Approximately $1.4 million in cargo was stolen from Miami International Airport on Friday, February 10th. The cargo was loaded into a tractor-trailer and left in the warehouse parking lot, unattended, while the driver entered the facility to complete his paperwork. This is the fourth similar incident from Miami-International in a month, all targeting consumer electronics cargo.  Given the recent budgetary decision by MDPD to scale back the local “TOMCATS” Cargo Theft Task Force, an increase in organized cargo theft activity is in this area is highly probable.

By BOBBY CERVANTES 

bobby.cervantes@amarillo.com

The FBI found a common thread to the scam: drivers and dispatchers with foreign accents, fake trucking company records and loads of meat that never showed up.

The thieves convinced transportation companies they were experienced haulers who could truck beef, pork and cheese from Texas, Idaho and Kansas facilities and drive them to their destinations, according to an ongoing FBI investigation.

A federal search warrant affidavit said the men — who made off with nearly $800,000 worth of food last year — also hit plants in Jerome, Idaho; Holcomb, Kan.; and Madison, Neb.

By the time frantic freight brokers called about their missing shipments, the unidentified thieves were long gone, the affidavit said.

FBI investigators have identified at least nine meat and cheese heists in 2011, including $137,750 worth of beef stolen in June from two Friona plants.

Scammers also targeted Nor-Am Cold Storage in Plainview in August, when they stole $38,496 worth of beef, according to the affidavit.

No one has been charged.

The FBI’s Amarillo office opened an investigation Aug. 19, when authorities learned “someone who had stolen the identity of a legitimate trucking company” stole beef valued at $82,704.56 from the Tyson Fresh Meats plant, the affidavit said.

Freight broker Redline Transportation of Clive, Iowa, advertised on three Internet websites that its client needed a load of packaged beef hauled from Tyson’s Amarillo plant to a meat supplier in Vernon, Calif., the affidavit said.

On Aug. 18, a man with a subtle accent who said he was a dispatcher with Gary Costin Trucking of Brea, Calif., called Redline. The caller provided Redline representatives with phone and fax numbers and two references without last names, court records show.

When Redline officials called the references, a man in Illinois and another in Oregon — both with subtle accents — vouched for the dispatcher, according to the affidavit.

Redline obtained a faxed copy of the liability insurance certificate from an Orange, Calif., agency and spoke to someone there who also had a “heavy foreign accent,” the document said.

“Redline Transportation awarded the load to who they thought was Gary Costin Trucking, and executed a written agreement” for the load, the affidavit said.

On Aug. 18, a driver arrived at the Tyson plant in Amarillo and picked up more than $80,000 in beef, the affidavit said.

Five days later, the load, due in California a day earlier, had not arrived. Redline called the driver, dispatcher and insurance company — but all the numbers were disconnected.

Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson declined to comment, citing the continuing investigation. “We’re cooperating with the law enforcement authorities investigating this matter, but don’t believe it’s appropriate to make any additional comment at this point,” he said.

The actual owner of the trucking company, Gary Costin, later told Redline he “had no involvement in the theft and that his company name and information had been used without his consent,” the affidavit said.

A phone number listed for Redline Transportation was disconnected Friday.

Costin, who is self- employed, said Friday he does not ship produce or meat and has not been to Texas in about 30 years. He said he hauls concrete and building materials, and he does not own a refrigerated trailer.

“It hasn’t hurt my business because I do something different,” he said. “I’ve never hauled at Tyson. The FBI said it is the new way of stealing loads.”

FBI spokeswoman Lydia Maese declined to comment Friday.

An FBI agent also assisted Kansas police during a Nov. 4 truck inspection stop in which Kansas Highway Patrol officers arrested two Armenian men “suspected of trying to pick up the loads,” the affidavit said. A search later revealed one of the men had two California driver’s licenses in different names, and the pair’s North Hollywood, Calif., truck “had tape marks on the door as though temporary signs had been affixed then removed,” the FBI agent said.

Kansas Trooper Mike Racy said Friday he had no further information about the inspection stop. 

A trailer loaded with Desktop Computers was broken into early in the morning on 1/31/2012 while at the Petro Truck Stop in Kingman, Arizona. Four pallets of the computers, valued at approximately $20,000, were stolen. The load originated in San Bernardino, CA and was enroute to Ardmore, OK. 

View Video:

Task Force Combats Cargo Theft

tags: cargo security, cargo theft, covert gps, trailer theft, truck theft, transport security, enforcer locks

Source: (FBI) 1/27/12

After many hours on the road, the long-haul driver pulled his tractor-trailer into a Tennessee truck stop for a break and a hot meal. But by the time he looked over the menu, a crew of professional thieves had made off with his rig and all its contents.

Cargo theft is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise in the U.S., and the FBI has seven task forces located around the country to combat the problem. In the Memphis region, according to Special Agent Conrad Straube, coordinator of the Memphis Cargo Theft Task Force, “there is an average of one cargo theft every day of the year.”
Memphis—located along major interstate highways and home to a variety of product distribution centers—is a hot spot for cargo theft. The thieves steal trucks with trailers or just the trailers and their contents. Often, goods are stolen from distribution center warehouses or even from moving rail cars.

On a recent day, Straube and his task force partners from the Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service were on the road, following up on leads at truck stops and other locations in and around Memphis. The task force is busy—and successful. From January 2011 to the end of September, it recovered more than $1.5 million in stolen cargo and vehicles.

Task force member Barry Clark, a detective with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, explained that some of the theft crews are so organized that each member has his own specialty, from the break-in artist who can steal a rig in seconds to professional drivers, surveillance experts, and the guys who know how to defeat the specialized devices that lock trailers carrying extremely valuable loads. “This is their business,” Clark said. “And they are good at it.”

Crew leaders know where to find willing buyers, too—from small mom and pop stores who don’t ask questions when they buy at prices below wholesale to online merchants who may or may not know they are purchasing stolen goods.
Although many crews target specific cargo such as electronics and pharmaceuticals—always in demand and easy to sell—other thieves steal whatever they can get their hands on. Straube and his team have recovered stolen trailers full of dog food, hair dryers, lawn mower engines, and even popsicles.
 

“When you talk about the victims of cargo theft,” Straube explained, “beyond the trucking companies and manufacturers, you have to include all consumers. Because when these items are stolen, it eventually drives up the cost of merchandise for everybody.”


Cargo theft is also a “gateway” crime, said Special Agent Eric Ives, a program manager in our Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters who coordinates major theft investigations from a national perspective. “Groups that do these crimes are often funding other illegal activities, like buying drugs or weapons. And compared to many crimes,” Ives added, “cargo theft is highly profitable and not particularly dangerous.”
Conrad agreed, adding that thieves often rob warehouses on a Friday night, and by the time the crime is discovered and reported Monday morning, the stolen merchandise may already be on a store shelf or auctioned online.
That’s why our task forces—comprised of local, state, and federal law enforcement—and our partnerships with private industry (see sidebar) are critical in the fight against these costly crimes, Ives said. “Cargo theft is a sophisticated and organized enterprise,” he added, “and we take this threat very seriously.”

Partnerships Make a Difference

In 2005, two large pharmaceutical companies were the victims of major cargo thefts at the same truck stop within a short time period, and each had no idea what had happened to the other. When they found out later, a meeting was called among pharmaceutical industry leaders, and the concept of a security coalition was born. The coalition would consist not only of industry members but also law enforcement.

Today, the Pharmaceutical Cargo Security Coalition shares information about thefts and best practices for reducing risk, according to Charles Forsaith, director of supply chain security for Purdue Pharma Technologies, who coordinates the coalition.

“We educate everyone in our industry,” said Forsaith, “and we work together with law enforcement to stop these crimes. That partnership has yielded a measurable decline in cargo theft.”

In 2008, for example, the pharmaceutical industry reported losses of 16 full trailer loads each valued in excess of $1 million. In 2011, Forsaith said, there were only four such losses valued over $1 million. In 2008, the odds of recovering a lost load were 31 percent. Today, he said, with the help of GPS tracking devices and a strong working relationship with law enforcement, the odds for recovery are better than 65 percent.

“We realized that we couldn’t put a stop to these crimes on our own,” he said. “In addition to educating our industry, we knew we needed buy-in from law enforcement, and we have been extremely pleased working with the FBI’s cargo theft task forces.”

Original Article 

January 25, 2012

MARKHAM, Ontario
York Regional Police are seeking the public’s help in apprehending thieves after $800,000 worth of copper wire was stolen north of Toronto in Markham.
Investigators say unknown suspects stole and orange pump-action forklift and approximately 200,000 lbs of copper wire.
Police say sometime between Jan. 21 and Jan. 23, the suspects broke into a commercial business located on Royal Crest Court, in the area of Warden Avenue and 14th Avenue in Markham, Ontario, about 30 kilometres northeast of downtown Toronto.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7545, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips, leave an anonymous tip on the Crime Stoppers of York Region website or text tip to CRIMES (274637) starting with the word YORK.
DCN NEWS SERVICES 

New Jersey State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes is being credited for helping nab one of three suspects involved in a truck-jacking Wednesday night.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Brian Polite said his boss overheard radio traffic about a chase following a stolen truck on the New Jersey Turnpike near Exit 13.

The truck took that exit with police in pursuit, and the three suspects then abandoned it next to the Rosedale cemetery in Linden, according to Polite.

"The Colonel (Fuentes) was out there with his flashlight and another trooper," Polite said.

As other troopers found and arrested the other two suspects, Superintendent Fuentes and his trooper continued their search for the third.

That's when Polite said his boss spotted the man hiding between two tombstones.

The suspect surrendered. Polite said Fuentes did not have to pull his gun on the man.

Follow Brian Thompson on Twitter @brian4NY

Find this article at:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NJ-State-Police-Superintendent-Nabs-Perp-in-Graveyard-138156264.html
 

A full truckload of steel coils was hijacked at gun point at the first exit across the Tennessee border off Route 75.  The driver was kidnapped by the suspect (the number of suspects was not reported) and the driver was reportedly thrown from the truck inside the Cherokee National Forest.  The tractor tag # is P755456, and trailer tag # is TE6303.  The load of steel coils has an estimated value of $57,000.

 By Whit Richardson - 12.30.2011 YARMOUTH, Maine—

A new industry group is forming in the mid-Atlantic region to combat cargo theft in the area. The Virginia Carolinas Cargo Security Council will be modeled after a handful of other cargo security organizations in other parts of the country, Torry Shealy, a member of group's steering committee, told Security Director News. While cargo theft is a bigger problem in states like Florida, California and Texas than it is in Virginia and the Carolinas, Shealy said the region wants to be proactive. "If you look at overall trends, it's trending toward an increase [in cargo theft] nationwide," said Shealy. "But if we can organize and have companies putting procedures in place and adopting some technology or just increase facility security, vetting of employees, etc., there's probably a good chance that they can protect themselves against this." Shealy said the council's main missions will be to connect the industry with local and state law enforcement and to facilitate information sharing among different players in the supply chain, from manufacturers to distributors, trucking companies and warehouses. "A lot of times when you get security guys together, they'll say we tried this and we tried that," he said. "Getting together as a group and talking about that itself can be a great exchange of ideas as far as increasing security operations at your facility." The Virginia Carolinas Cargo Security Council's steering committee also includes Jennifer Bennett, manager of asset protection at Polo/Ralph Lauren; Mike Johnston, regional security manager for DSC Logistics; Dennis Brannon, president of DRB Agency; and Doug Wilkes, DRB Agency's sales manager. Cargo theft is hard to measure and track. However, anecdotal evidence suggests cargo theft is increasing. In 2010, LoJack Supply Chain Integrity, a company that tracks cargo and collects data on supply chain security, recorded 857 cargo-theft-related incidents in the country (813 were thefts, while the rest were fraud or counterfeit cases), which was nearly a quarter more than the number of incidents reported in 2009. The reason it’s anecdotal is that the report only paints a portion of the picture, J.J. Coughlin, LoJack's director of law enforcement services, told SDN. "In our reports, we probably have 20 percent of it," he said. Adding to the confusion is that Coughlin can't say for sure if the amount of cargo theft is actually increasing or if the industry is just doing a better job of paying attention. Regardless, the monetary loss is certainly noteworthy. Each of those roughly 800 cargo thefts represents an average loss between $250,000 and $300,000, Coughlin said. "I know it's a huge problem," he said. "How huge? I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to tell." Coughlin is also chairman of the SouthWest Transportation Security Council, which he created in 1999 and includes Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The council has 300 members and, through a nationwide network of seven other cargo security councils, can reach 1,100 law enforcement officers with its alerts, Coughlin said. The growth has surprised even him. "We started with six people," he said. "I never knew it would turn into what it has." Coughlin has helped Shealy and the Virginia Carolinas Cargo Security Council get off the ground. The more councils that exist across the country, the broader the reach of the network, Coughlin said. "What we're trying to do as an industry through these councils is provide a nationwide information share that ties together the industry and the police," he said. "Through all of that we're able to identify the methods of criminals and organized groups and we're able to assist police and industry in returning stolen property to its rightful owner." The Virginia Carolinas Cargo Security Council will hold its inaugural meeting in Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 8. Subsequent meetings will be held in South Carolina and Virginia in March and April. For more information, visit the council's website

Original Article: 

tags: cargo theft, cargo security, covert gps, trailer security, trailer theft, , cargo, freight security, king pin locks, air cuff locks, trailer locks, container locks, container security, facility security, covert gps tracking

 BY DOUGLAS QUAN, POST MEDIA NEWS DECEMBER 27, 2011

Police in Indiana say they hope video surveillance footage, plus the recovery of DNA and fingerprint evidence, will lead them to a group of brazen thieves who stole a truckload of Canada-bound Research in Motion electronic devices earlier this month.

Investigators say the truck-stop heist of 5,200 BlackBerry Playbook tablets — with a wholesale value of $1.7 million — was pulled off in just 13 minutes, most likely by a group of professional bandits who've done this before.

"Looking at the video, they were well-orchestrated. This wasn't a one-time shot," said Mike Milbourn, an officer with the Chesterfield Police Department.

Milbourn said members of an FBI task force that specializes in inter-state cargo theft are scheduled to travel to Indiana on Wednesday to view surveillance footage from the Dec. 15 incident.

Milbourn said it appears from the video images that the semi-trailer — which was destined for Waterloo, Ont., where RIM is based — was followed from a distribution warehouse in Plainfield, Indiana, to a truck stop in Chesterfield, about one hour away.

Driver Jason Garant told a local FOX TV station that he went in to grab a quick bite and take a shower and by the time he was out the truck was gone.

At least five people and three vehicles were involved in the elaborate caper, Milbourn said.

Investigators have recovered a fingerprint believed to belong to one of the suspects from the truck stop. That evidence, plus fingerprint and DNA evidence recovered from inside the stolen cab — which was later found about a mile away — will be sent to a state lab for analysis, Milbourn said.

The trailer and its pricey cargo are still missing.

Milbourn said FBI investigators have told him that the stolen electronic devices could be bound for Florida and shipped overseas.

An FBI spokesman in Washington, D.C., said Tuesday he couldn't comment on the case because the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone who attempts to use one of the stolen tablets could have a tough time. All the devices have been blocked from being able to register with RIM and download any software, Milbourn said. Plus, the serial numbers from each tablet have been entered into a national law enforcement database.

A RIM spokeswoman said Tuesday she couldn't provide any additional information.

The theft of the devices comes at the end of a year that saw RIM's stock price plunge, massive job cuts at the company, a prolonged BlackBerry service outage that infuriated users around the world and the firing of two vice-presidents who became intoxicated on a commercial flight to Beijing.

dquan(at)postmedia.com

View Original Article: 

Twitter.com/dougquan

Cargo thieves don't take time off during the holidays -- in fact, they may turn to more aggressive methods, say freight security experts.

CargoNet's analysis of historical cargo theft data shows that the rate of cargo theft increases over holiday weekends.

Freightwatch International also notes that criminal elements may adjust their tactics to get the product needed for fencing on the black market for holiday consumers. These methods are often more aggressive than traditional cargo theft techniques and often result in smaller volumes of loads being stolen, such as smash-and-grab style thefts at open docks and trailer-container pilferage. 

Also, with cold weather upon us, trucks are being left running, which can decrease driver situational awareness due to noise, increasing the risk of theft. 

Freightwatch International also points out that trucking companies will work to have personnel home for the holidays. This may result in driver swap outs over-the-road. Security levels can be diminished with additional stops and additional personnel entering into the supply chain.

CargoNet offered the following steps to help prevent theft and recover stolen cargo:

* Avoid having loaded trailers sit unattended over the weekend. If loaded trailers do need to sit unattended, be sure they are parked in secure areas.

* Make sure that both security managers and drivers have accurate license plate, VIN, and descriptive information for tractors, trailers, containers, and container chassis. Police agencies will need this information to open an investigation in the event of an incident.

* Consider deploying covert tracking devices in product and on trailers. If using tracking devices, be sure to geofence all stationary trailers that are not being actively monitored.

* Secure all tractors with high-security locking devices, such as air-cuff and tractor steering joint locks.

* Secure all trailers (loaded and unloaded) with high-security ISO 17712-compliant barrier seals in combination with hardened padlocks. Use kingpin locks for unattached trailers.

* Check to make sure that facility lighting, back-up generators, alarm system(s) and surveillance equipment are all in good working order.

* Never treat any alarm signal as a "false alarm". When targeting warehouse locations, cargo thieves tend to trip facility alarm systems multiple times before breaking-in to give law enforcement and facililty managers the impression that the alarm system is malfunctioning. 

* Remove keys from all facility equipment, especially motorized pallet jacks and forklifts.

* Document and report all suspicious activity that occurs in and around a facility to security personnel & the CargoNet operations center. This information can be critical to law enforcement in the event of a cargo theft incident.

tags: cargo theft, cargo security, covert gps, trailer security, trailer theft, , cargo, freight security, king pin locks, air cuff locks, trailer locks, container locks, container security, facility security,

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A semitrailer that was loaded with $50,000 worth of margarine when it was stolen from an Iowa truck stop has been found in Michigan, but the margarine and the people who took it are nowhere to be found, authorities said Wednesday.

The trailer was parked awaiting delivery to a Target warehouse in Cedar Falls when it was stolen Dec. 10 from a parking lot in Elk Run Heights near Waterloo. It was found Dec. 15 in a parking lot more than 500 miles away in Fowler, Mich.

Waterloo police Capt. Rick Abben said the trailer had arrived early and had to be parked until the warehouse was ready to take it in. When a truck came to get the trailer, it was gone, he said.

It was the latest in a series of semitrailer thefts in the Waterloo area during the past 18 months, Abben said. The others included a trailer filled with beef jerky, one loaded with dog food and one carrying dental hygiene products, Abben said.

All but the one of the trailers have been recovered, he said.

"When these people hook up to these things, how do they know what's in there unless you break the seal and look inside?" Abben said. "You kind of wonder, if I open a trailer and saw it had $50,000 of margarine or $50,000 of TVs, which one would you rather have?

"And how in the world do you get rid of $50,000 of margarine?"

As first reported by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, a report from the Illinois-based National Insurance Crime Bureau showed there were 747 reports of cargo theft across the country in 2010, with truck stops, parking lots, warehouses and port cities being the most common crime scenes.

About $171 million in goods were taken from trucks, trains and airplanes, according to the report released in May.

The organization calls cargo theft a "low-risk crime with high-profit potential."
The report lists only two cargo thefts in Iowa in 2010, both in the Quad Cities area.

Security and customer service are Priority #1 with Priority Services, Inc. of Villa Park, Illinois. With over 30 years of experience this family owned company has been providing quality transportation security for their customers retail distribution needs in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and surrounding areas.

Miami man who staged the biggest cargo heist in Hillsborough County history has been sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison.In March 2010, Rolando Coca Alvarez led a group of thieves who rappelled into an east Hillsborough warehouse and lifted $7.4 million in military laptop computers from iGov Technologies.The computers didn't contain sensitive information, authorities said.Read more:http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/07/2535306/miami-man-sentenced-for-theft.html#ixzz1fxSXE8JV

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Nov 18, 2011 10:10PM GMT 
The Journal of Commerce Online - News Story

First global certification program aims to block high-value cargo theft

The Transported Asset Protection Association is rolling out global security standards for trucking and the first trucking security certification program for motor carriers and logistics service providers in the U.S. and abroad.
 
The program fills a gap in cargo security, the lack of international security standards and a certification program for the most ubiquitous mode of transportation. The program is aimed at transporters of high-value goods targeted by cargo thieves. 
 
Globally, 85 percent of all major cargo theft involves trucks, said Alan Spear, chair of TAPA Americas. He said theft costs businesses more than $10 billion a year worldwide, according to Bloomberg. In some countries, it’s increasingly violent and deadly to truck drivers.
 
TAPA’s security requirements are not voluntary, though shippers of high value goods may come to require certification from their trucking and logistics partners. The association’s members include manufacturers, retailers and carriers.
 
TAPA’s trucking security requirements provide for three levels of compliance, depending on the value of the cargo — TSR 1, 2 and 3. “TSR 1 is the strongest level,” Spear said. “It would be used for the most valuable and vulnerable cargo.”
 
For example, all three levels require two-way communications systems on board trucks. Only the highest level requires carriers to have detailed, documented trailer-tracking protocols and the ability to geofence routes and parking areas.
 
TAPA developed its requirements and certification with help from trucking operators and logistics providers in the U.S., Spear said, notably National Retail Systems, Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., and AFC Worldwide Express, Kennesaw, Ga.
 
John Tabor, director of corporate security for NRS, joined TAPA’s board of directors and will chair a committee on the trucking requirements. Training for the certification program’s auditors begins in December at AFC, said Spear.
 
Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wbcassidy_joc

http://www.joc.com/truckload/tapa-rolls-out-truck-security-standards

Nov 16, 2011

Transport Security, Inc., a leader in providing supply chain security solutions, today announced that the ENFORCER® embedded tracking technology, assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than $1 million of stolen cargo.

Waconia, MN,  – Transport Security, Inc., a leader in providing supply chain security solutions, today announced that  the ENFORCER® embedded tracking technology, assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than $1 million of stolen cargo.

 The operation started on Sunday, October 30, with notification to the Cargo Net operations center of the theft of a load of televisions. CargoNet passed the notification and further intelligence to the California Cargo Theft Interdiction Program (CTIP) and acted as liaison between the theft victim and CTIP. The intelligence provided allowed CTIP to carry out targeted surveillance within an industrial area containing 140 potential storage locations. The resulting investigation and search led to the recovery of the stolen televisions as well as stolen property from seven other thefts, including electronics, building materials, household goods, and clothing.

 The ENFORCER® Embedded Tracking Technology provided the location of the stolen trailer which led to other areas where stolen cargo was stored.

 "This is a great example of the industry supporting law enforcement operations through preplanning, the deployment of technology, and enhanced information sharing," said Sgt. Ken Huerta of CTIP.

"The cooperation between CargoNet and CTIP is a great example of the sort of public-private partnership so critical to effective intelligence-led policing."  "A number of parties played a key role in the favorable conclusion to this case, starting with a logistics company with well-planned processes in place and technology from Transport Security, Inc. ENFORCER® ," added Anthony Canale, vice president of operations at CargoNet. "

Both the immediate notification of CargoNet and the actions by CTIP that followed contributed to a successful outcome. It is an excellent case study of the role that planning and preparation play in the effective response to a cargo theft. If no action is taken until after a theft has occurred, the chances of success are slim." The value of the recovery is estimated to be more than $1 million. The case is ongoing pending several arrests. Images of the recovered property are available to the press.

 About CTIP

 The Cargo Theft Interdiction Program (CTIP) is a multi-jurisdictional task force that was created in 1990 to combat the ever-increasing cargo theft problem in Los Angeles County, as well as throughout all of California. The success of the CTIP team has proven that the surveillance and investigative abilities of a multi-jurisdictional team surpass that of a single agency. During 2010, the CTIP team recovered more than $18,492,000 in stolen cargo and recovered stolen vehicles. The team successfully arrested 50 suspects  charged with the theft of stolen cargo and/or vehicles. Since the inception of the program, CTIP investigators have recovered more than $237 million in stolen property, more than 5,500 vehicles, and 1,850 cargos and have made more than 1,100 arrests through December 2010.

 About Transport Security, Inc.:  http://www.transportsecurity.com/index.asp

 Transport Security, Inc. - ENFORCER® is a leading Cargo Security Company that has been providing high security solutions for the transportation, supply chain and retail sectors for over 30 years.

Tags:  transport security,  enforcer, cargo security, covert gps tracking, cargo theft, loss prevention,qualcomm, 

By Jason Riha

President
TransRisk Solutions Ltd.

This Opinion piece appears in the Nov. 21 print edition of Transport Topics. 

Cargo theft is on the rise, and, thanks to various reporting groups, we carriers, shippers and consignees are now able to track theft patterns and take steps to reduce our chances of being involved in such incidents.

In fact, in this space a column recently offered advice to smaller carriers on this important topic (“Small Firms Can Fight Cargo Theft” 9-19, p. 7). This essay is a variation on that theme, expanding to include carriers of all sizes and offering more cost-effective suggestions for protecting cargo, including steps shippers can take.

It’s unfortunate that this information is necessary, but the sad fact is that, while organized cargo theft groups are starting to gain considerable attention from potential victims, security firms and law enforcement, it doesn’t seem to be slowing them down. Instead, these groups continue to adapt to our methods of preventing their attacks — and they are proving to be more intelligent and organized than many have given them credit for.

And with a continuing sluggish economy and high unemployment rate, it’s highly likely, even inevitable, that cargo theft will increase.

The question now is how many of us will be prepared to protect our assets, and how many will be satisfied simply to hope nothing bad happens and react only if it does — when it may be too late.

Consider these alarming statistics recently released by FreightWatch International, a logistics security firm:

• 899 cargo theft incidents were recorded in 2010, compared with “only” 310 such incidents in 2006.

• In 2010, 45 multi-trailer incidents were recorded — the first time double-digit thefts of this type had been recorded in a single year.

• FreightWatch recorded 263 cargo-theft incidents from July to September 2011, with 73 thefts recorded in July, 110 in August and 80 in September.

• There was an average of 87.6 thefts per month between July and September 2011, and the year-to-date monthly average thefts per month is 76.2.

• There were five thefts in excess of $1 million between July and September of 2011.

• Food and drink (21%), electronics (18%) and building/

industrial (15%) were the most-targeted product types between July and September 2011.

Criminals increasingly are acquiring cargo from secured locations, as many shippers and carriers have hardened their facilities, leaving fewer unsecured targets available to the bad guys.

Another recent trend involves theft groups impersonating trucking companies — complete with decaled equipment and uniformed drivers — and being dispatched with trailers full of merchandise that never reaches its destination.

In my experience, carriers of all sizes tend to shy away from improving their security measures because they incorrectly assume that (a) “It’ll never happen to us” and (b) “We don’t have the money to spend on expensive security products and consultants.”

In reality, the majority of cargo theft risk can be proactively prevented with little cost by simply improving policies and procedures along with consistent and effective management follow-up.

The Sept. 19 Opinion column aimed at small carriers made an excellent start on that, but here are additional cost-effective measures to make it more difficult for the bad guys.

Beginning with the cargo itself, we would advise:

• Using GPS tracking on tractors and trailers (separately) whenever possible, with geofencing features used around the expected area of travel.

• Routinely planting specialty GPS units in individual cartons or materials to be used in the event the GPS on the tractor and/or trailer is compromised.

• Putting heavy-duty locks on high-value cargo loads.

• Considering subscribing to a cargo-theft intelligence network that will tell carriers which regions to absolutely avoid traveling through with high-value cargo.

• Training shipper associates to verify the identity of anyone to whom they release cargo prior to that release. In fact, requiring specific carrier IDs that cannot be duplicated is a very good way to go, as well as requiring the carrier to notify you ahead of time as to the equipment type, license plates and the name of the driver they will be sending to pick up the cargo.

• Considering the use of closed-circuit television to record all equipment that enters and exits the property, using a setup that can read license plates. That record will be very helpful in the event an incident occurs.

As the Sept. 19 Opinion covering small carriers pointed out, driver training also is vital. In addition to what that column suggested, we would advise:

• Training drivers never to stop between the shipper and consignee unless absolutely necessary.

• If the load must be stopped, the driver should be trained to make every effort not to do so within 250 miles of the shipper’s location.

• Also, if the load must be stopped, train the driver always to turn off the truck engine, roll up the windows, lock both doors of the cab, and verify that tractor and trailer both are secured when he or she is away from the vehicle — no matter how short of a time that vehicle will be unattended.

• Telling the driver to check in with route planners several times during a trip — but only while parked in a safe location, of course.

• Telling the driver to change routes occasionally in case a potential thief is watching for patterns and weaknesses.

• Telling the driver to be conscious of other vehicles in order to determine if the truck is being followed.

• Telling the driver never, ever to share confidential information such as load contents, pricing or the identity of customers being serviced.

While this is far from an all inclusive list of solutions, I hope it is helpful.

TransRisk Solutions, Oak Forest, Ill., provides commercial risk-management services, specializing in transportation and warehousing, in the upper Midwest.

 Memphis Business Journal by Andy Ashby

 September 23, 2011

Bobby Wiggins says “some thieves will follow a truck as it leaves Memphis, then rob it when a driver takes a break on the road.”

While the Memphis metropolitan area ranks high among the nation’s distribution centers, that notoriety also translates into unwanted baggage: cargo theft.

A FreightWatch report in April ranked Memphis/West Memphis as No. 5 nationally for major risk zones with 110 thefts between 2006 and 2010. Los Angeles topped the list with 518.

Companies with distribution operations in the area are partnering with local, state and federal law enforcement to combat this type of crime while implementing extra security measures when possible to decrease the number of incidents.

One of the reasons the Memphis area has a high degree of incidents is because the area is high in the number of distribution centers as well as high-risk product distribution, according to Bobby Wiggins, a board member on the Mid-South Cargo Security Council.

“In Memphis, you’ve got your largest pharmaceutical distribution centers and your major cell phone carriers,” he says. “That plays a pretty big role.”

Pharmaceutical thefts are on the rise nationally, increasing by 283 percent from 2007 to 2008.

In early 2011, Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based DDN added 140,000 square feet of space in Southeast Memphis. This brought the company’s pharmaceutical distribution operations in Memphis no more than 500,000 square feet.

In second quarter 2012, Weston, Fla.-based Anda Distribution will open a 234,660-square-foot generic drug distribution facility at 8644 Polk Lane in Olive Branch.

Thieves target pharmaceuticals because they can find ready markets in third-world countries, among others.

Cargo theft is also an issue throughout the Mid-South for the same reasons distribution centers are so prevalent here: major interstates such as I-40 and I-55. Thieves have a lot of choices when it comes to stealing product and getting it out of town. Also, some groups will follow a truck 200 miles out of Memphis and wait for the driver to get out for a bite to eat.

“It doesn’t always happen here in Memphis even if the load originates here,” Wiggins says.

The Mid-South Cargo Security Council is an organization made up of local businesses which deal in the shipping industry. The organization’s mission is to understand what is going on in cargo theft, provide support for the FBI and other agencies and offset some costs for their training and equipment.

Wiggins was a military police officer for 15 years and has worked for various distribution centers since 1993, mostly in the electronics industry.

He says many companies are combating cargo theft by having their own Global Positioning System programs that are becoming more sophisticated all the time.

Companies used to put big domes on their trailers with GPS systems.

“Those were easily defeated able,” Wiggins says. “They’d either rip them off or knock them off with a baseball bat.”

Now companies are imbedding GPS devices in the load and monitoring it themselves.

It’s an added expense, but it affects how criminal gangs operate.

“Once they learn companies are doing that, they’re a little more conscious in how they pick their loads,” Wiggins says. “This can, in some cases, reduce the number of trailers you could lose.”

Also, with certain loads, companies will require a two-man team with at least one person being with the truck at all times.

Companies are also working more with law enforcement.

Cargo theft is one area where law enforcement teams with private industry, according to ConradStraube, special agent with the FBI’s Memphis division and coordinator of its Memphis Cargo Theft Task Force.

The task force investigates major thefts, but also meets regularly with groups like the Mid-South Cargo Security Council to keep the business community apprised of local, regional and national trends in cargo theft.

“We figure if we can get ahead of some of these problems, that will prevent us from having to do more investigation down the road,” Straube says.

The two organizations had 150 people participate in a conference last year focused on cargo theft. They are expecting more than 300 in a similar conference in October.

At the end of the day, security is simply a part of the business.

“Security isn’t a profit center, it’s a cost center,” Wiggins says, “but it maintains the integrity of the inventory.

tags: cargo security, cargo theft, covert gps, trailer theft, truck theft, transport security, enforcer locks