By: LARA L. SOWINSKI


The focus on recalls in the food and beverage supply chain certainly won’t let up this year, especially with new regulations under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on the way and heightened awareness the norm among providers and consumers alike.

Addressing intentional adulteration of food

In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its proposed rule on intentional adulteration of food, which for the first time, “clearly requires companies to implement a food defense program,” explains Don Hsieh, director of commercial and industrial marketing for Tyco Integrated Security.

To help companies identify the most vulnerable parts of their supply chains and operations that could be targeted, the FDA suggests that companies include in their review:

• Mixing and similar activities where a large batch of food can be susceptible to an even distribution of a contaminant

• Secondary ingredient handling where a contaminant may have access to the primary product stream

• Liquid receiving and loading where there is a high probability of uniform mixing of a contaminant

• Bulk liquid storage and handling, which are typically held in isolated areas and include agitation steps to prevent separation

While attacks on the food supply chain may seem few and far between, “Unfortunately, incidents of intentional food adulteration have occurred worldwide in different venues,” says Hsieh, who lists the following: “In 2002, an Al’ Qaida attempt to poison Rome’s water supply was foiled. In 2007, the food poisoning of 203 hospital patients in northeast China was determined to be an intentional act. And in the U.S., a plot to poison hotels and restaurants in multiple locations was uncovered in 2010.”

Kevin Pollack, vice president of sales and marketing, and business development at Stericycle, acknowledges that “while widespread food sabotage is not very prevalent, when a disgruntled employee, consumer, or competitor commits an act, it poses a public health risk and can cause reputational damage to the producer’s brand.”

So, who’s most likely to attack the food supply chain? Hsieh notes that, “In a recent survey of 600 respondents (representing government, first responders, public health and industry) conducted by the DomPrep Journal, 47 percent cited disgruntled employees as the most likely threat, far surpassing domestic and foreign terrorism, which came in second with 29 percent….”

At the same time, Stericycle’s Pollack notes that the FDA’s proposed rule “also aims to protect consumers from ‘economically motivated adulteration,’ which is open to interpretation, but could mean the addition of preservatives that are known to be harmful yet extend shelf life; or undeclared ‘cheaper’ ingredients, like water and sugar substitutes.”

Furthermore, foods like olive oil, fruit juice, and honey are some that are prone to adulteration for economically motivated purposes, he says.

Pollack adds that, “This type of adulteration is much more prevalent, and in order to meet the FDA’s requirements as outlined in the food defense plan, companies should review their production systems to determine if they include activities that are most vulnerable to adulteration.”

These would include the four processes listed previously, as well as other best practices such as employee training and background checks, quality assurance programs, and supply chain testing, adds Pollack.

 

Cargo thefts aggravate the problem


It’s worth mentioning that according to FreightWatch International, thefts of food shipments continue to lead all others, which makes keeping the food supply chain safe all the more difficult.

Hsieh confirms that, “For the past three years, food and beverage products have had the highest incidence of cargo theft as an industry because they’re difficult to track and easy to reintroduce into the supply chain and sell.”

He explains that, “While a load of electronics goods like cell phones or tablets are higher in value than food, since they are serialized and easier to track, criminals may only get 30 cents on the dollar to fence these products. In contrast, branded food products are more difficult to track and easier to resell, so criminals may get 70 cents on the dollar. Unfortunately, when these stolen products are resold into legitimate channels, there is no assurance that the product is safe to eat, especially for refrigerated products, and ultimately, both the consumer and brand reputation can be harmed.”

There is a way to turn around this trend, however. “The electronics and pharmaceutical industries both suffered from a high incidence of cargo theft, which while still an ongoing threat, has declined due in part to implementing more stringent safety measures such as GPS tracking and monitoring,” Hsieh points out.

“Criminals tend to go after the softest targets and the recent trend of food and beverage thefts may be an indication of that,” he says. “With the introduction of some of the latest technologies, such as truck and trailer security and control, it may be time for food and beverage companies to implement higher levels of preventive security practices to stem the rising tide of cargo theft.”

For his part, Pollack also sees some positive movement in combating cargo theft in the food and beverage industry, starting with enhanced security procedures.

“Sourcing, delivery schedules, travel routes, even double drivers and electronics controls are all measures being used to help prevent theft,” says Pollack.

Nonetheless, “Truck stops have been a haven for such activity, especially when the truck is stolen when the driver stops for a bathroom break. Since the trucks are readily identifiable and have systems set up to quickly transfer the merchandise, they have fencing operations that processes the product before selling it on the grey market. Some have even used eBay to unload stolen shipments.”

 

Putting a plan together

Steve Dollase, president, Inmar Supply Chain Network, notes that, “While adulterated product entering the supply chain is low probability, it does carry high risk.” To mitigate that risk, implement best practices that include the right processes, people and technology to secure product in the supply chain, which he details as follows:

The Right Processes. Processes are one of the most important steps to secure product. It all begins with a plan that is global in scope to meet ever-expanding trade relationships. The global plan should be cross-functional to encompass all aspects of the supply chain with a specific plan in place for the handling of adulterated product if it does make its way downstream. Any plan should include execution and communication steps to ensure proper notification about handling of adulterated product in the supply chain and should address all stakeholders and legal entities across the globe.

The Right People. Without the right people, processes can never really get off the ground. The right people and the right vendors ensure that processes work to prevent adulterated product from reaching the consumer. To make sure the right people are touching your supply chain, stringent background checks for personnel should be employed. While all personnel are appropriately screened, access to certain aspects of the supply chain—such as receiving systems—should still be limited. As with personnel, all vendors should undergo a strict background check and vetting process.

For many companies, prevention of adulterated products is cross-functional without a clear designation of which people within the company are best at handling the issues that could arise. Supply chain associates offer an overview of the big picture of adulterated or anti-counterfeit product plans, says Dollase. If adulterated product makes its way downstream, the supply chain team knows which wholesalers handle which product and whether the product is contract manufactured, co-packed or distributed by a third party or in-house. Their insight that encompasses the entire product lifecycle, from raw materials through manufacturing to distribution channel, can be beneficial when addressing adulterated product.

The Right Technology. In today’s world, technology is an enabler to help the right people implement the right processes quickly and efficiently, not only to detect, but also to prevent adulterated product from entering the supply chain and reaching the end consumer. Track and trace technology can help keep product safe at all points in the supply chain. Technology should be used at warehouses and distribution centers. This security should employ video surveillance, badge-controlled entries, low-level motion detection beams at dock doors and entrances, collaboration between the shipper and receiver on tracking technology, and ASNs for tracking by lot or production code, Dollase advises.

By Rick Romell of the Journal Sentinel

Schneider, the large trucking and logistics company based in Green Bay, said Thursday that it cut cargo theft by 20% last year.

The reduction continues a trend of several years for Schneider, which has used both technology and training to address an industrywide problem.

Nationally, nearly $100 million worth of freight was stolen from trucks last year, according to Verisk Analytics Inc., a Jersey City, N.J., risk-assessment firm.

Most of the 1,090 reported incidents — down 9% from 2012 — involved theft of an entire semi-truck or its trailer. Some $31 million in electronics were stolen, and about $16 million worth of food and beverages.

Wisconsin isn't a hot spot for cargo theft, but it does have an outsized share of the country's largest trucking companies. Schneider, which has shortened its name to the single word but formally remains Schneider National Inc., ranks No. 6 on the Transport Topics list of the biggest carriers. Two other state firms, Marten Transport and rapidly growing Roadrunner Transportation, rank 42 and 24, respectively.

Walt Fountain, director of safety and enterprise security at Schneider, said the company has seen thefts drop from several hundred a year in the mid 2000s to "well under 75" now.

One reason for that is "geo-fencing" technology that can deliver messages to drivers when they enter truck stops and rest areas that have had a high incidence of thefts in the immediate past, Fountain said.

The messages advise drivers of steps to take to prevent theft, and suggest safer alternate locations to stop for rest breaks.

More significant, Fountain said, are theft-deterrent procedures that Schneider has in place. Among them are making sure a driver is informed about details of his load, and that he gets to the shipper so he can pull away with five or six hours of available driving time — enough to "move out of that red zone" around big metro areas, Fountain said.

Places where interstate highways converge also tend to pose theft problems, he said, as do the areas just beyond the fringe of a major population center — spots like Barstow, Calif., north of Los Angeles.

Drivers often want to pull over and rest after they emerge from the congestion of a big city, but that can be dangerous.

"That's where you see a lot of theft," Fountain said.

Original Article

Barry Tarnef is an assistant vice president and senior risk specialist, loss control services, for Chubb’s Commercial Insurance business unit.


Original Article

Written by  John Tabor

A recent survey of retail security directors showed that almost half of those polled had been the victims of a supply-chain disruption directly related to cargo theft in the past year. This is a significant increase from just five years ago.

Envision the following scenario. You are at home around 8:15 at night watching television with your wife or kids when the phone rings. The caller is one of your regional LP managers in the Southeast. He tells you that you just had a tractor load of high-end apparel worth $2,000,000 stolen in Florida while parked at a truck stop. The driver had gone in to use the facilities, and when he came out ten minutes later his tractor and trailer were gone. While no one ever wants to receive a call like this, you can be prepared for it.

In order to fully understand the issue of cargo theft, you need to know why it exists, who is perpetrating it, how you can reduce your risk, and ultimately how to react to a loss.

Most of those reading this have had some level of store- or logistics-security exposure. Good loss prevention programs involve some form of a "layered" approach. Based on the exposure, some, if not all, of the following countermeasures may be employed—surveillance cameras, alarms, locks, lighting, EAS, safes, employee awareness training, and others. Loss prevention professionals would be remiss in their duties if they did not explore all of these attributes to secure their stores.

That said, remember that virtually 100 percent of the merchandise in retail stores is delivered by truck. In many cases the only two preventative measures put in place to secure that same merchandise in transit is a key to the tractor and a seal on the rear doors.

On any given night there are hundreds of thousands of loads of merchandise parked in unsecured locations around the country. This is a well-known fact to various criminal elements, from organized Cuban and Eastern European cargo-theft crews to local gangs like MS-13.

Risk vs. RewardThe average value of a stolen shipment in-transit last year was $300,000 according to FreightWatch International, a risk management service provider. Compare that figure to two other serious crimes—bank robbery, which according to FBI statistics nets roughly $2,000 per event, or a typical organized retail crime (ORC) that nets about $8,000. There's obviously a large disparity in the net profit out of each of these crimes. There is also a great disparity in the punishments if apprehended for each of these offenses.

Someone convicted of ORC can face up to three years imprisonment. A convicted bank robber typically receives a five- to ten-year prison sentence. An apprehended cargo thief, however, routinely faces very minimal incarceration and, more often than not, receives some form of probation...yes, probation. One example is a career cargo criminal from South Florida who operated out of New Jersey. This Hispanic male was arrested nine times for full trailer-load thefts, but has done less than two years in prison...total, for all of these offenses.

In most cases the cargo thief goes undetected in the commission of his or her crime and is very rarely confronted by law enforcement, who aren't made aware of what has occurred until long after the shipment is gone.

A key event that increased the popularity of this type of crime occurred in 1986, when the government passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This placed mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines in a continuing effort to fight the war on drugs. The guidelines were stiff, with long minimum prison terms if one were caught selling drugs. These stiff sentences forced certain criminal elements to find new revenue streams. With its low risk versus high reward, cargo theft presented a new business opportunity for these criminals.

A Rising TrendIn the past five years cargo-theft crimes have risen over 150 percent and are still climbing. The annual losses attributed to these thefts are estimated in the billions of dollars. The disparity in attention attributed these numbers is tied directly to the common perception that these types of crimes are essentially "victimless."

The lack of formal reporting of cargo-theft incidents has also been a significant hindrance in getting any assistance from the government. In 2006 as part of the Patriot Act renewal, an amendment was added that designated cargo theft as a Part 1 crime that must be reported within the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) system. Unfortunately, as we sit here eight years later, the FBI has still not completed the collection and dissemination processing of that data.

Although cargo theft occurs all over the country, there are higher than average concentrations centered in states that have major port activity, as many of these thieves desire access to as much freight as possible. It's important to understand that these criminals fall into two significantly different types. The first type of cargo thief is simply looking for the opportunity to steal virtually any load; while the second targets specific merchandise. Both illicit groups are professionals, yet they go about their trade using different methodology.

The opportunistic thief typically targets any loaded trailer left unattended in a relatively unsecure location. This could be a truck stop, mall parking lot, or even in or near your store or distribution center.

The thieves targeting specific merchandise operate quite differently. They will first decide, or be directed to, a particular desired product—a certain brand of cell phone, a particular pharmaceutical product, tobacco products, and so forth. They will conduct pre-trip research looking into locations of associated distribution centers within a specific geographic area. They will also look for proximity to interstate highway systems, the locations of law enforcement facilities and activity, as well as weigh stations.

There have actually been times when these particular thieves have been caught with shopping lists, either on their person or in their vehicles. The lists describe specific items to steal, as well as where to find them. These same criminals have also been found with police scanners and other forms of cargo-theft tools.

The perpetrators will typically work in teams, conducting surveillance on both facilities and drivers to understand how those in the facility distribute shipments and how the drivers act when picking the loads up.

Sometimes the thieves will hit drivers on the road, following them in multiple surveillance vehicles and trailed by another tractor. The tractor will be utilized as a substitute once the rig has been stolen. This type of surveillance sometimes lasts for hundreds of miles, or until the driver needs to make a stop. Once the driver leaves the tractor-trailer unattended, it typically takes the thieves less than one minute to break into the locked cab, hotwire the unit, and subsequently drive off with the load.

In these scenarios the thieves look to get rid of the original tractor as soon as possible, substituting it for the one they brought along. The original tractor is almost always recovered a few miles from the original theft location. All of this is done to better disguise the two-part unit as the getaway is being made, but also to attempt to evade any GPS tracking that may have been installed in or on the original tractor.

The thieves may do something similar with the trailer, also attempting to see if GPS tracking technology is being used to locate it. In many instances they'll take the trailer to a remote location, place it under surveillance for several hours, and wait to see if someone comes for it. If no one does, their natural assumption is that there isn't any tracking technology either attached to the trailer or buried inside the shipment.

If the plan involves the burglary of a facility, as opposed to an in-transit theft, once the target location has been selected, a team of specialized criminals will attack it. Each member of the team will have a specialized talent, such as picking locks and defeating alarms and CCTV. They will have team members trained on operating material-handling equipment as well as general laborers to load the stolen goods.

Leakage and Fictitious PickupsTwo other forms of theft have become much more common in recent years—"leakage" and "fictitious pickups."

Leakage occurs when a thief, which could even be one of your own employees, gains access to the contents of a trailer without your knowing about it. There are countless methods for gaining access to a trailer's contents and still making it appear as if the trailer doors were never opened after being closed for delivery. The easiest is simply to break the seal on a trailer. More complicated, but not by much, is to bypass the seal. In bypassing a seal, thieves have been known to remove rivets on the locking hardware so that the handle assembly essentially remains intact and sealed, but no longer engaged as the entire assembly is removed. Thieves can also remove the trailer doors altogether, again maintaining seal integrity, but affording access to the trailer's contents.

One of the newest forms of theft, the fictitious pickup, is growing in popularity because in many instances it is unusually simple to execute. Would-be thieves target a load they are interested in via any of the thousands of electronic "load boards" used by the shipping industry to advertise loads available for tender. Once the thieves select a load for theft, they begin the process of illicitly obtaining the identity of a real certified carrier. These thieves will use disposable cellphones, create bogus email addresses, fabricate insurance paperwork, and ultimately represent themselves as the legitimate carrier. The unsuspecting victim assigns them a pickup time and location to obtain the shipment. All the thief then needs do is show up. The load is given directly to them. Only after the delivery has failed to reach the intended customer does the theft become realized.

Impacts of a Cargo Loss What are the impacts beyond just the loss of the merchandise? Consider the following:

• Cost of Replenishment—A trailer load that is stolen and can't be delivered must be replaced rapidly. The costs associated with this, together with re-picking orders, transportation, and staffing costs, all affect bottom-line profits.
• Customer Retention—Losing an existing customer because product they desired has been stolen in-transit or in-storage can be even more damaging to a retail operation.
• New Customers—We essentially live in a society that demands immediate satisfaction. If you do not have an item in stock because it's been stolen from you, that customer will likely not wait for you to replenish your inventory. They will simply shop somewhere else.
• Lost Sales—Often these stolen products are reintroduced back into a secondary, albeit "grey market," supply chain, which erodes the chance for that same sale in your store.
• Fraudulent Refunds—Stolen merchandise often reappears in local stores in the form of fraudulent refunds that drag down same-store sales numbers.
• Increased Insurance Premiums—The cost to insure your goods in-transit will obviously be passed on to customers. These higher insurance premiums will make a retailer less competitive on sheer price point.
• Lost Margin—The difference between the cost of the item and the retail value is not recovered by most insurance programs as they usually are designed to protect the shipper at cost.
• Loss of Brand Reputation—Once you are identified as an easy target, it is difficult to rebrand yourself, and you may begin the downward spiral where, not only does the bad guy see you as an easy target ,but your brand begins to be marginalized among your consumer base.

If you feel this is painting a pretty grim picture, then good, that is precisely what you should be feeling. However, there is light at the end of this tunnel.

Mitigating ProgramsThe thieves don't always have to win. There are several security layers that can be added into a supply chain to significantly reduce risk and, hence, your exposure to loss.

One of the first things to understand is what your exposure to theft actually is. For instance, what areas of the country do you operate in? There are several cargo theft "hot spots" in the United States that include certain areas within the states of California, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Illinois, and New Jersey (see the graph left column). If you move or store goods in any of these states, you have a much higher probability of becoming a victim of a cargo theft as opposed to other states in the country.

Also you need to consider the current popularity of the particular commodities sold in your store. The chart on page 48 shows that virtually all commodities, at one time or another, represent desirable targets to cargo thieves.

Do you control the delivery of your merchandise with an in-house proprietary trucking fleet? Many retailers are moving away from maintaining their own transportation to focus more on their core business of retailing. Those that do maintain their own fleets, however, have a distinct advantage; from screening and hiring their own drivers; to making investments in security devices to add to their fleet of tractors and trailers; to establishing proprietary in-transit policies and procedures that your specific drivers use while transporting shipments.

More often than not, however, many companies contract out their transportation services and do not, necessarily, have direct control over their transportation providers. That being the case, there are many best practices that can be put into place contractually to ensure that your exposure to potential theft is reduced. Some of these mandated best-practice policies for third-party providers should include the following:

• Requiring stringent background checks for all drivers and anyone who has visibility of your critical shipment information.
• Producing policy-and-procedure manuals that include security requirements and can be randomly audited.
• Maintaining excellent DOT compliance and "out-of-service" records.
• Requiring drivers to produce a valid driver license and vehicle registration, upon demand, before any shipment loading can take place.
• Making drivers aware of, and signing off on, your specific security requirements on each individual trip.
• Ensuring that drivers know how to contact you in any emergency.
• Obtaining drivers' contact information so that you can readily reach them at any time during a shipment trip.
• Having drivers arrive with a fully fueled vehicle to minimize the number of stops necessary to make a delivery.
• Ensuring drivers route themselves directly to the point of delivery, as safely and efficiently as possible within lawful bounds and with a minimum number of stops.
• Requiring that there are no stops made within the first 200 miles of a delivery trip.
• Installing GPS tracking technology on both tractors and trailers.
• Instructing drivers to lock any unattended tractor-trailer with the engine turned off.
• Suggesting that trailers should be parked with their rear doors against a fixed object to prevent them from opening whenever possible.
• Ensuring that loaded trailers are secured with a sufficient locking device at all times. If a loaded trailer must be "dropped," some form of approved locking device such as a king pin, glad handle, or landing gear lock should be deployed.
• Giving store security the right to inspect the driver's tractor and trailer for stolen merchandise before the driver leaves.

Let's not forget that professional drivers are our knights of the highways and should be recognized for their top-shelf efforts and incentivized for superior performance as well. Don't create an unbalanced program that focuses on the punitive without recognizing the positive.

Other Areas of OpportunityIt is important that you work with your distribution and store operations group to fully understand delivery schedules. It is noteworthy that thieves prefer to steal loads on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, when drivers are often forced to leave loads unattended for long periods of time while they await delivery appointments. Thieves also use these weekend periods to steal shipments in the hope of delayed detection. Therefore, shipping Monday through Thursdays, with a contemporaneous delivery before the weekend period greatly reduces a retailer's chance of being targeted by a cargo thief.

It is also critical to perform route risk analysis on individual lanes, particularly within areas that you may not be entirely familiar with. There are now information resources available that can provide city-level risk mapping based on historical data that can be used to set up a driver's particular route. All that is required is to enter the pickup and delivery locations. The risk-management program will map out the driver's trip, highlighting areas that have been prone to cargo theft in the past. Using this type of analysis, you can create "no stop" zones based on the prior history of theft in that community. Many companies instruct drivers to not stop at least one hour before or one hour after these known "hot spots."

GPS Technology Many logistics-security professionals believe that cargo thieves literally have a manual of their own that could be entitled "Cargo Theft 101." From the repetitive methodology used to commit these types of crimes, one of the chapters in this manual includes the disabling of any visible GPS tracking technology on the tractor or the trailer.

Over a relatively short period of time, GPS tracking technology has become much more sophisticated than in the past. Although a layered approach to cargo-theft prevention and detection is always recommended, GPS tracking capability is probably the single greatest asset that exists in investigating and ultimately recovering stolen cargo.

The accuracy of current GPS units is now at all-time highs—to within a hundred feet— which aids locating a stolen shipment fairly rapidly. As stated above in contractual best practices, if you have a transportation provider that does not offer GPS tracking of its tractors and trailers, you should definitely mandate it. It not only serves in the recovery of full trailer-load thefts, it also helps to identify potential acts of pilfering. Finally, it's invaluable in tracking driver behavior as well.

Devices no longer need to be installed or placed in visible areas to "see the sky" so to speak. Technology has advanced to the point where devices can be inserted either within the vehicle itself or within individual shipments being transported inside a truck or trailer.

Portable GPS tracking devices are now routinely used by retailers to ensure that their service providers are following proper procedures and to add an additional layer of security in the event of a theft. Some of these units are so small they can fit inside a 100-count pill bottle and are easily rechargeable. The progress of shipments containing these devices can easily be monitored on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Automatic alerts can also be configured for any of these devices if there is ever an unscheduled deviation from designated route.

Changing of the Times Ten years ago it was relatively rare for transportation risk managers to interact with a retailer's supply-chain loss prevention representative...if they even had one. That has changed significantly over the past few years. Virtually all major retailers now have someone responsible for supply-chain risk analysis and security who is responsible for ensuring safe and secure delivery of their respective merchandise.

In my years in this profession, I've had the opportunity to speak on this topic at loss prevention, logistics, and law enforcement conferences. I try never to miss an opportunity to meet with law enforcement entities who may someday be working a case when one of my trailers turns out to be missing.

The states noted earlier that have significant cargo-theft activity typically have their own dedicated law enforcement team of seasoned cargo-theft detectives and taskforces. These teams typically know who is operating in their areas, where the merchandise may be headed, and who to contact to assist in making a recovery. It is imperative that you or someone within your organization know and remain in perpetual contact with these important law enforcement entities.

Most important is to maintain cellphone contact numbers with these men and women. Why? As previously stated many of these thefts occur after business hours—at night or on a weekend—and you want to be able to reach out directly to the most seasoned cargo-theft investigators as possible.

I also try to attend as many regional cargo-security meetings as possible. There are numerous local and regional "councils" strategically located in the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Western areas of the United States. Their meetings bring law enforcement, transportation providers, shippers, insurance companies, and retailers together to discuss issues affecting their particular regions of the country. These meetings are invaluable for the information that is shared.

Kurt Duesterdick, chairman of the Eastern Region Transportation Security Council (ERTSC) explains:

"The ERTSC is one of the oldest, if not the first transportation security council in the U.S. It was started in the late '80s by a number of former members of law enforcement who had transitioned to transportation-security managers. These individuals discovered that they were all experiencing the same types of problems, yet had no way of sharing information. They made inquiries to one another and found there was a need to help one another out, as they all trying to safeguard the business of their respective companies.

"The original council consisted of only transportation-security and law enforcement personnel. However, as cargo theft continued to increase, they saw the need to involve loss prevention professionals and investigators from the retail and shipping businesses to assist them in their endeavors by identifying stolen product, tracing serial numbers to specific losses, assisting in investigations and recoveries, and educating law enforcement in the movement of stolen goods.

"Today there are eight different private-sector councils located throughout the U.S. in the fight against both cargo theft and supply-chain enterprise crime. Our council has changed over the years with members reporting thefts and hijackings, as well as providing educational opportunities in the transportation, manufacturing, shipping, retail, and cargo world. We have approximately 425 active members from both the private sector as well the law enforcement community. Our law enforcement partners include, but are not limited to, the state police from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. In addition, we have participants from Customs, the FBI, the Waterfront Commission, and several local police departments. We share our intel with the other seven councils, essentially getting this information in the hands of thousands of people who work and investigate these types of crimes."

The Rest of the StoryNow let me finish the story from the beginning of this article. The case was not hypothetical. I had just received a call that we have lost a $2,000,000-plus load of clothing. The driver claimed to have locked the tractor and had the truck keys in his possession. We immediately checked the tractor's GPS unit, which indicated the truck was stationary approximately a mile and a half off the highway. I called the local police who responded to find the tractor abandoned.

We then pulled up the GPS tracking data on the trailer, and it last showed the conveyance was only a few more miles further down the road. Law enforcement was sent to that location, but essentially found nothing.

We then contacted the customer's supply-chain security department and learned they had embedded a portable GPS device inside the shipment. Their GPS data supplier was able to call me with the last known location of that portable device. I notified a contact I had developed over the years with the Florida Highway Patrol. That officer dispatched several of his men to that last known location, and within 45 minutes a full recovery was made of the stolen shipment.

This is a textbook case on how collaboration between a retailer, a transportation provider, and law enforcement led to a multimillion-dollar recovery.

While in-transit cargo theft is a significant issue, as industry professionals we are fortunate that the tools are there for us to combat this problem and significantly reduce our organization's potential for loss.

JOHN TABOR is the principal of All States Locate, a supply-chain security and logistics consulting firm based in the New York metropolitan area, providing risk-mitigation strategies to retailers, shippers, and transportation companies as well as conducting cargo-theft investigations and training seminars. Tabor has 25 years of experience in loss prevention, most recently as the senior security executive for a national transportation and warehousing company. He can be reached at
201-294-6866 or jtabor@allstatesupplychain.com.

Original Article

By Christina Lusby, Reporter - email

FORT MYERS, FL -Park at your own risk: it's what managers of Pilot Truck Stop are telling drivers after a tractor trailer was stolen from it's lot.

According to drivers, it's not the first truck to be stolen from the area.

Truck drivers are constantly on the road and have to stop. It's the reason Don Tobias was at the Fort Myers Pilot.

"[I am] mainly fueling and showering," said Tobias who’s been driving a truck for 40 years.

It's the same routine for many drivers, but necessity is becoming a risk.

"When you go into shower, they [thieves] are waiting, watching you," said Tobias, "You go into shower and they break into the truck."

The latest victims are driver Alejandro Ponce and partner Anabel Morales.

Ponce and Morales say they have parked at the Fort Myers Pilot before. But on Wednesday after showering, they came out to find their truck and cargo stolen.

“We looked at ourselves saying ‘we just parked it.’ We looked everywhere and it wasn’t there,” said Morales.

Panic set in and Ponce called deputies. He filed the report then both drove to Miami.

Ponce, Morales and other drivers say it’s where semis are often dumped after being stolen.

“The window on the driver’s side was broken into,” said Morales.

It turns out Morales and Ponce’s hunch wasn’t far off.

According to Hialeah Police, the truck was found abandoned behind a tile business.

Police say the suspects broke in and used a freight key to drive it.

"They stole the truck with the least amount of value, thinking it had great value," said Morales, "[I mean] plastic garbage bags, imagine."

Whoever took the truck from Pilot's parking lot stole $20,000 worth of plastic.

The couple is working with their insurance and the company whose cargo they were carrying.

"It's really frustrating," said Morales.

Morales says their insurances will now go up due to the theft.

After the theft, Pilot has been warning drivers to park at will.

"They said park 'at your own risk, we had a truck stolen out of here three or four nights ago.’ They said this isn't the first time it has happened either," said Tobias, "It's happened in the past - three or four times."

"I'm going to be locking my truck when I get out," said Donny Banta another driver who was fueling up at the Fort Myers Pilot.

This is the second tractor-trailer that has been stolen from Lee County.

Last month, an egg truck with more than 180,000 eggs was taken from a 7-Eleven. The truck turned up in Homestead, but all the cargo was missing.


Read Original Article

BY NADIA PEARL
The Fresno Bee May 8, 2014 

A Porterville man was arrested for cargo theft on Thursday morning after a sting.

A multi-agency team arrested Robert Blackwell, 35, after watching him break into a locked tractor trailer around 1:30 a.m in Tulare County. The trailer was bait, stuffed with thousands of dollars worth of cargo.

When Blackwell, who was on probation, tried to drive away with the loot, authorities swooped in for the arrest.

Investigators later searched Blackwell's home and found more stolen property from other cargo thefts.

The sting was initiated after a company had 15 tractor trailers, carrying millions of dollars worth of cargo, looted in the last 18 days around Tulare County. Investigators say they believe others may have assisted Blackwell, and the investigation is continuing.

The Tulare County Regional Auto Theft Taskforce worked the case. It consists of investigators from the California Highway Patrol, Visalia Police Department, Exeter Police Department and the Tulare County District Attorney's Investigators Office.

The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6659 or npearl@fresnobee.com

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In the first quarter of 2014 a total of 206 full-truckload cargo theft incidents in the United States were recorded, according to a new report from logistics security services provider FreightWatch International.

The average loss value per was $207,982. Compared with the first quarter of 2013, this represent a 4.9% decrease in volume, but is a 38.5% increase in loss value, “indicating the continued persistence and increasing sophistication of organized cargo criminals,” the company said.

Food/drinks was again the product type most often stolen in the quarter, accounting for 21% of all incidents. Home/garden took the second place spot from typical runner-up, electronics, recording 15% of thefts, mainly consisting of appliances, furniture and home decor. The electronics industry experienced 13% of thefts, primarily of televisions and computer components.


While the average loss value across all incidents was $207,982, the average losses in specific product types varied widely. In this quarter, the clothing/shoes category had the highest loss value, at $943,699.

California once again claimed the top spot with 27% of the total thefts. Florida’s had 20% of all incidents, while Georgia supplanted Texas, which is normally in a battle for second place with Florida, with 11.2% of all thefts. Close behind, Texas logged 10.7% of the total. Illinois, sustaining the elevated numbers seen in 2013, placed fifth with 7.3% of all thefts. The top five states combined accounted for more than 76% of all national cargo thefts.

Unsecured parking, experienced 122 thefts during the first quarter, primarily at truck stops, was the location targeted most often by cargo thieves when a location was recorded.

Warehouse/distribution centers narrowly surpassed secured parking locations, with 12 thefts to secured parking’s 11 incidents.

Following usual trends, incidents involving theft of trailer/container, 176 in all, were most common during the first quarter, accounting for 85% of all thefts. Theft from trailer/container comprised 10 thefts in this quarter and was the second most prevalent theft type. Deceptive pickups, down from last year’s numbers, still came in third with nine incidents, a 57% decrease from the same quarter last year.

"Although there were many more reports of carriers with compromised identity than usual, indicating that this theft type is still on the rise, FreightWatch is committed to the integrity of our data and only records confirmed theft instances,” the company said.

Original Article

Gov. Nathan Deal has signed his first bill into law.  House Bill 749, which has been dubbed the Cargo Theft Act, imposes penalties based on the value of the theft, singling out pharmaceutical cargo thefts to carry stiffer penalties. Criminals convicted of cargo theft of pharmaceuticals valued up to $10,000 will face sentences of up to 10 years in prison as well as fines of up to $100,000.  Controlled substance thefts of up to $1 million will carry sentances of up to 25 years and up to $1 million in fines, while loads stolen that exceed $1 million will be penalized with up to 30 years and $1 million in fines.

Also identified in the law are penalties for tampering with fifth wheel devices that join tractors and trailers, including any anti-theft device attached to it, such as king pin locks.  Fines for attempts to alter, move or sell fifth wheels or their locks will be up to 10 years in prison and $10,000.

By: Sal Marino - Vice President of Business Development, CargoNet 


Cargo theft in the United States continues to create challenges for our nation’s supply chain. No one is immune to the impact of cargo theft. Although insurance companies carry a majority of the risk, we all stand to lose when cargo is removed from legitimate supply chains.

Shippers are concerned with their reputation and brand being tarnished; as well as empty shelves and loss of consumer scenarios. The motor carriers and brokers feel the pain of theft when their deductibles need to be met and their insurance companies raise their premiums, it’s even worse when they are self-insured, as the loss falls right to their bottom line.

Most importantly for shippers is the potential loss of confidence from customers and the risk of losing business. The owner operator’s safety is in jeopardy and when their tractors are stolen, that power unit stops generating revenue. Finally, the consumers are impacted as manufacturers are beginning to build in theft loss into its cost and passing it down.

So how can you mitigate cargo theft? In one word “preparedness”. It’s imperative to have documented prevention protocols in place. From CargoNet’s perspective, it is all about education and awareness. Here are some best practices to protect your freight and assets from being stolen:

• Notify your dispatcher via text, email, or phone if you plan on stopping.
• Pre-plan your stops prior to departure from the shipper.
• Get it all done in advance: fuel, shower, eat, and rest prior to loading.
• Even if you did a thorough pre-trip inspection earlier in the day, always do a walk-around when you stop. Give your truck and trailer a visual inspection of tires, brakes, air line, etc. Also—always check all trailer doors when you stop and prior to departing.
• Always drive a minimum of 250 miles after accepting a load before stopping.
• If you observe a suspicious vehicle following you for an extended period, call 911. If the patrol officer is unable to locate you, drive to a safe, well-lit location. While waiting for the officer, record the license plate number as well as vehicle and occupant descriptions to provide to the responding officer.
• Never discuss your destination, type of cargo, or any personal information on the CB radio or at a truck stop, whether you are loaded or just left the consignee. Thieves may be gathering intelligence for your next trip.
• If you must stop, use reputable truck stops or a secured parking area.
• When you park at a truck stop, be aware of anyone who seems to be loitering—that person could be a criminal waiting for you to leave your vehicle unattended.
•  If you must eat and/or shower with a loaded trailer, ensure that the rear doors are parked against a fixed object—fence, light pole, etc.—to eliminate the opportunity for theft.

For more information, please see the full list of the Top 20 Best Practices for Prevention.

Cargo security is everyone’s responsibility. Keep your guard up at all times and do not be lured into a false sense of security. Your first theft could be your last!

- See more at: http://blog.chrwtrucks.com/carrier/mitigate-cargo-theft/?sf25080558=1#sthash.F9CuIxYG.dpuf