You see it all the time: Fleets spend whatever it takes on fences, alarms, cameras and security guards to protect warehouses and yards but a simple padlock is often seen as sufficient on trailers and shipping containers.

“Aren’t cargo carrying vehicles just an extension of the facilities where they have systems in place to control access and manage where, when and who opens any door?” asks Tom Mann, president of TrakLok, a cargo security firm. “It’s all about managing and controlling access to trailers and containers that are parked and on the road.”

C&K Trucking LLC, based in Chicago Ridge, Ill., is one of the largest U.S. intermodal trucking companies. Specializing in the drayage of containers and trailers, the company fields more than 150 tractors and handles more than 300,000 moves annually for railroads, shipping lines, ports and shippers, including some of the nation’s largest retailers.

With customer containers and trailers parked at terminals in 12 states, C&K Trucking is responsible for load security and safety until scheduled deliveries are made. Varying levels of facility security compounded the challenge of preventing theft.

As one of the first users of TrakLok’s cargo security platform, C&K Trucking has used the integrated lock, alarm and tracking systems for more than four years. Today, the company fields 35 TrakLok units to maintain visibility over shipments, including the capability to receive confirmation of location and lock status and notification of entrance and exits from geofenced areas or in-transit delays.

“We’ve never had a single theft of a load protected by TrakLok,” states C&K’s Corporate Counsel, Vice President of Risk Management and Safety Director Tammy Warn. “In the past, we experienced as much as $400,000 annually in cargo theft and damage, raising our costs for deductibles and insurance premiums. Those savings alone have helped us realize a return on investment of less than one year in the TrakLok integrated lock, alarm and tracking system.”

Using TrakLok cargo security systems also distinguishes C&K Trucking in the marketplace as a company that invests in technology to safeguard its customers’ loads. “The TrakLok cargo security platform is a capability we use a competitive advantage to market our services to customers and gain new business,” Warn says.

A layered approach to security is the most effective solution for controlling and managing movement in and out of a trailer or container, Tom Mann notes. “Cargo protection starts with access control and managing access to ensure load integrity,” he says, “and to avoid an even inadvertent loss of cargo resulting from an unauthorized door opening.”