Fuel theft is a problem that is getting worse with rising fuel prices. Indeed, the frequency of declared flights doubled between 2021 and 2022. This resurgence is of great concern to transport and logistics professionals, for whom fleet management is becoming a real challenge.
Combating fuel theft
The frequency of fuel thefts is increasing as fuel prices rise. The number of declared flights thus doubled between 2021 and 2022.
Background and challenges
For carriers, the approach to reducing consumption must be accompanied by measures to protect against improper sampling.
According to a survey conducted in 2015 on a fleet of 500 trucks, fuel theft was estimated at 1000 liters per year per truck, or the equivalent of a 20-liter can per week and per vehicle. The increase in fuel prices is stimulating the development of flights.
In France, the victim of fuel theft rarely files a complaint. There is no insurance to reimburse this damage, and the chances of recovering stolen fuel are almost zero if there was no egregious offense. Declaring a flight is perceived as a waste of time by carriers, who prefer punctuality to avoid contractual penalties.
In addition, thieves in France enjoy a certain degree of impunity, unlike Portugal or Eastern Europe where thieves risk physical reprisals.
Internal flight and external flight
The strikes that caused the fuel shortage in the fall of 2022 prompted some hitherto honest drivers to take fuel from their own tanks to help out a loved one. This behavior persists even after returning to normal.
Siphoning is facilitated by the availability of inexpensive pear pumps, operating by communicating vessels, or electric pumps capable of sampling up to 50 liters per minute silently.
Precise monitoring of consumption helps to limit internal theft. The immobilization of the vehicle due to a pierced tank or a broken cap is dreaded, which explains why nearly 80% of traffic jams are not locked. When they are, other accesses to the tank (dipstick, drain plug, pipes) remain vulnerable.
In addition, driving with B100 biodiesel and reporting its incompatibility on the vehicle has only a limited effect, as the thief does not always read the instructions or acts in the dark.
Thieves profile and impact
- Individual : samples limited to a few tens of liters.
- Organized network : almost complete emptying of the tank, with trucks equipped with 1000-liter tanks, operating near or at a distance from the targeted vehicles.
Stolen fuel is generally sold at around 1 euro per liter.
Drivers in Western Europe no longer pay their expenses in cash, but this is still common among some drivers coming from Eastern Europe. Some embezzle fuel funds and claim to have lost supporting documents.
In Africa, the resale of fuel is often the main source of remuneration for drivers.
Solutions available on the market
Locking traffic jams and anti-siphoning inserts can cause breakages that immobilize the vehicle, increasing damage.
Several solutions are marketed, in particular by:
- Fleetenergies (formerly AlertGasoil)
- Geoloc (Fuel Sentinel, Tank Protect, anti-siphonnage.com)
- Securifuel (formerly G-Keep, Optimum Automotive)
These solutions detect the opening of the tank, suspicious drops in level, trigger alarms, and send alerts localized, while resisting interference attempts.
François Traoré, president of Geoloc, affirms that he is ready to take back his equipment if it does not satisfy users, insisting on the need to avoid fake ones alerts.
Key technology: ultra-precise and autonomous gauge
The original gauges are often inaccurate and inoperable with the engine off. An alert gauge must therefore be autonomous.
The Geoloc gauge, for example, is calibrated to detect a level variation equivalent to 1/250th of the tank, or less than 4 liters in a 900 liter tank.
It also integrates the GPS position to confirm the relevance of the alert.
The gauge also compensates for variations due to vehicle load, ambient temperature, or the engine running.
Precise information on the volume present makes it possible to verify the consistency with the declared fill-ups, facilitating the detection of thefts at the time of filling.
Alarms and alerts
The sound and light alarm is only useful if the driver is on board, which is not always the case in public works.
A silent alert (SMS, notification) is preferable to allow discreet intervention and a flagrante delicto.
It is possible to program an alarm timer to outsmart the thief.
Flexibility and integration
The integration of anti-theft data into other IT systems via API, or the use of existing telematics boxes, are important assets.
The relevant detection of fuel theft requires a mature, reliable device, and validated by field experience.
#gestion_de_flotte, #alertes, #IA
