Costing dozens of billions every year, criminals are exploiting America’s vulnerable supply chains at never-before-seen rates.
Organized thieves are using high-tech methods to intercept valuable shipments and drive up prices for everyday Americans.
Cargo theft has reached crisis levels across America’s highways, warehouses, and rail yards.
Industry experts predict a shocking 25% increase in cargo theft this year alone, with incident rates already at an all-time high in 2024.
This surge in criminal activity directly affects small business owners and leads to higher prices at a time when American families are already experiencing hardship.
The financial impact is staggering. According to Homeland Security Investigations, cargo theft costs supply chains up to $35 billion every year, with estimated direct losses approaching $1 billion.
These are not just statistics: they represent real costs passed on to consumers through higher prices for everyday goods.
Small trucking companies are being devastated by this crime wave. Many family-owned trucking businesses cannot absorb the financial blow when their cargo is stolen.
“In my 25 years in the supply chain, I’ve never seen cargo theft this prevalent,” said Academy Sports and Outdoors chief supply chain officer Robert Howell during a recent U.S. Senate Committee hearing.
These crimes are not simple smash-and-grab operations. Modern cargo thieves employ complex tactics including load interception, identity theft, double brokering, and cyber fraud.
Criminal networks use doctored invoices and impersonate legitimate companies to divert valuable shipments into their hands.
Electronics are the most targeted items, accounting for nearly one-quarter of all thefts, while food and beverage thefts have surged 77% in 2024.
Law enforcement officials acknowledge there’s virtually no deterrent to prevent these thefts.
One expert bluntly stated the truth about this criminal enterprise: “The return on investment is almost 100%. And if there’s no risk of getting caught, why not do it better and do it faster?”
BNSF Railway Police Department chief special agent Will Johnson stated, “Cargo theft cases often cross multiple state lines, making jurisdictional coordination, prosecution and data collection extremely difficult.”
“A lack of a coordinated federal cargo theft enforcement effort also hinders effective prosecution,” he added.
The crime wave is particularly concentrated in Southern California, Texas, Memphis, and Pennsylvania—areas with critical supply chain infrastructure.
Rail theft has become so commonplace in Democrat-run California that social media videos regularly show thieves looting train cars in broad daylight while authorities do nothing.
Data firm Overhaul’s director of intelligence Danny Ramon stated:
“These folks are getting better at what they do. Folks in white-collar and blue-collar America are not the only ones who re-careered during the pandemic; criminals did it, too. A lot of them found cargo theft as their new ‘career,’ and they’ve been focusing their efforts and getting better.”
Industry leaders are begging for help, calling for the establishment of a federal supply chain crime coordination center and task force, and modernizing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety vetting process.
