Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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EQUIPMENT: CARGO THEFT combating theft, and today's technology makes tracking shipments and reacting to issues easier and timelier. Tapp urges fleets to look into both passive and active communications systems between the truck and the home office – technologies that Prime also values. "You have more virtual CARL TAPP, A RETIRED MAIN- TENANCE DIRECTOR FOR P.A.M. TRANSPORTATION, NOW RUNS SOLUTIONS ADVOCATES, A PRI- VATE CONSULTING SERVICE SPE- CIALIZING IN TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AND MAINTENANCE. aluminum roofs instead of translucent plexiglass, and brightly painted undercoat- ing to help inspectors spot breaches in the trailer floor. Stay connected Communication is vital to eyes and ears out there on the road than ever before," says Nick Erdmann, busi- ness development manager for Transport Security Inc. "When you look at all the systems available to fleets today – things like real-time communication, telematics and geofencing and monitoring systems for both trucks and trailers – they have more tools to help them fight theft than ever before." But one of the most effective anti-theft tools Weekend Fri Thurs Wed Tues Mon 0 Theft Incidents by Day 79 36 24 23 31 40 Graph provided by ISAC 20 40 60 80 100 DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2012, THE WEEKEND WAS THE MOST POPULAR PERIOD FOR THIEVES TO STEAL CARGO, ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION SHARING AND ANALYSIS CENTER. FLEETS WERE LESS LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER THEFT DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. Boehning has seen is a much more obvious low- tech method: a professional- grade padlock on the trailer doors. "I'm constantly amazed at how many un- locked trailers I see running down the roads today," he says. "Our number-one thing is our trailers are al- ways locked, even if they're hauling air." Tapp agrees that seal integrity is vital. If a seal has to be broken for repairs or a police check, estab- lish procedures so that everybody knows about it. Record the numbers of both the seal that came off and its replacement, Tapp says. Fleets also should con- GREEN BAY, WIS.-BASED SCHNEIDER NATIONAL ADVISES FLEETS TO ATTEND CARGO THEFT PREVENTION CONFERENCES AND BUILD A NATIONWIDE NETWORK FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE. 58 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2012 sider nurturing partner- ships with law enforcement agencies across the country. Walt Fountain, director of safety and enterprise secu- rity for Green Bay, Wis.- based Schneider National, advises fleets to attend one of several regional cargo theft prevention conferences where they can learn ways to improve their anti-theft measures and training and build a nationwide network for law enforcement as- sistance. Above all, Tapp urges fleets not to be complacent. "Crooks are smart," he says. "No matter what you do, they're going to figure out a way to defeat it. It's a con- stant process, and you can never let up." Tapp also reminds fleets of an entirely different reason why drivers are a key element to consider when fighting cargo theft. "I hate to say this, but I think a lot of cargo theft cases are inside jobs," he says. "Treat your drivers right. They do a tough job day in and day out. If you acknowledge that and pay them a fair wage, they're going to be less likely to steal from you." 1st Qtr