Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

big picture

Better safe than sorry

It's said technology breeds crime. So in an industry like ours that's based on advanced technology, it pays to take extra security precautions.

I received a free razor in the mail the other day. It was a special promotion ostensibly to celebrate my 18th birthday. I double-checked the name and address on the label. It was indeed addressed to me. I did not need to check the calendar. They missed my 18th by about 40 years.

We all know there is plenty of information out there about each one of us. If you Google yourself, you'll probably find that a scary amount of it is publicly available. I just wonder how much of it is accurate and how best to protect the important stuff.


Coincidently, I had the opportunity recently to hear a presentation sponsored by the Pennsylvania AARP. The topic was how to properly secure personal and business data, while avoiding fraud and scams. The main speaker was Frank Abagnale Jr. You may recall the 2002 Steven Spielberg film, "Catch Me if You Can," that profiled his early life. While still a teenager in the 1960s, Abagnale posed as an airline pilot, doctor, and attorney, and defrauded banks and businesses of millions of dollars. He became an expert forger and could convince just about anyone he met to trust him—he was your ultimate confidence man.

After being caught and spending several years in prison, he began working for the FBI, showing law enforcement how clever criminals defraud unsuspecting victims. Forty years later, he is one of the world's foremost experts on security. He still works with the FBI, as well as for corporations and consumer groups to help businesses and individuals protect what is theirs.

Fraud accounted for more than $900 billion in losses last year, according to Abagnale. An identity is stolen every two seconds. "Technology breeds crime. Always has, always will," he said. "Every data breach occurs because someone did something they were not supposed to do or failed to do something they were supposed to do."

One of the largest bank breaches in history was just such a case. Against policy, a bank employee took home a laptop and worked using an unsecure connection. This opened the door for hackers to gain access to the bank's network and steal otherwise secure data.

So that begs the question: With an industry like ours based on advanced technology, what are we doing to protect our data as well as the data of our customers and partners? Have we taken needed precautions? More importantly, are our employees following the security procedures that have been put into place?

With the rise of e-commerce and social media and the ever-expanding use of mobile technologies in the supply chain, it is more important than ever to make certain best practices are followed to assure we are safe rather than sorry.

The Latest

More Stories

Warehouse automation project orders fell 3% in 2024

Warehouse automation project orders fell 3% in 2024

Warehouse automation orders declined by 3% in 2024, according to a February report from market research firm Interact Analysis. The company said the decline was due to economic, political, and market-specific challenges, including persistently high interest rates in many regions and the residual effects of an oversupply of warehouses built during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The research also found that increasing competition from Chinese vendors is expected to drive down prices and slow revenue growth over the report’s forecast period to 2030.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

screenshot of kodiak hub software

Swedish supply chain tech firm Kodiak Hub expands to U.S.

The Swedish supply chain software company Kodiak Hub is expanding into the U.S. market, backed by a $6 million venture capital boost for its supplier relationship management (SRM) platform.

The Stockholm-based company says its move could help U.S. companies build resilient, sustainable supply chains amid growing pressure from regulatory changes, emerging tariffs, and increasing demands for supply chain transparency.

Keep ReadingShow less

Logistics gives back: February 2025

Here's our monthly roundup of some of the charitable works and donations by companies in the material handling and logistics space.

  • For the sixth consecutive year, dedicated contract carriage and freight management services provider Transervice Logistics Inc. collected books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines for Book Fairies, a nonprofit book donation organization in the New York Tri-State area. Transervice employees broke their own in-house record last year by donating 13 boxes of print and video assets to children in under-resourced communities on Long Island and the five boroughs of New York City.
  • Logistics real estate investment and development firm Dermody Properties has recognized eight community organizations in markets where it operates with its 2024 Annual Thanksgiving Capstone awards. The organizations, which included food banks and disaster relief agencies, received a combined $85,000 in awards ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.
  • Prime Inc. truck driver Dee Sova has donated $5,000 to Harmony House, an organization that provides shelter and support services to domestic violence survivors in Springfield, Missouri. The donation follows Sova's selection as the 2024 recipient of the Trucking Cares Foundation's John Lex Premier Achievement Award, which was accompanied by a $5,000 check to be given in her name to a charity of her choice.
  • Employees of dedicated contract carrier Lily Transportation donated dog food and supplies to a local animal shelter at a holiday event held at the company's Fort Worth, Texas, location. The event, which benefited City of Saginaw (Texas) Animal Services, was coordinated by "Lily Paws," a dedicated committee within Lily Transportation that focuses on improving the lives of shelter dogs nationwide.
  • Freight transportation conglomerate Averitt has continued its support of military service members by participating in the "10,000 for the Troops" card collection program organized by radio station New Country 96.3 KSCS in Dallas/Fort Worth. In 2024, Averitt associates collected and shipped more than 18,000 holiday cards to troops overseas. Contributions included cards from 17 different Averitt facilities, primarily in Texas, along with 4,000 cards from the company's corporate office in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Catch a thief, stop a vandal

Electric vehicle (EV) sales have seen slow and steady growth, as the vehicles continue to gain converts among consumers and delivery fleet operators alike. But a consistent frustration for drivers has been pulling up to a charging station only to find that the charger has been intentionally broken or disabled.

To address that threat, the EV charging solution provider ChargePoint has launched two products to combat charger vandalism.

Keep ReadingShow less
ATRI releases annual list of nation’s top truck bottlenecks

ATRI releases annual list of nation’s top truck bottlenecks

New Jersey is home to the most congested freight bottleneck in the country for the seventh straight year, according to research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released today.

ATRI’s annual list of the Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks aims to highlight the nation’s most congested highways and help local, state, and federal governments target funding to areas most in need of relief. The data show ways to reduce chokepoints, lower emissions, and drive economic growth, according to the researchers.

Keep ReadingShow less