Cargo theft is on the rise. An article by Transport Topics highlights how the numbers have gone high in the recent past. Thieves have become cleverer, coming up with more tricky strategies and tactics to steal. An analysis showed that in the second quarter, yearly, the increase is by 57%. It amounts to a total of $44 million in stolen shipments.  

The Strategic Tactics 

These new strategic tactics are tough to get a hand on. The common one is shipment misdirection. It has become a global issue. Keith Lewis noted that these kinds of criminal operations are quite tricky. They use the internet to trick people into helping them without even knowing. It is quick and easy, therefore difficult to deal with. They are difficult to pinpoint and attack when they are this clever. 

The shipment misdirection uses legitimate processes to obtain the cargo. The criminals pose as legitimate motor carriers or brokers to get loads. In the process, they get a legitimate driver to deliver the cargo to the wrong addresses. Such theft beats all potential checkpoints since all the paperwork seems genuine.  

Danny Ramon said that they have units that specifically deal with cargo crimes. He added that they have seen strategic crimes increase. They are spreading in numbers and also in terms of the areas affected. They acknowledge the fact that it is a tough crime to deal with. The fact that those involved are far from the crime scenes makes it hard to catch them.  

Freight volumes

The freight volumes have gone down in the recent past. It has also played its part in the increase in these crimes. Carriers need to be more thorough while investigating orders and potential loads. This means that criminals have even greater chances of getting away with attempted crimes. These attacks have become so rampant. Something must be done. They may be hard to put a finger on, but something needs to be done. Right now, California is the center, but for how long? They are fast spreading and need to be dealt with.  

‍