Even in our industry, hijacking is a serious issue. It causes nothing but a serious internal and external damage. Reputation and lives are at stake. Your company may experience revenue loss, higher insurance premiums, parts shortages, business interruptions, workers' compensation claims, and angry customers. More serious issues occur if anyone gets injured, or even killed.

We have done a survey through our Asian Trucker Driver Club page (Facebook), and we received plenty of comments to share experiences and information from drivers on this issue.
Long distance haulage usually consists of a cargo truck or tanker trailer which offer more possibilities for hijacking to take place. Naturally, hijackers would target those trucks carrying valuable and expensive products.

Follow routine safety measures

Every company has their own safety policy and procedures. Training provided to the drivers will typically include briefings about the safety of the truck and how to protect themselves in the case such crime occurs. For the drives, it is essential to practice all the safety measures in their daily work routine.

• Be alert of suspicious people when you load / unload your goods or pump petrol
• Get info about places where hijacking often occurs
• You may also take another initiative such as lock up cash or hide it
• Try to stop about 5m behind the car in front of you at a stop sign or traffic light – it makes for an easy getaway if trouble arises
• Have knowledge about the hijacker’s tricks and methods
• Always carry information on you that identifies your truck, cargo and equipment

Truck Security

• Ensure the truck doors and windows are always closed and llocked whenever you park he truck or even when the truck is moving
• Turn off the engine and lock the truck during refuel your truck
• Find a safe parking spot for your truck such as a police station; avoid dark and quiet places

Install Tracking and Immobilizes Devices

Most companies nowadays have their truck equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) or immobilizing devices which are customized for trucks. There are several features that offer security benefits:
• Two way communication between driver and command centre
• Consist of panic button hidden in the truck for the emergency situation which will trigger an alarm and may even alert the police
• Giving signal to the company if the battery compartment of the truck is being opened
• Global Positioning System (GPS) devices are commonly used to track the locations of trucks and trailers. Sophisticated system can even track truck and trailer separately or individual boxes within the cargo.
• These disable vital automotive functions and prevent the engine from being restarted until a hidden switch is activated
• These should be used along with the other mentioned security tips, as a disabled vehicle can still be towed away