Smarts Transport, based in Builth Wells, mid-Wales, reacted to safety concerns of its drivers following an incident involving one of its employees.
Director Anita Smart, herself formerly a truck driver for 16 years, has purchased 20 sets of Kabgard from in-cab security product manufacturers Protekdor.
Smarts’ awareness of driver safety issues was heightened when an employee was attacked whilst sleeping in his truck. He had been waiting to unload electronic goods at a depot when he was subjected to an attack, in which he was tied up with gaffer tape
and kidnapped with his vehicle, by four men, only to be dumped in a field over 100 miles away.
The tractor unit and trailer were later abandoned and set on fire, while the valuable goods he had been carrying had been taken by the thieves.
Designed to prevent unwanted entry to commercial vehicle tractor units, Kabgard is a steel device, which can be fitted to the cab door with no drilling or screwing required, the makers say. Providing a visible deterrent and a barrier to would-be thieves, the product gives peace of mind to drivers, resting in their cabs, the makers say.
Anita Smart says: “Understandably, the other drivers are concerned for their own safety, especially in the busy period coming up to Christmas, when thieves believe that high value goods are being transported up and down the country on a regular basis.”
Protekdor’s Dr David Field says: “Constantly, drivers are put at risk whilst carrying out their jobs and whilst the goods being transported invariably are insured, not enough is being done to protect the men and women themselves. Companies like Smarts Transport are taking the right steps to safeguard their drivers and it is Protekdor’s goal to encourage the provision of this level of protection throughout the industry.”
