Cargo Theft At All-Time High - Copy

Cargo thieves continued to make the lives of freight operators a nightmare during the past year.

A total of 951 cargo thefts were reported in 2013, which tied the all-time mark set in 2012, according to FreighWatch International. With an average of $171,100 per stolen load, that adds up to over $162 million in stolen cargo across the entire industry in the United States.

The high total breaks down to an average of over 79 cargo thefts each month. And of the 951 thefts that occurred in the past year, 692 were full-truckload or container thefts and 65 were less-than-truckload thefts, according to the FreightWatch International report.

Breaking Down the Numbers

Theft of a vehicle and its load accounted for 73 percent of the reported thefts in 2013, with theft from a trailer or container being the second most common occurrence, and the identity theft form of deceptive pickups ranking third as the most common type of theft.

On average, the value per stolen load did fall 2 percent to $171,000 during the past year.

The theft of electronics led the way in average value per stolen load at $397,000. Stolen loads of alcohol or tobacco ranked second at $280,000 per load, followed by clothing or shoes at $272,000.

Cargo theft activity were most prevalent in June and September, but the last quarter of the year was the most concentrated of the year. And just about half of all thefts occurred on Fridays and Saturdays.

Thefts by State

California more than doubled the next closest state by accruing the most thefts in 2013, with a total of 259.

• California: 259
• Texas: 123
• Florida: 113
• Georgia: 71
• Illinois: 70

Combatting Cargo Theft

Using a trailer and asset tracking unit enables fleet managers to locate, manage and recover company equipment. This provides location tracking and reporting for company assets can be easily managed through advanced GPS tracking software.

The robust, self-powered unit incorporates built-in GPS and cellular data modules with no need for external antennae, which ensures that the entire fleet will have optimal anti-theft security.