Report suggests one in six drivers are victims of violent crime

One in six European truck drivers has been a victim of a violent attack within the past five years, according to a damning security report from the International Transport Forum and the International Road Transport Union (IRU).

The report puts the direct cost to the sector of violent attacks on lorry drivers at more than €12bn (US$17.7bn) since 2003, but said the figure could be higher, since almost 30% of attacks go unreported.

There are currently around 1.5m international drivers working across Europe. The report found that there was "a general lack of reporting of incidents", which had led to "a lack of recognition among authorities of the extent of the problem".

Among drivers who had been victims of a violent incident, 30% had suffered repeat attacks, the report found.

It says the current hotspots are Romania, with one attack occurring for every 5m tonnes of goods transported; Hungary (one attack per 1.3m tonnes); Poland (one attack per 1.2m tonnes); and Russia (one attack per 970,000 tonnes).

Peter Krausz, the IRU’s head of goods transport and facilitation, admitted there were problems assessing the full picture. "It is difficult to judge whether non-reporting is strictly speaking a criminal act.

"Because it deprives companies of the benefits of their insurance coverage, it makes the appreciation of the crime situation on roads less transparent." Andrew Hayes, security manager for northwest Europe for Kuehne & Nagel, said: "Drivers receive anti-hijack training and best practice information to either prevent or deter thieves, but there comes a point when armed criminals override the best defences." He said all K&N drivers carrying high-value goods were provided with the latest devices to protect them.

"Physical and electronic equipment can deter criminals or lead to the recovery of stolen property, " he said.

"I am surprised at the number of vehicles carrying high-value consignments without GPS tracking devices or inbuilt panic alarms.

"The criminal targets foreign drivers because they are aware that poor communication with law enforcement agencies results in a greater chance of success.

"Improvements to warehouse security have displaced the risk across the supply chain to linehaul." Krausz said there was a danger that such attacks would increase the cost of moving freight, because of higher insurance costs and more expensive security features.

He said: "Freight costs are, of course, related to the number of attacks, since expenses on crime prevention or damage reduction/elimination, including insurance expenditure, should be considered when calculating costs and setting freight rates." Hayes added: "Without doubt, adequate security provision costs money. However, realistic operators and their customers appreciate the need for minimum security standards in all applications."

Source IFW