How To Overcome Challenges In Truck Yard Security

Truck yards are valuable assets for any business that relies on transportation and logistics. They store and manage fleets of trucks, trailers, and cargo that are worth millions of dollars. However, truck yards are also vulnerable to theft, vandalism, and other security threats that can cause significant losses and damages. This blog discusses what challenges are there in securing truck yards and how to overcome them.

But how can you achieve effective and efficient truck yard security? What are the best methods and solutions for your truck yard security?

According to the FBI, cargo theft is a $30 billion problem in the US, and truck yards are one of the most common targets. Thieves can easily access truck yards, especially at night or during weekends, and steal vehicles, equipment, or goods. In addition, truck yards can also face liability issues if unauthorized people enter the premises and get injured or cause accidents. Therefore, truck yard security is essential for protecting your assets, preventing losses, and ensuring safety and compliance.

Many truck yard owners and managers rely on traditional security methods for their truck yards, such as key fobs, security guards, and fences. However, truckyards present several challenges that these conventional methods can no longer tackle.

Here are the major challenges that truck yards face when it comes to security.

Truck yards are mostly large areas with a lot of trucks and personnel moving about. Moreover, there is no set perimeter at times to isolate it from the rest of the world. Covering such a large area requires a huge number of cameras and personnel looking out for any threats and anomalies on the site.

Truck yards are open season for any thieves or robbers that manage to get in. They house valuable cargo of all kinds, for instance, electronics, pharmaceuticals, building materials, and more. Basically anything that relies on logistics and transportation has a chance of being on a truck yard.

One of the major issues in truck yard security is the huge influx of personnel and vehicles. The major hindrance in implementing security measures and thorough checking on the cargo, vehicles and personnel is that it would take up a lot of time and reduce operational efficiency. Manually checking in every person and vehicle would require space and man power that comes at a hefty price.

With everything becoming electronic, cyber security on truck yards has also become an issue. Security cameras, access control devices are prone to being hacked and accessed illegally. Securing against these with the huge foot fall that truck yards experience is a challenge.

In addition to external threats, employees can also collude with outsiders to give them unauthorized access to the truck yard and precious cargo, or steal it themselves. Monitoring outsiders and visitors is one thing, however, employees have to be monitored as well on a truck yard.

There are a number of regulations around the trucking industry as a whole that have to be complied with. Following these can be a tough task and violating them can lead to penalties and heavy fines. Moreover, worker health and safety regulations also come into play, like any other workplace because the truck yard sees a lot of personnel movement around heavy equipment, vehicles and machinery.

This involves securing the boundaries of the truck yard and controlling who can enter and exit the premises.

Fencing: Most truck yards have fencing, however, it is not locked or monitored which makes it easier for intruders to trespass. It is crucial, however, to have fencing to set up a perimeter around the whole truck yard and within the truck yard as well for precious cargo.

Access Control Devices: Trucks and personnel have to go through access control devices that could use a number of fool-proof authentication methods, like facial recognition, biometric verification, or License Plate Recognition at the gates.

Physical Security Guards: For some sites, and when budget allows, having physical security guards at the gates to oversee security can prove useful. These can help prevent unauthorized entry to your truck yard.

These can help deter criminal behavior, identify suspects, provide evidence, and alert security personnel to any suspicious or dangerous situations.

This involves installing cameras throughout the truck yard to capture and record the activities and movements of people and vehicles. Modern security cameras come with a host of features that can help monitor your site.

For instance, Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras can help you cover a large site with fewer cameras and offer motion tracking capabilities as well. They can also be programmed to cover multiple angles throughout the day.

In addition to this, License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras can read and log license plate data to mark entry and exit of vehicles.

Remote monitoring is a service that provides trained and experienced security professionals who watch and analyze the video footage from the security cameras, and take appropriate actions based on the situation.

Remote monitoring can verify and validate any alarms or events, and intervene in real-time by using loudspeakers to warn or deter intruders, or by contacting the local authorities or the truck yard owner or manager.

This involves using sensors, alarms, and lights to detect and notify any unauthorized or unwanted presence in the truck yard. These can help protect the trucks and the cargo from intruders, as well as alert the security personnel and the authorities to respond quickly. Having alert sensors to protect your important documents, equipment, and computers in your containers add an extra layer of security.

This involves providing regular and updated training to the truck yard staff and drivers on how to handle various emergencies, such as fire, accident, spill, or attack. These can help reduce the risk of injury, damage, and loss, as well as improve the coordination and communication among the personnel and the emergency responders.

This involves protecting the truck yard’s computer systems, networks, and data from cyber attacks, such as hacking, phishing, malware, or ransomware. These can help prevent the disruption, corruption, or theft of the truck yard’s operations, information, and assets.

Contacting and implementing cloud-based security systems from a reputable provider, and looking out for firmware updates and patches can ensure that you remain safe from cyber crimes.

If you are looking for the best truck yard security service in Canada, Spotter Security has your back. Spotter Security has over 20 years of experience and expertise in securing truck yards across Canada equipping businesses with the best security solutions that deter and prevent crime, theft and robberies.

Spotter Security assesses your needs, and then designs and installs a customized and specialized security solution that incorporates CCTV cameras, access control and intrusion sensors to guarantee the highest level of security and satisfaction for businesses.