• Employers should train drivers to ensure only authorized cargo is loaded on or in trailers.
• Other security best practices for drivers at the shipper include reviewing all shipping papers, sealing the load, and verifying the integrity of the security seal.

Driver supervision at the shipper during the loading process is important from a purely cargo claims prevention perspective. Drivers and motor carriers need to make sure that the right quantity of the right product is put on the trailer. In addition, drivers need to ensure cargo that shows any sign of damage or leakage is not loaded.

In almost all cases, once the cargo is signed for, it becomes the carrier’s responsibility.

Unauthorized cargo

Drivers must ensure there isn’t any unauthorized or unscheduled box, carton, package, or other cargo (regardless of size) being loaded on or in trailers.

Company policies and procedures should state:

• Only scheduled cargo should be allowed on the trailer; and
• All requests to load unauthorized or unscheduled packages should be reported to the carrier, responsible shipping personnel, and/or the appropriate authorities immediately.

Loading practices

Whenever possible, drivers should be instructed to load the most valuable cargo in the nose of the trailer and as far away from the doors as possible. In this way, unless the target is the entire trailer, criminals will have a much more difficult time getting to the most coveted (valuable) freight.

Reviewing shipping papers

All load-related documentation should be thoroughly reviewed and verified by the driver. Drivers must confirm that the right amount of the right product(s) was in fact loaded on the trailer. Any discrepancies need to be reported and resolved before the paperwork is signed or the trailer is sealed. Only after the driver is satisfied that everything is in order, should the bill of lading be signed and the trailer sealed.

Sealing the load

When putting a security seal of any type on a trailer, drivers should have a shipper representative present as a witness.

A suggested method of sealing the shipment involves the acronym VVTT. This same process should also be practiced after any stops along the way:

• V – View the security seal and container locking mechanisms,
• V – Verify the security seal number for accuracy against what is entered on the shipping paper,
• T – Tug on the seal to make sure it is affixed properly, and
• T – Twist and turn the security seal to make sure it does not unscrew.

Shipper load-and-count trailers

A driver should verify the integrity of a security seal that the shipper put on a loaded trailer prior to the driver arriving.

The driver should ensure:

• The security seal is affixed properly,
• The number on the security seal matches the number on the shipping paper, and
• A shipper representative is alongside the driver as the information is verified.