There are a myriad of businesses in the USA that need to run multiple vehicles. Perhaps you own a taxi company, a delivery service, it could even be a private airfield. Whatever kind of fleet your business operates, its security should be on your mind. In 2020 alone there were 810 thousand vehicles stolen. Many of them are taken from businesses and business owners. It pays to look after your security and there are a few ways to do so.
At Nimbio, we often come into contact with businesses looking to gate off and protect their vehicles and assets. There are a number of ways to increase fleet vehicle security and we’ll share our experiences here along with our tips. By following them, you can reduce the chance of vehicle theft or damage and all the headache that follows.
Secure Stationary Vehicles With An Electric Gate System
If you hold vehicles in a certain location for any given amount of time, you’ll need to ensure they’re safe. However, this can be difficult if vehicles are constantly coming and going.
Imagine owning your own delivery or courier business. Vans and trucks are constantly coming in and out to pick up more packages or parcels. It can be hard to properly secure assets when they’re always moving in and out. Historically, you’d either have to:
- Restrict business flow by having a manned gate
- Get rid of the gate and enjoy easier flow of traffic, with less security
Nowadays, electric gate access systems have come on in leaps and bounds. Manual and even buzzer entry systems are a thing of the past. Even pin codes are frustrating. Each of those systems take time to get the vehicle in and out of your premises. Time is vital for your driver: A taxi driver needs to pick up their fare, whereas a delivery driver has to get through a certain amount of work. Stopping to input an entry code is time consuming and holds things up.
If you’re putting emphasis on security and ease of access to keep your business flowing, cellular access technology is the best gate access control system available to you.
Being able to open and close an electric gate with a smartphone makes things so much easier to get in and out with pace. It also ensures no breakages in security. For example, with a four digit entry code, it’s easy for the code to be shared further than your team.
With a cellular access system like Nimbio, a master key controls other keys (smartphones via an app), so you can easily add and remove people.
The key takeaway here is that an electric gate will provide security, but a cellular electric gate does a lot more. Your stationary vehicles are safe and secure, while allowing your vehicles that are in use fast, and secure access.
Practice Good Gate Access Control System Rules
The more vehicles that pass through an electric gate, the more chance there is for accidents to happen. Especially if your fleet uses large, heavy vehicles. With unwieldy trucks it only takes a small tap against the gate or a post and you can cause some heavy damage. If you want to keep your compound secure, you need to ensure the gate is in working order.
In a busy work environment, it’s easy for mistakes to happen. Here are some rules to think about that can help your gate access control system stay online for longer:
- No tailgating through the gate. One vehicle at a time unless you’ve got the gate set to a scheduled hold open.
- Know your turning arc. This is important if you have limited space beyond the gate. Practice the turning arc with new employees so there’s less chance of bumping the gate.
- Don’t force the gate against the system. It can break the mechanism.
Each business, and compound, might have specific rules in place relevant to where you operate, but putting these down somewhere and ensuring everyone follows them can serve you well.
Proper Lighting Is Vital
If people can see where they’re going, there’s far less chance they’re going to damage the gate. Good lighting also gives off the impression that there are people in the facility, even if there isn’t. It acts as a deterrent, much like the gate access control system does.
You should make sure there’s a light in front and behind the gate so your employees can see where it’s safe.
To save energy, you can use a spot lighting system that activates when motion is detected. You see these often in storage facilities. Some of these can be temperamental so make sure they’re working properly. You can also use lighting affixed to CCTV systems.
CCTV is another deterrent and also helps identify perpetrators. A CCTV system covering your gate access control system not only acts as a deterrent, but it shows your employees that anyone who damages the gate will be known…so it could potentially help them take a little more care around the gate.
Reverse Spike Traps Can Work
If, for whatever reason, your gate access security system is compromised and someone manages to steal a vehicle, an activated spike trap will puncture the tires ensuring they won’t get too far beyond the gate. It’s extreme, but losing four tires is better than losing the vehicle and its operational capacity.
You might not need to use spike traps because you can get barriers instead. However, a crash into a barrier can be more damaging than rolling some spike traps.
Key Control
You need to supplement the electric gate as much as possible. Key control is vital. It’s likely you use a lock box…who has the key to the lock box? If your lock box is in a room behind another electric mechanism you can install a cellular access system. You can make any electric lock smart with Nimbio. By doing this, you won’t just control access to the gate, but also access to the key box. You can add and delete those with access with the press of a button.
If people can’t get to the keys, they won’t be able to start the vehicle. However, this might not deter vandals.
Anti Climb Paint
You can use anti-climbing paint on an electric gate to stop people climbing over. To the eye, it looks like normal paint. Unlike normal paint, it doesn’t dry. It remains slightly tacky. It’s harder to climb and leaves a residue so it’s easy to identify the perpetrator later on.
This isn’t a good idea if you touch the gate regularly. With a cellular smart gate, there’s no need to touch the metal because it opens automatically.
Our blog is full of helpful and useful articles for those who own or are considering investing in cellular access control technology. Check out our features page to see exactly what Nimbio can do and our testimonials page to see how cellular technology has helped people. For any key questions have a look at the FAQ’s page, or reach out to us directly.
