How Can Truck Drivers Prevent Trailer Theft Whilst On The Road?

Working as a truck driver can be an incredibly rewarding experience and a very enjoyable one, but there are a number of challenges involved in the role. One thing that all truck drivers fear is the theft of their trailer whilst they are out on the road. This means that they need to be vigilant and take a number of measures to help do all they can to reduce the risk of being targeted by thieves.

In this article FleetEx give a detailed look at the risks that drivers faced whilst on the road and the measures that they can take to help prevent trailer theft.

The risk of trailer theft

When in charge of a load, it might appear to be very tempting to potential thieves. They may know exactly what you have on board, or have no clue at all, but hope that it is of some significant value. In some cases, it is the trailer itself that proves to be the temptation.

It is a sad fact, but road freight crime costs the UK economy up to £250 million every year. This means that the haulage industry and its drivers face huge economic losses and massive disruption when this happens.

As trailers are there, loads can be extremely valuable. Criminals will be looking for vehicles that they deem to be vulnerable in order to attempt to steal them, so you need to be as careful as possible to not fall victim to the next thief. That is why we have put together some hints and tips to help keep you safe out on the road.

Park safely

Your vehicle will be at its most vulnerable when it is parked, so you need to think carefully about where and how you do this. Ideally, you should think about the parking situation when you are route planning so that you have a good idea where you will be overnight or during break times.

This means you can identify some of the safer places in which to park and ensure that your route takes these into account rather than being left driving round looking for somewhere appropriate. There are a number of secure overnight lorry parks which carry the Park Mark label that can help you to identify places that are safer.

When parking your lorry, you should make sure it is somewhere that you can see it, as well as being visible to as many other people as possible. When the vehicle can be seen by a wide number of people, it will be less of a target for thieves who are likely to get caught in the act or identified. Try and make sure it is in a well-lit area with plenty of cameras in view.

You should also try to park with the loading doors close to another vehicle or wall to prevent them from being opened. When you return to your truck, you should check for any signs of interference and make sure this is recorded on a checklist for your employers or customers to see.

Criminal traps

While many crimes might be through opportunists, there are also a number of thieves who plan traps for lorry drivers. This can involve staging accidents that will cause you to stop, impersonating police officers who pretend that your trailer doors are open, or other methods of trying to stop you whilst driving so that they can steal your lorry or its trailer.

Some criminals have been known to pretend that they are working at your delivery destination and could have information on what you are carrying and even be dressed in high visibility jackets or staff uniforms.

They will appear near to your final destination with excuses such as flooded warehouses or broken equipment to prevent you going into the yard and offer you an alternative. If this happens, you should make sure that you telephone your own transport office to check whether the request that is being made is a genuine one.

If you are approached by someone who is pretending to be a police officer or VOSA officer, then you should pull over where it is safe to do so and stay in your cab with the engine running and the doors locked.

You should then telephone your transport office to inform them that you have been stopped and you can then contact the police control room to verify the identity of the officers who have stopped you.

Security hardware

There is a lot of equipment that you can invest in to help keep trucks and trailers safe from thieves. High security rear door locks and air cuff locks can help to keep people out, whilst wheel locks are also a good way of preventing the theft of a vehicle if you need to leave it unattended.

You may also want to put tracking devices on the vehicles so that if they are stolen, you are able to track them down.

You can also install GPS tracking that will notify control offices if the driver or trailer is outside of its scheduled route, as well as implementing vehicle immobiliser systems to make it more difficult to steal anything.

Don't leave the trailer unattended

There will be times where you need to leave your trailer unattended, but you should make sure that this is for as short a period as possible.

You can avoid leaving your trailer alone for longer by coordinating layovers with other drivers and working with your clients to make sure that there is good communication at any drop offs, so people are always on hand to receive the goods.

Unfortunately, truck and trailer theft is an occupational hazard and so it is important that you are aware of the risks and take as many steps as possible to avoid becoming a victim yourself. By doing all you can to avoid these situations and keeping clear records of what you have done, you can help to protect yourself, your load and your business as much as possible.