Cargo theft has shifted from stolen trailers toward stolen identities. Thieves still take loaded trailers from unattended lots, but a growing share of losses now come from fraud: impostor carriers, fictitious pickups and loads quietly re-brokered to someone who never delivers. This guide covers what the latest data shows, the controls that work for carriers, shippers and brokers, and the cargo insurance conditions that most often decide whether a theft claim is paid.

Cargo theft by the numbers

Verisk CargoNet's analysis of 2025 activity in the United States and Canada found that the number of supply chain crime events held roughly steady, but confirmed thefts and their value rose sharply:

2,646Confirmed cargo thefts in 2025, up 18%
$725MEstimated losses, up 60% from 2024
$273,990Average value per theft, up 36%
  • Food and beverage was the most stolen category, with 708 thefts, up 47%. Meat, seafood and tree nuts were most affected.
  • Metals thefts rose 77%, driven by demand for copper. Tires, auto parts, motor oil and engine components were also frequent targets.
  • California led all states with 1,218 incidents. New Jersey (up 50%), Indiana (up 30%) and Pennsylvania (up 24%) saw notable increases.
  • For 2026, CargoNet expects continued targeting of high-value computer hardware such as memory modules, storage drives and enterprise computing equipment, and more theft by deception aimed at shipments tendered to legitimate carriers.

Two kinds of cargo theft

Straight theft

Physical theft of a loaded trailer, a tractor-trailer, or goods from inside a trailer, usually where equipment is parked and unattended: truck stops, drop yards, terminals and customer lots.

Strategic theft

Theft through deception. The thief convinces a shipper, broker or carrier to hand the load to the wrong party, often with real-looking documents and a real company's identity.

Strategic theft takes several forms:

SchemeHow it works
Carrier identity theftThe thief poses as a legitimate motor carrier, using that carrier's USDOT number, often after obtaining credentials through phishing, malware or spoofed email domains.
Fictitious pickupFalse documents persuade a shipper or warehouse that the driver is the assigned carrier. The driver collects the freight and disappears.
Double brokeringA party inserts itself between shipper and carrier and re-tenders the load to another carrier without the shipper's knowledge, then diverts the load or the payment.
Acquired carriersCriminals buy or take over existing motor carriers with clean load histories to pass vetting. CargoNet flags this as an emerging concern.

Controls for motor carriers

Carriers face both kinds of theft: equipment stolen on the road, and their own identity used to steal someone else's load.

  1. Plan parking. Route high-value loads so drivers can reach secure, attended parking. Avoid leaving loaded trailers unattended, especially over weekends; as discussed below, many cargo policies restrict coverage for unattended or long-parked equipment.
  2. Lock and track. Use kingpin, landing-gear and door locks on loaded trailers, and GPS or similar tracking on tractors, trailers and high-value freight. Our guide to telematics and GPS tracking covers system choices.
  3. Protect your identity. FMCSA advises carriers to treat company information like banking and credit card details. Use multi-factor authentication on email, load boards and the FMCSA portal, and train dispatch to recognize phishing.
  4. Keep SAFER current. Make sure your listed phone number and contact information are accurate so shippers and brokers can verify you independently.
  5. Train drivers. Drivers should not discuss loads, routes or destinations in public or on social media, should report anyone following them, and should know exactly what to do if they are approached.
  6. Screen who you hire. Insider involvement is a factor in many thefts. See driver hiring and screening.

Controls for shippers and brokers

FMCSA's guidance on broker and carrier fraud gives a practical vetting routine:

  • Verify by phone, using SAFER. Check the carrier or broker's phone number in FMCSA's SAFER system. If the number you were given does not match, call the SAFER number instead. Be cautious with any company that has no visible phone number in SAFER.
  • Do not rely on search results. Top search results can be fake; confirm details across more than one source.
  • Examine documents. Insurance certificates and other paperwork can be fraudulent. Confirm coverage with the issuing agent.
  • Watch for warning signs. Requests to pose as a different carrier, blind loads, a broker who quickly agrees to pay more, or rates far above market are reasons to stop.
  • Check at pickup. Record tractor and trailer plates, request truck photos to compare with the carrier packet, and match the driver's license and plates against the pickup paperwork. If anything differs, contact the carrier before releasing the load.
  • Use unique pickup numbers issued only to the assigned carrier, and treat last-minute carrier or equipment changes as a reason to verify again.

Warehouses play a large part in stopping fictitious pickups. Our articles on warehouse access control and warehouse theft prevention cover dock procedures in more detail.

If a load is stolen

  1. Call local police immediately and get a report number. Speed matters for recovery, especially when the equipment is tracked.
  2. Notify your insurer and broker the same day, along with load boards and any factoring company involved.
  3. Report fraud or identity theft to FMCSA through the National Consumer Complaint Database or the FMCSA Contact Center (1-800-832-5660). The USDOT Office of Inspector General hotline (800-424-9071), the FTC and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center also accept reports.
  4. If your company's identity was used, warn customers through your website and social media.
  5. Preserve every record: rate confirmations, emails with full headers, bills of lading, gate logs, photos and tracking data.

Our article on preventing and managing cargo claims covers documentation and the claim process.

Where cargo coverage commonly falls short

Motor truck cargo policies are not standardized. Many are manuscript forms written by each insurer, so two policies with the same limit can respond very differently to the same theft. Points that commonly decide theft claims include:

Policy provisionWhat to check
Unattended vehicleTheft from a vehicle left unlocked and unattended may not be covered. Read exactly what "attended" means in your form.
Extended parkingSome forms limit coverage for a trailer parked in one location for more than a set period, such as 72 hours.
Commodity exclusionsInsurers may exclude or limit high-theft goods, such as meat, seafood, electronics, tires and alcohol. Make sure the freight you actually haul is covered.
Employee theftTraditional cargo forms almost always exclude theft by employees. A crime policy usually fills that gap.
RefrigerationSpoilage from reefer breakdown is covered only if the policy includes it, and driver error such as a wrong temperature setting can fall outside coverage.
Brokered or fraudulent loadsCoverage for loads obtained or released through deception varies widely. Brokers should review the cargo policies of the carriers they use rather than assume.
LimitsShipper and broker contracts often require a specific cargo limit. Compare it with the value of your highest-value loads, not your average load.

Our cargo insurance page explains the main coverage types, and our truck insurance page covers how cargo fits within a full trucking program.

When to call a broker

Call us before you haul a new commodity or a load worth more than your cargo limit, when a customer contract sets new insurance requirements, when you start brokering freight, or right away after a theft or suspected fraud. We will read your cargo form against how you actually operate, explain the conditions that apply to parked and unattended equipment, and compare options across the market where your current form does not fit.

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