The transportation industry faces a rising problem with cargo theft, and it appears that the federal government is poised to do something about it.
A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate in 2025, along with a companion bill in the House, is designed to crack down on thefts. The chief points of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) would create a federal database within the Department of Homeland Security and enhance penalties for supply chain theft.
The transportation industry obviously supports the legislation, which is working its way through the political process. American Trucking Associations CEO Chris Spear told a House Judiciary subcommittee in December that the “rapid rise” of cargo theft amounts to an “escalating crisis.”
“Brazen thieves are robbing our industry to the tune of $18 million a day,” Spear said. “Motor carriers not only have to replace stolen products but shoulder higher insurance premiums and invest in new security measures. These added expenses put jobs and businesses at risk, and those elevated costs for fleets are felt by consumers at the store. Plainly, there is a direct connection to rampant cargo theft and what Americans are paying at grocery stores.”
The National Retail Federation has said that cargo thefts cost the industry about $35 billion a year. “This is money that belongs in consumers’ wallets, not criminals’ pockets,” Spear said.
The nonprofit American Transportation Research Institute released a theft report in October. The survey of motor carriers and logistics companies revealed that cargo theft costs carriers between $1.8 billion and $6.6 billion annually.
The news isn’t great for Arkansas, which ranks as the ninth-worst state for cargo theft for motor carriers, according to the ATRI. Cargo thefts are broken down into three generalized categories: straight, pilferage and strategic.
Straight theft is when an entire shipment is stolen. For example, a trailer full of goods is hijacked from a parking lot or terminal. A pilferage theft is when part of the shipment is taken.
Strategic theft is a growing trend in today’s computerized, remote environment. Thieves use trickery — like a doctored work order — to divert a shipment from an unsuspecting carrier.
The ATRI report showed that the average theft from motor carriers is about $29,000, but for logistics companies the average theft is more than $95,000. In 2018, most cargo thefts were straight or pilferage at nearly 98%; in 2023, that percentage had dropped to 75%, with strategic thefts now accounting for 25% of cargo heists.
Carriers reported thefts in all three categories with pilferage the highest at 39.9%, according to the ATRI. Straight thefts are 31.5% and strategic at 20.3%.
Logistics companies’ main issue is strategic thefts, understandable since many companies broker loads with carriers for hire through internet postings or online apps. Today’s technologically advanced criminals find way to intercede in the process.
Clearly, something needed to be done. Many states have tried to strengthen laws against cargo thefts, but transportation is an interstate business. It makes sense to make the enforcement interstate as well.
“These incidents are happening in every state and in every district,” Spear said. “In contrast, strategic theft involves the use of advanced cyber tactics to trick shippers, brokers and carriers to divert and hand over their loads. This high tech form of cargo theft has become a digital renaissance for thieves, surging 1500% since 2021.”
What’s being stolen? Cargo theft prevention network company CargoNet found that the No. 1 target is food and the No. 4 target is beverages, items that are disposable and easily resold, making them hard to trace. The No. 2 target is electronics, followed by automobile parts. Retail items are fifth.
Most nonstrategic cargo thefts happen at similar locations: a motor carrier terminal, an overnight parking spot or a truck stop. For logistics companies, half of cargo thefts occur at pickup locations where a load is often misdirected to the criminal through doctored work orders.
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