed in your car.

Recently, two trucks from a towing company in Florida were stolen during the night. When an employee realized the tow trucks were missing and alerted the owner, the owner looked on the computer to see where the trucks were. His trucks were equipped with GPS vehicle tracking, so it was easy to locate the trucks and head out to find them. Even when a thief took off in one of the trucks, the towing company owner continued to monitor the truck’s location. He alerted police, who found the trucks abandoned, and then the owner gave police the records that the GPS units kept on where the vehicles had been. Using the information provided by the GPS devices, police were able to apprehend the thieves and recover other stolen merchandise as well.

A GPS vehicle tracking unit in your car will allow you to find out its current location, as well as track its movements, any stops it has made, its speed, and pretty much all the information you could want about your car’s location and activities. If your car is stolen while you work, all you’ll have to do is head to the computer, find out where the car is, and let police know. Without the GPS tracking unit, it may be impossible to locate your car before it is stripped for parts and destroyed in a chop shop.

GPS tracking is worth the investment. In Florida, the tow trucks’ tracking units cost about $300 to purchase and install, and an additional $20 each month. However, the units more than paid for themselves since according to the owner, without those GPS units the trucks, which are worth a great deal more than the GPS units, would not have been recovered.

Probably the best way to find your car if it is stolen is to be able to follow the thief to the vehicle’s location, and with GPS vehicle tracking, you can securely and accurately locate and follow your car – and recover it.

By Greg Bartlett

With 1,095,769 cars stolen in 2007, a vehicle is stolen every 28.8 seconds in the United States, costing people around $7.4 billion in losses. Many of these vehicles are never found again, and because of the money involved, automobile thieves will typically continue to steal vehicles until they are stopped.

Protecting your vehicle from auto theft involves parking in lighted areas, locking your car, and hiding valuables when you leave your vehicle.

But GPS tracking can provide added security and can help you recover your vehicle if it is stolen.

One GPS tracking company reports that it recovers around 90% of stolen vehicles equipped with their GPS devices, usually within about 24 hours. They have helped to recover billions of dollars’ worth of vehicles through their GPS system. Since GPS can locate and track a vehicle in the event it is stolen, most GPS companies can provide similar services to help protect your vehicle.

In California a couple weeks ago, a vehicle equipped with GPS tracking was stolen and the owner started tracking it as soon as he realized it was missing. His tracking information showed where the vehicle had been taken, and it also recorded a stop the truck had made, where its cargo was unloaded. When police investigated, they were not only able to recover the man’s stolen truck, but also to uncover and end a large theft ring. GPS vehicle tracking was important in the quick return of the vehicle rather than the weeks it might have taken to find it – if it had been found at all.

Another company reported a similar event, where a GPS device in Kansas helped police track down and recover a truck hours after it was stolen. The company has helped to recover around 40,000 vehicles through its GPS devices, which can be activated in the event of an auto theft so that it slows the car down to just a few miles an hour, making it practically impossible to escape with the vehicle.

GPS devices have become a popular way to help protect vehicles and prevent theft. Most devices can be used to send an alert for help if an emergency arises, and many can also turn off or partially disable your car if it is stolen. Furthermore, since GPS tracking knows exactly where your vehicle is and can monitor its every movement, finding your car if it is stolen will be quick and easy.

By Greg Bartlett

Some people are very car-conscious. They are careful to ensure that their cars have their oil changes at the proper time, that their tires have the right amount of air and are in good condition, and that everything else is running properly. They may wash their vehicles routinely and clean the insides as well. It’s a wise choice to be concerned about the condition of your car, but proper care for your vehicle involves more than gas, oil, tune-ups, and cleaning.

It also involves safety for your vehicle.

Of course, there’s driving safety to be concerned about, but there’s also the safety of ensuring that your vehicle won’t be stolen or at least can be found if it is stolen. But how is that possible? It’s not like your car will call you if it’s stolen and let you know where it is located.

On the other hand, maybe it will.

One couple recently bought a new vehicle, and upon returning home after going to a car wash they were approached by two car thieves with a gun. The thieves took the new car as well as the couple’s other car. The other car, however, had a GPS tracking device inside it, so vehicles’ owners were able to track the car and send police to the cars’ location. Both vehicles were together, and were restored to their owners.

Owners who place a GPS tracking device inside their car are often able to recover their vehicle if it is stolen, sometimes within a few hours. The faster you can recover your car, the faster you can go back to doing what you need to do – whether heading to the mall, going to work, or picking up the kids from school – and the less likely your vehicle will be permanently lost.

A GPS tracking device is able to speed up the recovery process because it can track your car wherever it goes. If it’s stolen, you can find out where it went and help police to recover your car.

Some GPS tracking systems can be set up so that if the vehicle goes outside a certain area or is drive during certain times of the day, you will be instantly alerted by phone call, text message, or email.

Your car really can call you to let you know it’s been moved! With a GPS tracking device, mechanical upkeep, and cleaning, you can ensure that you are taking proper care of your car.

By Greg Bartlett

Every 28.8 seconds, a vehicle is stolen. In 2007, that equaled over 1 million stolen cars and a loss of about $7.4 billion. Some cars are more commonly targeted than others. Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys dominate the top of the list of most stolen cars, and have for about three years. If you’re like my family and have a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry, that may make you even more concerned about the issue of car theft.

Unfortunately, recovering stolen cars doesn’t occur as often as owners hope. In 2007, about 12.6% of auto theft cases were cleared by arrests, the same percentage as in 2006. One of the ways that officials say are helping to recover more stolen cars is with GPS vehicle tracking. In fact, studies show that around 90% of vehicles with GPS tracking units are recovered by police and returned to their owners.

GPS vehicle tracking allows you to know where your vehicle is at all times. While this may be helpful for everyday activities, such as when you want to know where one of your family members took the car, it is very useful if your vehicle is ever stolen. Police can locate your vehicle, track it if it is driven away, and often recover the vehicle within a few minutes or hours. Sometimes they are able to apprehend the thief, too.

Recently a car thief in Georgia learned the hazards of stealing a car with a GPS tracking device inside. He took off down the road, but the car was a police bait car designed to help catch the individual responsible for a recent string of auto thefts. The police knew the moment he stole the vehicle and activated the device which turned off the engine and locked the doors, trapping the thief inside. Then they drove out and arrested him.

Police aren’t the only ones to use and benefit from GPS vehicle tracking. Many individuals are putting GPS devices inside their cars, and, if their vehicles are stolen, are able to send police to recover them right away – and usually get them back. Some GPS systems also have the option to turn off the car and lock the doors, like the bait car in Georgia.

Whether or not you drive one of the typically targeted cars, keeping your car safe is important. If your vehicle is stolen, you can increase the possibility of it being recovered with GPS vehicle tracking.

Rocky Mountain Tracking’s new Smart Track GPS Tracking System features on demand web-based tracking and it can also help you to recover  your vehicle if it is stolen.

With the Smart Track, you pay when you track and you do not pay when the device is not at work. At your command, the Smart Track will give you an update on your vehicle’s current location. Each command is considered one “locate.” You can customize your use of the Smart Track to fit your needs. You can get a pay as you go plan or choose from several annual plans, with the option of adding more locates to whatever plan you choose. You can also share locates with all of your vehicles.

Auto theft is on the rise in the U.S. A vehicle is stolen about every 20 seconds. An anti theft device such as an alarm system may not stop car theft. In most cases, people are unalarmed by car alarms because car alarms go off so often the sound has become commonplace. Some car alarms shut off as soon as the door is closed. Even if an alarm does grab the attention of those around the vehicle, most people are not willing to risk their life to stop the criminal in the act, and in fact they shouldn’t. If you see your vehicle being stolen, what you should do is alert the police with a call on your cell phone if you can make the call discreetly. You wouldn’t want to put yourself in harms way to make the call.  Using a GPS tracking device can help you and the police find your vehicle.

Visit Rocky Mountain Tracking to learn more about the Smart Track GPS Tracking System.