Incidents of cargo theft continue to rise, climbing 33% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025, according to a report from supply chain visibility and risk analysis firm Overhaul, released this week.
The company’s United States Q2-2025 Cargo Theft Report tracked 525 cargo theft incidents during the quarter, a 4% rise over quarter one. Thefts during the first half of the year rose 10% compared to the first half of 2024, according to the report.
The steady climb continues a trend in recent years that—combined with tariff uncertainty, frontloading of imports, and coming peak-season logistics activity—should put shippers, carriers, and drivers on high alert for the second half of 2025, according to Overhaul.
“Looking ahead, Overhaul expects a similar pattern to what was observed in 2023 and 2024, when theft began to climb as early as July,” the report’s authors wrote. “As a result, the prediction for the second half of 2025 anticipates at least a 15% increase in cargo theft incidents, driven by heightened economic and logistics activity in the latter part of the year.”
The Q2 data also found that cargo theft in the United States is highest near freight hubs and large cities, leading to hot spots in states such as California (38%) and Texas (21%), which ranked first and second for cargo theft risk. Key targets include food and drinks (16%), electronics (16%), and home and garden items (13%). In particular, theft of metals surged 92% in Q2 compared to Q1.
Overhaul analyzes cargo theft data from a range of sources—including industry databases, law enforcement organizations, and insurance companies—to compile its quarterly reports.
