Brien's Services, Inc. Credits Teletrac In Theft Recovery
Around midnight on September 25, 2005, Brien Worrell got a phone call from the Milford, Michigan police.
Around midnight on September 25, 2005, Brien Worrell got a phone call from the Milford, Michigan police. The officers had spotted a gate open at his business, Brien’s Services, Inc., a large landscaping and related services provider. Not a great way to start the day. As soon as Mr. Worrell arrived at his office, he determined that two trucks and trailers loaded with expensive commercial landscaping equipment having a total value of $120,000, were missing. He then immediately activated his Teletrac FleetDirector vehicle location and fleet management system to begin locating the missing vehicles. The system first provided real-time location information for the trucks and trailers which was forwarded to the police. Within 30 minutes, the Michigan State Police had surrounded the two units and secured them. Fortunately, the trucks incurred only minor damage from the break-in. Unfortunately though, all of the landscaping equipment was missing from the trailers. Mr. Worrell then activated the FleetDirector vehicle history-reporting feature which provided a detailed map, with exact times, of where the two trucks had been since being started up and stolen from the yard. The FleetDirector History feature pinpointed a location where the trucks had been stopped for a period of 18 minutes. Armed with the FleetDirector location map, the Milford police drove directly to the address on the map where the trucks had stopped. There, in front of the building hidden under a tarp, was one of Mr. Worrell’s commercial mowers. Having a justifiable cause to believe the other stolen merchandise was inside the structure, a search warrant was quickly obtained, since this type of stolen equipment is usually disposed of within a matter of hours. Upon entering the building, all of Mr. Worrell’s equipment was found, along with a substantial amount of other stolen merchandise. It quickly became obvious his theft was part of a large burglary ring. Amazingly, less than 8 hours after the trucks were stolen from the yard, all equipment had been recovered and was back on the job. “Once again, Teletrac has more than paid for itself”, said Mr. Worrell. He continued with, “We have had Teletrac units since the middle 90’s. The first systems were good, and each subsequent enhancement has made it better and better. It has enabled me to have a complete, and always current, picture of my entire operation. I know where my equipment is and how each crew is performing. I can contact customers and keep them informed of changes. I have the hard facts on when crews start and when they stop and where they have been.”
More Telematics

Inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Two-Track Telematics Strategy
With 20,000 vehicles and two fundamentally different driver populations, the Church faced a fleet management problem that a single telematics program couldn't solve. How it responded offers a replicable framework for any fleet where one size doesn't fit every driver.
Read More →
How Conversational AI Can Make Fleet Tasks Easier for Drivers
While most generative AI tools help fleet managers interpret data at their desks, Connex2X is applying voice interaction to tasks behind the wheel.
Read More →
Why Fleets Are Creating Dedicated Fleet Analyst Positions
Are fleet analyst positions the new norm? Listen here to find out.
Read More →
Teletrac Navman Begins Next Chapter as Standalone Private Company
What's new with Teletrac Navman and its new owner?
Read More →
Why Fleets Are Creating Dedicated Fleet Analyst Positions
Telematics, AI, EVs, and connected technologies are generating more fleet data than traditional teams can effectively manage. Reed Jackson explains why dedicated fleet analytics roles are emerging to turn that information into better operational decisions.
Read More →
Deleting Driver Data Is No Longer Enough in Connected Vehicles
A factory reset may erase what's stored inside a vehicle, but it doesn't always end a former driver's digital connection. Here's how fleets can make digital offboarding part of every vehicle transition to reduce privacy, security, and compliance risks.
Read More →
How AI Can Help Fleet Managers Build Their Own Solutions
Syneos Health Fleet Manager Kristin Leary is exploring how AI-powered development tools, telematics data, and predictive analytics could help fleets solve operational challenges without waiting for a vendor roadmap.
Read More →
Cameras, Safety and Insurance: From Reactive Claims to Real-Time Prevention (Part 2 of 2)
Part Two: Commercial auto remains one of the most challenging and costly lines of coverage for fleet operators and insurers alike. Continue learning more about how to effectively address these issues from Onur Aksan, Enterprise Business Development Executive, Geotab
Read More →
100% Fleet Uptime? Here's Stellantis' Strategy
Keeping commercial vehicles on the road is becoming just as important as getting them into service. Stellantis’ U.S. fleet chief Michael Ferreira shares how connected technology and AI are changing the way fleets manage uptime.
Read More →
Waymo vs. Tesla Robotaxi: Side-by-Side Ride-Hailing Test Highlights Different Approaches to Autonomy
Video comparison in Austin contrasts traditional Uber service with autonomous offerings from Waymo and Tesla Robotaxi.
Read More →
