See What Happens When Security Cameras Catch Trespassers

Optimizing Yard Security: Insights from BirdsEye Security Solutions

In this episode of the Trucking Risk and Insurance Podcast, hosts Johnny and Chris welcome Mike Ika, founder of BirdsEye Security Solutions, to discuss yard security in the logistics industry. 

Mike explains BirdsEye’s comprehensive yard entry system that replaces and enhances traditional security guard roles by using technology to manage entry, ID verification, truck and trailer checks, and other security protocols. 

The conversation delves into the challenges faced by the trucking industry during tight economic times and how security solutions can help mitigate risks, reduce insurance costs, and improve overall operational efficiency. 

Viewers are encouraged to consider how advanced security measures can contribute to a well-run and safe trucking operation.



Reach out to Mike of Birdseye:
birdseyesecurity.com
(844) 626-7233

Your Hosts:
John Farquhar
National Risk Services Specialist, Transportation, Gallager GGB
https://www.ajg.com/ca/
M: 437-341-0932
John_Farquhar@ajg.com

Chris Harris
CEO, Safety Dawg Inc.
905 973 7056
Chris@SafetyDawg.com
https://safetydawg.com/

         
Keeping it Safety Dawg Simple!
#trucksafety #truckinsurance #truckpodcast

Do you need a "Truck Driver Safety Policy?" Get it today! https://safetydawg.com/policy

00:00 Introduction to Yard Security
00:44 Welcome to the Podcast
01:11 Meet Mike Ika, Founder of BirdsEye
02:40 Evolution of BirdsEye Security Solutions
05:46 How BirdsEye Enhances Yard Security
15:39 Challenges in the Trucking Industry
25:40 The Importance of Culture in Trucking
30:30 Conclusion and Contact Information

Transcript

0:00

You're focused on transportation logistics, but mostly yard security. Is that not right? Yeah, that's right. We started off initially just, um, installing a couple of cameras in a truck yard and looking for bad guys that jump over the fence. Tough times for the trucking industry is. Uh, very, uh, prosperous times for fever. The amount of trespasser deterrents that we have today on, on an average yard has doubled in the last year, and last year doubled over the year before. We all know what security guards are doing at three in the morning. They're a hundred percent right, you know, and, uh, it could be a, a vicious downward spiral. Welcome to the Trucking Risk and Insurance Podcast. This week we've got BirdsEye. What the heck is BirdsEye? It's a yard entry system that enhances yard security, and if you're worried about fraud and things like that, you gotta listen to this week. Show. Mike is next. Welcome to the Trekking Risk and Insurance Podcast. Mike, welcome to the show. Can you take a minute please and introduce yourself to our viewers and listeners? Of course. Uh, very happy to be here. Thanks for the invite. My name is Mike Ika and I'm the founder of BirdsEye Security Solutions. And Mike, it's about bloody time you got on the show. I've been trying to get you on the show for maybe three years. So, uh, this is gonna be a little ani animosity coming out of me. Don't take it personal. Mike. I, I'm not, um, I, I'm happy to be on the show and yes, I owe you dinner. Yes. And for our viewers, if you haven't figured it out, Mike and I have, uh, known each other for several years. Probably like 15, maybe 20. How old of a company is Birdseye? It's about 15 years at this point. Getting close to that. And we've been, uh, hyperfocused on the logistics industry, which is how we met ly. I wanted the Fleet Safety Council meetings or some of the industry events. Yep. Yeah. So we've been, uh, exclusively focused on transportation, logistics, and. Tell me, I mean, you're focused on transportation logistics, but mostly yard security. Is that not right? Yeah, that's right. So we started off, uh, initially just, uh, installing a couple of cameras in a truck yard and looking for bag guard with the junk over the fence. And uh, the customer would say, well, that's great, you know, but I still need the security guard, you know, at the gate. And, uh, we said, well, what can we do to add more value? He said, well, get rid of that guard, or let me repurpose that individual, find a way to open and close the gate remotely. So we figured that out and we said, that's great, but you're not IDing people. And we said, okay, well then we figured that out. And then they said, uh, well, we still need the security guard. I said, well, why? They're like, well, he records, um, truck and trailer numbers. I'm like, okay, we'll figure out how to do that. And I would say, well, can you get rid of the security guard now? He said, no, no. So well, why not? He said, well, he checks for damages on the equipment to make sure the equipment's not beat up. And there, you know, he said, okay, well, we figure out how to inspect, uh, equipment on the way in and out. He said, can you get rid of the guard now? He said, no, no, no. Why not? Well, the security guard makes sure that everyone's doing their pre-trip and post trip inspections. We said, well, what's that? Then they, uh, they said, well, you know, this is what it is and, and why it's required. And then we figured out how to enforce free trip and post-trip inspections. And eventually through time the evolution of the company was just, listen, be your customer and solved their problems, you know? And then, uh, the more we learned about, um, safety and compliance. Operations in general. We learned that if we just focus on everyone just doing what they're supposed to be doing in the yard, kind of get security for free. So security is a byproduct of a really well run operation, and there's a lot more to trucking, uh, than, than, you know, when it comes from a security standpoint, uh, than just keeping the bad guys away. Um, there are a lot of risk that, uh, carriers take on and if you help them control that risk. They can take on more risk and, uh, it helps them grow and it helps them with their insurance rates and all of the above matters because, uh, the margins in trucking are really slim and everyone's, um, in survival mode, especially these days. Yeah, and you really glossed, I mean, you gave us an overview of what Bird's Eye does, but you're really glossed over. A lot of the, what I believe are the key points, and I first found out about bird's eye. You may not remember this, but yes, we met at a meeting and you ended up taking me for lunch because I was working for an insurance company at the time, and I think you wanted maybe my endorsement, some feedback. I'm not sure, but when you describe the system to me. That's what resonated with me, and it's been a long, it's been years since we actually talked how Bird's Eye works. But if I'm a truck driver and I show up to the gate, what am I doing? What's the, the very first thing Bird's Eye is gonna ask me to do? Well, the very first thing is you're gonna be greeted professionally, consistently, always, you know, just a good old, simple, good afternoon. How are you? We perform about 1 million gate transactions a month, and what most of them have in common is every truck yard's slightly different, but I would say the most consistent protocol is a, a quick check driver's license, the person's face. You have a little conversation, you'd be surprised how many times you'll find out someone's intoxicated. Maybe you remind them to put on their safety vest, if that's the protocol for that particular yard. So they'll literally do it right there in their seat. Um, and, uh, you'll check their, uh, be all paperwork. You'll check the truck number, trailer number, license plate number, consolidate against the YMS. Asked a bunch of other questions that may be particular to that specific yard, and do a three-way match, four-way match, five-way match. Make sure that the right driver's coming in with the right equipment, with the right load going to the right dock door. And uh, and then maybe you might even discuss yard rules, like maybe to you it might be important that just keep in mind, don't speed here. Management here is really adamant about you wearing your safety vest. Um, polite reminder if you got slippers on, terminal manager here does not like that. You know, I see that you're, you know, coming in empty, you know. Um, just a polite reminder. We're doing a blitz, you know, if you decide to sweep out the back of your trailer and leave it all over there, you know, um. If you park in G eight instead of G 36, we're not gonna let you out of the yard. Or maybe post-trip inspections are really important. So to answer your question, it's, it's really yard specific and we tailor our system and the gate procedures that are. Very much aligned with, without those, those rules, sometimes those rules come from corporate. So if they have 10 yards or 400 yards, they want cookie cutter gay processes and they'll sometimes, you know, they'll send a blasted email from now on. All the processes must be identical or, but there is a lot of site specific work that we do, so. Um, it all depends. I think that's what I'm really trying to say to answer your question is depends on what you want, but uh, uh, ultimately there are some best practices for sure. There's a few basic rules. Every time I enter a bird's eye facility, um, I've gotta put my driver's license in that little slot so the remote access person can view my driver's license. And then there's that second camera that's on my face. Is that, is that not still how it all works? Yes, sir. Um, believe it or not, um, those that have ill intent are more scared of a camera than they are of you and meet in person. Yeah. I believe that. Now, when you're session jury, if you recall, everyone had the masks, right? Mm-hmm. And so you'd be surprised how many people would not remove their mask while they're speaking to the camera. You would say, well, why not? You're no one's in the truck with you, no one's nowhere nearby you and you're trying to get in, get inside the yard, like, just pull your mask down for a second. So yes, that, that still is the case because, um, if you don't wanna identify yourself when you come to my house, you're not welcome. I think it's, uh, yeah, to be staggered rule for a lot of, a lot of truckers, a lot of owners of trucking companies. Now, way back then, 10, 15 years ago, I re what one of the things that impressed me and tell me if this is still how Bird's Eye operates or can operate perhaps, um, after the identification of that driver has been done through the driver's license and the live camera feed, uh, you told me that companies submit. Truck numbers and driver's, names of people who are supposed to be coming into the yard and leaving the yard and security matches that, is that still being done? Yes, that's correct. Again, you know it's gonna be protocol specific for some yards. The wanna have scheduling in advance. They wanna know who's coming. Hours before they arrive. So it will be site specific, but it's good to know what you're expecting and not just leave, but also to exit. How many times has a trucker accidentally grabbed the wrong load? He makes it all the way to the border, or find out he's got the wrong load. Right. So, so we eliminate those kinds of errors, which can be quite inconvenient to say the least for operations I. Well, and one of the other things that impressed the hell outta me was, and I saw this at one of the yards. You weren't there, but it was my customer's facility. Um, if the driver came in to pick up an empty trailer on their way out, they have to open the rear door and there's a camera that can look into the trailer to verify that it's, it's an empty trailer right now. I guess that's probably your specific, but. I know it's frequent that people go in and pick up trailers that are supposed to be empty or mm-hmm. They pick up trailer 4, 6, 5, and they were supposed to pick up trailer, uh, four, six. Uh, I'm, I'm trying to transpose the numbers in my head and I forget what I, 4, 5, 6. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. These are the tips of things that Birdseye can help with. Is it not Yes. Ex. Exactly. Yes. So. We look to be the absolute micromanager for your yard. So there's literally hundreds and hundreds of those small, little tiny nuances that happen in large multi acre sites that you want to be able to control. Mm-hmm. So, um, so for example, that's, that's, that's a good one, is let's make sure that the trailer is empty. How many empties are there in the yard at any given moment? And, uh, so, you know, in some truck yards, um, they want everyone to park in straight lines. And if they're really verse about this, they, they want the yard to look, uh, like a Mercedes ship. Sure. The, so we enforce that, you know, I think the big ones are pre-trip and post-trip inspections, speeding in the yard. Um, three points of contact getting in and out of a truck, which seems like a small thing, but it's huge. So you want to be enforcing that. And usually what, uh, what uh, safety compliance managers will do is they'll have a file on John Smith. Here's so many times the was warned about the safety vest, how many pre-trip didn't do, and they'll put that in a file, not so much to hold. Those that don't follow the rules accountable, which they do. Also to promote the winners. You know, they'll give up, they'll give out, you know, coffee cards, um, and they'll say, Hey, here's our 10, 10 drivers. They're really adamant about security, uh, safety operations, everything with the yard. They're following these protocols. They're not, you know, driving with the cell phone in their hand. So, um, we're like the world's greatest truck yard micromanager, if you will, right? Mm-hmm. And so that's kind of. Just ties into what I was saying earlier. You know, if everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing with respect to safety and compliance and operations and following protocol, anything that deviates outside of that is an immediate security threat. It's like, wait, you're not supposed to be here. Why are you here? You know you're speeding. Well, why are you speeded? Right? So everything becomes uh uh, an orange flag that you now escalate, and then we have. Everyone we hire is essentially either a, a worked in, in trucking in the past or they've received trucking specific training. So we're all kind of like truckers of Birdseye, so we know what we're looking for. So some of those, uh, examples tie into what you were saying earlier. So it just, uh, um, there's a lot of little nuances in truck yards that you gotta be mindful about and they can quickly escalate into someone dying under the truck yard, which. It was never fun. I'm sure it stories, we both worked in insurance, you know, so you try to eliminate those, uh, uh, those accidents, whether they're in the yard or they're caused outside of the yard because a pre-trip didn't happen. Mm-hmm. And not to mention, you know, BOT or CVR or, you know, you, you want to, uh, make sure you're not being pulled over. Your records are clean. Um, so if a truck is going to exit. The yard and they got a crack windshield or a crack taillight. Very easy to fix, but it, it'll save you the headache. So take the few extra minutes, do it right. It pays off in the long run. I wanted to touch on, 'cause we stepped in that area early on, Mike and it, and was talking about the current environment that the transportation industry is in right now. Tight margins and whatnot. And yes, we can all agree, um, regardless of what's happening south of the border, it's, it's tough times for everybody, there's no doubt. But at the same time, tough times for the trucking industry is, uh, very, uh, prosperous times for thievery. So all the more reason why you wanna be on guard and, and, and have your centuries there, which is your bird's eye, um, you know, working up and working to its fullest capability. Um, I, I have unfortunately similar like Chris, been out to see clients and walked into situations where the gate's not working. Oh, why not? Wow. We couldn't afford to make the payments this month. And it's like. The gate's open like I walked through. Nobody checked me, nobody to see. Oh yeah. Well we're just, we're we got dispatch watching it really like perfect opportunity for a theft to come in. And unfortunately we know that. Drivers have a tendency to talk. And it may not be malicious in their talk, but it might be, oh yeah, things are tight. Yeah, the gate's not working and they haven't fixed this and they haven't fixed that. And all you need is the right guy. Like, you know Chris, who works for Hell's Angels over there, you know, and uh, he now tells his buddies and the next thing you know, they're coming knocking on your door and well, we'll take this truck, we'll take that trailer, we'll take this, we'll take that. And somebody's making money out of the deal. You're right, a hundred percent. It seems kind of just intuitive. The, there's a, there's definitely, I mean, we've seen it, uh, the amount of trespasser deterrence that we have today on, on an average yard has doubled in the last year, and last year doubled over the year before. So activities gone up significantly. Uh, but it's, it's challenging for carriers to feel like this is the time to invest when they're. Really thinking about the, they can't see past the next couple of months. Mm-hmm. So, I, I, I feel for 'em, where we've had, uh, let's say most of our business where we have been winning, it has been, uh, where, uh, they have a security guard and they're looking to lower their costs. They're saying, is there a different way that I can do what my guard does at the guard shack? Like, can I get 10 times more value for less? Right. So these, um. Recessions, as painful as they are, I think they're a great opportunity for everyone to kind of, uh, take a look inward and say, you know, what, what are we doing? How are we spending money? And, you know, it's an opportunity to lean up. And then those that, that tend to do that during these times, they usually come out really strong. And, uh, whether it's hiring for talent when it doesn't feel like they should, or investing in security. Maybe sometimes you're just looking at a different way to do the same thing. Mm-hmm. So we're businesses of, of offering, we're in the business of offering a lot more, uh, for less. Mm-hmm. Well, and right now, if a carrier was to lose a load due to theft, how does he explain that to one, the customer? Because all of a sudden he does have to explain to the customer where those goods went. So potentially. That could be a lot of revenue that they're losing because sure, all of a sudden I can lose that customer. It's not just the one load all the time, nevermind having to explain it to your insurance company and then your insurance company saying, well, what protocols do you have in place? And the trucking company going, huh, protocols. Well, what am I, you know, I got a security guard, but yeah. We all know what security guards are doing at three in the morning. Frequently, at least they're not paying attention. It's three in the morning, things are quiet and it's really boring. You're a hundred percent right, you know, and, uh, it could be a, a vicious downward spiral. So you try to save money in one area, you end up losing a load. Now your insurance rate potentially goes up or you don't claim it and you're out the money. Which now leads to further tightening, which leads to more cutting corners. And it, it can really spiral out of control, uh, very quickly. And, uh, um, I feel it for carriers. This has been the longest recession in a very long time. Some were steeper, but they were shorter. Mm-hmm. You know, you know, the bandaid was ripped off quicker. So I really feel it for 'em. And I think, you know, the, you know, what I've seen is, uh, from the experience we have and we have a lot of Trucky yards across North America is the, the, let's call 'em best in class. They're just looking for ways to, um, analyze how they're operating and they're actually getting stronger. They're looking at ways they can deploy technology to do more with less. Um, so, but yeah, um, everyone's in a different spot. I, I honestly, I, I feel it for a lot of people out there. It's not easy. Um, but, uh, ultimately those that come out of it and, and use the opportunity to, uh, maybe change some of their systems, some, some of their processes, uh, you know, technolo technology's come a, a really long way. We're a great partner in that way, and there's, there's many others. Um, it, it could be used, used as a really great opportunity. And because the market's slow for everyone, uh, a lot of vendors are offering discounts, so it's a great time to lock in longer term contracts. Um, so it's, it's an opportunity. Um, but it's also not easy for a lot of folks out there. Right. And one of the things that, um, I wanted to ask you about how come when you pull into a truck yard, sometimes it takes like forever to enter or exit the facility. It becomes a bottleneck, is what I'm trying to say. Um, does BirdsEye help in that way at all? Yes. So we reduce the gate processing time on average by about 75%. It's standardized. Yes. That's the, that's the average and it's really standardized. Uh, there's, uh, never a time when no one's there because it's just runs 24 7, unless the customer requests a different hours of the day to, to have security or, or, or not. Um, but you could also sometimes, and, and worth mentioning. You can be as secured as you're willing to inconvenience people, right? So there are times where you can jeopardize, uh, you know, the safety protocols and, and different, uh, different SOPs in exchange for, let's just get the truck in and let's get it out. Yeah. Now there's a fine balance between, let's do this at the right time. Let's not have a, a lineup of trucks going down, uh, down the street. So there's a fine balance of that. Uh, but certainly technology will on average, uh, do everything that a human does just faster. And I think that's been proven in every industry, including the security industry and specifically, uh, for carriers that are looking to, uh, have some sort of a gate management system that we offer or, um, something along those lines. I gotta believe that every carrier needs to have some sort of management system to control the, the flow of their trucks and trailers leaving their cargo leaving. Um, who is it that's driving that truck, you know? As I say, I, I go back to our early days when you told me, you know, you needed a, a name on a sheet of paper saying Chris is going to arrive about 2:00 AM and he's in this tractor number and he should be pulling this trailer number. If that's who arrives with the picture, I, or sorry, with my driver's license of my face, let 'em in like, so hopefully, yeah, that's what's happening out there. You know, with, with the high alert that we've been seeing lady lately on just identity theft alone, whether it be a person or whether it be an organization, you know, that's been a huge challenge for a lot of companies and even shippers, receivers, you know, um, I'm assuming your services are needed at those locations as well, to be able to verify, just as Chris said. Chris, this truck, this trailer number. Yes. Let him in. You know, and the same thing going out. Make sure he's got this, this, this, all the ducks are all lined up. Yeah, it's it's true. And, um, it's easier for larger carriers to take advantage of the data that we produce, that telematics produce, and to just kind of analyze all the information. Work closer with their insurers and, and be able to maximize their loss prevention credits by demonstrating that they have everything in check. And, uh, yes, uh, a hundred percent you, you know, you, you, you need to have tight control over, uh, your yard and make sure that all your data's accurate. That, um, there's rules and regulations, uh, um, you know, tight SOPs. So certainly, uh, uh, I agree. Those are the companies that are doing great. You know, if I think, um, you know, it kind of comes down to every carrier has to ask themselves a question. Like, and, and maybe some of them do, maybe some of them don't. But I think every should, every company should. What do I want it? What do I want? Do I want grow to this many trucks? Is it this much revenue? Is this a legacy business I wanna pass on to my kid? What do I want? Do I wanna build a great business that I am proud of? Do I wanna be. I know the safest fleet. Do I wanna matter in the industry? If I go to a, an event, if someone's gonna say, you know, John Transport, that's that, they're a great carrier. You know, they got best clients. They got, you know, they got into a good captive, they got favorable rates, they're hanging onto their drivers. You know, so it's all, you know what matters to you, right? What kind of a carrier do you want to be? And I think it always comes down to that question of why. So why am I doing this? Am I just doing this to pay some bills, maybe buy a house here in our condo in Miami? Is that, is that it? Or do I want more out of this? So, you know, it's almost becomes a philosophical question to some point, but really it drives it, you know, all these rules come from the top down. Yeah. Right. So I'm sure that you guys have seen this in risk many times. Uh, no matter what advice you give someone. They're not, you know, they don't, they don't follow it. And there's maybe a variety of reasons why they don't. So yes, there's best practices. Yep. And there's, uh, you know, vendors out there that can do it. It's just that there's always homework in, in, um, identifying the right vendors, identifying what's right for you and test driving and, and all those things. But, uh, certainly our experience has been is that. Almost all trucking companies that follow best practices have the best reputation, which leads to higher value loads, which leads to more higher value loads, more preferable lanes, which then helps out with driver retention, which is a huge problem, as we all know. So all of these things matter, and realizing this, and thanks to you gentlemen who've been part of my, my career at the very early stages. You gotta think of all of these things holistically. Yes. You know, I, you know, I initially started with security and the name stuck, but really, you gotta look at it. What do you want to become as a, as a company, you know, and how do you kind of bring it all together to help you realize the best version of, of your team, your company, yourself as a professional? I was gonna say the word culture. Build the culture. Yes, yes. Yes. Like, it's like, I like to use the analogy of like, your kids, you know, there's, you, you, the only chance you have control over them is when they're at your house. The minute they get out on the road, you hope that they take the culture and the values Yeah. Out there. So what does that mean? That means that when you're in the yard. You follow best practices. Mm-hmm. You know, you've put your dishes away, you clean up after yourself. You, you follow best practices. Make your bed. We hope as parents make your bed, right? Yep. So, brush your teeth. So, and then you hope that you, you take those values out on the road and it's a continuation, it's an extension of your culture. You know, I'm a driver and you're trying to recruit me and I drive to. You know, I come into a truck here and I see everyone's, you know, parked nice, straight line. Everyone, there's a sense of pride. You come into a clean yard, there's, there's some garbage everywhere. Fence isn't broken. The gate works. Mm-hmm. I'm a good driver. I've been driving for a long time. I have choices. I'm in demand. Mm-hmm. I'm gonna go work at a yard where I feel safe, where I'm going to learn something, or gonna be in a good company that's following best practices. So. Again, it, it just all goes up to who do you wanna be as a company, where do you wanna go? And, um, it, it'll drive all the decisions from small to big. Sure. And it might seem all very expensive, but honestly, sometimes it just comes down to that, uh, word culture, you know? And I think a lot of companies lack it. And, uh, yes. So what we do as a company is we help enforce that culture. And some of our, you know, I mentioned protocols are site specific. So we will adapt to your culture. Maybe you want to be a little bit more lax on some of the rules. Maybe not, you know, but whatever it is, every company's got a culture, whether they know it or not, right? Oh true. Very true. Mike, thanks so much for this. I really enjoyed that. And for those of you that are watching and listening, Mike's contact info is in the show notes down below. If you're interested in yard security and exploring what Birdseye might bring to you, reach out. Alright, Mike, thanks so much for coming on the show. Thanks, Mike. Thank you very much gentlemen. Great to see you again and congratulations on all your success. Appreciate it. You too. Go away. Okay. Thanks for coming on the show, Mike, so much. I appreciate it. And for you viewers and listeners, please share this video with someone that you think will get benefit from it and I would appreciate it so much. Don't forget to like and subscribe. And we'll see you next week. Trucking Risk and Insurance Podcast. Johnny and Chris, we're outta here.