security seals

C-TPAT requires that all trailers, containers, and rail cars entering the USA are secured so that customs officers can check to make sure that the load was not tampered with between the origin point and the destination. These security seals have to meet the criteria of ISO17712 so that they are hard to cut and harder yet to tamper with. In October 2008 all major shipping lines made it mandatory that any freight they are carrying will have a ISO17712 approved high security seal.

There are two main types of security seals:

Bolt Seals - Used mainly on containers as they are very hard to cut, usually requiring bolt cutters with 36-inch long handles, and the container is arriving at a facility that has these tools to open the container.

Cable Seals - Used mainly on rail cars and trailers, as they are easier to cut, as the driver usually has to cut them off of the truck trailers themselves and carrying the big bolt cutters inside the truck isn't recommended by customs. Know more here security seals

Security Seals have two main purposes: First is to show if they cargo has been tampered with, did anyone enter the trailer or container after the load left the warehouse. Second, to prevent theft as the bolt seals are very hard to cut and without proper tools they won't be cut.

Security seals are not meant to prevent anyone from tampering with the cargo, they are meant to show if someone did tamper with the cargo. This is an important difference as most shippers think that the security seal offers more protection than it really does. The security seal is designed so that if it is tampered with it can't be reused to hide the tampering. A quality security seal, one approved by ISO17712 and used for C-TPAT should be unusable after being tampered with. It should theoretically be destroyed.

Due to the strict compliance required by ISO17712 and C-TPAT there are only five to six main manufacturers as the factories have to maintain ISO9001 standards to show that the quality obtained from the samples that are tested holds true when mass production is carried out.

Security Bolt Seals are not just for physical strength. Tampering is one of the biggest dangers, which is why customer's products need protection. High security seals are intended for higher security applications. Authorities appreciate their use as they can easily tell if there has been tampering as the seal has to be destroyed in order to get past it.

Manufacturers have spent years improving these products for the well-known container operators worldwide. They witnessed a lot of tampering methods and came to know that the main threat to the customer is hidden substitution. This is what they called lethal tampering.

Using high security bolts seals is safer and more applicable in heavy duty sealing applications like shipping on truck and trailers, rail cars and freight containers. Many companies provide distinctive kinds of high security bolt seals. Bolt seals are more solid than other seals so they can be used for securing shipping containers during long distance transit. Click now security seals

Shipments that cross international borders require a proper locking mechanism. They have serial numbers and are offered in different colors. Customization makes them more secure as the specific name and number won't be repeated. The solid metal core head and a locking cylinder that is encased in shock proof plastic makes for a high level security seal and an effective tamper deterrent.

High security seals must meet the international standard that specifies the minimum and acceptable physical strength parameters for seals that can be used on marine containers. It requires values that must be met to be a compliant. In attaining or exceeding ISO 17712's strength requirements, the bolt seals will be regarded as compliant and can be used on marine containers.