OTTAWA — Phony FAST cards, special compartments designed for smuggling cash, completely illicit truck companies designed for theft and one-time $30G payments for your drivers.

Those are among the latest trucking-industry tricks used by organized criminals, according to an intelligence report from The Folks Who Always Get Their Man (RCMP).

Customized compartments fashioned into tractor-trailers are used to conceal contraband, yet increasingly specialized ones are being used to smuggle cash, the report says.

In response, the Mounties have launched Project Stall, various Canadian media outlets report. While details about the actual project are scant, trucking insiders think it’s about time the cops started taking this kind of criminal activity seriously.

Trucking experts have long known about criminal activity in the industry and people such as Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) boss David Bradley has been calling for authorities to step up their crime-fighting efforts. 

He told media that unfortunately cargo crime is often not taken as serious as other crimes because losses are usually covered by insurance.

However, these crimes becoming more violent and more brazen, says Bradley. And the RCMP report confirms that proceeds from cargo theft goes to pay for drugs and guns, which leads to increased street violence.

The report also notes that the economy has hurt smaller carriers and owner-operators, providing opportunity for "organized crime to offer financial incentives to supplement flagging incomes."

The report from the RCMP does hold some good news for truckers, though: It suggests that cross-border trucking will be expanding over the next few years.

However, criminal gangs are exposing the vulnerability of cross-border security programs like FAST which are meant to streamline and expedite trade.

Watch todaystrucking.com for details on the Mounties’ latest war on truck crime.