Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/751200
38 commercial carrier journal | november 2016 Layers of deterrence BY JASON CANNON T he International Cargo Security Council esti- mates that more than $10 billion in merchandise is stolen or damaged each year, but when you factor in productivity losses and higher insurance premiums, the annual cost soars to upwards of $60 billion. While trailer contents often are the most valuable part of a highway heist, they're not always the only thing tak- en. CargoNet recorded more than 1,500 incidents of sto- len commercial-vehicle cargo or equipment in the United States and Canada in 2015, with 619 reports involving the vehicles themselves. On the plus side, thes through the first half of this year have trended downward, according to FreightWatch Inter- national, which recorded a total of 166 cargo thes in the second quarter of 2016 – an 11 percent drop in incidents from the same time period last year. In order to help keep thes low to round out the year, FCCI Insurance Group recommends fleets employ a layered defensive approach. Layer 1: Common sense. Drivers should remove the keys from the ignition when not in use, lock all doors and win- dows and park in well-lit areas. According to FreightWatch, 82 percent of the thes so far this year occurred in unse- cured parking locations. Trucker Path has analyzed parking availability and found that it's not the shortage of spots themselves but rather the lack of information that has truckers spending hours search- ing for a spot and eventually ending up on freeway ramps or unsafe places. e company publishes an app that can assist drivers with route planning by gathering input from 450,000 driver users to provide real-time information on available parking. Users rate truck parking locations and leave reviews for others to check whether it's safe or not. Layer 2: A visible deterrent device that alerts thieves that your vehicle is protected, such as a dash-mounted air brake lock, a pedal lock, steering column collars or wheel locks and clamps. "You can use a minimal wheel boot such as the Titan Grip," said Oliver Dumoulin, vice president of Universal Boot. While these are cheap and portable, install quickly and fit almost any truck, they won't be the most effective deter- rent because of their smaller size and modest appearance, Dumoulin said. "You can use a more complete immobilizer like the all- steel clamp," he said. ese rugged clamps cover the lug nuts to prevent bypassing the lock by changing the wheel. If the truck has full-sized dual wheels, a double wheel clamp is recommended, although these are more expensive and tricky to install, Dumoulin said. Layer 3: An immobilizing device that prevents thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring the vehicle. ese kill-switch devices traditionally inhibit the flow of electricity or fuel to the engine until a hidden switch or button is activated. Revelco manufactures a dash-mounted programmable plug that immobilizes a truck when removed. e plug is coded uniquely to a specific tractor with one of more than 100,000 possible combinations and ties together multiple circuits required to start the truck. "When you plug that in, that completes that circuit," said Jimmy Raviele, the company's president. "Without that plug, it's like removing the engine." Layer 4: A GPS-enabled tracking device. Basically the last line of defense, it emits a signal to police or a monitoring station when the vehicle is reported stolen. e Omnitracs TT150 and TT210 each provide up-to-the- minute asset tracking, whether connected to tractor power or not. e TT150 has the added benefit of being small and installed easily on just about any location on a trailer, making it inconspicuous and unlikely that it will be removed. Emergency tracking also can be activated, increasing reporting frequency in order to help recover a stolen asset faster, said Paul Flesher, Omnitracs product manager. in focus: ANTI-THEFT TECHNOLOGY When it comes to combatting today's resourceful high-tech thieves, even a security camera and barbwire fence isn't enough.