Speaking at a recent ASIS Toronto Transportation and Cargo Security conference, Mark O’Connor, director of security and compliance with Kuehne+Nagel, said lack of support from police agencies and the lack of a coordinated effort only enables the problem to continue to grow.

“The biggest issue in our industry today is the fact there is a lack of support from local law enforcement across Canada,” said O’Connor. “There is no connection or means to share information back and forth. As security professionals we find it a big challenge in that the police don’t have time to investigate cargo crime even though cargo theft is proven to be related to other crimes like terrorism.”

O’Connor says criminals often target transport trailers because they know the contents are probably commodity goods that can likely be quickly sold for cash. And often the thefts are brazen acts — in some cases, trucks have been stolen as employees are in the truck unloading it at a warehouse.

“It’s easy money for a crook — they can steal $100,000 worth of TVs, soap, batteries or ketchup and quickly sell it on the black market,” he says.

The primary industries targeted by transport truck cargo theft include pharmaceuticals, electronics, high-end clothing and tobacco, but a tractor-trailer load of diapers is just as attractive and easily disposed of for cash.
Security professionals trying to fight the problem say what they hear from law enforcement is that gun crime or fraud take priority.

Police in Peel Region such as detective Steve Arney are among only a handful of officers who keep regular stats on investigating cargo theft. Often thefts in that region occur from unprotected lots where there is little to no surveillance taking place. Arney jokes that the biggest “shopping centre” for transport truck thieves is the Dixie and Steeles area.

And even when Peel does get a conviction, often the sentence is minor. Only recently have police in Hamilton started keeping separate statistics on transport truck cargo theft. Before, officers lumped it in with motor vehicle theft.

The problem is also that companies simply file an insurance claim — insurance companies pay out those claims and the company can have trucks back on the road. It is estimated that $50 billion a year is lost from cargo theft (including loss of cargo, insurance, replacing those goods stolen and the cost of investigation).

O’Connor says the industry is trying to improve the way it shares information.

“There are no silver bullets. It has to be a layered approach; you have to know whom you are dealing with and that means properly vetting who your partners are. We don’t own trucks — we need to know who is touching our goods whether it’s a mom and pop operation or the largest trucking firm in Canada,” he says.

Background checks, improved perimeter security, better surveillance and improved security at gate house checkpoints are all means the industry is trying to put in place to reduce the risk of cargo theft. Often locks, seals and other means of securing a truckload can easily be defeated and may give thieves an indication the load is of value.

Some trucking lines are using GPS units to try and track their tractor-trailer loads should they go missing, however thieves are finding ways around the technology.

In some cases, thieves know to look for GPS units and have been known to cover them with aluminum foil to block security tracking. However, when put together with a good driver awareness program, they can help secure loads.