Recent cargo theft analysis shows significant increase from previous year

Cargo theft across the United States increased nearly 60% in 2023, according to recent data from an industry insider.

CargoNet is a Jersey City, N.J.-based data- and information-sharing company that works with motor carriers and law enforcement to combat cargo theft. According to the company’s 2023 Yearly Incident Analysis, there were a total of 2,852 reported theft incidents in 2023 – marking a 59.33% increase over the previous year.

The highest spike in reported theft incidents came in the fourth quarter, with 798 thefts reported in the final three months of the year. Overall, theft incidents exceeded the previous year’s totals in all four quarters of 2023.

Food and beverage was the top-targeted commodity for thieves in 2023, with 497 total reported thefts. Household goods (265) and electronics (245) were No. 2 and No. 3 on CargoNet’s report.

As far as thefts by state go, California outpaced all states by a large margin, accounting for 887 of all reported theft incidents in 2023 – just north of 31% of all U.S. thefts. Texas was second on the list, with 319 thefts reported in 2023. Illinois, Florida and Georgia rounded out the top five.

CargoNet noted the rising trend in theft incidents this past September, saying the increase in reported incidents largely could be attributed to one type of theft.

“Much of the increase is due to ongoing shipment misdirection attacks, a kind of strategic cargo theft in which actors use stolen motor carrier and logistics broker identities to obtain freight and misdirect it from the intended receiver so they (can) steal it,” the company said in a statement.

The issue of cargo theft has become so prevalent that several lawmakers are calling for the creation of a permanent task force to address supply chain thefts.

 In May, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., and several other lawmakers expressed their concerns in a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General.

“We urge the Office of Inspector General to consider creating a special unit within the office, in consultation with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Department of Justice, to investigate, refer and prosecute cases of transportation fraud in a systematic, concerted manner,” the collaborative letter read.

In August, DOT Inspector General Eric Soskin responded to their concerns, saying his office would continue to collaborate with FMCSA to investigate double-brokering and other fraud schemes.

“Recognizing the importance of preventing and detecting fraud, waste and abuse in our transportation system, we will continue to partner with FMCSA and the Department of Justice to investigate the most egregious allegations of household-goods-moving and double-brokering fraud, in addition to our primary focus on cases that align with OIG’s top investigative priorities,” Soskin wrote in the response letter. LL