A satellite-controlled tracking system developed by G4S is helping to combat truck hijackers stealing millions of dollars of goods across Latin America.

Latest official figures show there are more than 2,000 hijackings a year in Argentina alone with estimated losses of US$250,000 per incident.

The situation in Mexico and Brazil is even worse with an estimated 17,000 trucks robbed each year. Globally the crime is thought to cause US$30bn worth of losses each year.

In a bid to deter the hijackers G4S Argentina is updating its SecureTrip system, developed over the past 10 years for a global consumer product company’s logistics operations in the country.

The platform allows a G4S team based at the customer’s control room to remotely track in detail the comings and goings of its 2,000-vehicle fleet.

Whenever one of the customer’s trucks in Argentina begins a journey, it is entered onto the SecureTrip platform, after which its GPS signal is monitored both by the system and an on-site operator.

The operators then follow the journey step-by-step and take actions in real-time where required – whether that’s advising the driver on the best route to take, or responding to criminal activity.

SecureTrip is also capable of streamlining fleet operations, identifying where efficiencies can be made to save money.

“As well as improving security in transit, SecureTrip monitors arrival and departure time accuracy and reduces slack time,” explained Martin Codini, Sales Manager (Technology), G4S Argentina.

“The system allows us to reduce the amount of time trucks wait to collect or deliver goods, cut down on additional stops during a journey – such as if the driver is lost or takes a different route that is less cost-effective ­– and improve both delivery times and fuel efficiency by monitoring speed.

“According to our estimates, through SecureTrip, we can save up to 2.125% of a customer’s total transport costs, a significant amount.”

Currently worth over US$3bn, the Latin American transportation safety and security market is expected to grow to US$5.14bn in 2019 – with growth driven primarily by new government initiatives.

Martin Codini added: “Given the current picture in Latin America and increasing recognition both from businesses and governments about what needs to be done to mitigate the risks, it’s clear there is a market for a technological solution such as SecureTrip.

“It is highly flexible and can easily be adapted into a product for other regions. We hope to be able to roll the platform out on a wider basis in Latin America in the near future.”

Notes to Editors

Further information about the statistics used in this piece can be found in a study into logistics in Argentina by the World Bank.