Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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INNOVATORS SCHNEIDER NATIONAL, INC. Green Bay, Wis. security council with representatives from all areas of the business. "We needed to en- gage across the whole of our enterprise and bring people together so we could accurately assess our capabilities and develop pro- grams to improve our security," says Don Os- terberg, vice president of safety and driver training. The end result of On lockdown C Schneider National's evolving program sets a benchmark for cargo security measures BY JEFF CRISSEY argo theft is up sharply in the last five years, creating an uneasy feeling for shippers of high-value goods that are most susceptible to theft. For these companies, carrier selection is paramount to lowering their exposure to crime rings and common thieves on the nation's highways. For the folks at Schneider National, their services are an easy sell, thanks in large part to a stringent cargo security program that has resulted in a decline in cargo theft at a time when such crime is on the rise and thieves are more selective and aggressive in choosing their targets. In fact, the Green Bay, Wis.-based truckload, intermodal and logistics provider has posted double-digit decreases in cargo theft five years run- ning, including a 35 percent decrease in 2011 – the largest decline in its history. About face Until recently, Schneider National – like most carriers – struggled to get a grasp on its cargo security. In 2005 and 2006, Schneider National's cargo theft incidence rate was on the rise, especially for electronics goods. Company leaders recognized a change was necessary and set out to implement what has evolved into an industry- leading cargo theft prevention program. Schneider National's challenge was to identify and anticipate a continuously chang- ing security environment and adapt its load security practices to it. The first steps were hiring a professional security representative, Walt Fountain – who today is the compa- ny's director of loss prevention and enterprise security – and instituting an enterprise Schneider National's early cargo theft prevention efforts cre- ated a new "culture of safety" within the organization. "Every action we take and decision we make is cautiously vetted through a security lens first," says Osterberg. Today, Schneider National's safety culture is defined clearly by three domains: physical security, information security and personnel security. The company's physical security efforts involve what most carriers are familiar with – alarms, gate guards, regular load inspections and locking devices – as well as contingency plans and regular exercise drills to ensure procedures are executed properly. "There are a lot of companies that The national carrier develops a comprehen- sive load security program for high-value freight and sharply lowers its cargo theft incidence rate. COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2012 37