GPS & Qualcomm

Tracking a Truck Driver Using GPS (00:02:28)
Buck Rogers: Important evidence that we secure in every collision investigation or at least in the discovery process is GPS coordinates for the subject tractor trailer. This is usually in conjunction with the Qualcomm or other communication device on the truck. Now these Qualcomm systems in conjunction with GPS are set to ping and send a satellite signal to the terminal every hour. Now the hours may be set per unit or they may be based on the sum of hourly, particular location for the terminal, but they'll do it every hour. They also will ping every time the trailer is separated from the tractor. This is for a security reason and not for the safety of the public. But you can see when a load is dropped or when one is hooked up. You can also see where a driver may have separated from his load for whatever reason. These separations usually have to be authorized and they have to be in secure drop spots. Occasionally, a driver will drop a loaded trailer in an unauthorized location which could lead to a safety issue. Now when we get the GPS data we are able to figure out exactly where the tractor trailer was each and every hour. We can then cross reference that to the logs which will indicate where the driver claims to have been at different times of the day. More importantly, we'll cross reference it with other data like comm data, which is like a credit card drivers use to purchase fuel and oil and other necessities on the road, and weight tickets or inspections they may get along the road. And, also, their cell phone records, showing the tower that sent the call through. In a rare instance, when a driver is involved in a collision, and either flees the scene or doesn't, isn't even aware he was involved in a collision, we've been able to use GPS data in order to figure out which tractor trailer was involved in the collision. In one case, we had a call, a 911 call at 5:27 A.M. and we had a ping from a subject trailer at 5:20 within three to five miles of the location in the A.M. So this enabled us to narrow down which vehicle was involved in the subject collision that happened to be a pedestrian incident in which the pedestrian was killed in the collision, so we had no other information other than the GPS to find the subject tractor trailer.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• GPS
• Qualcomm