New Report Shows Rise in Cargo Theft, With Three States Leading the Way

Cargo theft across the U.S. and Canada continued to rise in 2024, with three states making up the bulk of losses, a new report shows.

Multimodal hubs in California, Texas, as well as around Chicago, continue to be top targets for thieves, according to a report out this week that’s the result of a new collaboration with GearTrack and CargoNet. The report also notes that Florida ports are also seeing a rise in incidents.

California, Texas and Florida made up 54% of all the nation’s reported cargo thefts, according to the report.

The top target commodities included food and beverages (up 115% month-over-month), household goods (up 76%) and vehicles and accessories (up 36%).

The report also notes that organized theft groups continue developing new and more sophisticated schemes.

“Organized theft groups are developing new, innovative schemes—from non-delivery of loads to following freight trains along delivery routes—and even forging documents for fraudulent pick-ups,” the report states.

This week GearTrack, a supply chain management company, and CargoNet, a Verisk company, announced a collaboration, which includes 24/7/365 cargo recovery support and investigation support.

GearTrack customers can access Verisk’s theft and fraud risk management tools and analytics, including enhanced cargo theft and fraud intelligence alerts.

The collaboration will also bring new cargo safety analytics and insights, with the upcoming release of the GearTrack Cargo Security Index, powered by Verisk CargoNet. The monthly report will provide a view of cargo theft trends across the U.S. and Canada.