Overhaul launches a trailer door sensor as cargo thieves find ways around seals
The cargo security company says its Gen2 tamper detection reports when a trailer or container door is actually opened, rather than relying on an intact seal.
Cargo security company Overhaul has launched what it calls Gen2 Tamper Detection Technology, a system that reports when the doors of a trailer or container are opened while a load is in transit.
The Austin, Texas, company announced the product on Nov. 11. It said the change is aimed at a weak spot in how shippers and carriers check whether a load was touched: the seal.
"Seals have long been how teams learn whether a trailer was accessed in transit, but an intact seal isn't proof that nothing happened," the company said, adding that thieves "have found ways to reach a load without disturbing the seal." According to Overhaul, teams often find out about a problem only at a manual inspection or at delivery.
"A seal has always been a proxy for the door itself, and we've seen criminals find ways to overcome even electronic seals," said Nick Heikkinen, Overhaul's vice president of IoT technology and operations.
What the company says it does
- Detects when a trailer door is opened, instead of only reporting the state of the seal.
- Works on containers, trailers and roll-up doors.
- Supports multi-stop shipments, where doors are opened and closed at several delivery points.
What it isn't saying
Overhaul said the system is available only to its existing customers. To keep thieves from learning how it works, the company said it will share details only in confidential customer briefings, including private sessions at the TAPA Americas conference on Nov. 11.
That means the release does not explain how the sensor works, what it costs, or whether it is offered on Canadian lanes. Overhaul names Microsoft, J.B. Hunt, Mode Global and Bristol Myers Squibb among its customers. It also included a statement from Rigo Garcia, Dell's global head of supply chain security, who said cargo security "has to evolve with the risks facing goods in transit."
For fleets, the takeaway is broader than one product: the company's own pitch is that a sealed door on arrival no longer proves a load was untouched on the road.