You may be well aware of the significant increase in cargo theft over the years, with 864 thefts occurring in 2009 (more than two per day), which increased to 1,035 thefts from trucks and warehouses across the country last year. This information is made public through data-based sources such as CargoNet, but CBS takes us further than facts and figures and into the minds of the thieves themselves.
In a video exclusive, CBS’s Armen Keteyian interviewed two men who were engaged in the cargo theft process, one of them claiming that it was “very easy” to steal trucks/cargo (and who CBS referred to as “The Trucker”) and the other whose duty it was to “sell the merchandise.”
“The Trucker” notes that thieves target computer hardware and pharmaceuticals the most, either stealing the truck (which is the easiest to do) or taking the cargo and container, which makes sense since “$184 million in prescription drugs were stolen in 2009…a 350% increase from 2007.” The problem is that when these pharmaceuticals get in the wrong hands, they can be tampered with, causing recalls and widespread health problems. One of the reasons for this is improper transport.
When certain prescriptions, such as insulin, are not transported under the right temperatures, it can taint the medication and cause health problems for those who inhale/ingest it, which is why Road Scholar Transport has ReeferTrak to regulate the temperature inside the trailer at all times, ensuring that your pharmaceuticals are safe.
Do you think thieves worry about this? According to “The Trucker,” “they are just in it for the money” and not concerned about the consequences.
The video then takes you into a standard heist, in which “The Trucker” demonstrates how he hijacks a truck using a small key and pliers and quickly takes off…all of which takes place in under 28 seconds. Who has your cargo now? Not the customer but who the video calls “The Broker,” who then sells the stolen freight, having 2-4 jobs a month according to the interviewee whose job it is to sell the merchandise, claiming that he is able to receive over a million and a half dollars at once from a buyer.
You would think that robbers would worry about getting caught but like “The Trucker” states, they are not. Not every carrier has advanced security features like Road Scholar, who can immediately pinpoint where their truck, and your freight, is. View a pdf explaining Road Scholar’s security features/services at http://www.roadscholar.com/cms/uploads/files/rs-security.pdf.
Besides lack of security, as the video notes, the penalties of cargo theft are “weak…almost never leading to jail time,” causing thieves to not care as much if they are caught and to take more risks.
What do you think the penalties of cargo theft should be?
Watch CBS’s Exclusive Interview below:
Tags: Armen Keteyian, cargo theft, CargoNet, carrier, CBS, computer hardware, freight, pharmaceuticals, ReeferTrak, road scholar transport, robber, security features, The Broker, The Trucker, thieves, transport, video
