Cargo theft survey hopes to ‘better quantify’ the scope of the problem

There is still time for carriers to offer input for a survey regarding cargo theft.

In August, the American Transportation Research Institute launched the survey with the goal of identifying the scope of cargo theft in the United States. The group said it hopes to use the responses “to better quantify cargo theft types, frequency, geography and commodities targeted.”

Jeffrey Short, vice president of ATRI, recently joined Land Line Now to discuss the cargo theft survey. According to Short, the issue “rose to the top” of the group’s research priorities thanks to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicating an estimated $15 billion to $30 billion is lost each year to cargo thieves.

While the survey looks to collect a variety of information – such as locations where cargo theft occurs and best practices to help avoid it – Short said discovering what thieves are seeking will be an important outcome of the study.

“We definitely want to figure out what the most targeted products are out there, so that we can inform them, ‘This is the kind of thing you want to keep an eye out for,’” he added.

In terms of which carriers are being targeted by crooks, Short said the thieves care more about what is in the trailer versus the name on the side of it.

“I don’t think larger carriers or smaller carriers are being targeted more often. I think it more has to do with what it is they’re hauling,” Short told Land Line. “If something is an easy target for a thief – something they can quickly turn around and make money on – that’s the kind of thing they’re going to go after.”

He said ATRI has already collected roughly 100 responses from motor carriers and brokers. The deadline to respond to the survey is Sept. 30.

You can complete the survey online here or can print a PDF version and return it by mail. The information collected is kept confidential, and all participants will receive an advance copy of the final report.

Listen to the full interview below for more details on what Short hopes will come from ATRI’s cargo theft survey.  LL