A new fully managed vehicle security solution has launched to significantly increase the chances of recovering stolen fleet vehicles.

Leon Hurst, CEO, Mobility for IMS

Developed by global vehicle and driving data business IMS, part of Trak Global Group, the new service provides an end-to-end vehicle security monitoring and recovery solution for firms running fleets.

It’s particularly aimed at commercial fleets, such as vehicle rental, car sharing and leasing firms, as these are most impacted by vehicle theft and are facing core challenges around vehicle security.

But the IMS Vehicle Security Solution is also available for any business with a fleet that has a need for vehicle security.

The solution combines IMS’s expert security services with two hardware options.

Fully managed services include 24/7 monitoring and alerts, recovery and repatriation services, access to a security monitoring portal and the ability to upgrade to other IMS telemetry solutions, including IMS Connected Claims and IMS Driver Behaviour Analysis.

The two hardware options comprise the new IMS Sleeper mini-GPS tracker or the hardwired IMS T7 black box.

The IMS Sleeper device is a battery-powered, self-installable option designed to bring dedicated security monitoring and vehicle recovery at low-cost.

The hardwired IMS T7 black brings a professionally installed hardware option intended for organisations with business requirements beyond vehicle security, such as driver behaviour and advanced vehicle usage monitoring.

Leon Hurst, CEO, Mobility for IMS, said: “The services and hardware options that comprise the IMS Vehicle Security Solution render the best overall value possible given the consumer and market challenges faced by our rental, car sharing, leasing and fleet-based customers. The fact that our new IMS Sleeper device provides a very low-cost way to deploy a solution quicky and easily means customers have more flexibility and choice in the security hardware which is ultimately installed. With this launch, IMS can rapidly tailor solutions and combinations of hardware and services to fit any specific need.”

The solution launches as new Censuswide research shows that commercial vehicle theft is on the rise, due in large part to the increasing number of keyless start vehicles, and to the fact that fewer than 52% of commercial fleet vehicles have GPS tracking devices installed. DVLA statistics indicate that more than 78,000 fleet vehicles stolen in the UK in 2020, but only 45% were recovered.

“The IMS Vehicle Security Solution is poised to help reduce theft and fraud by combining expert-backed services, cutting-edge hardware options, and software which uses sophisticated predictive analytics and machine learning,” added Hurst. “Our solution ensures we are also well equipped to identify early-stage behaviours that suggest inappropriate usage and impending criminal activity, while providing successful outcomes for our customers in case of theft.”