Freight moves through Peel. So do the people who steal it.
Peel Regional Police has described the region as the largest cargo hub in Canada. The same mix of 400-series highways, Pearson airport, a major rail intermodal terminal and dense rows of distribution centres that makes Mississauga and Brampton efficient also gives organized thieves plenty of trailers to choose from.
Industry reporting points to a shift away from brute force. Figures from Équité Association, the insurance industry’s investigative body, reported by Truck News, put Canadian trailer thefts in 2025 at almost double the 2024 level, and investigators tie much of the recent growth in cargo losses to digital fraud, impersonated carriers and fictitious pickups. That kind of theft is stopped at the gate, by a person who checks every detail every time, not by a fence alone.
Six checkpoints between your gate and your freight
Written into your post orders before the first shift, so every guard on rotation runs the same lane the same way.
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01 · Arrive
Stop at the line
No truck rolls onto the lot on a wave. The guard notes the time, tractor and trailer numbers, plate and the carrier name on the door.
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02 · Verify
Driver, BOL, carrier
Licence photo matched to the face, appointment or pickup number matched to your list. Pickups confirmed with the carrier on a number already on file, never one the driver hands over.
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03 · Seal check
View, verify, tug, twist
Seal and door hardware inspected for tampering, number matched to the paperwork, then pulled and turned to prove it is intact. A mismatch means the trailer waits and your supervisor gets the call.
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04 · Log trailer
Into the yard record
Trailer, seal, carrier, loaded or empty, time in, with a photo of the rear doors. That entry is what the overnight yard count reconciles against.
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05 · Dock
Assigned, not chosen
The driver goes to the door or drop spot your schedule sets, the dock lead is told, and the driver waits where your site rules say drivers wait.
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06 · Exit
Inspect on the way out
Outbound seal number recorded and matched to the release, trailer number matched to the paperwork, gate-out time logged. Nothing leaves on a verbal okay.
The yard gets counted, not glanced at
A drop trailer can sit for days. Between gate events, a guard walks or drives a set loop through the bays, varies the timing so it can’t be predicted, and records what each checkpoint showed.
- Trailer count against the yard log, every round. A missing unit is reported while it is still close.
- Kingpin and glad-hand locks confirmed in place where your site uses them; doors closed, seals on loaded drops spot-checked.
- Fence line checked for cuts, lifted fabric and pallets stacked where someone could climb.
- Dead lights and open dock doors photographed with their location, so maintenance knows exactly where to go.
What logistics sites actually lose to
Five patterns, how they tend to show up, and what changes when a trained guard owns the gate.
Trailer theft
How it shows upA loaded or empty trailer is hooked and driven out, usually when the yard is quiet, such as overnight or over a weekend.
At the gateNo trailer leaves without a release that matches its number. Locks are checked each round and the yard count is reconciled at every handover.
Fictitious pickups
How it shows upA driver arrives with convincing paperwork for a real load, sometimes under a cloned carrier name, and leaves with your freight before the genuine carrier turns up.
At the gateIdentity matched to the appointment, carrier confirmed on a number you already hold, and tractor, plate and door markings photographed. Temporary magnetic signs are a red flag.
Cargo tampering
How it shows upA seal is cut and replaced, door hardware is worked loose, or a pallet goes missing between the shipper’s dock and yours, and nobody notices until the count is short.
At the gateView, verify, tug, twist on every sealed trailer, in and out, with the seal photographed. Discrepancies are recorded before the doors open, which protects your claim.
Internal collusion
How it shows upA load schedule is shared, a door is left unlocked, or a release is signed without the usual checks. Industry writers note that cargo thieves are often helped by someone on the inside.
At the gateA guard who follows written post orders no matter who asks, logs every exception with a name and time, and reports to the manager you designate.
After-hours intrusion
How it shows upFence cuts, fuel siphoned from parked units, pilfering from unsealed trailers and break-in attempts at dock doors when the building is dark.
At the gateUnpredictable patrol timing, lighting checks and an on-site guard who can respond to an alarm or camera alert in minutes, not after the morning shift arrives.
Nothing gets lost between shifts
Yard losses are often discovered at a handover, which makes those ten minutes some of the most important of the night. Ours follows the same four steps at every site.
- 1Count together. Outgoing and incoming guard reconcile the yard against the log before keys change hands.
- 2Pass on open items. A held trailer, an unconfirmed pickup or a reported fence gap is handed over by name, not left in a notebook.
- 3Account for keys and fobs. Gate keys, dock-door fobs and any lock keys are counted and signed for.
- 4File before leaving. The digital shift report, with photos, goes to your designated contacts before the outgoing guard signs off.
Warehouse security FAQs
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can your guard refuse to release a trailer at our gate? | The guard applies your written post orders. If the driver, pickup number, carrier or seal doesn’t match, the release is held and the person on your escalation list is contacted. Many sites adopt a simple rule: no match, no release. |
| Do we need a guard around the clock, or just overnight? | It depends on when your gate is busiest and when the yard is unattended. Some facilities need a 24/7 gatehouse; others cover nights, weekends and holiday shutdowns, or use GPS-tracked mobile patrol visits for drop yards. The free site assessment is where we work that out with you. |
| Will your guards use our gate log or yard management system? | If your site already runs a gate log or yard system, we build the post orders around it and walk the assigned guards through it during onboarding. Either way, our digital shift and incident reports, with photos, give you an independent record. |
| How fast can you put a guard on a yard after a theft? | For urgent situations we can usually deploy a licensed guard in about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on travel to your site. Planned coverage starts after a site walk and written post orders, so the guard arrives knowing your process. |
| What does warehouse or yard security cost? | Pricing depends on the hours covered, how many gates and dock faces need staffing, whether yard patrols or alarm response are included, and how long the contract runs. We quote after a free assessment so you’re not paying for coverage you don’t need. |
Get your gate and yard assessed
We walk the site, map the lane and the loop, and send written post orders and a quote.
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