Truckers who use the port of Calais often will know that things have increasingly difficult there over the last few years. They have had to contend with the threat that illegal immigrants pose to the security of their vehicles. The law states that every lorry driver has to take suitable precautions to prevent their vehicles returning to the UK with illegals on board, hidden in cargo areas. They can face fines of up to £2000 for each person found hidden in the cargo. Obviously this is putting untold stress on the drivers and the companies they work for.
There are special containers that are designed to make it very difficult to break into. Door locking bars are on the inside of the doors rather than the outside and so the hinge pins cannot be accessed from outside. A stainless steel bar can also be locked across the door handles when closed so nobody can even get to them. Migrants, in the past, have been able to open doors when the mechanisms are on the exterior. Accomplices then refit the door so when the driver checks, it appears that nothing has been tampered with.
The sides of the new trailers are solid and the roof is strong, meaning there is no access and it is also harder to cut a hole in the material, having gained access to the top of trailer and dropping down inside. Other security measures include fitting cameras to the vehicle so it becomes easier for the driver to see what is going on around the sides and back of the truck. For Cameras For Trucks, visit http://www.backwatch.co.uk/. Such measures will benefit all types of trucks and not just those coming through borders.
Box body type trailers are much heavier than normal curtainsides and more expensive but keeping a curtainside secure is a lot more challenging and riskier. Another option is a kevlar material backing for the curtains which can be welded to the inside. It doesn’t make the curtains anymore difficult to open which is a big advantage. A cord can also be attached to the trailer’s air system with the other end into a security seal. If the cord is tampered with, it sets off an alarm in the cab. Even if somebody does manage to get into the cab, they can be spotted quickly with the use of onboard camera systems and CO2 monitors.
Such strong security measures are also a top priority for the transportation of expensive goods, munitions, explosions or any other dangerous or hazardous cargo. For some companies who specialize in transporting dangerous, delicate or difficult to move cargo then the last thing they want to be worried about is somebody trying to get on board during transit. Today technology includes, infra-red cameras which can be mounted on a dashboard display and vehicles can be monitored by a GPS tracking system with clandestine entry being recorded on to a restricted access SD card. There is even a smartphone app available that allows the driver to take photos of safety checks and upload instantly to a secure server. These pictures are then available for the authorities if the company is accused of not making appropriate checks.
