Supply Chain & Cargo Security
Security for the shipment, the stop, and the dock: cargo escorts and warehouse, yard, and dock security, based in Chicago and working locally, nationally, and internationally.
Supply chain and cargo security protects high-value and sensitive goods in transit and at the facilities they pass through. TB Defense provides shipment escorts and security for warehouses, yards, and docks, planned with the shipper, the carrier, and the people who run the dock. Based in Chicago, we work locally, nationally, and internationally, armed or unarmed as the load requires.
What coverage can include
- Escort vehicles and personnel for high-value and sensitive shipments
- Route planning, including planned stops, fuel, and rest points
- Coordination with carriers, shippers, brokers, and receiving sites
- Securing loads during stops, transfers, and handoffs
- Warehouse, yard, and distribution-center security
- Trailer, dock, and gate protection, with access control and patrols
Who needs cargo escorts or supply chain security?
Shippers moving high-value or sensitive goods, logistics and operations managers, carriers and brokers who need an escort on a particular load, and operators of warehouses, yards, and distribution centers who need officers on site.
When people usually call
A shipment is worth more than usual or would be hard to replace. A customer, insurer, or contract asks for an escort. A yard or warehouse has had break-ins, missing trailers, or unexplained losses. A facility is short on coverage during a busy season, a move, or an overnight hold. When a site has been hit and the exposure is unclear, a security risk assessment shows where to focus.
Where the work happens
Cargo is most exposed when it is sitting still: at a truck stop, in a yard overnight, at a dock door waiting to be loaded, or during a handoff between carriers. A shipment passes through several hands between origin and destination. We look at each point where it is exposed and plan coverage for the ones that matter.
Shipment escorts
An escort vehicle and personnel travel with the load, in contact with the driver, from pickup to delivery. The escort team knows the route, the planned stops, and who to call at each end. It works alongside the carrier's own procedures rather than replacing them.
Stops and transfers
Fuel stops, rest breaks, cross-docking, and carrier handoffs are where loads are most often left unattended. We plan where those stops happen and keep eyes on the trailer until it is moving again or signed over.
Warehouses and distribution centers
Security officers for access control, dock doors, receiving and shipping areas, and roving patrols of the building. Coverage can be scheduled for shifts, weekends, peak seasons, or overnight.
Yards, trailers, and docks
Gate control, trailer checks, and patrols of the yard, with attention to dropped trailers, seals, and anything parked outside the fence. Useful for yards that sit empty at night or over a holiday.
Planning the route
An escort starts well before the truck moves. We work with the shipper and carrier on the pickup and delivery windows, the route, where the load will stop and for how long, and what happens if the schedule slips. Stops are chosen for lighting, visibility, and access rather than convenience alone, and everyone on the move knows who to call and when.
Local, national, and international
Chicago is home base, and a lot of freight moves through the region, but loads do not stop at the state line. We escort shipments locally, across states, and internationally, and coordinate with the carriers, receiving sites, and any other parties involved at each end. For cross-border moves, the plan accounts for the handoffs and requirements of each place the load passes through.
Working with carriers and shippers
The carrier is responsible for the driver, the truck, and its own procedures. The shipper and receiver control their docks and paperwork. Our role is the security layer around the load, so we agree in advance who communicates with whom, what the escort does at a stop, and what happens if something does not look right. If a situation needs police, the escort calls them. Private security does not have police powers, and the plan is written with that in mind.
When cargo goes missing
If a load, a trailer, or inventory has already gone missing, the questions change: what happened, when, and who had access. Our investigations team handles cargo theft and inventory loss inquiries, working with your records and your insurer and alongside any police report.
Should cargo escorts be armed or unarmed?
Whether escort or site personnel are armed is a scoped decision based on the load, the route, and the facility. Armed personnel carry under the credentials that apply to them and to the jurisdiction, such as state security licensing or federal LEOSA qualification, as applicable. Some shippers, carriers, and facilities do not permit armed staff, and we plan around that. How armed and unarmed coverage differ.
How an engagement works
Every engagement starts with a conversation about what is moving or what needs protecting. From there we scope the coverage with you and the people involved, staff it, and stay in contact throughout.
What affects the cost
Every proposal is priced to the job. The factors that move it:
- Distance, route, and total hours, including the return trip
- The number of escort vehicles and personnel
- Armed or unarmed coverage
- Overnight holds or multi-day moves
- Planning and advance time before the move
- For facilities, the number of posts, shifts, and patrols
- Short-notice requests
What to have ready for the first conversation
- What is moving, roughly how much, and any handling requirements
- Pickup and delivery locations and the time windows
- The carrier, and a contact on the shipper and receiving side
- Any planned stops, transfers, or overnight holds
- For a facility, the address, hours, and the areas that concern you
- Any customer, contract, or insurer requirements for the escort
- Anything that has already happened, such as a loss or a break-in
Common questions
Can you escort a high-value shipment across state lines?
Yes. TB Defense is based in Chicago and escorts shipments locally, nationally, and internationally. We plan the route, the stops, and the handoffs with the shipper and carrier before the move, and stay with the load until it is delivered or signed over.
Do you secure warehouses and yards?
Yes. We provide officers for warehouses, distribution centers, yards, and docks, including access control, dock and gate coverage, trailer checks, and patrols. Coverage can be scheduled by shift, overnight, on weekends, or for a busy season.
Are escorts armed or unarmed?
Either, depending on the load, the route, and what the shipper, carrier, and facilities permit. Armed personnel carry under the credentials that apply to them and to the jurisdiction, such as state security licensing or federal LEOSA qualification, as applicable. We will recommend what the situation calls for.
What do you need to plan an escort?
What is moving, the pickup and delivery locations and windows, the carrier, contacts at each end, any planned stops or overnight holds, and any requirements from your customer, contract, or insurer. If something is not settled yet, send what you have and we will work from it.
Can you help after a cargo theft?
Yes. Our investigations team handles cargo theft and inventory loss inquiries, working with your records and your insurer and alongside any police report. We can also review how the loss happened and what coverage would help going forward.
Moving something that matters?
Tell us what is moving, where, and when, or which facility needs coverage. We will talk it through with you and follow up with a proposal.
Tell us what needs protecting.
- Phone855-823-3336
- Emailadmin@tbdefense.com
- Office1021 W Adams St, Suite 200-37, Chicago, IL 60607
- HoursIntake line answered 24/7. Office by appointment.