As if our economy isn’t under enough pressure; now comes the news that motor vehicle and truck hijackings are on the increase, resulting in huge losses for transporters & insurance companies.

Up to 20 motor vehicles are hijacked everyday in Gauteng (6989 reported cases in 2015) and 905 reported cases for truck hijacking with hotspots: 15.8% of total hijacked in Heidelberg and Alberton last year.

There is a number of preventative measures that fleet operators can take to reduce their risk.

Driver management, we estimate that 1 out of every 3 truck hijacks include some form of driver collusion. A more serious concern is that most companies simply do not manage or train drivers properly despite the fact that driver management should start even before the driver is hired.

It is imperative that a drivers work and personal history be properly checked prior to him being hired. In addition to licence checks, accident history and checks for criminal records (30% of the drivers we check hold some form of criminal record), employers need speak to as many of the drivers previous employees as possible to ascertain why the driver left whether he had ever been hijacked or whether or not he had financial or other problems such as drinking or taking drugs.

Potential employees should further submit to a pre-employment polygraph screening prior to being hired. It is not uncommon for professional hijacking syndicates to ‘plant’ drivers in various companies in order to perpetrate crime.

A driver that has been hijacked should be properly debriefed. We can quickly determine whether there is ANY involvement from  a driver and then follow up with a polygraph test if necessary.