Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Head Special Agent testifies to Congress

He testified with others to provide solutions to the recent 40 percent rise in supply chain theft.  The problem is a lot bigger than just container theft. 

“In my 25 years in the supply chain, I’ve never seen cargo theft this prevalent,” Robert Howell, chief supply chain officer at Academy Sports and Outdoors said during the hearing.Howell said the types of thefts include load interception, identity theft, double brokering and cyber fraud. Crime in this area has advanced from stealing a truckload or duplicating a Department of Transportation motor carrier number to cyber theft of online credentials and systems.

“Recently, we had a shipment we call private label swimwear. It was intercepted on its way from Nevada to our Texas distribution center. As you can imagine, this is critical this time of year for the season. Unfortunately, we had to react when that load was stolen and repurpose and reposition product throughout our network,” Howell said.

https://www.truckingdive.com/news/cargo-theft-rising-enforcement-needed-hearing/741459/

This is what happens with lax intervention and prosecution. As we've been saying all along, nothing
is going to happen until it gets too expensive to ignore, maybe finally?

Out 

Bet those thieves looked stunning flouncing around in their bikinis!

The problem is much, much more then a half dozen guys breaking open containers. They seem to know exactly which containers to target.
That means they had some "inside knowledge", the bigger question is how are they getting that inside knowledge?

Thugs are running some of these warehouses--it's easy work for them to get--no one else wants it.  I've been to many of them.  Totally insider work going on here.

 It was reported in 2015 when UP began the great layoffs that  the number of special agents in the LA basin went from  sixty agents to eight. What is the current level of staffing at  BSNF and UP. Don't the class 1's bear some responsibility for thefts if they reduce their staffing so drastically?

For security reasons I won't dive into exacts. However for the purpose of this topic I can add a little information from what I have seen. Other railroaders feel free to chime in. Since I started in 2001 with BNSF we have retained one agent in my neck of the woods that covers what two agents used to cover. Our neighbor the UP is the same, perhaps even less staffed. Their agent used to be a regular but it's been a few years since I have heard an agent stop a UP train. When Amtrak has to deal with unruly passengers I've not heard any special agents involved in any of that in years either. It's good to see this issue getting attention. I feel like it's happening on some scale all over the country these days. Not just in the traditional urban areas.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thugs are running some of these warehouses--it's
> easy work for them to get--no one else wants it.
>  I've been to many of them.  Totally insider
> work going on here.

Makes sense.

So they know the box and ID where the Nike etc is?

Posted from Android

clickclack Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't the class 1's bear some responsibility for
> thefts if they reduce their staffing so
> drastically?


It doesn't matter....they just move the freight. It always falls on the "shippers".....

NS lost agents as well. The ones that are left have huge territories to cover.

Posted from Android

ns1000 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> It doesn't matter....they just move the freight.
> It always falls on the "shippers".....

The carrier has responsibility while the shipment is in their custody (but they'll spend a trainload of money in court trying to avoid it). They have platoons of expensive accountants (more money spent to try to avoid spending money) who work out the point at which it is cheaper to pay for lost shipments than to protect them.

TAW

And as expected (contractors are always cheaper than directs, just ask me) UP has a number of Pinkerton
agents active out of West Colton.

Out 

The Pinkertons have been the goon squad of choice for the UP since the 1800’s.

Regards

Posted from iPhone