As is the case with other holidays, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are prime times for cargo theft, warns an international organization tracking the crime.
SensiGuard Supply Chain Intelligence Center says both holidays occur on Wednesdays, leaving more opportunity for shipments to be left unattended or parked in unsecured locations for extended periods of time.
To protect against cargo theft SensiGuard suggests:
- logistics and security professionals ensure security protocols are up-to-date and in line with industry best practices for both in-transit and warehouse operations
- confirming that a given receiver’s hours of operation for the holiday weekend are consistent with scheduled delivery times and planning for secure parking locations in the event a shipment will have to stop for an extended period of time
- use covert GPS tracking and active monitoring of high-value shipments
- verify the authenticity of all shipment-related activity during these periods
- communication between drivers and shippers needs to be firmly established and regularly maintained during shipments over these periods
- any location where cargo would either intentionally (or unintentionally) come to rest – even for brief periods of time – should be as secure as possible
- use theft-resistant locking/sealing mechanisms for tractors, trailers and cargo compartments
- disable technology for the vehicle’s power units or trailer movements
- park vehicles and/or cargo compartments in a fashion that make access as difficult as possible
