As most Americans enjoy grilling with family and an extra day off this July 4th holiday, cargo thieves seek to get rich by stealing truckloads of food and beverages, major appliances, and electronics. CargoNet analyzed cargo theft data in the United States and Canada from July 1 to July 7 for the past five years and noted that those were some of the most popular theft categories. CargoNet analysts also expect cargo thieves to target metal shipments. Metal commodity prices have risen over the past few years, and cargo thieves have taken note. CargoNet has noted a major uptick in cargo theft of metals in 2018.
In the aforementioned time period, 108 cargo theft events in the United States and Canada were reported. Reports were most common in California, Texas, and Georgia, respectively. However, there were 26 states or provinces in total that experienced some cargo theft in this reporting period. Cargo was most commonly stolen on Friday, with 24 reported thefts, and Tuesday, with 19 reported thefts. CargoNet estimates $14.93 million in losses during this reporting period, and the average loss value per incident equaled $230,339.
Truckers can protect their trucks and freight by avoiding high-theft metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Dallas–Fort Worth, Atlanta, and Miami and by parking in high-security locations with security services, secure fences, and high-visibility lighting.
Noteworthy thefts from previous July 4th holidays:
- $2,000,000 of cell phones from Miami, FL
- $1,300,000 of apparel and accessories from Newport, TN
- $659,090 in cash and other valuable items from San Angelo, TX
- $500,000 in electronics from Carnesville, GA
- $495,210 in televisions and other displays from Medley, FL
View the July 4th Holiday Cargo Theft Trends and Security Tips & Best Practices.