Whether you own your semi trailers or rent semi trailers, the risk of cargo theft is always present. It seems that news reports about cargo theft are more common every day. And the dollar amounts in these losses continue to increase, as well. Depending on what you’re hauling, it’s easy for the value of your cargo to exceed six figures. And the total annual losses from cargo theft are easily in the tens of billions of dollars.
No type of trailer is immune to theft. Cargo hauled with dry van trailers, refrigerated trailers, flatbed trailers, etc. can be stolen—and is stolen, on a regular basis.
Fortunately, you’re not simply at the mercy of thieves and left hoping that they don’t steal cargo from your semi trailer. There are steps you can take to protect your cargo. And in doing so, you’re also protecting your reputation.
People tend to have serious concerns about working with a company that frequently has cargo stolen. That might not be fair, since you may have an increased risk of theft due to the type of cargo in your semi trailer, the routes you drive, and other factors, but it’s a fact.
Then, of course, there’s the hassle of dealing with cargo theft. Even if only a few items are stolen, you’ve got to report it, talk with the police, deal with your insurance company, and so on. All of those activities take up time you should be spending on other tasks.
Consequently, the time, effort, and money you put into properly protecting the cargo in and on your semi trailers is a smart investment.
Can putting “countermeasures” in place significantly reduce your risk of being targeted by thieves? Absolutely.
It stands to reason that criminals look for the easiest “wins.” If two semi trailers contain the same type of cargo and Driver A is taking precautions to prevent theft whereas Driver B isn’t, a thief will surely target Driver B. Why take a greater risk of getting caught for no increase in the potential reward?
That means you want to be Driver A and send a clear message that you’re watching out for your cargo. To do that, take these nine steps:
A final tip on protecting the cargo in or on your semi trailer is that you should protect it all like it is gold. If you tend to use few security measures when hauling low-value cargo and extensive security measures with high-value cargo, an observant thief starts to notice the pattern. In that scenario, your added security may, ironically, increase your risk of being targeted!
Whether you own a fleet of semi trailers or just rent semi trailers as needed, you should do all you can to protect them on every trip.
Need additional equipment to expand your cargo-carrying capacity? Contact us today to learn about our large inventory of rental semi trailers and semi trailers for sale. Our three-step process makes it simple to rent semi trailers from Boxwheel.
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