Combat fuel theft with real-time tracking of your vehicle fleet data.
As the challenges facing the logistics sector demand ever-more precise management of costs and time, fleet managers can no longer rely solely on tracking their vehicles’ locations via an onboard GPS device. With fuel prices rising, drivers may be tempted to misuse their fuel cards for personal gain by diverting some of the diesel intended for their vehicles. This type of fraud appears to be increasingly widespread, prompting fleet managers to adopt solutions that can monitor numerous vehicle parameters in real time, such as those offered by Echoes.
We interviewed a transport company based south of Paris that specializes in refrigerated and medical transport throughout Europe. Its clients include major players in third-party logistics, as well as French companies specializing in luxury goods. Its 180 employees consist of 90 light-duty vehicle drivers, 80 heavy-duty truck drivers, and about ten administrative staff members.
Location and deadline constraints
Unlike logistics companies specializing in “last-mile” delivery, this company transports goods only from hub to hub. Deliveries are made throughout Europe, Monday through Friday, using 180 light and heavy-duty vehicles, the majority of which are refrigerated trucks and/or trucks specialized in medical transport. In France, shipments are primarily north-south bound, along the A6/A7 highways, with a typical delivery time of D+1. Since trucks are generally assigned to a single driver, there is little to no scheduling to manage. However, given its strong focus on the medical and luxury sectors, the company faces several specific challenges:
- The market value of certain shipments, sometimes accompanied by the customer’s requirement to track their location in real time.
- Tight delivery deadlines, along with the need to track the shipment’s progress in real time and provide proof in the event of a dispute — which can help avoid paying late fees.
That’s why we needed a system for geolocation and real-time vehicle tracking. A few years ago, we signed up for a GPS tracking system, which worked well.
The fleet manager — refrigerated & medical transport company
12,000 liters of fuel are stolen each year
Unfortunately, in recent years, a new scourge has emerged: fuel theft by unscrupulous drivers. “We’ve already experienced several instances of fuel theft, for example one involving 3,000 liters and another involving 6,000 liters,” laments our interviewee. The method is simple: the fuel card provided by the company is used to fill a container other than the truck’s tank, without anyone noticing. A simple jerry can used at every fill-up can thus siphon off hundreds of liters per month.
10,000 to 12,000 liters diverted per year: that is the estimated fraud for this single company — a net loss of nearly €20,000 including tax.
This is why geolocation needs to be supplemented with real-time fuel data tracking, “something our previous app did not offer.” By collecting, in real time, the data that vehicles natively transmit to the manufacturer via an onboard 4G/5G chip, Echoes can track numerous parameters within its CarFleet app, including:
- Location and trip history.
- Total mileage and the distance traveled on each leg.
- Tank or battery level.
- A detailed history of fill-ups — and of charging sessions for electric vehicles.
- Fuel consumption.
CarFleet, the anti-fraud solution for fleet managers
With this data, nothing is easier for the fleet manager than reconciling the fill-ups recorded in CarFleet with those billed by the fuel supplier.
All we have to do is compare the records from our AS24 refiner with the Echoes data to quickly spot any discrepancy and take action.
The fleet manager — refrigerated & medical transport company
No fraud has been detected since CarFleet was implemented at the company in question. Undoubtedly, internal communication about the tool acts as a deterrent for employees who might otherwise have been tempted. With 20 compatible brands, CarFleet is now the most comprehensive anti-fraud solution on the market — no device installation, no work on the vehicle, and no commitment.
Want to regain control of your fuel data? See CarFleet applied to your own use cases.
