TruSeal offers a choice of security seals that are used during the transportation of high value goods. These range from high security cable seals in the Cash-in-Transit security industry, to bolt, padlock and tamper-evident seals in the trucking and logistics sector. Unfortunately, despite these security seals being barrier seals, these often function only as a deterrent for determined criminals, especially where syndicates are involved, and additional measures are needed to discourage theft attempts.
The South African trucking industry is frequently plagued by hi-jacking and theft. Cash-in-transit heists and attacks on courier companies are most often targeted. Often these are “inside jobs,” where staff and employees provide information to syndicates to facilitate the robbery. In some case the entire truck and trailer is stolen.
In this article TruSeal provides a few additional pointers to help protect your company’s drivers and cargo and discourage theft attempts.
Exceptional Quality
The process begins with the purchase of the seals. It is important to find a supplier that stocks superior quality seals. High security seals must be ISO17712 complaint and must be manufactured with proper materials. Once the seals have been bought, it is important to accurately record barcoded and sequential numbering on security seals. These will be compared before departure and on arrival of goods.
Remember to store your security seals in an environment that can only be accessed by certain staff members, to reduce the opportunity for fraud.
Use the Security Seal Control system
To establish a chain of accountability, TruSeal suggest the use of the security seal control system procedure. It is important to know what seal is used, your inventory, when it was secured, and who the key players are during the process.
Assign clear responsibilities to each of your personal. If someone drops the ball, it is then obvious who is accountable. It is important that fresh staff are professionally trained and that each step is well documented.
Keep accurate logbooks and inventory of each and every seal. Your logbook should note who applied the seal, what date and time it was used to secure and the type of cargo.
There should be daily checks done to make sure that the seals have not been tampered with. Each time an inspection is done, it should be noted.
The seal should be removed by someone assigned the duty specifically to discourage theft attempts. Once again, when, where and who needs to be noted in the logbook. Do not discard cut seals as these may become a template for use in a 3D printer. Security seals should be verified before they are destroyed.
Further practical advice for truck drivers is as follows:
Situational Awareness
Drivers should be educated that any unscheduled stop, even police roadblocks, is an opportunity for a potential attack and they should remain vigilant. They should be instructed to keep their doors always locked, often the passenger side door is used to enter the cabin. The truck engine should never be left idling and king-pin lock used to secure dropped trailers. Should the trucker stop for a break, park in a sufficiently well-lit area, preferably with CCTV cameras. It is advisable to stay in frequent contact with the control room and give updates en-route and about any stops along the way. Truck drivers should not give hitchhikers lifts or discuss their cargo with anyone… Anyone is a potential hi-jacker!
Equipment
TruSeal stocks a range of security seals especially geared towards the transportation industry. Bolt seals are often used to secure trailers. It is important however that the driver do a pre-trip inspection. The latest swindle involves the use of 3D printers to print exact replicas of high security seals. The control room should be notified of any tampering immediately. TruSeal serves the Cash-in-transit security industry too, it is advisable to make use of our extremely durable safe custody PVC bulk security cash bags, with a patented pin and washer sealing system to discourage theft attempts.
What to do in the event of an attempted Hi-Jacking
Drivers should be taught that they should not resist and just cooperate. The likelihood of the situation turning violent increases if the trucker tries to fight back.
They should not use the panic button except for in the case of a true emergency. They need to contact the police, tracking company and control room immediately for guidance if under attack. The truck itself could be used as a defensive tool if possible.
There is no absolute fool-proof way to ensure that your freight arrives safely at the other end but there are a number of procedures that can be applied to discourage theft attempts and with the use of TruSeal’s superior security seals and bags the risks involved can be minimised considerably. TruSeal has catalogued our range of seals according to use in various applications, to make it easy for companies in the trucking and logistics industries to decide on which seal suits their needs best. Or feel free to talk to one of our trained staff members and they will assist you to make the perfect security seal solution for your needs.