This Fact Sheet explores telematics jamming and provides organisations with guidance on how to identify and manage this risk.

Why does this matter?

The capacity for employees, contractors, consigners, insurers, to name a few, to monitor the safe movement of their vehicles and goods has been achieved through telematics, also known as In-vehicle Monitoring Systems (IVMS). Alongside the increased usage of telematics has been the emergence of ‘jamming tools’ which actively block the signal to / from the device. Anecdotally, this appears to be a growing issue in the United Kingdom where businesses with fleets have begun to be alerted to their use through discussions with their peers. Nick Croft from Road Safety Support has been championing awareness of IVMS jamming in the United Kingdom and was questioning the awareness and preparedness of Australian fleet managers.

What is telematics?

Telematics systems offer opportunities to reduce accidents involving heavy vehicles by improving driver performance through tracking a vehicle’s operation through a combination of GPS, sensors within the vehicle and interaction with a vehicle’s onboard computer based on organisational and operational requirements. Comparisons can then be made against performance parameters as set by the organisation.