Stakeholders in the freight security sector are voicing support for several bipartisan bills in Congress that would empower the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and law enforcement agencies to crack down on fraudulent carriers and organized theft rings.
Specifically, the industry nonprofit group Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA Americas) says it is endorsing H.R. 2853 / S. 1404, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) and H.R. 880 / S. 337, the Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Act.
TAPA Americas was formed in 1997 to tackle the multi-billion dollar problem of cargo thefts from supply chains. It is a coalition of manufacturers, shippers, carriers, insurers, service providers, law enforcement, and government agencies.
Citing data from CargoNet, TAPA said that overall cargo theft is up over 90% and strategic theft incidents (where freight is nefariously re-directed) are up 1475% since 2022. Nearly half of the thefts involve everyday goods like household items, food and beverages, electronics, and appliances, leading to higher prices and affecting the availability of essential products nationwide.
According to TAPA, businesses and supply chain vendors have increasingly invested in security measures, but those efforts are not enough to combat the growing wave of fraudulent activity. A root cause of that is the lack of dedicated law enforcement and prosecutorial resources, which means that many thefts go unreported or unsolved, and perpetrators often receive lenient penalties, TAPA said.
