Protecting Pharma Shipments From Cargo Theft

Oct. 26, 2011 - PRLog -- Like most years, pharmaceuticals had the highest per incident value of all cargo thefts in 2010, averaging $3.78 million. There were two cargo thefts in 2010 that exceeded $10 million in losses.There is also an elevated level of Consumer Care products stolen with 54 cargo thefts of Consumer Care products in 2010, representing a 575% increase from 2006.

Yet a strong response by the pharmaceutical industry has helped to reduce the amount of pharma cargo theft. Pharma companies are choosing transportation providers more carefully, scrutinizing route vulnerabilities, requiring a 200 mile minimum from pick-up to first stop for drivers, improving the vetting of employees and controlling information on shipments more tightly. This has led to the number of pharma cargo thefts being reduced by 33% from 2008 to 2011.

A recent loss of a shipment of pharmaceuticals to cargo thieves shows that despite valiant efforts by the pharmaceutical industry and their carriers to tighten security, these shipments are still vulnerable. The driver also traveled more than 300 miles from the origin of the shipment to the truck stop where the load was stolen. Even with improved security procedures and tracking devices in place, the thieves were able to positively identify the load, follow it to a truck stop, steal the tractor and trailer, then drive the shipment to another location where the tractor was abandoned and another truck hooked up to the trailer. The trailer has yet to be recovered.

This incident, along with past thefts has shown that multiple layers of security are necessary. No one procedure or technology can effectively protect against theft. Two major efforts that are being undertaken are to prevent inside information from being passed to the thieves and using technology to prevent unauthorized entry into the shipment as well as alerting to those attempts.

Unfortunately, both of these aspects are proving difficult to attain. Thieves continue to get information on shipments and know which ones to steal. They also continuously defeat tracking devices, security seals, and locking devices.

Some pharmaceutical companies are taking a proactive approach to the tracking and locking issue. They have started to employ the TrakLok solution. Because TrakLok's locking device is ruggedized, it cannot be quickly cut off like seals or locking bars. Its superior communication abilities give the user in-the-moment alerts on tampering with the trailer/container or the lock. It also has the ability to track shipments globally, providing information on movement, speed, departure and arrival. The other major feature of the lock is that it will only open at the predetermined location and time with a unique access code. Therefore only the right person in the right place and at the right time can access the cargo.

To read more about protecting against pharmaceutical cargo theft click here:

http://www.securingpharma.com/57/?cmd=SLF&id=39

http://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/frontEnd/1732-cargo...

To learn more about TrakLok and protecting Pharma In Transit, Click Here:

http://www.traklok.com/markets/high-value-high-risk/pharm...

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About TrakLok Corporation

TrakLok Corporation is deploying products and services into the global shipping industry to revolutionize both cargo security and efficiency. The Company's products provide physical security and global visibility for highly mobile cargo and containers. Using physical security technologies, wireless communications, and wireless sensor networking, the combined GeoLok™ and TrakLog™ solution provides lock-tight security with total asset visibility for high value and high interest shipments throughout the world. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee.