Canadian Trucking Alliance partners with CargoNet to fight cargo theft

The Canadian Trucking Alliance has partnered with CargoNet to combat heavy cargo theft and similar crimes in Canada.

CargoNet, an information-sharing system developed by Verisk Crime Analytics, launched in Canada in September. A group of CTA member carriers will now join the program, and the alliance will hold a seat on CargoNet Canada’s advisory board, according to a statement.

“By joining forces with CargoNet, which is already working with carriers and police departments in the United States, we are able to provide a secure mechanism that will assist the Canadian trucking industry and police in better addressing many of the issues and recommendations identified in CTA’s report on cargo crime released a little over a year ago,” CTA CEO’s David Bradley said in a statement.

“Cargo crimes affect the entire supply chain, from shippers, to insurers, to carriers, their employees and ultimately the end customer,” he noted. “The trucking industry is leading the charge to combat cargo crime, but we need to work with and convince members of the enforcement community, governments and the Canadian judicial system that cargo crime, which is increasingly orchestrated by sophisticated organized crime syndicates, is a serious issue that is costing the Canadian economy billions of dollars.”

Zurich Canada, which offers transportation coverage, has also signed on with CargoNet to prevent theft. In a recent article, the company pointed out that there are no firm statistics for cargo crime costs in Canada, although a May 2011 from CTA suggests that figure is about $5 billion annually.