July 23, 2025 • 31 mins
In this episode, Nick Erdmann of Vectura Risk Management is back for another insightful conversation about protecting high-value freight from the rising cargo theft threats!
We dive into the harsh reality of organized cargo theft, why it's more sophisticated than most think, and how escort services are stepping up to protect high-risk shipments like pharmaceuticals and electronics!
Nick walks us through real-world prevention tactics, how layered security assessments work, and why the human element remains just as important as technology. Whether you're a carrier, broker, or shipper, this episode covers what you need to know about securing freight!
About Nick Erdmann
With over two decades in supply chain security, Nick serves as the Director of Business Development at Vectura Risk Management, where he specializes in protecting high-value shipments, including pharmaceuticals and electronics through advanced cargo escort services and comprehensive risk management solutions.
Prior to joining Vectura, he spent 20 years at Transport Security, Inc., where he established himself as a trusted security advisor across the transportation, retail, portable storage, and supply chain sectors. Throughout his career, Nick built a proven track record of developing customized security programs that address the unique operational challenges faced by his clients.
Nick's expertise spans cargo security, regulatory compliance, physical security, location-based services, GPS monitoring, and C-TPAT compliance. He collaborates closely with safety directors, loss prevention teams, security personnel, law enforcement agencies, and cargo theft task forces to implement robust protection strategies.
Nick remains actively involved in transportation security associations, including TAPA and the Midwest Security Council, contributing to the development of industry best practices and innovative approaches to supply chain protection. His mission is to safeguard his clients' most valuable cargo and assets through the best layered solutions approach and exceptional service.
Connect with Nick
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickerdmann/
- Website: https://govectura.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Came back with a bank window down yelling now money anything hey oh Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when I'm getting to the back hey Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them hate them Make a bigger boss hey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What is up ladies and gentlemen?
We are back.
We are live.
It is the Freight Coach Podcast, the top podcast in transportation coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30am Pacific, 10:30 Central, to break down some industry headlines.
But most importantly, you guys provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information.
If this is your first time tuning in, welcome.
This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen.
(00:47):
And I say that before every single show.
And what I mean by that is I only speak with transportation professionals because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve.
So you can take that information, apply it, utilize it, and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life.
Happy Wednesday everybody.
I got a very special guest and I'm going to bring him up here in a second.
(01:09):
But I do just want to drop my little weekly reminder that Wednesday is newsletter day.
So if you want to get in on the Freight Coach newsletter, it only drops on Wednesdays and I will not automatically sign you up for it because I really get annoyed when I get like 18 newsletters drop up in my email inbox.
I'm like, a, how did you get my email address?
But B, who are you?
So if you want to get in on it, you guys, we just talk about freight at the end of the day.
(01:31):
All right?
I'm not a life coach or anything like that.
If you just want to go to the Freightcoach.com though, it will auto prompt you to register on there.
It's just a couple of quick steps.
And again, I don't sell out your email address, frankly, because I don't even know where all of this stuff is stored.
My marketing team does that.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
So.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So yeah, you guys, trust me, your email address is safe with me.
But speaking of being safe, we're going to talk about cargo safety and security and all of that fun stuff today because this is just a non stop topic of conversation right now.
It's getting a ton of traction on Capitol Hill and everything and there's no better time to continue to talk about this and what you can do inside of your organization.
(02:09):
So I got Mr. Nick Erdman back on the show with Vector Risk Management.
So Nick, thank you so much for taking the time to join me today.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Absolutely.
Thanks for having me, Chris.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
No man, I'm looking forward to.
It's been like a year to the day.
I was actually looking back through my old notes and I'm like, there's been a literal year since you were on the show last and you know, we're in a new role and everything here and you know, when I had saw that you had jumped over here and then I started looking into your company a little bit, I'm like a, this is very unique.
Like I don't personally know of anything else out there on the market that comes down and kind of really attacks it like you guys do.
(02:44):
And, but you know, I'll stop here and kind of let you tell like what is Vector or Risk Management?
What are you, what are you guys out there trying to solve?
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I've been in this space for a little bit over 20 years.
So it's, you know, I started when I was little, but as far as security and supply chain security, I just can't get out of it.
So my previous company, we did physical security locking devices and this opportunity to work with Victoria Risk Management strictly on doing cargo security escorts for high value, high risk freight kind of came about and we're kind of helping grow this company a little bit more and you know, work with those, you know, high value pharma electronics.
(03:22):
You know, it's something that's not for everybody but we do a little bit of cargo escort, security assessments for warehouses and those kind of things.
So kind of a full gambit of kind of that layered security.
Like you kind of said cargo theft is not going away unfortunately, but it's probably the worst I've seen it in my entire career.
So I think it's, you know, needs to be addressed and we're one of the layers that kind of goes in there to prevent theft.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So are you guys the guys in the cool Humvees that are following around those trucks that you see that make it to the Internet?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Occasionally we go, we go non descript.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Dude, those are the ones that like.
Because I obviously I kind of, you know, eat, sleep and breathe this industry and I like to follow companies from kind of all facets of freight and you know, dude, I'm just a little kid at heart when it comes to trucks.
Like I love trucks.
Obviously my dad drove.
I'm, I like anytime I hear a Jake break, I get excited and some of these guys that I see out there moving some of this high value cargo like it is man, it's like literal secret service protection.
(04:27):
There's like forest plan, black SUVs in front and back, armed guards, like it's intense.
And I'm like that right there, man, I love that stuff.
And it is such a different facet because you know sometimes man we get so caught up in our day to day nick and like what we're doing that like we fail to realize that like literal missiles and stuff like that are transported via truck.
(04:50):
Life saving vaccines are transported via truck.
And I've had some of those carriers on the show in the past who've come on and you know, who just do medical grade expedited shipments and dude, it's a wild world out there, man.
And it's another one of those reasons why I'm so much like you guys.
Just gotta choose a niche.
Like there's so much opportunity that's out there.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
Like, I mean like you said, you know, trucks, if you're, our laptops, our seats that we're sitting in, you know, everything's been brought by trucks.
So if you're in an office, 100% of the stuff has been brought by truck.
So and those like you said, the life saving vaccines, those kind of things, the high value things that need sensitive, you know, it's not even high value sometimes it's the scent, you know, the sensitive nature of whatever the product is, needs to get from point A to point B.
(05:37):
And you know, we work with the trucking companies and the shippers to maintain that integrity throughout that entire trip.
And that's really kind of where that small piece in the supply chain that kind of keeps it going since the supply chain is moving so fast, you know, making sure that you know, you have that security and that safety built in there.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, my, you know, obviously I've been doing this for you know, a couple of days at this point and my thoughts are when it comes down with cargo theft and where we are at.
And again this, I want to be abundantly clear you guys, this is just my opinion, Chris Drawley's opinion only on this.
I feel like it is a lot more organized than people think and I feel 99 of it starts at the shipper.
(06:21):
Like I, I really do just in my, you know, obviously, unfortunately when you do this job as long as I have.
You've had truckload stolen before.
You've had stuff happen.
And I, I think what really kind of clarified it to me and I know I've talked about this on the show previously, Nick, was, is every time I saw in like 2020 and 2021 the rail cars that were somehow with TVs getting popped in downtown, like Los Angeles I think is where it was.
(06:49):
And I'm like that's when it all started.
I'm like, dude, this is way more organized than people think.
Because there's like, that's not a random guess.
Like dude, I was just stopped at the train crossing this morning and There was like 800 cars that were on there and 400 of them were containers.
You're telling me they just happened to guess the right one.
So it's like I see a lot of it and I feel like that's where you got to start for the most part is.
(07:14):
And I think obviously it goes out from there but you know, let's talk about what you guys are doing from it.
Like what are cargo escorts?
Like what do they do?
Who typically uses them and kind of how does that rollout work?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, cargo escorts typically we will work directly with the shipper, work with a logistics company obviously as well that's working with the shipper on behalf of the shipper.
But starting from point A to point B.
Right.
So we are folks, it's always two people that you know, come in and check the, all the paperwork that understanding the paperwork that's going along with the shipment, verifying it all, making sure that it's all good, making sure that the product is in the back of the trailer.
(07:54):
The trailer is locked and sealed with the right information, with the right seal numbers.
Everything's documented by a picture sent to our operations center.
And then once that's all verified, then we move along making sure the drivers and the truck and the trailer are the exact truck and trailer that the shipper is expecting.
Again notifying, notarying all that information as far as you know that is verified and then having that move along.
(08:25):
So then we escort that load the entire journey whether that's a four hour trip or a ten hour trip or you know, cross country.
So and we are entire, you know most high value always has team drivers.
So it's never going to stop unless you know, just for obvious for fuel and for driver switches.
(08:46):
But our drivers stay in view of the asset the entire time.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Gotcha.
So you guys are, you know, obviously without giving away any proprietary, you know, secrets or anything like that.
So there's like a digital monitoring and then like a physical monitoring that kind of comes along with it.
And you know, because I've moved some high value cargo in my career, Nick, and you know, the loading instructions were, you know, very clearly laid out, right?
Like obviously there's some well known ones where driver has to give valid id, the truck and trailer number have to match up with the one that are provided, has to come in with full tanks, cannot stop within 250 miles of the shipper.
(09:22):
Because again, I feel like most cargo crime syndicates, yes, they might follow but like they want to stay local, they want to liquidate it because it's like getting the goods is one thing, but they got to get rid of the goods equally as fast, right?
So it's like, that's why there's a lot of those known things that are out there, but there's also some other ones behind the scenes that the people who are only involved in the shipment are going to be privy to.
(09:47):
And I mean, you're right, you know, with it being a team and it's like you cannot stop, like you have to go full tanks and you know, and with most of these things, man, because like, have you guys seen the data out there where it's like, what percentage of cargo theft happens within a certain mile radius of the loading or offloading point?
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Yeah, yeah, typically, I mean there's always been that 250 to 300 mile is kind of that the red zone they call it where, yeah, most incidences will happen within that.
But you know, that's obviously just a gauge.
Some theft will happen outside of that area too.
I mean, as we adapt to different security procedures, the bad guys do the same thing.
(10:31):
Like a lot of people on your show said before, they adapt to what new security protocols we're doing and shifting how they have their theft tactics.
So we have to keep on monitoring that from day to day and week to week and it changes constantly.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
So how does this process work?
Say I'm a high value shipper and I got, you know, luxury something in there, you know, not Chris Jolly and luxury isn't exactly synonymous.
But you know, say I'm out there, I got, you know, high value cargo.
How does this process work?
How do, how do I work with you to ensure that I have all my ducks in a row as a shipper, as a manufacturer?
(11:13):
Are you out there assessing the driver?
That is Sent in.
If there's a broker that's involved, kind of walk us through that process.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Yeah, both scenarios.
So we'll work with the shipper or the broker, you know, the, you know, the logistics company working directly with that shipper and just sit down with them and understand first of all, obviously understand what the product is, what the risk is.
Look at, look at the lane that they're transporting those in or lanes that they're transporting those in.
Look at the risk factors that go along with those lanes that they're going in.
(11:43):
Because obviously no one lane is the same with risk.
So understanding the risks that are going with that and then really kind of understand their SOP or their standard operating procedure as far as how they want to be notified if something gets escalated.
Walking through that all prior to even us, you know, quoting out a lane for cargo escorts, understanding all that information first, prior to us kind of getting into an agreement with everything going on.
(12:16):
That's, that's kind of the first stage understanding, making sure we're all on the same page that hey, you know, shipper A is going to be different than shipper B as far as their SOPs needed for their security, whether the freight is a different rate, pharmaceuticals are treated different than electronics and those kind of things.
So understanding really kind of what the relationship is and the risk tolerance of the freight is.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
So are you guys out there like doing like an on site risk assessment at some of these facilities?
And again, obviously there's only so much you can answer, Nick, because I'm sure.
But like, are you guys going in there and are you guys like monitoring the facilities, checking it out, like what's your guys's response plan?
And really putting together a whole thing because I feel like now where some of these come out, there's probably some companies out there, Nick, that their freight, their commodity, their products weren't necessarily on the radar for theft.
(13:13):
And now with it really kind of growing and I think that some companies out there are going to be like, hey, I think we need to look at our processes here.
So are you guys contacting companies?
Are you guys working with companies like that and kind of like going on site and being like, this is a risk.
We need to do X, Y and Z.
Is that really the kind of like the bulk of where you guys are at?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah, exactly.
I mean we're, yeah, we're looking at the assessment, you know, and it may, they may not even require Cargo escorts for their loads, possibly, but just looking at their, the risk assessment of their, of their lanes, of their facilities, you know, making sure that, you know, assistance with security processes to have in place for their drivers, for their, you know, for the trucking companies that are coming on their properties.
(13:57):
So we assist with a lot of that just so they have an understanding, hey, we might only be moving, you know, 100, 150,000 hour loads, but you know, that's their $150,000 load.
But understanding, hey, we don't want to lose any loads.
Right?
No company wants to lose a load.
So understanding, you know, making sure that they have the right processes, security processes in place to really kind of, you know, manage that accordingly.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
What do you guys consider high value cargo?
Right?
Cause I think like there's varying definitions of it because you know, like inside of like where I play with a lot of the flatbed freight and stuff like that, like it's very Standard to get two 250, $300,000 cargo value shipments that are out there.
What do you guys consider high value cargo?
And is there like kind of that threshold where you guys advise people like hey, if it's above this, these are the steps you should follow?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah.
And it kind of falls into two things.
Obviously those high value loads that you said, I mean obviously your insurance company believes those are high value.
Right.
So if you lose a $300,000 load, that's a, that's a big hit.
Right.
But really kind of where we come in with cargo escorts, you know, is that million dollar, two million dollar load is really kind of the threshold and above where we kind of really makes sense to have that cargo escort with it.
(15:15):
But again, it's not only the value of the commodity, it's the sensitivity of the commodity sometimes.
So it could be, you know, 150,000 hour load, very sensitive.
Sensitive in the fact that if it doesn't make it to a location, then it disrupts the build out of a facility, setback of production, those kind of things.
(15:39):
So not necessarily an exact dollar amount because we've escorted lower loads, but just time sensitive and kind of in nature as far as, hey, one of one kind of thing with fine art and those kind of things.
So definitely doesn't need to be, you know, ultra high, high net worth, you know, freight, but it could be a definitely something that's sensitive that needs to be moved and can't have anything get compromised.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
No, I, I completely agree.
What, how does this help prevent theft?
Like in the sense of like when there's escorts on there, like are.
Do you have any like real life examples you can give about like hey, were in this one scenario.
This is how it prevented it.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Yeah, kind of an interesting one.
Again it was before I kind of came on board but talking with my operations folks, I was kind of asking, you know, talking with them.
There was an incident where our truck, it was a high value, high value freight.
It was, you know, multi million dollar load.
I believe it was electronics moving down the highway.
(16:46):
Our escorts noticed a vehicle that had been with them for a long time, over 100 miles.
You know, not uncommon, you know, somebody going the same route but just kind of, it looked, they looked a little suspicious.
The drive, the truck drivers noticed them as well.
They communicated and they were able to kind of call into the state police in that region reported, just kind of reported that, hey, kind of suspicious.
(17:12):
It did end up being someone that did have ties to cargo theft.
It was a crew that had three or four folks in the car and so they were able to do a, kind of a, somehow do a stop on it.
Our load kind of continued to go.
So again, not knowing if they were going to try to attempt to steal anything out of the truck there.
(17:36):
But it was something where our escorts always have eyes on their surroundings, aware.
They're all former law enforcement, former military.
So they're very situational awareness is huge for them.
So when they see something that's out of the ordinary, it might be nothing, but it might be something.
So it's kind of that whole see something, say something kind of thing where we really kind of take that into account for every load we do.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Yeah, I think that one thing that I've kind of realized, you know, the older that I get is sometimes the most, least suspecting individuals are the ones who are the most guilty of being tied into a lot of this stuff.
Right.
So it is, it's like, you know, kind of keeping your head on a swivel with a lot of that stuff.
And, and really, you know, it for me it's like, I mean I, I look at stuff like this, Nick, and I also think about like, man, how are you locking up your house at night?
(18:28):
Stuff like that.
You know what I mean?
Like, do you have a process that you follow?
Do you have a security system in place?
What technology are you using to monitor a lot of this as well?
Because you know, I mean I've done my research on it man, nothing.
And like 99% or it was 90% of home invasions are thwarted by the sound of a dog barking.
And it's like that has been like the most tried and true method that was out there.
(18:51):
Because you know, we're at a point now where it's like, dude, there's so much technology, there's so much stuff out there, but technology can fail.
You know what I mean?
And that's one thing that I wanted to talk about.
Like why can't you in today's day and age just rely on technology at this point?
Right?
Like you guys are talking about.
You guys have physical sets of eyes on the truck.
You have the drivers who are monitoring the drivers.
(19:12):
Notice that car.
Your team noticed that car.
Why do we put people on it when we could just put like a chip in the trailer or you know, why is technology not the kind of the thing for this part?
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Yeah, we definitely work hand in hand with technology.
So there's definitely, I mean obviously a place for technology and it gives a lot of good data information and we actually help implement a lot of the tracking technology for our clients to you know, putting, you know, placing it, you know, having the escorts placing it in the product and those kind of things.
We monitor those devices as well.
(19:45):
But really if a problem happens, the tracking devices aren't able to call the authorities.
You know, having eyes on the reaction time of having eyes on it, you know, on the ground, boots on the ground if you will, allows it allows our escorts to really act in real time where there might be some delay with technology or technology not working or those kind of things.
(20:10):
There's always, you know, again, two sets of eyes on there, the protocols in place with a monitoring center and those kind of things that you know, keeping multiple eyes and you know, on the ground is huge.
So definitely there's a human and technology element that needs to come together on both ends.
It's not, you know, not one or the other.
(20:30):
It's both world together and it, that really makes a strong, you know, supply chain security program and you know, keeps everything safe.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
No, so like are you guys work like obviously some of these guys who are out there, Nick, that are in the high value cargo or like the high theft cargo space, like they probably already have plans in place out there.
But like what type of freight do you guys advise?
Like you should have a cargo escort on it.
Is it like auto parts, you know, is it just alcohol, firearms, stuff like that or you know, what are some of those high theft commodities?
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah, I mean, you know, if you look at the cargo theft data, you know, cargo net puts out great information on all that information.
All that information.
But you know, pharma, electronics, food and beverage are big things.
Obviously sometimes the food and beverage isn't going to meet a threshold.
But really, you know, with the semiconductors and those kind of things that, those are really being the things that are increasing.
(21:30):
Obviously the size of tech is getting smaller, so they're getting more on a trailer.
Right.
So you know, cell phones and those kind of things.
Consumer electronics is really a big thing.
But yeah, specialty kind of things with different firearms and those kind of things.
Those are, you know, different sensitivity and those kind of things.
But yeah, the sensitive things where it needs to get mission critical kind of things that need to get to destination are huge.
(21:57):
And that's where you really kind of require another set of eyes and another layer of security.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
How are the costs determined on this?
Like, how would somebody expect, I mean, obviously I'm assuming multiple people armed, all of that.
Like there's different thresholds that kind of come along with this.
So is there like kind of like a base number to kind of put in people's mind on what this might look like?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yeah, when really evaluating that we sit down with the shipper, with the broker, understand, hey, what the lane is, you know, the, the hourly rate essentially is going to be, you know, from point A to point B.
You know, if unarmed and unar, armed and unarmed is gonna change that cost as well.
And then ultimately, if it's a last minute kind of thing too, that's gonna, you know, so if, you know, hey, it's gonna, you know, leave on, you know, Friday, today's Wednesday.
(22:50):
If it's going to leave on Friday, that's, you know, that's a kind of a normal lead time for us to, you know, put our teams together and those kind of things.
But if you say, hey Nick, I got a load going out here later on this afternoon, well, that's more of a same day kind of thing and cost a little bit different than something that is going out in a couple days.
(23:11):
So those are some different factors that go into determining costs and those kind of things.
Obviously we have a set rate, but sometimes as you know, logistics is in a perfect world as far as, you know, on time deliveries and those kind of things.
So sometimes they go on over.
So there's you know, the accessorial charges for those.
But those are all explained up front when we work with the shipper or the broker.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Do you guys have people on retainer?
Like I'm thinking like high value cargo coming through the ports, for example, right.
Like TVs, electronics, like you brought up like iPhones and stuff like that.
Do you guys have people on retainer at those ports that are just jockeying with the trucks, kind of pulling those cans in and out of there?
Because, you know, it's a lot easier to work with some of those larger brands, I'm assuming, Nick, who are like, hey, we got 100 containers landing in the next 30 days.
(23:58):
Do you guys just stick rotating teams on that?
Because some of These ports operate 24 7.
The receiver might be 24 7, stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Yeah, we'll work.
Yeah, that would be like a perfect project, you know, if we know a project is kind of coming up.
And obviously we're getting in a busy season here with peak season, you know, we're kind of in the midst of it, I guess.
Right, but with peak season kind of coming up, you know, that's huge for projects.
And you know, hey, we know that, hey, there's going to be 20 loads coming out of this location.
We have teams set up and are able to handle that.
(24:27):
So yeah, definitely understand the logistics because we have logistics folks on our team that understand how that, how everything works with that and then security, you know, getting, ramping up our teams so that we have enough coverage to handle whatever volume that might be.
So.
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
How do you guys handle, like, I don't know, the known bad areas of cities and stuff like that.
Like, are you guys going ahead?
Like, I'm just trying to think because it's like some of these routes that you're out there, man, like you're not going to divert 300 miles out of route to avoid a certain area.
I mean, you might in some, on some instances, but like, I feel like with a lot of the shipments that you see out there's got to be known choke points of like high criminal activity zones in certain cities and certain areas and stuff like that.
(25:18):
So kind of like, how are you?
How do you guys handle those?
Speaker 3 (25:20):
Yeah, and yeah, definitely those areas.
So there are definitely no stop zones in areas like that where they're not stopping.
I mean, we're making sure that everybody has enough fuel prior to getting in those areas.
And that's, that's why the route planning comes into play.
So we know that, hey, we know we need to stop here, you know, definitely for the escorts vehicle to stop for fuel prior to getting to that area.
(25:44):
But we need to know, hey everybody be on high alert for this certain area and understand those risks in certain areas.
So definitely something we plan for.
And it's.
Yeah, we're not, you know, we're always looking.
Cause those choke points or those areas of red zones are always changing constantly because obviously like I said earlier, the bad guys adapt.
(26:07):
So understanding those and constantly being aware of those and making our team aware of those and understanding how to logistically maneuver that is key.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
What do you wish more people knew about some emerging threats that you guys have identified and how could they potentially get ahead of it?
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Well, I think, you know, the big thing out there, right is knowing who's hauling your freight.
I think, I know you've had plenty of people on here about you know, the fraud.
I mean that's, you know, that's everywhere, right?
So the fraud of like hey MC numbers and those kind of things.
Just knowing, you know, taking the steps of knowing who's hauling your freight.
Because I think that's been a huge, obviously a huge uptick in theft and misdirection of just not knowing who the carrier is and you know, saying it's Chris Jolly coming and you know, Nick shows up, but I say I'm Chris Jolly.
(27:01):
You know, that's, that's a bad thing.
And you know, we need to, you know, kind of, I think companies need to understand like hey, slow down a little bit.
Understand who's, you know, use the tools that are out there to vet carriers and those kind of things and understand who you're doing business with and honestly picking up the phone and making sure that you're talking with the folks in person visits.
(27:22):
I know you're huge with that on your carriers and those kind of things, but just knowing who you're dealing with is half the battle.
So understanding that is key to preventing a lot of the stuff from even happening.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
What would you advise for some of the carriers that are out there who are like, hey, I want to get more involved in this.
How would they become more appealing to maybe a company like you to have a strategic partnership or.
I don't even know if you guys do this, but I was, you know, just trying to think here like man, if I'm a high value cargo or if, like, if I have that insurance.
If I have those SOPs and those capabilities, how would I get attention from somebody like you guys to possibly show like, hey, man, like, we're real deal?
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Yeah, I mean, that's, that's key because I really think security can help sell, right?
So if you show that you are checking all the boxes, just like safety, right?
Safety is a culture.
I kind of preach that, you know, security should be a culture in companies, too.
Trucking companies and shipping companies and brokers, everything.
Just having that security culture is key just because then your customers are going to see, hey, okay, you're going to, you're taking that serious.
(28:33):
You're taking safety and security seriously.
You can really promote that and get, you know, get in front of customers and be like, hey, you give us your load.
We going to make sure that it's going to get there, you know, intact, hopefully on time and those kind of things.
So I think just, you know, just working with all the industry councils out there and security councils out there that are out there that, you know, get the certifications, you know, do the due diligence and, you know, work with all the different companies out there to make sure that you're doing the right thing.
(29:05):
And that's going to help really kind of promote your company to your clients.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
I love it.
Nick, thank you so much for your time today, man.
How does anybody reach out to you guys to find out more about what you got going on?
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Yeah, I'm on.
I'm on LinkedIn all the time.
Nick Erdman, Victoria Risk Management.
Follow our page for updates on new stuff and new tactics out there.
But yeah, I'm on LinkedIn all the time, so feel free to reach out.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Perfect.
Nick, thank you so much for joining me today.
That's going to be it for today, ladies and gentlemen.
As always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show.
You guys, if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, which you should be, rank the show on itunes and Spotify, because if you saw value, your network's going to see value as well.
I appreciate you guys.
I love you guys and we'll be talking to you soon.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Came back with a bank.
Came back with a bank window down yelling now money anything hey oh Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when I'm getting to the back hey Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them hate them Make a bigger boss hey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What is up ladies and gentlemen?
We are back.
We are live.
It is the Freight Coach Podcast, the top podcast in transportation coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30am Pacific, 10:30 Central, to break down some industry headlines.
But most importantly, you guys provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information.
If this is your first time tuning in, welcome.
This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen.
(00:47):
And I say that before every single show.
And what I mean by that is I only speak with transportation professionals because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve.
So you can take that information, apply it, utilize it, and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life.
Happy Wednesday everybody.
I got a very special guest and I'm going to bring him up here in a second.
(01:09):
But I do just want to drop my little weekly reminder that Wednesday is newsletter day.
So if you want to get in on the Freight Coach newsletter, it only drops on Wednesdays and I will not automatically sign you up for it because I really get annoyed when I get like 18 newsletters drop up in my email inbox.
I'm like, a, how did you get my email address?
But B, who are you?
So if you want to get in on it, you guys, we just talk about freight at the end of the day.
(01:31):
All right?
I'm not a life coach or anything like that.
If you just want to go to the Freightcoach.com though, it will auto prompt you to register on there.
It's just a couple of quick steps.
And again, I don't sell out your email address, frankly, because I don't even know where all of this stuff is stored.
My marketing team does that.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
So.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So yeah, you guys, trust me, your email address is safe with me.
But speaking of being safe, we're going to talk about cargo safety and security and all of that fun stuff today because this is just a non stop topic of conversation right now.
It's getting a ton of traction on Capitol Hill and everything and there's no better time to continue to talk about this and what you can do inside of your organization.
(02:09):
So I got Mr. Nick Erdman back on the show with Vector Risk Management.
So Nick, thank you so much for taking the time to join me today.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Absolutely.
Thanks for having me, Chris.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
No man, I'm looking forward to.
It's been like a year to the day.
I was actually looking back through my old notes and I'm like, there's been a literal year since you were on the show last and you know, we're in a new role and everything here and you know, when I had saw that you had jumped over here and then I started looking into your company a little bit, I'm like a, this is very unique.
Like I don't personally know of anything else out there on the market that comes down and kind of really attacks it like you guys do.
(02:44):
And, but you know, I'll stop here and kind of let you tell like what is Vector or Risk Management?
What are you, what are you guys out there trying to solve?
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I've been in this space for a little bit over 20 years.
So it's, you know, I started when I was little, but as far as security and supply chain security, I just can't get out of it.
So my previous company, we did physical security locking devices and this opportunity to work with Victoria Risk Management strictly on doing cargo security escorts for high value, high risk freight kind of came about and we're kind of helping grow this company a little bit more and you know, work with those, you know, high value pharma electronics.
(03:22):
You know, it's something that's not for everybody but we do a little bit of cargo escort, security assessments for warehouses and those kind of things.
So kind of a full gambit of kind of that layered security.
Like you kind of said cargo theft is not going away unfortunately, but it's probably the worst I've seen it in my entire career.
So I think it's, you know, needs to be addressed and we're one of the layers that kind of goes in there to prevent theft.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So are you guys the guys in the cool Humvees that are following around those trucks that you see that make it to the Internet?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Occasionally we go, we go non descript.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Dude, those are the ones that like.
Because I obviously I kind of, you know, eat, sleep and breathe this industry and I like to follow companies from kind of all facets of freight and you know, dude, I'm just a little kid at heart when it comes to trucks.
Like I love trucks.
Obviously my dad drove.
I'm, I like anytime I hear a Jake break, I get excited and some of these guys that I see out there moving some of this high value cargo like it is man, it's like literal secret service protection.
(04:27):
There's like forest plan, black SUVs in front and back, armed guards, like it's intense.
And I'm like that right there, man, I love that stuff.
And it is such a different facet because you know sometimes man we get so caught up in our day to day nick and like what we're doing that like we fail to realize that like literal missiles and stuff like that are transported via truck.
(04:50):
Life saving vaccines are transported via truck.
And I've had some of those carriers on the show in the past who've come on and you know, who just do medical grade expedited shipments and dude, it's a wild world out there, man.
And it's another one of those reasons why I'm so much like you guys.
Just gotta choose a niche.
Like there's so much opportunity that's out there.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
Like, I mean like you said, you know, trucks, if you're, our laptops, our seats that we're sitting in, you know, everything's been brought by trucks.
So if you're in an office, 100% of the stuff has been brought by truck.
So and those like you said, the life saving vaccines, those kind of things, the high value things that need sensitive, you know, it's not even high value sometimes it's the scent, you know, the sensitive nature of whatever the product is, needs to get from point A to point B.
(05:37):
And you know, we work with the trucking companies and the shippers to maintain that integrity throughout that entire trip.
And that's really kind of where that small piece in the supply chain that kind of keeps it going since the supply chain is moving so fast, you know, making sure that you know, you have that security and that safety built in there.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yeah, my, you know, obviously I've been doing this for you know, a couple of days at this point and my thoughts are when it comes down with cargo theft and where we are at.
And again this, I want to be abundantly clear you guys, this is just my opinion, Chris Drawley's opinion only on this.
I feel like it is a lot more organized than people think and I feel 99 of it starts at the shipper.
(06:21):
Like I, I really do just in my, you know, obviously, unfortunately when you do this job as long as I have.
You've had truckload stolen before.
You've had stuff happen.
And I, I think what really kind of clarified it to me and I know I've talked about this on the show previously, Nick, was, is every time I saw in like 2020 and 2021 the rail cars that were somehow with TVs getting popped in downtown, like Los Angeles I think is where it was.
(06:49):
And I'm like that's when it all started.
I'm like, dude, this is way more organized than people think.
Because there's like, that's not a random guess.
Like dude, I was just stopped at the train crossing this morning and There was like 800 cars that were on there and 400 of them were containers.
You're telling me they just happened to guess the right one.
So it's like I see a lot of it and I feel like that's where you got to start for the most part is.
(07:14):
And I think obviously it goes out from there but you know, let's talk about what you guys are doing from it.
Like what are cargo escorts?
Like what do they do?
Who typically uses them and kind of how does that rollout work?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah, cargo escorts typically we will work directly with the shipper, work with a logistics company obviously as well that's working with the shipper on behalf of the shipper.
But starting from point A to point B.
Right.
So we are folks, it's always two people that you know, come in and check the, all the paperwork that understanding the paperwork that's going along with the shipment, verifying it all, making sure that it's all good, making sure that the product is in the back of the trailer.
(07:54):
The trailer is locked and sealed with the right information, with the right seal numbers.
Everything's documented by a picture sent to our operations center.
And then once that's all verified, then we move along making sure the drivers and the truck and the trailer are the exact truck and trailer that the shipper is expecting.
Again notifying, notarying all that information as far as you know that is verified and then having that move along.
(08:25):
So then we escort that load the entire journey whether that's a four hour trip or a ten hour trip or you know, cross country.
So and we are entire, you know most high value always has team drivers.
So it's never going to stop unless you know, just for obvious for fuel and for driver switches.
(08:46):
But our drivers stay in view of the asset the entire time.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Gotcha.
So you guys are, you know, obviously without giving away any proprietary, you know, secrets or anything like that.
So there's like a digital monitoring and then like a physical monitoring that kind of comes along with it.
And you know, because I've moved some high value cargo in my career, Nick, and you know, the loading instructions were, you know, very clearly laid out, right?
Like obviously there's some well known ones where driver has to give valid id, the truck and trailer number have to match up with the one that are provided, has to come in with full tanks, cannot stop within 250 miles of the shipper.
(09:22):
Because again, I feel like most cargo crime syndicates, yes, they might follow but like they want to stay local, they want to liquidate it because it's like getting the goods is one thing, but they got to get rid of the goods equally as fast, right?
So it's like, that's why there's a lot of those known things that are out there, but there's also some other ones behind the scenes that the people who are only involved in the shipment are going to be privy to.
(09:47):
And I mean, you're right, you know, with it being a team and it's like you cannot stop, like you have to go full tanks and you know, and with most of these things, man, because like, have you guys seen the data out there where it's like, what percentage of cargo theft happens within a certain mile radius of the loading or offloading point?
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Yeah, yeah, typically, I mean there's always been that 250 to 300 mile is kind of that the red zone they call it where, yeah, most incidences will happen within that.
But you know, that's obviously just a gauge.
Some theft will happen outside of that area too.
I mean, as we adapt to different security procedures, the bad guys do the same thing.
(10:31):
Like a lot of people on your show said before, they adapt to what new security protocols we're doing and shifting how they have their theft tactics.
So we have to keep on monitoring that from day to day and week to week and it changes constantly.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
So how does this process work?
Say I'm a high value shipper and I got, you know, luxury something in there, you know, not Chris Jolly and luxury isn't exactly synonymous.
But you know, say I'm out there, I got, you know, high value cargo.
How does this process work?
How do, how do I work with you to ensure that I have all my ducks in a row as a shipper, as a manufacturer?
(11:13):
Are you out there assessing the driver?
That is Sent in.
If there's a broker that's involved, kind of walk us through that process.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Yeah, both scenarios.
So we'll work with the shipper or the broker, you know, the, you know, the logistics company working directly with that shipper and just sit down with them and understand first of all, obviously understand what the product is, what the risk is.
Look at, look at the lane that they're transporting those in or lanes that they're transporting those in.
Look at the risk factors that go along with those lanes that they're going in.
(11:43):
Because obviously no one lane is the same with risk.
So understanding the risks that are going with that and then really kind of understand their SOP or their standard operating procedure as far as how they want to be notified if something gets escalated.
Walking through that all prior to even us, you know, quoting out a lane for cargo escorts, understanding all that information first, prior to us kind of getting into an agreement with everything going on.
(12:16):
That's, that's kind of the first stage understanding, making sure we're all on the same page that hey, you know, shipper A is going to be different than shipper B as far as their SOPs needed for their security, whether the freight is a different rate, pharmaceuticals are treated different than electronics and those kind of things.
So understanding really kind of what the relationship is and the risk tolerance of the freight is.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
So are you guys out there like doing like an on site risk assessment at some of these facilities?
And again, obviously there's only so much you can answer, Nick, because I'm sure.
But like, are you guys going in there and are you guys like monitoring the facilities, checking it out, like what's your guys's response plan?
And really putting together a whole thing because I feel like now where some of these come out, there's probably some companies out there, Nick, that their freight, their commodity, their products weren't necessarily on the radar for theft.
(13:13):
And now with it really kind of growing and I think that some companies out there are going to be like, hey, I think we need to look at our processes here.
So are you guys contacting companies?
Are you guys working with companies like that and kind of like going on site and being like, this is a risk.
We need to do X, Y and Z.
Is that really the kind of like the bulk of where you guys are at?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah, exactly.
I mean we're, yeah, we're looking at the assessment, you know, and it may, they may not even require Cargo escorts for their loads, possibly, but just looking at their, the risk assessment of their, of their lanes, of their facilities, you know, making sure that, you know, assistance with security processes to have in place for their drivers, for their, you know, for the trucking companies that are coming on their properties.
(13:57):
So we assist with a lot of that just so they have an understanding, hey, we might only be moving, you know, 100, 150,000 hour loads, but you know, that's their $150,000 load.
But understanding, hey, we don't want to lose any loads.
Right?
No company wants to lose a load.
So understanding, you know, making sure that they have the right processes, security processes in place to really kind of, you know, manage that accordingly.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
What do you guys consider high value cargo?
Right?
Cause I think like there's varying definitions of it because you know, like inside of like where I play with a lot of the flatbed freight and stuff like that, like it's very Standard to get two 250, $300,000 cargo value shipments that are out there.
What do you guys consider high value cargo?
And is there like kind of that threshold where you guys advise people like hey, if it's above this, these are the steps you should follow?
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah.
And it kind of falls into two things.
Obviously those high value loads that you said, I mean obviously your insurance company believes those are high value.
Right.
So if you lose a $300,000 load, that's a, that's a big hit.
Right.
But really kind of where we come in with cargo escorts, you know, is that million dollar, two million dollar load is really kind of the threshold and above where we kind of really makes sense to have that cargo escort with it.
(15:15):
But again, it's not only the value of the commodity, it's the sensitivity of the commodity sometimes.
So it could be, you know, 150,000 hour load, very sensitive.
Sensitive in the fact that if it doesn't make it to a location, then it disrupts the build out of a facility, setback of production, those kind of things.
(15:39):
So not necessarily an exact dollar amount because we've escorted lower loads, but just time sensitive and kind of in nature as far as, hey, one of one kind of thing with fine art and those kind of things.
So definitely doesn't need to be, you know, ultra high, high net worth, you know, freight, but it could be a definitely something that's sensitive that needs to be moved and can't have anything get compromised.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
No, I, I completely agree.
What, how does this help prevent theft?
Like in the sense of like when there's escorts on there, like are.
Do you have any like real life examples you can give about like hey, were in this one scenario.
This is how it prevented it.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Yeah, kind of an interesting one.
Again it was before I kind of came on board but talking with my operations folks, I was kind of asking, you know, talking with them.
There was an incident where our truck, it was a high value, high value freight.
It was, you know, multi million dollar load.
I believe it was electronics moving down the highway.
(16:46):
Our escorts noticed a vehicle that had been with them for a long time, over 100 miles.
You know, not uncommon, you know, somebody going the same route but just kind of, it looked, they looked a little suspicious.
The drive, the truck drivers noticed them as well.
They communicated and they were able to kind of call into the state police in that region reported, just kind of reported that, hey, kind of suspicious.
(17:12):
It did end up being someone that did have ties to cargo theft.
It was a crew that had three or four folks in the car and so they were able to do a, kind of a, somehow do a stop on it.
Our load kind of continued to go.
So again, not knowing if they were going to try to attempt to steal anything out of the truck there.
(17:36):
But it was something where our escorts always have eyes on their surroundings, aware.
They're all former law enforcement, former military.
So they're very situational awareness is huge for them.
So when they see something that's out of the ordinary, it might be nothing, but it might be something.
So it's kind of that whole see something, say something kind of thing where we really kind of take that into account for every load we do.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Yeah, I think that one thing that I've kind of realized, you know, the older that I get is sometimes the most, least suspecting individuals are the ones who are the most guilty of being tied into a lot of this stuff.
Right.
So it is, it's like, you know, kind of keeping your head on a swivel with a lot of that stuff.
And, and really, you know, it for me it's like, I mean I, I look at stuff like this, Nick, and I also think about like, man, how are you locking up your house at night?
(18:28):
Stuff like that.
You know what I mean?
Like, do you have a process that you follow?
Do you have a security system in place?
What technology are you using to monitor a lot of this as well?
Because you know, I mean I've done my research on it man, nothing.
And like 99% or it was 90% of home invasions are thwarted by the sound of a dog barking.
And it's like that has been like the most tried and true method that was out there.
(18:51):
Because you know, we're at a point now where it's like, dude, there's so much technology, there's so much stuff out there, but technology can fail.
You know what I mean?
And that's one thing that I wanted to talk about.
Like why can't you in today's day and age just rely on technology at this point?
Right?
Like you guys are talking about.
You guys have physical sets of eyes on the truck.
You have the drivers who are monitoring the drivers.
(19:12):
Notice that car.
Your team noticed that car.
Why do we put people on it when we could just put like a chip in the trailer or you know, why is technology not the kind of the thing for this part?
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Yeah, we definitely work hand in hand with technology.
So there's definitely, I mean obviously a place for technology and it gives a lot of good data information and we actually help implement a lot of the tracking technology for our clients to you know, putting, you know, placing it, you know, having the escorts placing it in the product and those kind of things.
We monitor those devices as well.
(19:45):
But really if a problem happens, the tracking devices aren't able to call the authorities.
You know, having eyes on the reaction time of having eyes on it, you know, on the ground, boots on the ground if you will, allows it allows our escorts to really act in real time where there might be some delay with technology or technology not working or those kind of things.
(20:10):
There's always, you know, again, two sets of eyes on there, the protocols in place with a monitoring center and those kind of things that you know, keeping multiple eyes and you know, on the ground is huge.
So definitely there's a human and technology element that needs to come together on both ends.
It's not, you know, not one or the other.
(20:30):
It's both world together and it, that really makes a strong, you know, supply chain security program and you know, keeps everything safe.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
No, so like are you guys work like obviously some of these guys who are out there, Nick, that are in the high value cargo or like the high theft cargo space, like they probably already have plans in place out there.
But like what type of freight do you guys advise?
Like you should have a cargo escort on it.
Is it like auto parts, you know, is it just alcohol, firearms, stuff like that or you know, what are some of those high theft commodities?
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah, I mean, you know, if you look at the cargo theft data, you know, cargo net puts out great information on all that information.
All that information.
But you know, pharma, electronics, food and beverage are big things.
Obviously sometimes the food and beverage isn't going to meet a threshold.
But really, you know, with the semiconductors and those kind of things that, those are really being the things that are increasing.
(21:30):
Obviously the size of tech is getting smaller, so they're getting more on a trailer.
Right.
So you know, cell phones and those kind of things.
Consumer electronics is really a big thing.
But yeah, specialty kind of things with different firearms and those kind of things.
Those are, you know, different sensitivity and those kind of things.
But yeah, the sensitive things where it needs to get mission critical kind of things that need to get to destination are huge.
(21:57):
And that's where you really kind of require another set of eyes and another layer of security.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
How are the costs determined on this?
Like, how would somebody expect, I mean, obviously I'm assuming multiple people armed, all of that.
Like there's different thresholds that kind of come along with this.
So is there like kind of like a base number to kind of put in people's mind on what this might look like?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yeah, when really evaluating that we sit down with the shipper, with the broker, understand, hey, what the lane is, you know, the, the hourly rate essentially is going to be, you know, from point A to point B.
You know, if unarmed and unar, armed and unarmed is gonna change that cost as well.
And then ultimately, if it's a last minute kind of thing too, that's gonna, you know, so if, you know, hey, it's gonna, you know, leave on, you know, Friday, today's Wednesday.
(22:50):
If it's going to leave on Friday, that's, you know, that's a kind of a normal lead time for us to, you know, put our teams together and those kind of things.
But if you say, hey Nick, I got a load going out here later on this afternoon, well, that's more of a same day kind of thing and cost a little bit different than something that is going out in a couple days.
(23:11):
So those are some different factors that go into determining costs and those kind of things.
Obviously we have a set rate, but sometimes as you know, logistics is in a perfect world as far as, you know, on time deliveries and those kind of things.
So sometimes they go on over.
So there's you know, the accessorial charges for those.
But those are all explained up front when we work with the shipper or the broker.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Do you guys have people on retainer?
Like I'm thinking like high value cargo coming through the ports, for example, right.
Like TVs, electronics, like you brought up like iPhones and stuff like that.
Do you guys have people on retainer at those ports that are just jockeying with the trucks, kind of pulling those cans in and out of there?
Because, you know, it's a lot easier to work with some of those larger brands, I'm assuming, Nick, who are like, hey, we got 100 containers landing in the next 30 days.
(23:58):
Do you guys just stick rotating teams on that?
Because some of These ports operate 24 7.
The receiver might be 24 7, stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Yeah, we'll work.
Yeah, that would be like a perfect project, you know, if we know a project is kind of coming up.
And obviously we're getting in a busy season here with peak season, you know, we're kind of in the midst of it, I guess.
Right, but with peak season kind of coming up, you know, that's huge for projects.
And you know, hey, we know that, hey, there's going to be 20 loads coming out of this location.
We have teams set up and are able to handle that.
(24:27):
So yeah, definitely understand the logistics because we have logistics folks on our team that understand how that, how everything works with that and then security, you know, getting, ramping up our teams so that we have enough coverage to handle whatever volume that might be.
So.
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
How do you guys handle, like, I don't know, the known bad areas of cities and stuff like that.
Like, are you guys going ahead?
Like, I'm just trying to think because it's like some of these routes that you're out there, man, like you're not going to divert 300 miles out of route to avoid a certain area.
I mean, you might in some, on some instances, but like, I feel like with a lot of the shipments that you see out there's got to be known choke points of like high criminal activity zones in certain cities and certain areas and stuff like that.
(25:18):
So kind of like, how are you?
How do you guys handle those?
Speaker 3 (25:20):
Yeah, and yeah, definitely those areas.
So there are definitely no stop zones in areas like that where they're not stopping.
I mean, we're making sure that everybody has enough fuel prior to getting in those areas.
And that's, that's why the route planning comes into play.
So we know that, hey, we know we need to stop here, you know, definitely for the escorts vehicle to stop for fuel prior to getting to that area.
(25:44):
But we need to know, hey everybody be on high alert for this certain area and understand those risks in certain areas.
So definitely something we plan for.
And it's.
Yeah, we're not, you know, we're always looking.
Cause those choke points or those areas of red zones are always changing constantly because obviously like I said earlier, the bad guys adapt.
(26:07):
So understanding those and constantly being aware of those and making our team aware of those and understanding how to logistically maneuver that is key.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
What do you wish more people knew about some emerging threats that you guys have identified and how could they potentially get ahead of it?
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Well, I think, you know, the big thing out there, right is knowing who's hauling your freight.
I think, I know you've had plenty of people on here about you know, the fraud.
I mean that's, you know, that's everywhere, right?
So the fraud of like hey MC numbers and those kind of things.
Just knowing, you know, taking the steps of knowing who's hauling your freight.
Because I think that's been a huge, obviously a huge uptick in theft and misdirection of just not knowing who the carrier is and you know, saying it's Chris Jolly coming and you know, Nick shows up, but I say I'm Chris Jolly.
(27:01):
You know, that's, that's a bad thing.
And you know, we need to, you know, kind of, I think companies need to understand like hey, slow down a little bit.
Understand who's, you know, use the tools that are out there to vet carriers and those kind of things and understand who you're doing business with and honestly picking up the phone and making sure that you're talking with the folks in person visits.
(27:22):
I know you're huge with that on your carriers and those kind of things, but just knowing who you're dealing with is half the battle.
So understanding that is key to preventing a lot of the stuff from even happening.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
What would you advise for some of the carriers that are out there who are like, hey, I want to get more involved in this.
How would they become more appealing to maybe a company like you to have a strategic partnership or.
I don't even know if you guys do this, but I was, you know, just trying to think here like man, if I'm a high value cargo or if, like, if I have that insurance.
If I have those SOPs and those capabilities, how would I get attention from somebody like you guys to possibly show like, hey, man, like, we're real deal?
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Yeah, I mean, that's, that's key because I really think security can help sell, right?
So if you show that you are checking all the boxes, just like safety, right?
Safety is a culture.
I kind of preach that, you know, security should be a culture in companies, too.
Trucking companies and shipping companies and brokers, everything.
Just having that security culture is key just because then your customers are going to see, hey, okay, you're going to, you're taking that serious.
(28:33):
You're taking safety and security seriously.
You can really promote that and get, you know, get in front of customers and be like, hey, you give us your load.
We going to make sure that it's going to get there, you know, intact, hopefully on time and those kind of things.
So I think just, you know, just working with all the industry councils out there and security councils out there that are out there that, you know, get the certifications, you know, do the due diligence and, you know, work with all the different companies out there to make sure that you're doing the right thing.
(29:05):
And that's going to help really kind of promote your company to your clients.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
I love it.
Nick, thank you so much for your time today, man.
How does anybody reach out to you guys to find out more about what you got going on?
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Yeah, I'm on.
I'm on LinkedIn all the time.
Nick Erdman, Victoria Risk Management.
Follow our page for updates on new stuff and new tactics out there.
But yeah, I'm on LinkedIn all the time, so feel free to reach out.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Perfect.
Nick, thank you so much for joining me today.
That's going to be it for today, ladies and gentlemen.
As always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show.
You guys, if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, which you should be, rank the show on itunes and Spotify, because if you saw value, your network's going to see value as well.
I appreciate you guys.
I love you guys and we'll be talking to you soon.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Came back with a bank.
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