Cargo theft is on the rise, and industry stakeholders have had enough.
With good reason.
Incidents of cargo theft and other forms of freight fraud are occurring with increasing frequency, driven by economic pressures, rising shipment volumes, and a digital business climate that must look like a playground to cybercriminals intent on carrying out double-brokering fraud or other schemes designed to steal payments, cargo, or identities. More than 80% of respondents to an April survey by the freight broker trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) said they’d experienced at least three different types of freight fraud in the previous six months, for example.
And things are only getting worse, with many across the industry saying the situation has become a crisis.
Figures vary, but some industry estimates show that fraudulent freight schemes cost supply chains as much as $35 billion a year. And the thieves are becoming increasingly sophisticated: TIA and others cite a rise in “strategic crimes” over the past year, for example. This is when criminals use deception, fraud, and advance planning to make their heists. Tactics include impersonation, document forgery, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate bills of lading and orchestrate remote operations, according to BSI Consulting, which released its 2024 Cargo Theft Report in conjunction with insurance and risk management firm TT Club in April. The report found that nearly 20% of all fraudulent freight incidents in the U.S. were strategically planned thefts. Similarly, TIA’s research found that unlawful brokerage—which occurs when criminals pose as legitimate brokers—remains the most common scam that brokers face.
Even more shocking: The TIA study found a 65% increase in reported freight fraud from September 2024 to February 2025 compared to the previous eight months.
Combine all that with some newsworthy heists just this year and it does feel like this is becoming a crisis. Remember the trailerload of eggs worth $40,000 that was stolen from a distribution center in Pennsylvania in February? Less than a month later, also in Pennsylvania, thieves attempted to boost $55,000 worth of beef from a parked tractor-trailer. Thankfully, the latter incident was thwarted, but these cases—and thousands of others like them—point to the need for better prevention strategies among stakeholders and tools that can help law enforcement investigate and prosecute these increasingly common crimes.
On the prevention front, there are tools and techniques companies can use to protect themselves, including being more careful about the security of their email and other electronic communications, better screening of third-party contractors, and using reliable tracking services to monitor trucks and respond to incidents, according to the BSI/TT Club researchers. They say companies should also pay close attention to alterations to regular delivery and pickup locations.
Collectively, industry is urging action at the federal level. TIA has called on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which regulates the trucking industry, to crack down on fraudulent carriers and remove illegitimate listings from its databases. Together with other industry groups, the association is also backing measures that aim to reduce fraud and protect businesses and consumers, including the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 880 and S. 337) and the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) (S.1404 and H.R. 2853), which they say would provide additional tools for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute these crimes.
It’s time to make cargo theft and cybersecurity a top industry priority—on the road, in the boardroom, and in Washington.
