GPS Tracking Service: Fuel Theft
GPS Tracking Stops Fuel Theft
Businesses and municipalities are using their GPS vehicle tracking systems to identify problem drivers selling fuel from company vehicles or mis-using company fuel cards. Fleet managers have tried a variety of methods to combat fuel theft since the cost of fuel became painful in the past two years. Some fleets have installed their own fuel pumps and others have installed RFID readers on each vehicle to dispense fuel into company vehicles only. Other options rely upon monitoring fuel card or credit card usage. These systems have been useful but can be expensive in terms of hardware or labor. And none get down to the core issue of why fuel is purchased in the first place - to move your vehicle a specified distance on company business. Nothing else gives you the flexibility to remotely monitor the miles travelled by your fleet and calculate the miles per gallon of fuel purchased as a GPS vehicle tracking system with mileage reporting.
Managers know that just because fuel went into a company vehicle doesn't mean it wasn't pumped out and sold or used for an employee's personal vehicle. Just because a company fuel card was used at an appropriate place doesn't mean it was pumped into a company vehicle, either. Supervisors have identified "UFT" (Un-authorized Fuel Transfer) locations and created "Geo-Fences" around them to identify when a vehicle goes to a vacant lot for no reason and meets a truck with a fuel pump.
While it is difficult to quantify the total fuel lost due to employee theft or misuse (since most fuel losses go un-noticed), a December, 2008 Indiana Inspector General's report outlined the exploits of just one State employee:
The inspector "determined that this employee used his INDOT credit card to make approximately 186 unauthorized purchases for 4,837 gallons of unleaded gasoline at a cost of $15,779.46. He verified that the vehicle number entered for these purchases was for vehicles this employee did not have access to or were not motor vehicles. In addition, many purchases were made while the employee was on days off, vacation days, sick days or personal days. The employee’s supervisor confirmed that the employee would not have been driving an INDOT vehicle and should not have purchased fuel on days he did not work. Agent Boehmer also confirmed that the employee should have been purchasing diesel fuel for the vehicles to which he was assigned".
The report continued: "Furthermore, the last day the employee worked was September 19, 2008. He applied for medical disability and his employment was terminated on November 19, 2008. While on disability and before his termination, the employee made approximately fifty-four (54) purchases even though he was not driving an INDOT vehicle during that time. The employee did not turn in receipts for any unauthorized purchases but turned in receipts for legitimate purchases".
If one employee can steal over $15,000 worth of fuel it seems likely that there are many such thefts that go undetected because they are smaller quantities or the oversight is less vigilent.
Many businesses and municipalities have fought back with a GPS vehicle tracking system like the one offered by TrackerSystems.net, where it's easy to run a report weekly or monthly for an entire fleet, enter the fuel purchased for each vehicle and see the miles-per-gallon returned by each vehicle. You can pinpoint problem vehicles and identify when fuel was mis-appropriated. Of course, you can identify use of the vehicle at unauthorized times to curb personal use of company vehicles and identify inefficient routes to improve travel cost per job.
For more information on reducing fuel costs and fuel theft in particular, contact the Tracker Systems GPS Vehicle Location sales department at (561) 886-2099 or (877) 872-2521.
