Protect Valuable Shipments in High-Crime Areas

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When shipping high-value goods across areas with high crime rates, the stakes increase for everyone. In addition to the usual concerns with transporting valuable loads — from bad weather and breakdowns to product damage caused by improper loading and storage — would-be thieves pose even greater risks to products, trucks and drivers’ personal safety.

In my recent article for Food Logistics, I examined how many companies, especially U.S. exporters that ship goods into Mexico, are adding layers of protection against these worst-case scenarios by investing in real-time location tracking and geofencing technologies.

Effective Geofencing Strategies to Address Unexpected Situations

A geofence is a virtual boundary established around a high-risk zone or other area, using global mobile communication systems. To create the “fence”, location-tracking devices connected to cellular networks are placed on a truck’s shipping trailer or refrigerated container. Each device has a unique identifier that enables real-time tracking.

The software establishes the boundaries of a geofence based on specific coordinates, which can then be monitored remotely on a live interactive map. When a shipping truck enters or exits a virtual boundary, the software can be configured to issue alerts of potential danger. Even if a geofence is not set up, the real-time locations and conditions of in-transit shipments can be monitored.

Emerson^* Oversight cargo software and services and GO real-time 4G/5G tracking devices are designed to enable these robust capabilities. In addition to providing real-time locations, these devices offer a variety of sensing capabilities, depending on the types of products being shipped:

• Light sensors detect access to shipping containers (often used for security purposes).
• Temperature sensors are used for monitoring perishables that need to stay within specified ranges.
• Relative humidity sensors are also available to help ensure product quality.

Trackers monitor in-transit shipments, even when they’re blocked

Sophisticated criminals can use interference devices to block the GPS signal of the truck, thereby hindering visibility through that monitoring method and alerting stakeholders to a potential threat. However, with the implementation of tracking infrastructure and geofencing using GO real-time 4G/5G trackers, it enhances the assurance that products reach their destination intact and secure. One of the best practices for shippers in high-crime areas is to contact us immediately upon suspicion or threat of theft so that our expert technicians can work on the internal configuration of the device to establish the emergency reporting interval and enhance the potential for communication with cell towers. In this way, stakeholders could receive more precise location alerts and updates, including Dwell notifications for shipments that remain in the same location for a predetermined time.

They can view the coordinates of the last known location of the shipment and share this information with the appropriate authorities to accelerate a resolution. In addition, if the light sensor detects unauthorized access to the shipping container, stakeholders are notified immediately with the specific time and location of the occurrence. Once an active geofence has been established around a danger zone, stakeholders can receive proximity alerts and/or notifications when shipments enter and exit the area. Integrating these alerts into quality control (QC) efforts gives teams real-time notice when their shipment may have a greater potential for theft.

Many of our cargo and transportation customers work with Oversight services experts to develop and coordinate response protocols. For example, if communication with a truck driver is lost, we can work with customers to shorten a tracker’s communication reporting interval, take the necessary steps to collaborate with authorities, and provide them with the last known shipment location. In most cases, thieves are caught and product loss or personal harm are entirely avoided.

How to begin your theft prevention program

You can address a spectrum of security and safety challenges by implementing GO real-time 4G/5G tracking devices into your shipping programs and establishing geofences around high-risk zones. The combination of cloud-based Oversight cargo software and expert services gives you the tools you need to improve shipment security, protect profits, settle disputes, and maximize product quality.

By providing access to real-time information, geofencing alerts and notifications, and data-driven operational insights, the Oversight platform helps you to:

• Prevent loss and theft of high-value products
• Maintain automated records of shipment locations, temperatures and conditions
• Trace changes of custody through a unified view of a shipment’s journey
• Receive real-time alerts to protect goods quickly when needed
• Uncover root causes of issues and provide objective score-carding of carriers, routes and regions

With a global network of professional supply chain experts familiar with the nuances of shipping in various regions and/or countries, we can help your company to develop customized QC processes for your high-value products traveling through high-risk shipping routes.

To learn more about how Oversight cargo software and services can help you address product theft and implement security best practices, visit the Oversight Software and Services page here.