How to prevent cargo theft by increasing cargo security
Though cargo theft statistics vary, the global financial loss of cargo theft runs into billions of dollars each year. Moreover, in the third quarter of 2024, CargoNet recorded 776 incidents in the U.S. and Canada, a 14% increase compared to the same quarter in 2023. The states of California, Illinois, and Texas accounted for 52% of all thefts in the third quarter of 2024. News items like the following are, unfortunately, no exception.
The most stolen goods included food, beverages, and electronics due to their high resale value. These trends underscore the need for companies to take proactive measures to protect their cargo. Reducing the risk of theft and taking prevention measures do not only reduce financial losses, but also avoid other burden. In this article we will therefore advise you how you can protect you goods from cargo thieves.
Preventing cargo theft with these measures
We advise the following measures for reducing the risk of cargo theft.
Recruit for reliable employees
Cargo theft prevention starts with recruiting reliable and trustworthy employees. You should be able to trust your drivers, warehouse staff and other personnel with your valuable cargo and confidential data, such as the cargo’s destination and time of unloading. Employees should never provide data about the nature and destination of their cargo to third parties, unless it is officially requested. We therefore advise to always perform a screening for new employees.
Add security to your cargo
We advise to add security to freight trains, trucks and trailers to increase protection. For railroad transports we specifically designed the barrier seal. These uniquely numbered bolt seals have a breaking strength of more than 4400 lbs. Attempts te break into a carriage are therefore futile. Barrier seals can only be removed with special tooling.
Popular security measures for protecting trailer cargo include electronic and mechanical trailer locks. These locks may also be recommended or required by your insurance provider.
Truck and trailer locks also make it more difficult for intruders or refugees to enter the trailer.
Applying security seals or cargo locks is an underutilized yet very effective method for enhancing security. It also serves as a strong deterrent against cargo theft.
Track cargo and goods
Integrating tracking technology into cargo and goods ensures timely alerts, allowing swift action when needed. For this purpose, we recommend telematics systems.
More than just GPS tracking, telematics systems provide real-time monitoring and valuable insights. They collect and analyze data on vehicle location, speed, driver behavior, and overall performance. Additionally, telematics systems can detect unauthorized access, route deviations, and other irregularities, enabling quick responses to potential security threats.
Telematics combines GPS technology, onboard sensors, and wireless communication to gather and transmit vehicle and cargo data to a centralized platform.
Safe planning
When planning routes for transportation by truck, unsafe parking spaces and inefficient (un)loading times should be avoided. Cargo thefts are more frequent on weekends and during holidays. Truck drivers should be informed about safe parking locations where they can rest. You can address a co-driver for risk areas. If possible, we recommend to form alliances with authorities or other companies to stay on top of cargo theft trends.
Clear agreements and guidelines
If you are moving valuable goods or theft-sensitive cargo we recommend to make clear agreements with your customers. You should agree on a safe time and place of loading or unloading cargo. You should also provide employees with clear guidelines for handling transport safely. Drivers should receive clear instructions for (un)loading, refilling gas, transferring cargo and resting. Cargo should never be left unprotected and we advise to park trucks in such a manner that driving away or taking cargo quickly isn’t possible. Moreover we recommend to park trucks and trailers in spots with good lighting. We also discourage taking hitchhikers.
Employees should also know what to do in case of cargo theft. In case of emergency personnel should always be able to contact his employer.
We hope that these tips will help you moving cargo more safely. Hoefon Security Seals is a global supplier of security seals and cargo locks, such as truck and trailer locks. If you have any questions or if you want more information, please feel free to contact us. Do you transport goods using shipping containers? Please also read our article about securing shipping containers.
Niels Pas
CEO Hoefon Security Seals
Niels Pas has been Hoefon Security Seals’ CEO since 2017. He has extensive international experience and speaks 4 languages professionally.
