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Businesses and financial institutions all over the world rely on armored car services for the safe and secure transport of cash, valuables, and other assets. Innovations in technology and the automotive industry are responsible for armored transport as we know it. However, the armored transport industry existed long before bullet-resistant materials and sophisticated firearms. As long as there have been valuables to protect, the concept of armored transport has been explored in various ways, paving the way for modern armored car service.
Leonardo da Vinci is known for his groundbreaking inventions, but what many may not realize is that he is also responsible for countless ideas and designs that never fully came to fruition. One noteworthy example is his earliest known plans for an unattackable, armored vehicle. The primitive vehicle would require eight men to move it forward with thirty-two cannons encircling the bottom, making it nearly impossible to penetrate. The design was created in the likeness of a turtle’s shell, allowing for visibility from the top only. Unfortunately for da Vinci, the design was more challenging to execute than expected, and the original unattackable vehicle was never built. However, his vision of an armored vehicle laid the groundwork for the industry that would follow in centuries to come.
By the nineteenth century, horses and horse-drawn carriages had become the primary means of transportation within the United States and many other countries around the world. As such, the earliest known armored transport services got their start utilizing horses and horse-drawn wagons in their efforts to safely transport valuable assets. The earliest mail and parcel services used horses to move mail and packages over long distances, and when the United States began to use a paper currency model, these services were also called upon to move cash. While the delivery people were typically armed, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for robberies to occur. It was during this time of the “Wild West” that da Vinci’s original idea for a safe and unattackable vehicle was revisited by transportation providers in order to increase security and defend against these all-too-common robberies.
By 1877, stagecoach robberies had reached a fever pitch after a driver was slain along a popular western-bound route. As a result, the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage Company created a pair of steel-plated treasure coaches that were far more capable of withstanding an attack and protecting against future robberies. These stagecoaches had walls lined with thick steel plates and they were the first outfitted with portholes that were to be used by armed guards in the event they needed to shoot at attackers. Strongboxes were bolted to the floor, and the manufacturers behind them asserted that these boxes could fend off assaults for up to twenty-four hours. With these brand new measures in place, stagecoaches became treasure coaches that made moving valuables significantly less risky, paving the way for modern armored transport services.
In the early twentieth century as cars grew in popularity, war vehicles served as some of the earliest armored cars. Then, in 1910, the first armored car engineered specifically to transport cash and other valuable assets was designed for the banking industry by David Bellamore, a businessman hailing from New York City. (1) While Bellamore’s armored car functioned in a similar manner to the armored cars seen in the industry today, it also served as a mobile bank. These mobile branches widened the reach of many financial institutions while simultaneously improving their security. The Bellamore car was outfitted with burglar alarms, safes, and thick steel walls, which ensured that assets in-transit were as secure as those in banks, even over long distances.
Another commonplace piece of technology that is easily taken for granted is the ATM, or automated teller machine. The first cash machine was created by John Shepherd-Barron, a Scotsman who was inspired by the frustration of not being able to cash a check once his bank branch had closed for the day. He got work designing a cash machine similar in style to a vending machine, and it wasn’t long before the ATM went into production. Unsurprisingly, the ATM became first popular, and then essential, as they are now a staple in banks, grocery stores, gas stations, and countless other locations in the present day. With so many ATMs in service, the services of armored transport services needed to expand in order to accommodate the increasing need. Armored transport companies developed specialized ATM services to ensure that ATMs stay functional around the clock.
Today, armored car services do so much more than their predecessors. An industry that began with transporting cash and valuables on horseback has evolved into one that provides not only cash-in-transit services, but ATM services, cash management, and compliance. Where armored transportation providers were once merely vendors, today armored car services serve as partners to other businesses, government agencies, and financial institutions.
Since 2014, Blue Line Protection Group has been dedicated to being an integral partner in streamlining daily operations for businesses and other organizations. Our fleet of vehicles feature the latest innovations in technology and we invest not only in our trucks, but in our people. Our team members are highly-skilled and impeccably trained. We hold the safety of your assets as well as our team members in the highest regard. At Blue Line Protection Group, we offer our clients the ability to monitor the status of their assets in real-time, thanks to state-of-the-art tracking technology on all of our vehicles.
An industry leader in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexican, and Nevada, Blue Line Protection Group’s team of experts provide world-class service that is tailored to each client’s individual needs. From the first point of contact, you’ll be partnered with one of our team members who will ensure that the transport process fits seamlessly into your business’s workflow. Choosing to work with Blue Line Protection Group means that you’re choosing peace of mind, secure transport, and reliability that you can trust.
