Only 5 Ways to Stop Diesel Theft! Time to Save Money

Experiencing constant diesel theft from your fleet? Or fearing one day you might? Here are 5 smart ways to stop diesel theft (without delay). Act before you are required to react.

Fuel theft spares no region. It’s a mass-level crime that requires a multifaceted approach involving government authorities, commercial logistics businesses, and even individuals. However, the government is working hard to bring in strict rules and regulations, despite this, these thieves get away with their crimes.

Looks like fleet managers now have to take safety in hand and adopt technological solutions that can prevent such events from taking place.

Here in the following, let’s discuss the best 5 ways you can mitigate and eventually stop diesel theft from happening.

Stopping diesel theft in India is like addressing any form of theft or illegal activity, which is a significant issue, primarily affecting the transportation and agriculture sectors. Here are some strategies that can be employed to prevent diesel theft.

How Does Fuel Theft Happen? Possible Reasons

Before we discuss solutions to how to stop diesel theft, it’s imperative to understand what forces such crimes to take place.

5 Ways How Fuel Theft Happens (Which You’re Aware of)

Reason 1 – Manipulation of Invoices and Bills	Drivers knowingly receive falsified receipts from fuel stations which impacts accurate record-keeping and leads to potential accounting discrepancies.
Reason 2 – Draining Fuel Directly from the Fuel Tank	Many drivers with the vehicle mechanic make some arrangements to capture the diesel returning from the engine line back to the diesel tank.
Reason 3 – Diesel Adulteration – Mixing Biodiesel	The Government has allowed the mixing of biodiesel up to a defined ratio. However, many operators heighten this ratio by diluting diesel with more biodiesel.
Reason 4 – Odometer Reprogramming	Drivers reprogramme, rig, or damage/manipulate the odometer so that it gets difficult to identify the accurate total distance travelled by the vehicle.
Reason 5 – Tricking Covered Miles	Many times drivers update falsely about their fuel spent per mileage. Let’s take an example, generally, an unloaded truck can cover approx. 6 km/liter, whereas a loaded truck would cover less — almost 4 to 4.5 km per liter (it’s basic physics). But drivers falsely inform that throughout their entire trip (up and down), they covered at 6 km/liter.

5 Smart Ways to Stop Diesel Theft in India

It’s time to put your fears of fuel theft aside with these simple and approachable solutions.

1. Opt for Fuel Monitoring Systems

Get Instant Refill/Empty Tank Alerts! Let no thief get away with their deeds!

Fuel monitoring software is the most popular and sought-after solution to prevent diesel theft. It involves the installation of fuel reading sensors (installed on the vehicle tank) and vehicle tracking software solution (operable from the fleet manager’s end).

The installed fuel level sensor on the diesel tank helps capture crucial data such as:

• Vehicle fuel filling (with accurate diesel volume filled on the tank).
• Diesel drainage notification (with location, time, and amount of diesel drained).
• Vehicle mileage report (to know how much fuel was utilised).

All the above-mentioned data is further transferred to the GPS vehicle tracking web application and mobile app. The best thing is that whenever there is even a slight fluctuation in the vehicle’s diesel tank, the fleet manager gets instant notifications. Yes, the thief won’t go that far.

2. Video Telematics (Add Dashcams for Surveillance)

The power of surveillance is never second-guessed! Video telematics solutions featuring AI-enabled dashcams are the new watchdogs of the town. They help you watch over your commercial fleet’s in and out.

Video telematics helps prevent fuel theft with the integration of AI-powered dash cameras into vehicles, offering surveillance around the fuel tank and the vehicle’s surroundings. Onboarding a comprehensive video telematics system helps record quality footage that provides evidence for any suspicious activities.

Driver monitoring systems, as a part of the video telematics system, provide real-time video streaming of the driver’s in-cabin activity. It helps detect events in which a driver is found absent from the cabin and out there planning to trade fuel.

Choose video telematics over regular cameras as they will help you detect thefts and non-compliant activities and take prompt actions.

3. Invest in Diesel Tank Anti-Theft Device

Diesel tank anti-theft devices are on the rise. These devices are designed to prevent unauthorized access to a vehicle’s fuel tank. These devices protect and prevent the draining or siphoning of diesel from trucks or any commercial vehicle type.

Here are a few popular types of anti-theft devices for diesel tanks available in the market.

1. Locking Fuel Caps	These fuel cap locks prevent easy access to fuel tanks. They require a special key or code to open them.
2. Anti-siphoning Devices	Very useful devices to prevent the addition of tubes or hoses, often used for siphoning. It prevents thieves from extracting or drawing fuel.
3. Fuel Tank Alarms	Fuel tank alarms are another trending anti-theft device that triggers an alarm whenever someone tries to break or attempt to breach the fuel tank.
4. Fuel Tank Covers and Guards	Protective covers or guards installed over the fuel tank help physically obstruct access to the tank.

Note – The above types of anti-diesel theft devices for trucks are available from houses of various brands that differ in make, model, complexity, and effectiveness. And might suit only specific vehicle models or industries. But the purpose all serve is the same — that is to protect diesel tanks.

4. Driver Training & Accountability

If you go for comprehensive fuel monitoring systems as a part of feet monitoring solutions, your business can acquire analytical reports. The reports will help depict drivers’ behaviour in the cabin, performance on the road, and duration of any unwanted halts.

By using this data, you can stay informed about the end-to-end behaviour of drivers. You can teach and educate them or simply replace them if such fraudulent activities occur incessantly.

Having vehicle GPS tracking software will help keep drivers always in fear that their activities are being monitored and recorded. One wrong move, and you (as a manager) will know.

💡Something Important Many times, the operating drivers indulge in this unappreciated crime whenever they are undervalued, overburdened with tasks, or paid lower wages for their hard work. It’s high time for fleet managers to appreciate their staff, avoid overburdening them on hectic trips, and pay them fairly.

5. Go for Smart Fuel Cards

Smart cards are the best tool to prevent fuel theft as they can help you keep tabs on every transaction related to fuel spend. More than that, they help prevent unauthorised fuel dispensing. Managers get full control to track usage and monitor limits, which further enables centralized control to reduce the likelihood of any fuel theft.

Here’s Your Final Takeaway!

Smart fleet owners should never overlook diesel theft. It is a serious offense that will dry up your financial resources — if not treated timely. Whether you have a fleet of 1000s or just 10 vehicles, always remember, that judicial use of resources in any case is important. If you haven’t signed up for preventive ways to stop diesel theft, it’s high time you should.

Here’s how smart fleet owners prevent their assets from diesel theft!

You too should do that.

1. By opting for fuel monitoring systems.
2. Adding video telematics systems.
3. Investing in smart fuel cards.
4. Using data to educate drivers drawn from fleet management systems.

Let’s give your fleet management an overhaul with complete fleet management and monitoring solutions.

You are one free demo away!

FAQs on Diesel Theft

• What is diesel theft?

  Diesel theft is an illegal method to drain or siphon fuel from the tanks. Many fleet operators do this activity to drain fuel and sell it further for monetary gains.

• How to stop diesel theft from trucks or any commercial vehicles?

  To stop unauthorized fuel draining from tanks, you should invest in the following methods:
  - Fuel management system (it will alert you whenever there is suspicious drainage from the fuel tanks).
  - Video telematics solutions (installation of dashcams will offer total surveillance in and out of the fleet).
  - Fuel Cards (best option to restrict fuel purchases and prevent manipulation of invoices).