Recently I have been asking a lot of questions about cargo theft trying to find out how this growing problem is being dealt with.  It has become a hot topic, some people speak about it openly and some tend not to be as open. The problem is real and the number one reason we should pay attention to the problem in my opinion sits in the front seat, the professional driver.

We as companies need to ensure we’re doing everything in our power to protect the driver. I know the customer and their product are important, the goods need to arrive on time, in one piece and ready to be used, sold or whatever their doing with them but the protection and safety of the professional driver is of the upmost importance.

Looking at the cargo from a cargo theft perspective its not only the big ticket items that are on the thief’s radar, it’s stuff that can be moved quickly.  Less than a year ago an industry report in Canada found that the most commonly stolen products were food and drink accounting for 44% of all cargo thefts. That’s not to say the high value items are not being targeted from coast to coast.

Another report from a major insurer shared some key findings in a recent report;

  • Grocery and household items top the list of most commonly stolen products.
  • Meat products are becoming a primary target.
  • Missing lumber loads and heavy equipment is a target in Western Canada.
  • Technology is spurring on growth in the industry which produces new ways for criminals to make off with freight. Thieves are breaching on line broker sights to select high value deliveries and collect them ahead of schedule by assuming a false identity.
  • Holidays are hay season for bad people. Unattended trucks and warehouses become targets.

So what do we do? We need to protect the professional driver and the freight .  If a professional driver knows their being protected and the truck and trailer is being monitored they will feel safer, drive safer, less stress, less chance of accidents.

Technology is out there and getting better and better everyday. We have been working with ISB Global Services for years through a number of their divisions including Making Eligibility Easy (MEE) and ISB Global Services is a trusted provider of supply chain security programs.  ISB’s new cargo loss prevention and supply chain security services help resolve cargo transport and supply chain vulnerabilities and prevent cargo theft and other cargo-related criminal activities which also includes a state-of-the-art crisis response center escalation service that provides police with live tracking capabilities to assist with real-time load recovery.  The PULSE service is affordable and worth looking at.

One of my industry friends who works for one of the best carriers on the planet summed it up best for me, “If my customer knows I have tools and technology that ensures protection of the load, on time deliveries safely and efficiency and my competitor does not have it and the price is in range, I get the business.”  The most telling thing for me he said is that his most important asset is protected. His professional driver, there hard to come by.

That same company has one of the lowest turnovers in the industry. Go figure!

Have a great summer everyone, travel safe, enjoy some holidays and be sure to spend as much time with family and friends as possible.