OTA announces initiatives to fight theft

TORONTO (Nov. 17, 1999) — On the first day of its three-day annual convention in Toronto, the Ontario Trucking Association announced on Wednesday (Nov. 17) a multi-pronged initiative to help fleets, police, and insurance companies fight the growing scourge of vehicle and cargo theft in the commercial-transport industry:

* The OTA is associating with the TIPS centralized computer database of vehicle and cargo losses developed by the U.S.-headquartered American Trucking Associations, which can be accessed by any police force or carrier, and is used to determine trends in cargoes being targeted, locations or circumstances where trucks and cargoes are most at risk, and similar profiles. Ontario carriers will be able to enter details of thefts, etc., starting in January, and the OTA is hoping to expand this program nationwide across Canada in the course of next year.

* A “best practices” manual with numerous tips on how to minimize risk of loss due to theft has been developed in conjunction with insurance and loss-prevention specialists. Dealing with issues such as hiring practices, yard security, driver on-road defensive techniques, high-tech support equipment, and load information, the booklet is available now at no charge to OTA members.

* The OTA has made a $25,000 donation to the Crime Stoppers program in Ontario, to support provision of cash rewards to persons who anonymously provide tips on past or contemplated crimes against truckers. For information on trucking-related crimes that results in a successful conviction, the OTA will reimburse Crime Stoppers 150% of the amount of each such qualifying reward. Also, the association has produced a set of decals for trucks and posters for company premises that is available to both OTA members and non-members to publicize the need for security awareness.