John Holt of J.P. Holt Corp. displays the HOC-LOC, which is a keypad-operated safety device that keeps the braking system of tractor-trailers locked until a code is entered on the pad. The device helps prevent theft of the trailers. Cargo theft is a $30 billion-a-year problem for trucking companies. Add in the new fears of terrorism from stolen tractor-trailers and you have an industry ripe for new security products.
Fresnan has LOC on rigs
HOC-LOC uses keypad, 'black box' to secure tractor-trailers from theft.

By Sanford Nax

The Fresno Bee

(Published Monday, May, 27, 2002 6:10AM)
Cargo theft is a $30 billion-a-year problem for trucking companies. Add in the new fears of terrorism from stolen tractor-trailers and you have an industry ripe for new security products. A new Fresno-based company has an intriguing -- and potentially lucrative -- invention. HOC-LOC uses a keypad and "black box" filled with computer codes to keep the brakes locked until the right code is entered. The idea was the brainchild of Fresno resident John Holt, a fleet manager for a trucking company that was plagued with thefts. Crooks would simply pull up to full trailers and pull them away, breaking off locks that were standard in the industry. "One time they took three [trailers] in one night," Holt said. The trailers were later found abandoned and empty in Chino. He said an estimated $2 million worth of cargo gets stolen every day in Southern California. The merchandise often winds up over the border, where it is sold or exchanged for drugs. With 20 million tractor-trailers in the United States, the potential for HOC-LOC is bright. Holt used his own money to start the design process, but also lined up investors from the Valley. A team of paid engineers from the aerospace industry helped develop HOC-LOC. The invention is simple in concept, but is technologically advanced. A keypad mounted on the front of the trailer is attached to a black box of codes embedded elsewhere. The braking system cannot be released until the correct code is entered.

Holt began work on HOC-LOC a couple years before Sept. 11, but since then officials with the nation's Office of Homeland Security have become interested in the device. Soon, operators will be able to change the codes and lock the brakes via satellite. He said the Transportation Security Agency, a spinoff of the Homeland Security Department, is requesting more information. Response from the trucking industry has been strong. About 130 of the devices are in use, and 600 more are on order. A trucking executive in Kentucky, who had four trailers stolen in two months, asked for 350 of them. Trucking companies in Europe also are expressing interest, Holt said. The device has been tested in laboratories and in the real world, and Holt said there is evidence that it already has prevented at least one theft. A trucker in Oakland said he couldn't get the lock to work and asked for assistance. Holt drove up there, found the keypad damaged and figured someone had tried to pry it off. Even if the keypad had been removed, the trailer brakes would have remained locked. The driver simply installed a new keypad and took off.

###

Click here to go back to News.