Truck stop app to create ‘heat maps’ of theft hotspots

Truck stop app Motorway Buddy is to broaden its remit to provide a map of cargo theft hotspots.

Following investment from freight insurer TT Club, the app’s developers plan to merge data from the freight unit of the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) to create what it described as “heat maps” displaying recorded cargo and fuel theft incidents by location.

The new function will be added to the app in “two to three months’ time” and the NaVCIS data will be updated on a three-month rolling basis, with the previous 12 months’ constantly visible.

The company said existing account holders will also have the ability to record the characteristics of parking facilities – such as CCTV, secure fencing and whether or not security guards are present – details of which could be made available to operators and insurers in the event of an incident.

The app’s core function is to highlight the location of truck stops in Europe, and it lists more than 300 in the UK. The NaVCIS heat map will initially be limited to the UK but is expected to be rolled out to Europe later on. 

Data from TT Club and British Standards’ 2020 Cargo Theft Report suggests 60% of European reported cargo thefts occur in transit, typically in rest spots or unsecured parking areas.

“Since the inception of Motorway Buddy, our team has always looked at ways of solving the logistics industry’s pain points,” said founder Chris Holloway, “having worked as a driver for over 20 years and alongside trade associations for the past nine, it has become increasingly apparent that freight crime continues to be a major problem throughout Europe and we are now tremendously excited to be working with the TT Club and NaVCIS Freight to help solve this serious issue.”