A cut seal leaves cargo without a trustworthy history

An entire load vanished during a rest period

Between 2 and 5 October, unknown offenders cut the factory seal and opened a trailer parked at an A2 service area near Irxleben, Germany. TAG24 reported that thousands of beauty Advent calendars and cosmetics sets were stolen, causing a mid-six-figure loss. The driver discovered the breach only during the pre-departure inspection.

A seal proves a moment, not the whole journey

An intact seal helps verify that a door has not been opened since sealing; once it is cut, that assurance ends. To reconstruct events, shipper, carrier, insurer and buyer need to connect the seal identity with time, place, lot, vehicle, responsible party and opening events. A tamper-evident blockchain record can preserve that sequence without turning a physical seal into an excessive promise. Sensefinity blockchain

Recovered goods are not automatically trustworthy goods

If the boxes reappear, the question is no longer only “are these the same goods?” but also “where were they and how were they handled?”. Cosmetics can be substituted, mixed, tampered with or stored outside intended conditions. Lot-level identifiers and custody events help separate verifiable product from units whose history was interrupted.

The passport must survive separation from the truck

Evidence cannot remain attached only to the vehicle: a load can be split and resold through several channels. A Digital Product Passport can bind units or lots to origin, composition, authorised operators and confirmed transfers, exposing a custody break even after the product leaves the trailer. Sensefinity Digital Product Passport

The same discipline protects sensitive loads

For food, a custody breach can add temperature, hygiene and safety risk. Digital evidence systems must work with operating procedures, risk assessment and food-safety controls — never replace them. FoodSteps