In June of 2002 Ag Depot was the victim of a $500,000 transportation chemical theft from its facility spurring Brown to come up with Driver Passport, a real-time, internet-based, driver verification and identification system allowing shippers to verify and validate the driver prior to loading or unloading cargo.
"Had Driver Passport been in place, the theft would not have occurred," said Brown. "Driver Passport relies on a centralized database that will provide immediate feedback on valid and invalid drivers. There's no more guess work when looking at an identification card."
According to the Department of Labor, there are currently 3.24 million truck drivers in the U.S. FBI statistics show that freight theft is thought to exceed $10 billion annually and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that number is as high as $40 billion per year.
Brown said a proactive stance on transportation security is critical in the marketplace. A good start to transportation security is to identify drivers to the companies they say they're representing. According to Norman Mineta, US. Transportation Secretary, trucking security is no less important than aviation security, "...All modes of transportation security are important and we need to develop creative solutions to the terrorist threat for them all."
"No trucking or shipping company wants to discuss security, loss or theft, but all recognize it occurs," said Brown. "It is the job of security and transportation professionals to do everything in their power to minimize loss and liability. Driver Passport was developed as a simple, efficient way for all concerned to help protect themselves and the nation."
