By John L. Phillips
John L. Phillips is CEO of Satellite Security Corporation (www.satsecurity.com).
Certainly there has been a new industry created by the federal government to control security at the airports, there has also been a tremendous amount of resources added to the governments efforts in fighting terrorism at home and abroad. But what has really changed in the way businesses operate? Sure, there is awareness of the security issues that face businesses as a whole. If we stop and think about it we know that a fully-loaded tanker truck can be used as a "rolling-bomb1)"); there could be the theft of a UPS uniform2) along with the theft of a UPS truck and then loading of that UPS truck with thousands of pounds of explosives driven into the belly of any large building in America. There could be the tampering of our food supply by terrorists3) poisoning an entire shipment of milk, fruits, vegetables… We all know that there are many ways that we as a society are exposed from a security standpoint, but the fact is in the last five years since 9/11 there hasnt been wholesale change or adoption of technology and policy. There has been vigilance by law enforcement and general public awareness, but that only gets us so far.
1) Brent Andrews, Interview with Miles OBrien, CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports, November 23, 2003.
2) Potential Terrorist Use of Official Identification, Uniforms or Vehicles, DHS Information Bulletin, July 23, 2003.
3) Risk Assessment for Food Terrorism and Other Safety Concerns, USFDA/CFSAN/Office of Regulations and Policy, October 7, 2003.
The Right Way to View Security
GPS tracking of assets is in and amongst itself an industry. Wireless communication and the application of GPS data is nothing new. The use of GPS to track remote assets was around before 9/11 and ironically is still used in much the same way as it was then. The various "think tanks", action and planning groups, as well as the commercial enterprises themselves have certainly spent time pondering how GPS could aid in the security of this nation by securing the commercial transport industry, but nothing has really changed. Drivers have been trained to be aware and toll-free phone lines have been set up to report suspicious activity4). The fact is businesses still have very little knowledge of where their fleet is once it leaves the security of the gates that protects the assets and drivers while at the depot. There is an obvious use for GPS in the security world and we all know it. The problem is the technology that has been offered to the commercial industry for years is viewed as a tool that requires capital investment. The hesitation for adoption of the technology comes from not knowing exactly how that capital investment will help aid in operations or accountability and, more importantly, that it will actually lead to efficiency. But what about the security? Businesses continue to looking at accountability as their version of security and that is simply not the right way to look at it. Security is a systematic solution that has accountability as a tool that acts as a contributor to the solution. Accountability doesnt, in and of itself, create security.
4) Judy Keen, Truckers, Bus Drivers on Lookout for Suspicious Activity on Road, USA Today, August 30, 2006
Service Bureau Approach
The commercial transportation world already has a lot of the tools it needs in order to achieve much the same goal. However, there needs to be a systematic solution put in place where the use of GPS data is the centerpiece for a truly defined and effective security solution. With the use of GPS, which many fleets already use, they have a tool that is not being used nearly as effectively as it could be. By moving away from the mentality that GPS is "a tool of many and used by some", the fleet owners need to understand that the only way to effectively use GPS is to apply it within a service bureau approach. In order for there to be true security of remote assets, there has to be a solution that offers the ability to know what is supposed to be happening, who is supposed to be involved, (authentication of users or participants), monitor the activity in a near real-time manner and have an effective response plan that lends itself to aiding in the control of the situation, should one arise.
GPS into Corporate Culture
The security of a nations roadways is one that can be done in a way that will not put the cost burden specifically on any specific industry or government, yet all participants will reap the rewards. Various attempts or recommendations have been made, or are being considered post 9/11, to require GPS technology to be incorporated into commercial fleets throughout the U.S. In California, for instance, a bill was introduced into the assembly that would require hazardous material carriers to have a GPS tracking system installed in order to maintain the vehicles hazardous material license and operate within California5). Additionally, various federal agencies have been working to review, plan and present ideas on ways to require some type of GPS technology be installed on all hazardous carriers hauling materials anywhere in the US. In the five years since 9/11 nothing has actually been done. The fact that nothing has been passed into law requiring the use of GPS to track hazardous materials is not necessarily a bad thing. The truth is those types of laws or regulations may not be needed at all; if the technology can be packaged into a solution that offers so much benefit that most commercial fleets cannot be without it. One of the biggest issues I have with any regulation requiring GPS to be installed on hazardous material carriers is that they are just requiring it of the hazardous material carriers. I have to ask…why? So they go and install a GPS tracking device on the fuel tanker, great! What about the UPS truck, the Pepsi truck or US Post Office van that just pulled into the bottom floor of the nearest high-rise building? Adding GPS to a fleet to protect a society against the perceived threat of the materials they carry is not the way to bring security through the use of GPS. The only way GPS will bring security is to have a GPS offering that is immediately embraced and implemented into a corporate culture. The solution must pay for itself, almost immediately, through operational use by all who use it. If any company has the ability to know exactly what is going right and wrong in its operations, whether in the building they are housed or in their remote fleet, they will know when there is a problem and they will call law enforcement for help. And, they will create safety measures and policies that will allow them to anticipate problems long before law enforcement would be able to know there is a situation.
5) The California State Assembly (2003-2004), A.B. 575: Motor Carriers: Transporting Flammable and Combustible Materials and Substances.
Commercial Embrace
The way for GPS technology to be embraced and incorporated into commercial industry is not to force it through regulation, (though that may help bring attention to the issue as well as to help push people into having to learn and understand the need for it), but for there to be a GPS solution that ties the field operations of any organization to a main office just like any two offices in any one building are tied together. By having a solution that provides the same level of security, information and process review, through the use of GPS data, you have effectively provided the company with all of the same security and management review as it has of any employee and their efforts just down the hall.
 Take for example the solution my company, as a GPS solution and Service Bureau provider, has begun putting in place with our clients. Through the use of a software solution we have tied in the clients drivers, vehicles, customer locations, inventory, and timelines for performance (i.e., delivery times, pickup, etc.) and real-time response plan together into a service bureau they access every moment of every day. Through the ability of various other technologies (magnetic-card readers, RFID, etc.) there is the authentication of the driver before the vehicle is allowed to start. Not only is there authentication there is review of expectations to ensure the driver is supposed to be driving that vehicle and on that particular day. Additionally, through those types of process questions and authentication, there is now the capability for the fleet to have automated payroll and drive time records for audit and regulation compliance. Now that the driver accounted for, the vehicle is released to the driver by allowing the vehicle to actually start. Since the service bureau controls the vehicle and monitors the status of the engine, doors, etc., as well as the location, there is the ability to monitor the maintenance, or planning thereof, and report when tires, oil, or maybe the transition needs to be serviced (just to name a few). Now with both the driver and vehicle are accounted for, there has to be the constant monitoring of the asset throughout the route as well as knowing when there is any access of the inventory doors. Since the solution is tied into the clients database, the service bureau knows what planned activities are expected for that driver and that asset he controls throughout that day. The database even knows the route that driver should be driving. By having the ability to look at this information forward, (planning the future) and backwards (accountability), there is always a "threat-assessment" going on. The very same threat-assessment that would be used to protect from a rogue tanker truck going off course is used to make sure that a driver is not stopping by friends and giving away inventory. The solution looks at threats the same; the client is affected just as much, either way. As the client and his remote assets go through the day, any deviation from the stated plan is noted. Various levels of response are at the clients discretion. Obviously a truck with a bunch of flat-screen TVs in the back is going to have a different response than a fully-loaded tanker truck which is supposed to only be delivering fuel in San Diego, yet is found to be one-mile off course and heading for Los Angeles. This leads us to one of the most important issues that have yet to be contemplated by any of the federal or state regulatory bodies doing their "research" on GPS technologies and security of remote fleets. Who or what exactly is going to be monitoring whatever GPS system they may force upon these industries that are deemed a risk concern?
3rd Party Monitoring
The eighty-twenty rule applies to the commercial fleet sector as well. Eighty percent of all fleets are not the over the road, large coast-to-coast type trucks. They are the local and regional carriers of virtually any and all types of product. Those fleets may or may not run 24 hours a day. Regardless of how long their day is, their offices and thus, dispatch centers will typically work standard business hours, give or take a few. With that said who is going to be watching for problems regardless of the software package or solution the business has implemented? The answer is simple. If there is an emergency, we had all better hope that the emergency situation happens "during normal business hours".
It is obvious that there is the absolute need for 3rd party monitoring of fleets any time there is a security component anticipated as part of a product offering or regulation within such an industry. You cannot expect a client who is an expert at their respective business to also have the resources to know what to do in the event of a remote emergency. In this day and age of tracking remote assets, calling 911 isnt the simple answer when you dont know what you are looking at. Is the truck really stolen? Who can shut it down if it actually is stolen? Can it actually be shut down? When shutting down a tanker truck with five thousand gallons of flammable fuel in it, shouldnt we have a professional on the phone with the authorities making them aware of the shut-down capability? What if an overzealous employee of the client was to have access to the shutdown technology and was to shut down that tanker truck as it was doing 50 mph down the freeway and there was a school bus behind it? In that instance we probably would have a whole different national tragedy to talk about.
GPS technology is ready and able to become the leading technology, alongside wireless communications, in providing the essential pieces for maintaining the security of remote assets, workers and of national interests. However, there needs to be a plan and it needs to be implemented, not as a tool, but as a solution that gives much more back to the companies who have to bear the upfront costs. A GPS solution that is integrated into a corporation? way of life will provide the Return on Investment (ROI) everyone speaks to when pitching a major purchase. However, in this case, and god forbid, the ROI may actually be the investment in lives and human safety.
For more info., contact to email swm@infothe.com
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