Another cargo theft in Philadelphia continues a recent trend of thieves striking while drivers are parked overnight.
On Wednesday, April 10, police responded to a reported theft from a refrigerated truck in the city’s Northside off of Charter Road. Officials said the trucker – who was asleep in the cab at the time of the theft – was awakened by the shaking trailer as the thieves made off with the loot.
Police said the thieves made off with 56 cases of pork valued at over $12,000.
The driver told police the thieves fled in a silver Lexus SUV. However, officials said it was likely only one of the vehicles used to transport the stolen goods.
As of the afternoon of Friday, April 12, no arrests had been made in the case.
This latest cargo theft marks the 37th reported incident in Philadelphia this year – with many occurring overnight, while truckers wait for morning deliveries.
“They are asleep in a lot of cases,” Captain Jack Ryan of the Philadelphia Police Department told ABC6 News. “The refrigerated trucks make a lot of noise.”
Last month, police investigated a cargo theft where crooks made off with cases of bourbon – along with seafood – from a pair of trailers parked overnight.
And in January, thieves pilfered four pallets of frozen meat valued at around $20,000 from a truck parked overnight in the same part of the city.
The rise in cargo theft – particularly from trucks parked overnight – underscores the issue of a lack of available, safe truck parking in Pennsylvania.
According to data from the Pennsylvania Transportation Advisory Committee, there is a shortage of around 4,400 truck parking spaces across the state. The committee said the inadequate number of available spaces results in about 1,100 trucks parked nightly on highway shoulders and ramps.
This past fall, the committee voted unanimously in support of HR236, which directs the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a “thorough and comprehensive study of truck parking” in Pennsylvania.
Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, is the bill’s lead sponsor. He said the study will look to provide recommendations for achieving adequate truck parking across the state.
“We want to give these drivers the dignity to be able to park somewhere safe to take their 10-hour break. Somewhere they have access to facilities to wash their hands and use the bathroom, maybe grab a bite to eat,” Heffley told committee members. “Aside from that, just somewhere to safely park, not along the interstate, where they can get a good night’s rest so they can get out there and do their job.”
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, there are around 11,600 truck parking spaces available throughout the state at private truck stops, Pennsylvania Turnpike service plazas and PennDOT rest areas and welcome centers. LL
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