Cargo theft can be avoided; operations and safety departments or workers must collaborate to prevent cargo theft. Here are some loss prevention guidelines for motor carriers and drivers to help them reduce the danger of theft.
SECURITY TIPS FOR DRIVERS
Do not discuss your shipment over the radio, phone, or in public; cargo robbers listen as well.
Variate your delivery route whenever feasible.
Always use a heavy-duty padlock to secure truck doors and all trailer and container doors.
Keep the tractor windows rolled up until you’re on the highway.
Always carry identification information for the tractors, trailers, chassis, or containers you are towing. License numbers, container numbers, and physical qualities are among the details. Without this information, law enforcement cannot investigate a cargo theft.
Maintain constant contact with your dispatcher and notify him/her of anything strange or unusual.
When feasible, travel directly to your delivery location without stopping.
Be extremely cautious right after taking up your burden. The vast majority of hijackings take place within a few kilometers of the pickup location. Freeway on- and off-ramps are especially hazardous.
If you are hijacked or your load is taken, call the local police immediately at 911. Then dial your 24-hour dispatch number.
Only stop at respected truck stations along your route, and don’t stop at the same spot every time.
Stopping on nighttime roadways or in isolated places to make deliveries is not permitted.
Never carry your burden home, and never leave it unattended.
Keep an eye out for automobiles following your truck and others inquiring about what you’re hauling.
Be wary of anyone requesting that you pull over because of a claimed traffic accident. (This trick is regularly used by hijackers to convince cars to halt) If you are unclear whether an accident happened, go to a police station or a well-lit, busy crossroads before coming to a complete stop.
SECURITY TIPS FOR MOTOR CARRIERS
PERSONNEL
Reduce the number of personnel who have access to shipment data.
Set up a reporting method that includes a sizable remuneration plan so that business drivers and other personnel may and will disclose information about potential illegal activities.
All staff with access to cargo areas, including vendors, contractors, maintenance workers, and clerical workers, must submit a complete application that includes a photograph and a list of addresses and previous jobs for the previous 10 years, if relevant. All applications are reviewed to ensure that the address and previous employment are correct.
Request that applicants detail all cars utilized for work, including license numbers and descriptions.
Install padlocks on all pickup and delivery vehicles, and compel drivers to lock all doors when they leave their vehicles.
eep a random drug testing regime in place, including “probable cause” testing.
Put in place a “no-stop” policy for truckers picking up containers for local deliveries.
Create a driving handbook that outlines the regulations so that drivers may be held accountable. (For example, laws on halting en route and parking cargo in insecure places should be covered by rules) Inform drivers that they will be fired if they break these regulations as part of the employment process.
Ensure that each driver has a 24-hour phone number for people in management to call in the event of an emergency.
PHYSICAL SECURITY
Spot-check the guards on an irregular basis to ensure they are executing their obligations.
Put the guards in an unreachable location where they can watch the activity at your facility while remaining secure and safe from attack. Ascertain that they are aware of who to contact in the event of an issue.
Establish clear protocols for the types of documents necessary before a driver is permitted to leave the yard. Hold security guards responsible for getting these documents.
Provide your own security or employ a trustworthy guard agency. Inquire about the service’s recruiting processes. Insist on the same background checks for its guards as you do for your drivers.
After normal business hours, restrict yard access.
OPERATIONAL PRACTICES
Make sure you keep detailed records on all the equipment in your yard overnight, including license plate numbers, containers, and trailer numbers.
Accept no late deliveries that you cannot unload on the same day.
Check your yard at various times of the day.
Get to know the police officers in your neighborhood. Make a point of familiarizing them with your operational processes.
Install high-quality pin locks on trailers or containers that are left overnight in your yard.
Install time-lapse video cameras in your yard so that a driver and tractor-trailer may be readily identified as they leave the yard.
Installing gasoline cut-off valves, tracking systems, and other security mechanisms on your equipment is a good idea. All trailer and container doors should be secured with heavy-duty padlocks.
Loaded trucks or containers should not be left in your yard overnight.
*Information adapted from the Western States Cargo Theft Association.
