For fleet owners and truck drivers operating in an increasingly complex risk environment, understanding criminal activity patterns is operationally critical. Data-driven insights, such as those from Tracker, are becoming essential tools in route planning, driver awareness and asset protection. The company’s recently released national Vehicle Crime Index covering July to December 2025 shows a drop in criminal activity over the December holiday period while truck hijackings remain the major risk.
While one may feel this is perhaps outdated as we are now in April, not so. The Tracker stats are an invaluable risk assessment tool for fleet managers, providing reliable data on when and where criminals are most active, allowing for adaptive behaviours, tighter controls and reduced exposure.
Festive slowdown masks underlying risk
The Vehicle Crime Index reveals a notable decline in vehicle crime over the past festive season, with both theft and hijacking of personal and business-owned vehicles dropping in December.
Overall, vehicle crime during the festive season fell by around 30%, driven largely by a 35% reduction in theft of business-owned vehicles.
This seasonal dip is attributed to shifting driving and parking patterns, as businesses close and routine transport activity slows. Fewer vehicles on the road and in predictable locations reduce opportunities for criminals – but the trend is far from uniform across regions.
Gauteng, the country’s vehicle crime hotspot, follows the national pattern with a December decline. However, KwaZulu-Natal maintains relatively stable crime levels, while the Western Cape diverges sharply.
In that province, crime involving privately owned vehicles drops, but business-owned vehicles experience their highest levels of theft and hijacking during December. Increased activity in tourist and hospitality zones, coupled with ongoing delivery operations, appears to create opportunities for opportunistic crime.
SAPS alignment highlights provincial anomalies
The findings broadly align with data from the South African Police Service, which also indicates a general decline in vehicle crime during the final quarter of the year – with the Western Cape again standing out as an exception, particularly in cases of vehicle theft and truck hijacking.
For fleet operators, this reinforces the importance of regional risk profiling. A national trend may suggest reduced threat levels but localised spikes – especially in economically active or tourism-driven areas – require targeted mitigation strategies.
Hijackings dominate fleet risk profile
One of the most significant insights for the transport sector is the disproportionate risk faced by business-owned vehicles. Nationally, hijackings occur at double the rate of theft for fleet vehicles, highlighting the direct threat to drivers and cargo.
By contrast, privately owned vehicles show a near-even split, with theft slightly more prevalent at 52% compared to 48% for hijackings.
Temporal patterns also provide actionable intelligence. Hijackings peak during the week, particularly on Tuesdays between 16:00 and 21:00, while theft is more common over weekends, especially on Saturdays between 11:00 and 16:00.
For fleets specifically, the pattern shifts slightly. Hijackings are most likely on Wednesdays between 16h00 and 21h00, while theft peaks on Fridays between 11h00 and 21h00 – a window that coincides with increased logistics activity and end-of-week delivery cycles.
Recovery efforts and operational vigilance
Tracker reports recovering 3 590 vehicles in the second half of 2025, assisting in 127 arrests and recovering 12 firearms – a reminder that proactive tracking and rapid response remain critical components of fleet security.
Duma Ngcobo, Chief Operating Officer at Tracker, cautions against complacency: “While the numbers may reduce over the holiday period, it’s essential to remain alert to your surroundings – crime hasn’t stopped.”
Editor’s comment: For fleet operators, the takeaway is clear – a seasonal dip in crime is not a signal to relax but an opportunity to refine strategy. The data underscores a persistent reality: criminals adapt quickly to changing patterns in logistics and mobility. Fleets that leverage this intelligence – aligning driver awareness, route planning and operational timing with known risk windows – will be better positioned to protect assets, cargo and, most importantly, lives.
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