Technology to Detect and Prevent Loss for Travel Centers
Reducing shrink and theft can seem like a constant battle for truck stop and travel center operators, but technology is making it easier to detect and prevent loss. During 麻豆色播 Connect 2025, several members of the 麻豆色播 Foundation鈥檚 Technology Steering Council* shared solutions and strategies to combat theft.
Participants in the interactive panel moderated by , included:
- 听补苍诲
- .
*, also serves on the 麻豆色播 Foundation’s Technology Steering Council.聽
The 麻豆色播 Foundation’s Technology Steering Council is a group of technology experts selected for their ability to lead the truck stop and travel center industry on technology issues. On Thursday, June 12, at 2pm Eastern (1pm CDT, 12pm MDT, 11am PDT), join the 麻豆色播 Foundation and members of the Technology Steering Council for a virtual meet-and-greet. After hearing about each company, you will self-select a Zoom breakout room for a 15-minute demo on their company’s solutions. This event is open to truck stops, travel centers, and members of the 麻豆色播 Foundation Technology Steering Council ONLY. Sign up for the .
Preventing Theft and Fraud at the Pump
Fuel theft鈥攚hether through skimming, drive-offs, or fraud鈥攃osts the industry millions of dollars each year. Curtis said thieves continue to innovate, and now they are using 3D printing to print and then install a card reader that can read card information. 鈥淚t is blue tooth connected, so the thief doesn鈥檛 have to come back to your location. They can sit across the street,鈥� she explained.
Curtis recommends operators check their dispensers daily, even pulling on the card reader to ensure it secure. 鈥淧hysically check your card readers and keypads to see what is going on,鈥� she said. 鈥淓very day, check keypads to see if anybody has laid something over to capture pins.鈥�
Operators can also use the same security tape they use on pumps on card readers so they can see if it has been broken, Curtis added.
Erhart told attendees that digital payments can minimize risk by enhancing security and minimizing fraud. Digital payment solutions that use EMV chip technology encrypt transaction data, making it nearly impossible for criminals to clone cards and commit fraud.
Curtis said that as more point-of-sale solutions come out, there are more options for connected truck or contactless payments.
Security cameras also remain a powerful tool. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e running a truck stop, you should have a high-res camera on every diesel lane. Every pump should have a camera,鈥� Myhren said.
Cameras should be positioned so they can read license plates and DOT numbers on the sides of trucks. Today鈥檚 AI-powered surveillance systems can take theft prevention to a new level. 鈥淭here are some AI tools that can detect what normal activity looks like and then flag something that is outside of the norm,鈥� Myhren added.
Tracking Wet Stock
Wet-stock loss鈥攖he discrepancy between the amount of fuel delivered to a truck stop or travel center and the amount dispensed or sold鈥攃an result from various factors, including theft.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all under siege as operators to monitor the fuel going through our system,鈥� Caputo said, adding that today鈥檚 technology today does a good job of monitoring the tanks. 鈥淭here are systems that monitor what goes through the dispenser and what goes through the tank.鈥�
When discrepancies happen, it indicates that product is being stolen or 鈥渄rifting鈥� through the meter, with more product being dispensed than is accounted for. Thieves adapt the pulsers to slow them down so the pump is metering a smaller amount.
鈥淭o your system, it looks like a 10-gallon purchase, but 500 gallons left your tank,鈥� Caputto said. 鈥淚t would show up as a loss, but you鈥檇 have no idea where the loss occurred. We can detect it in real time.鈥�
Caputto said Warren Roger鈥檚 technology monitors how long a pump has been active as well as how many gallons have been dispensed. If it has been 10 minutes but only 25 gallons have been dispensed, it flags an issue.
Keeping Merchandise Safe
Preventing theft inside the store is just as important as stopping fraud at the pump. The first step in preventing theft is determining where it is occurring. Schulte said about 70% to 90% of merchandise loss comes from cashiers. 鈥淏e very, very honest with yourself of where those thefts are coming form, and then can you use technology to solve those problems,鈥� he said.
For example, if locations鈥� loss is coming from lottery tickets or electronics, automated kiosks could help reduce the risk of theft.
A simple best practice is to keep merchandise visible in every stage of its life. 鈥淜eep gondola heights low so there is cashier visibility. Design for the latest in NVR and DVR camera solutions,鈥� Myhren said. 鈥淢ost customer theft is people opening packages on the sales floor and then shoving it in their clothing.鈥�
Myhren is also a fan of item-level inventory. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to do it for the whole store. You can do it for high-shrink items,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚t is hard to do and hard to get in place, but it takes out the mystery of where loss occurred. I can then quickly react to that and address it.鈥�
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