A remote engine cut-off is a relay wired into the vehicle and controlled by its GPS tracker. When an authorised manager sends the command from the tracking platform, the engine is blocked, and the vehicle’s position keeps updating on the map so it can be recovered. GT AFRIK fits engine cut-offs with its own technicians in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi (also covering Kolwezi and Likasi) and Brazzaville. GPS tracking starts from US$25 per month and a vehicle is typically live within 24 hours.
How a remote engine cut-off works
- The wiring. A technician installs a relay on a circuit the engine needs to start or run, and connects it to an output of the GPS tracker. The tracker is hidden in the vehicle, so the relay is not easy to find.
- The command. An authorised manager selects the vehicle on the platform and sends the cut-off command. It travels over the mobile network to the tracker.
- The result. The tracker switches the relay and the engine is blocked. The position keeps updating every 30 seconds while the network is available, so you can see where the vehicle is and send someone to it.
- Restoring the engine. Once the vehicle is recovered, the manager sends the command to release the relay and the vehicle can be started again.
The guide to how a GPS tracker works explains how positions are calculated and sent over the 2G network.
When to use it, and when not to
The cut-off is a recovery tool. Typical situations are a vehicle stolen from a parking area, a vehicle used at night without permission, or a vehicle that leaves an agreed zone and does not answer calls. In plain words: use it to stop a vehicle from going further, not to punish a driver.
Safety first. Blocking the engine of a vehicle that is moving fast can cause an accident, for the driver and for others on the road. As a general rule, check on the live map that the vehicle has stopped, or is moving slowly in a safe place, before sending the command. If the vehicle is stolen, inform the police and let them handle the recovery.
Who should be allowed to cut an engine
- Give the right to send the command to one or two named people, not to everyone who can see the map.
- Write down the rule: in which situations the engine may be cut, who decides, and who goes to the vehicle.
- Tell drivers that the vehicle is equipped. A known cut-off discourages misuse; it should never be a surprise during a normal trip.
Alerts that tell you when to act
A cut-off is only useful if you know quickly that something is wrong. On the GT AFRIK platform the usual triggers arrive on WhatsApp:
- Ignition alerts when a vehicle starts outside working hours.
- Geofence alerts when a vehicle leaves a depot, a parking area or the city.
- Tamper alerts: trackers can report when they are disconnected from power, or when a vehicle is moved with the ignition off, for example towed [2].
The GPS fleet tracking platform page lists the other alerts, and the daily fleet checklist shows how to review them every morning.
Without mobile network
The command needs the mobile network to reach the tracker. A vehicle in an area without coverage receives it only when it reconnects. Meanwhile a Teltonika tracker keeps recording its positions in internal memory and sends them, with their original times, when the connection returns [1]. Always read the time of the last update on the map before deciding what to do.
What a remote engine cut-off will not do
- It does not stop a vehicle safely at high speed: that is why the safety rule above matters.
- It does not replace a police report or your insurer’s procedure after a theft.
- It does not protect what is inside the tank: for diesel theft, see fuel monitoring and the diesel theft detection guide.
Price and installation
The engine cut-off is an option added to the tracker, like a fuel sensor or a dashcam. GT AFRIK’s GPS tracking starts from US$25 per month, and the written quote gives the price for your vehicles and options; the GPS tracker price guide explains what a quote includes. Installation is done by GT AFRIK’s own technicians; for truck fleets, see heavy truck fleet tracking in DRC, and for vehicles in the capital, GPS tracking in Kinshasa.