Logistics provider sees enhanced security

North Bergen, NJ-based National Retail Systems (NRS) always had fairly tight security in place to govern its global and domestic trucking and logistics operations.

“We carry the kinds of goods that move well on the black market,” John Tabor, the company’s director of corporate security, told FleetOwner. “So we’ve always been very focused on securing ourselves against theft— locking our trailers, tracking them, etc.”

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, however, the focus on transportation security “changed pretty drastically,” he said.

“Before 9/11, we really never dealt with too many inspections of containers coming from overseas,” Tabor explained. “Now every week one of our units is getting inspected. For us, container inspections have gone up from 5% to 50%.”

In business since 1953, NRS is a third-party logistics provider made up of several different companies: National Retail Transportation, an LTL carrier; National Retail Consolidators; Keystone Freight Corp., a truckload and dedicated carrier; World Logistics; and Distribution Services. It operates a total of 1,100 power units—both tractors and straight trucks—along with 4,500 trailers.

While NRS’s trailers are equipped with Terion tracking devices and are sealed to prevent unauthorized entry, Tabor is concerned that global efforts to bring the same level of security to ocean containers are falling short.

“As required under the customs-trade partnership against terrorism (CTPAT), containers are now being equipped with seals to make sure they are not tampered with in transit,” he said. “The problem is, the ports are not checking the container and seal number when it arrives against the manifest—meaning that a seal can be removed in transit and replaced by a new one and no one would know.”