FREIGHT SECURITY: FROM SMUGGLING TO CYBER THREATS

摘要

The United States is finally emerging from the worst pandemic in recent history, which changed life as we know it and caused millions of fatalities worldwide. Several medical advances, including the rapid development and deployment of a vaccine, have proven essential in facilitating any sort of recovery. A lesser known, but still incredibly valuable player, in this effort is the freight transportation industry. Freight operators are not only enabling the distribution of essential vaccines and supplies, but also managing the unsurpassed surge in cargo volumes generated by consumers who have strongly leaned on ecommerce during this period of social distancing. Unfortunately, the industry is seeing these recent strains on the supply chain compounding the problems that existed before the pandemic. Complications caused by extensive seaport and airport congestion delays, full ships, planes and trucks, and criminal interference in the supply chain are significant risks that must be addressed quickly. In previous decades, theft and smuggling were the primary criminal concerns of freight operators looking to protect their goods in transit. These fears are still relevant, but now shippers, freight forwarders and carriers are focused on even greater security risks. These dangers not only will delay the flow of goods, but have the potential to jeopardize global economies in unimaginable ways.