Truck security a key Tapa focus

AS FACILITIES have become harder targets for criminals, the incidence of theft in transit has escalated. And in South Africa the figures speak for themselves. According to SAPS statistics truck hijackings increased by a whopping 53% in 2007 compared to 2006. “It’s almost like a road freight industry of its own under cover,” technical & operations manager at the Road Freight Association Gavin Kelly told delegates at last week’s Tapa meeting in Boksburg. “It’s a high level of organisation and a range of specialised skills and to deal with that you have to understand how it works.” According to Kelly, nine months ago a cargo shipment of copper was transported from Kitwe in Zambia to Johannesburg. Seventeen trucks left, they were satellite-tracked, and nine arrived at their destination – and these were vehicles weighing 54 gross tons. Criminal syndicates are clearly becoming increasingly inventive. “Identity theft has become a major issue,” says Kelly. A recent case in point involved a truck emblazoned with Cargo Carriers signage. “The incident only came to light when a member of the pubic complained about the way the truck was driving. We phoned the company, provided the registration and date, time and place of the incident, and within 15 minutes were told that it was not a Cargo Carriers truck.” Several other bigger players are reporting similar problems, according to Kelly. Driver identity theft is also becoming increasingly prevalent. “When operators employ a stand-by driver, they do a check and the record comes up squeaky clean – because it’s a stolen identity.” With latest statistics indicating that more than 80% of cargo moves by road, there’s a tremendous amount of opportunity. “The market is getting bigger but the resources in terms of traffic policing are not increasing by the same percentage.” Solutions are clearly critical. “For the past five years most of our members have been tracking and tagging cargo, vehicles, drivers and containers – a few years ago we just tracked the vehicle. “Most operators are also looking at bonus systems – but not as in the past based on volumes moved but rather on minimum accidents and loss.” In additional the RFA is looking at evicting members who don’t uphold its code of ethics. The bottom line is that action must be taken to address the issue. “Many major manufacturers, importers and conglomerates are looking at ways to bypass South Africa because of the crime rate and inefficiency,” says Kelly. “So much so that they have invested ¤100billion to build railway links between Angola and Tanzania to bypass SA. “A mine in the DRC is no longer sending cobalt to South Africa by truck – they’re rather flying it out because the insurance premiums have become so high it’s cheaper to move the cargo by air.” The growing incidence of truck hijackings worldwide is what prompted Tapa to introduce its Trucking Security Requirements (TSR), established by security professionals within the high-tech industry to address the nature by which hightech products and materials are transported by road. The TSR specifies the minimum acceptable security standards for assets travelling throughout the supply chain and the methods to be used in maintaining those standards. TSR is a compliance programme, carried out by a self-assessment programme, which will undoubtedly be a high priority area for Tapa SA. The intention is that Tapa members select suppliers who meet or exceed Tapa TSR compliance requirements. “Successful implementation of the TSR is dependent upon suppliers and buyers working in concert to accurately interpret, adopt and audit against these requirements,” said Tapa Emea vice chairman David Reid.