Cargo Theft Cases Down in Q3 Compared to Highs of 2020: CargoNet

There were 359 supply chain theft and fraud incidents across the United States and Canada in the third quarter of 2021, according to CargoNet.

They included 294 total theft incidents that involved theft of a trucking vehicle like a semi-truck or theft of cargo, the cargo theft prevention and recovery network reported.

This was a 19% decrease from third quarter of 2020, but overall 2020 was a record-setting year for theft. When compared to the third quarter of 2019, theft reports were up 13% this third quarter.

Theft reports along the West coast of the United States increased 42% year-over-year. California continues to see frequent thefts of high-end computer electronics shipments, the company said.

Other regions of the country reported a reduction in theft when compared to third quarter of 2020, but each region had increased at least 16% in the third quarter of 2020 when compared to third quarter 2019.

Reported theft dropped the most in the Northeast — 74% year-over-year. CargoNet said this is due to a reduction in full truckload cargo theft in the New York metropolitan area and enforcement action taken against an interstate trailer burglary group that frequented truck stops on the I-81 corridor in Pennsylvania.

Theft reports in the Southwest decreased 32% year-over-year, but this was after a 246% year-over-year increase in third quarter of 2020. Crime in Texas was responsible for the fluctuations and CargoNet said it attributes the decrease to police actions against crime rings based in Illinois and Texas.

Cargo thieves continued to show a strong preference for computer electronics shipments with nearly 70% of these thefts in the third quarter of 2021 occurring in California. In contrast, household products thefts dropped 63% largely because CargoNet recorded fewer pilferages of these products.

Entering into the final quarter of 2021, CargoNet said it expects that theft activity will remain elevated.

“We are concerned about targeting of computer electronics shipments shipping from California, as well as a breakout of full truckload cargo thefts spreading across the eastern half of the United States,” the tracking service commented.

Topics Trends Fraud Trucking