Cargo theft is serious business. When cargo gets stolen, the knock-on effect across the economy is felt widely. Not only is the company whose cargo was stolen affected, but their consumers will suffer the consequences of the higher prices necessary to offset the losses and the authorities (and therefore local national economies) miss out on the taxation revenue from the ongoing business transactions.
If your company is involved in the shipment of cargo, it is essential that you are aware of the risks of theft and take action to prevent it.
Here are a few tips on the steps you can take to reduce the risk of your company’s cargo being stolen.
Select a reputable transportation company
Whilst budget is always a major consideration when choosing which company to ship your cargo, it is also wise to select one that is experienced in the business and has a trusted reputation.
When working with an established, trusted company, you can have greater confidence they will have stringent security measures in place to get your cargo safely to its destination.
Train staff on your cargo theft policy
In order to protect against cargo theft, companies should make sure that staff who are involved in preparing cargo for transportation know the anti-theft policy and follow it. Awareness at every point in the journey could be crucial for ensuring cargo safety.
Using a strong security seal is one method of providing extra protection against cargo theft. If your company doesn’t already use a form of security seal on its goods, it’s worth exploring what are security seals to discover how they could assist your fight against crime.
Don’t pre-load your cargo
With the pressure of time, some companies pre-load their cargo, but this can increase your risk of becoming a victim of theft. Ideally, you want to ensure that your cargo is left unattended for the minimum amount of time possible.
The Government has published a helpful guide to transportation and distribution for international trade. You can read this guidance at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-and-distribution-for-international-trade.
Verify workers dealing with your cargo
With more and more sophisticated techniques being employed by criminals to intersect and steal cargo, impersonating transportation staff is a ploy sometimes used by thieves. Don’t be afraid to ask for verification that people are who they say they are before letting them handle your precious cargo.