Securing Your Business Deliveries: Mitigating the Risk of Truck Hijackings in South Africa
31 July 2023
As a business owner, the safety and security of your deliveries is crucial to maintaining the trust of your customers and ensuring the smooth functioning of your operations.
According to Statista truck hijackings have more than doubled in the past 10 years, with 1741 truck hijackings occurring in 2022 alone. With these alarming figures, it is imperative that business owners stay up to date with trends and ways to mitigate truck hijackings to safeguard business deliveries.
In this article, we explore effective strategies to mitigate the risk of truck hijackings and protect your valuable assets while optimising business deliveries in South Africa.
Understanding the Threat to Business Deliveries:
These hijackings pose a real threat to business deliveries in South Africa, posing a threat to financial losses, disruption of operations and the safety of your drivers. By being aware of these risks, you can take proactive steps to safeguard your business deliveries.
Strategies for mitigation:
The most important tactic is vigilance, but apart from being vigilant whilst performing business deliveries, here is a list of 5 ways to mitigate this risk:
1.Maintain distance:
With additional levels of load-shedding leading to an increase in traffic and lower visibility, drivers must approach blocked intersections slowly, always leaving enough space between them and the car in front of them in case a quick escape route is needed
2.Route Planning
Prioritise route planning, discuss planned stops prior to the journey and identify high-risk areas to avoid. It is advised to utilise advanced navigation systems to access real-time traffic updates and plan safer routes. At Loadit, we understand the importance of route planning, hence this service is offered by our transport supervisors when booking a business delivery with us.
3.Secure Parking Stops:
Instruct drivers to utilize secure parking facilities. Avoiding isolated areas and poorly lit locations can act as a deterrent to potential hijackers, whilst enhancing driver and cargo safety.
4.Secure all doors:
Ensure that both the driver and passenger doors are locked. Passenger doors are commonly targeted by hijackers to gain entry. Locking all doors provides an additional layer of security.
5.Insider Knowledge:
According to news24, as much as 90% of South Africa’s truck hijackings involve inside sources tipping off criminals with key information. Unlike company employees who develop a sound understanding of operations and cargo, Loadit drivers are vetted and rotated on a regular basis, minimising the risk of insider involvement.
Take the stress out of managing your business deliveries with Loadit's expert assistance. We offer a comprehensive range of services with our driver and truck rentals, including route planning and delivery monitoring. With Loadit by your side, you can ensure that your business deliveries are seamless, secure, and cost-effective. Trust us to handle your logistics needs while you focus on growing your business.
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