Security specialists come up with hard-to-find tracking device
Global cargo security firms Freightwatch and Qualcomm have teamed up to unveil a covert freight tracking service which they claim will dramatically reduce thefts.
The US partnership sees Freightwatch’s custom logistics security systems link with Qualcomm’s satellite-based equipment tracking technology.
According to Freightwatch, cargo crime in the US rose dramatically last year as the economy struggled through the recession – electronics thefts, for example, climbed 12% and accounted for 23% of all incidents. Most of the incidents involved theft from partial-loads to the entire truck.
The new initiative involves small tracking devices being hidden in cargo or on equipment to allow trucking companies to keep track of high-value cargo down to pallet level.
Freightwatch says its Geo F1 and F2 location position devices, powered by GPS technology, are small enough to be placed in hard-to-find locations, unlike traditional GPS units mounted on many tractors and trailers.
In a recent case, Geo F1 trackers placed in pill bottles helped find stolen pharmaceutical shipments and led to an arrest, said Freightwatch.
The firm also said it is working with Ireland-based Eurowatch to expand its cargo security services and track European crime trends. The companies will produce intelligence reports on cargo theft trends, including the most popular stolen items, changes in average loss value, gang activity and theft by location.
Source: Kizzi Nkwocha, IFW News, 10 June 2010